It’s not easy being green.
But G is for green power, and that’s good enough for John Strickler, director of communications for the Lansing Board of Water and Light.
The board has a contract with Granger Electric Co. to purchase methane gas from landfills and sell it to customers as renewable energy.
Joel Zylstra, president of Granger Electric Co. said as a landfill begins to decompose it emits methane gas, which can be used just like natural gas.
“It has significant environmental benefits,” he said. “Methane gas, if we didn’t take it off the landfill, would be emitted into the air. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas.”
The board also has contracted renewable energy from two small hydroelectric dams in northern Michigan.
“We are offering (customers) the option to receive electricity from renewable energy,” Strickler said. “It’s energy that is produced by clean renewable resources.”
He said the board decided to offer renewable energy after customers indicated an interest in protecting the environment.
A block of the renewable energy, which is about 200 kilowatt hours, will cost consumers an extra $7.50 per month.
Strickler said the money goes to cover the cost of the energy supply and administration costs, and any excess will be funneled back into other renewable energy costs.
But Barbara Kohls, an East Lansing resident, said the green power is just more money in executives’ pockets.
“I think it is a good idea,” she said. “But for it to cost more than $7 a month - they could do a better job than that.
Kohls said a reasonable price for this option should be about a couple dollars.
“Once it is up and running it should be cheaper because it should be readily available,” she said. “If they can’t get it cheaper than this, then somebody else needs to.”
But Patrick Hudson, executive director for Urban Options, 405 Grove St., a group dedicated to increasing the use of renewable energy, said the price should not scare potential customers.
“There are ways people can offset that $7.50 right away,” he said. “They can regain the cost for their premium by doing simple things like caulking or adding insulation.”
Hudson said Urban Options has signed up for a block of green power energy and he personally signed up for a block for his home.
“It is a great way for people to put their money where their mouth is,” he said. “Coal plants make a lot of emissions we need to cut back on. If we are trying to pass on a better world we need to start paying attention on how to cut back.”
