PARK CITY, Utah — Two members of Park City’s Leadership Class 10 have done their best to help Park City reach its goal of signing up its citizens in Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky wind program. Michelle MacDonald, of Stein Eriksen Lodge, and Jean Carlan, of the Washington School Inn, both enrolled their businesses in the Blue Sky and work to get others to do the same.

“We had a recycling and community service committee that chose wind power as a service project,” said MacDonald, Stein Eriksen Lodge’s director of human resources. The Lodge, a five-diamond hotel, is participating at the Visionary Level by buying 100 blocks of Blue Sky every month. “We believe Blue Sky wind power is good for our environment and we’re going to continue to encourage other businesses to participate.”

While the customer signups have yet to reach the Class' aggressive goal of signing up 15 percent of the community — nearly 10 percent have signed up — it did rocket past the original Park City Blue Sky Community Challenge goal of signing up 5 percent of its citizens. The community also surpassed its goal of tying 2 percent of its electricity usage to renewables.

“Like many other Park City businesses, our historic inn depends on wonderful weather and light, fluffy, dry snow,” said Jean Carlan, manager of the Washington School Inn. “If we, as a prospering tourism-based community, can't invest in reducing global warming – then who can? The Blue Sky program is so easy to do and it makes a measurable, valuable impact. It puts the choice in the consumer's hands.”

Blue Sky gives customers a way to grow the demand for wind energy and to take advantage of its environmental benefits. Rocky Mountain Power sells Blue Sky in 100-kilowatt-hour block increments for $1.95 each, in addition to a customer’s regular monthly electric bill. Enrollment is optional and customers can increase their participation or withdraw at any time.

Just one block of Blue Sky has the same environmental benefit of either not driving 2,500 miles or planting a half acre of trees. Most of Blue Sky comes from wind power. Wind is an attractive form of energy generation because it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Wind produces no air pollutants, wastewater, smog or acid rain.

“My friends have heard my spiel a lot,” said Carlan, who is a Champion-level Blue Sky customer. “At the Washington School Inn's counter we have a display with sign-up cards. We offer a Web site special to those that have chosen wind power as well.  (Click on www.washingtonschoolinn.com/packages.shtml ) 

"I wanted to give a discount at the Inn to folks that have chosen clean energy.  Signing up for 1 block of wind power costs as much as a couple of cups of coffee per month, and is equal to not burning 1,200 pounds of coal in a year! When you say it like that it really hits home with people."

For more information or to sign up for Blue Sky, call 1-800-842-8458 or e-mail bluesky@pacificorp.com . Customers can sign up on line at www.rockymtnpower.net/bluesky

More about Rocky Mountain Power and Blue Sky

Rocky Mountain Power is the state’s largest electric utility, serving about 675,000 Utah customers with reliable, safe, low-cost electricity. While Rocky Mountain Power already buys renewable energy for its customers, Blue Sky is a way customers can voluntarily help bring even more renewable power into the system, and to help drive wind farm development. In Utah, Blue Sky Community Challenges have been issued in Salt Lake City, Park City, Moab and Sundance. Blue Sky has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy as a leading green utility program in terms of customer participation.  In Utah, nearly 14,000 residential and business customers participate. More than 36,000 customers buy Blue Sky in the western U.S.

About Utah Clean Energy

Utah Clean Energy is a nonprofit public interest group working to speed the transition to a cleaner, safer more sustainable energy future.  Through advocacy, education and diverse partnerships, Utah Clean Energy advances the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency.