EPA Recognizes Solar-Powered Author.

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- E-Wire--

Debra Lynn Dadd--called "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times-- goes solar with affordable renewable energy certificates that everyone can buy

The Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership has recognized consumer advocate and author Debra Lynn Dadd for her purchase of 100% solar renewable energy certificates for her Florida home office. Debra is the author of Home Safe Home (Tarcher/Penguin), publishes free email newsletters, and has posted links to 1000s of green products at www.debraslist.com.

"Though my purchase is only 15 MWh per year," says Dadd, "every little bit helps establish the market for renewable energy. The certificates cover 100% of the energy my husband and I use in our home and my home office, plus a little more. It eliminates the toxic air pollutants that are the result of burning fossil fuels for electricity and prevents the emissions of 20,700 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. That's equivalent to planting 1,500 trees or removing 2 cars from the road for one year. It costs me only $40 a month (in addition to my regular energy bill) for solar, and other renewables cost even less."

Renewable energy certificates make it easy and inexpensive for anyone to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of their electricity use. Each certificate represents the delivery of a specific amount of renewable power (usually one megawatt-hour) into a regional or national energy "grid." This replaces the non- renewable fossil fuels that would have otherwise been used with non-polluting energy from solar, wind, biomass, and other renewable sources. The resulting benefit to the environment is the same as it would be if purchasers installed solar panels or wind turbines directly on their own homes.

"When consumers purchase renewable energy certificates," says Dadd, "we offset the environmental effects of our own energy use because someone, somewhere along the grid, is using the renewable energy paid for by our certificates."

"Voluntary green power customers like Debra Lynn Dadd are making a real difference environmentally by purchasing green power and supporting the development of new power plants that generate electricity with significantly less air pollution and no net increase in greenhouse gas emissions," said Matt Clouse, U.S. EPA.

Debra Lynn Dadd has been a leading consumer advocate for health and the environment since 1982. Her books have been continuously in print for twenty years. A new updated edition of Home Safe Home will be published in the fall of 2005. She lives in Clearwater, Florida.

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary EPA program working to standardize green power procurement as part of best practice environmental management. The Partnership currently includes over 500 Partner organizations, representing a total annual green power commitment of approximately two billion kilowatt hours. Additional information is available at www.epa.gov/greenpower.