AmerenUE’s Pure Power announced today that the Casa Loma Ballroom has agreed to support the development of new renewable energy sources via the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) through the Pure Power program.
Casa Loma’s commitment to this voluntary program will help prevent approximately 77 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), a leading greenhouse gas, from entering the atmosphere each year. This is equal to the CO2 reduction provided by not driving a car for 14 years.*
Pure Power is UE’s voluntary renewable energy program and the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2008 New Green Power Program of the Year Award Winner. It gives residential customers the option to add an extra 1.5 cents/kilowatt-hour to their monthly bills, offsetting up to 100 percent of their energy usage with clean, renewable energy. Commercial and industrial customers, like Casa Loma, participate by buying “blocks” of Pure Power, paying $15 a month for each 1,000 kilowatthours used. Pure Power funds are then used to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates from Green-e Energy-certified wind farms and other types of renewable energy projects.
Casa Loma Ballroom’s purchase of four blocks of Pure Power makes it a UE Pure Power Leader – Silver, a designation reserved for small businesses that agree to offset 100 percent of their energy usage through Pure Power purchases.
“We chose to commit to Pure Power because it was shown that we can offset the emissions of approximately 14 cars for the year…possibly the cars that are coming to our ballroom,” said Pat Brannon, Casa Loma owner.
To celebrate their commitment to local renewable energy, the Casa Loma Ballroom will host the Mystic “Green” Mardi Gras Ball on Friday night, Feb. 20. This eco-friendly event will be the first of its kind held in St. Louis. Mardi Gras enthusiasts will be able to enjoy the party yet know that every effort has been taken to reduce the carbon footprint created.
For more information about the UE Pure Power program, please visit www.ameren.com/purepower. UE’s Pure Power program is Green-e® Energy Certified by the not-for-profit Center for Resource Solutions. Green-e is the leading renewable energy certification and verification program in the U.S.
AmerenUE is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation. The Ameren companies serve 2.4 million electric customers and nearly one million natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area of Missouri and Illinois.
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* Source: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/pubs/calcmeth.htm
CONTACT: Susan Gallagher, 314.554.2175, of AmerenUE
Cindy Bambini, 314.480.3554, of 3Degrees, Inc.