ST. LOUIS, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) has recognized AmerenUE for having the "Best Marketing Campaign by a Green Power Supplier." The award was presented as part of the 2009 Green Power Leadership Awards ceremony, organized by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Center for Resource Solutions. The ceremony took place in Atlanta, Ga.
The award recognizes Pure Power's "P.U.R.E.* (People Using Renewable Energy) Genius" campaign, which featured "real people" and their personal reasons for supporting Pure Power, UE's voluntary renewable energy program.
"The campaign personalizes and localizes what it means to support renewable energy in a state where most people have never even seen a wind farm," says Cindy Bambini of 3Degrees Energy, Inc., the company that administers Pure Power for AmerenUE. "By using familiar faces of local celebrities and customers' friends and neighbors, the P.U.R.E.* Genius campaign helps people relate to renewable energy as something that is relevant to their lives and their community."
The campaign, developed by St. Louis marketing agency Twist, included integrating the P.U.R.E* Genius messaging into utility marketing pieces, event materials and speaking engagements. P.U.R.E.* Genius buses and event signage furthered the campaign's message, which was also supported through advertisements that appeared in the Healthy Planet magazine, The Vital Voice newspaper, the St. Louis Business Journal and online at the program's customer website, www.ameren.com/purepower.
"People Using Renewable Energy is a movement that thousands support and many have adopted, and the ads have helped simplify the quest for 'going green' in the St. Louis community," says Bambini "In fact, appearing as a 'Genius' in a Pure Power ad has become a local honor within the St. Louis sustainable community."
"The Center for Resource Solutions is proud to recognize AmerenUE with this Green Power Leadership Award for Best Marketing Campaign by a Green Power Supplier," said Arthur O'Donnell, CRS executive director. "The "Pure Power is P.U.R.E Genius" campaign has turned customers into the best representatives for renewable energy. In addition, AmerenUE is showing its commitment, innovation and dedication in supporting the fight against climate change."
Pure Power residential customers volunteer to pay an additional 1.5 cents/kilowatthour on their monthly bills. These funds are then used to purchase and retire renewable energy credits (RECs) from regional wind farms, biomass resources and other green, renewable energy sources.
Residential customers can also purchase "blocks" of RECs for $15 each. Each block represents 1,000 kilowatthours of power from renewable sources. Large commercial and industrial customers participate by purchasing blocks only.
To date, UE has purchased RECs equal to 80,983 megawatthours of renewable energy. The company projects demand will exceed 105,000 megawatthours by the end of the year. More than 5,000 residential customers are currently enrolled in Pure Power, with large commercial and industrial companies including high-profile customers like Monsanto, smaller commercial/industrial companies like Schlafly Brewing Co. and even entire communities like City of Clayton and the western Missouri town of Plattsburg.
With residential electric retail rates that are more than 40 percent below the national average, UE provides electricity and natural gas to 1.2 million customers in Missouri. UE's parent, Ameren Corporation, through its affiliates, serves 2.4 million electric and nearly 1 million natural gas customers across 64,000 square miles of Missouri and Illinois.
SOURCE AmerenUE
SOURCE: AmerenUE