Sustainable Holiday Gifts
Giving windpower
At the suggestion of a U of U undergraduate student, Tim DeChristopher, the University of Utah Campaigns for Sustainable Energy has created a program for giving the gift of a windpower donation.
Anyone can now make donations as a gift in someone’s honor. For example, students might ask their family members to support their academic department or the Office of Sustainability campaign. Perhaps your sustainability-oriented partner or friend would appreciate a resource-saving gift in their name rather than a resource-depleting gift! Once you sign up, the U of U development office will send an acknowledgement card to the honoree with a personalized message.
Why buy windpower? Most of the electricity used in Utah, and much of the USA, is generated from coal. This has serious consequences for global climate change, mercury pollution, human health, and biodiversity. It contributes about half of the greenhouse gas emissions in Utah. In contrast, renewable sources, such as wind, are effective and have essentially no environmental impact.
Through the U of Utah Campaigns for Sustainable Energy, individuals can choose for their share of grid electricity to come from wind-generated sources. This is accomplished by making a tax deductible donation to a U of U department or administrative unit of your choice in the name of the person you wish to honor.
Your full donation will be forward directly to Sterling Planet to support wind power implementation. Each kilowatt of energy generated by Sterling Planet through their wind power program can be viewed as offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions that result from one kilowatt of energy generated by fossil-fuel fired power plants.
TO DONATE…
Go to http://windpower.utah.edu/gift_donate.html
Click on ‘Gift Donation’ in the top menu bar.
Follow the instructions and choose a campaign that you would like to contribute to for your gift.
The U of U development office will send a card to the honoree with a personalized message. Tax deductible offset purchases may be made through the U of Utah development office.