Dear Islanders,

The need to mitigate climate change has never been more urgent, and there is an easy way for you to do something about it. Of the 250-plus cities served by our utility Puget Sound Energy, Mercer Island ranks third in purchasing green energy, behind only Bainbridge Island and Bellingham.

You can help put Mercer Island on top by joining the growing number of Islanders that zero out emissions from electricity use. When you enroll at pse.com/green, PSE is obligated to purchase green power from renewable sources on your behalf. PSE green power is certified by green-e.org, a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco that EPA cites as a reliable, annual certifier. This would only add about $9/month to the average Mercer Island home electricity bill.

If just 130 households sign up, we can be number one right away. It is that easy.

A second step is for residential natural gas use — for heating and cooking etc. PSE offers their carbon balance program to offset these emissions. When you enroll (about $6/month), PSE acts to lock up more carbon in forests on your behalf. Mercer Island is low on this ranking at number 37 as of mid-July. With just 150 signups, again we can rise to the top.

If you have already signed up, thank you. If not, it takes just a few clicks to zero out your household GHG emissions, support a more sustainable future and show our region that Mercer Island cares.

Eva and Yogi Agrawal, Carol Gregory, Callie Ridolfi, Mark Aggar, Corrie and Ted Yackulic, Kathy Bremner and Jackson Schmidt, Alex and John Banbury

Mercer Island