| Twenty utilities in Colorado offer a wind power option to their customers. As a result, consumers can now decide to use a renewable, non-polluting source of electricity. However, many customers remain unaware of this choice and of its environmental and economic implications. Over the past five years, Western Resource Advocates (formerly Land and Water Fund of the Rockies) has created a grassroots, community-based education and outreach campaign to raise awareness among citizens and businesses of the environmental impacts of electricity use and encourage a more sustainable alternative, wind power. Our goal is to create an informed base of consumers that, by their support for clean energy resources, reduce environmental impacts of electricity use and encourage utilities to invest in renewable energy. Many non-profit and community groups around the state have been involved, including: Community Office for Resource Efficiency, Colorado Renewable Energy Society, Boulder Energy Conservation Center, Solar Energy International, Sheep Mountain Alliance, Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute, Grand Valley Earth Coalition, Keep Colorado Springs Beautiful, and Clean Air Campaign of the Pikes Peak Region. Developing a community ethic The Grassroots Campaign aims to develop a "clean power ethic" - using wind power as the cornerstone of any community plan for a sustainable energy future. Buying electricity from wind power (and eventually other renewable energy resources) will become a value shift similar to recycling, where the idea was encouraged at the community level and is now institutionalized in most parts of the country. In this way, the Grassroots Campaign for Wind Power hopes to create broad-based support for clean energy development in Colorado. For a comprehensive review of the Grassroots Campaign, see "The Grassroots are Greener: A Community-Based Approach to Marketing Green Power," a research report written by Rudd Mayer (LAW Fund), Eric Blank (LAW Fund) and Blair Swezey (NREL), published by the Renewable Energy Policy Project in July, 1999. Or download a pdf version of the report. An award-winning approach - The President's Council on Sustainable Development and Renew America presented the LAW Fund with the National Award for Sustainability in the category of renewable energy in recognition of the Grassroots Campaign for Wind Power. (May 1999)
- The American Wind Energy Association presented Rudd Mayer (the late LAW Fund Green Marketing Director) with the Wind Energy Advocacy Award to acknowledge the LAW Fund's critical leadership role in support of the development of the green market. (June 1999)
- The LAW Fund was awarded a special Building Bridges Partnership Award by the Wirth Chair in Environmental and Community Development Policy at University of Colorado at Denver for wind power advocacy. (February 2000)
- Rudd Mayer was presented with an award from Colorado's Pollution Prevention Partnership in recognition of the Grassroots Campaign for Wind Power. (September 2000)
- Rudd Mayer was awarded the Green Power Pilot Leadership Award by the Center for Resource Solutions in recognition of her cutting-edge outreach efforts to boost interest in green power. (August 2001)
- The LAW Fund's Green Marketing Program was awarded a 2002 EPA Climate Protection Award for emissions reductions associated with wind power purchases in Colorado. (April 2002)
- Rudd Mayer was post-humously recognized as a Wind Power Pioneer by the US Department of Energy's Wind Powering America Program. (May 2003).
- The Utah Wind Power Campaign received a 2003 Innovation Award from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. (June 2003)
We need your help! Although wind power programs are off to a great start in Colorado, we need to convince increasing numbers of households and businesses to take personal responsibility for reducing the environmental impacts of their electricity use by buying wind power. The Grassroots Campaign is working in all parts of the state where utilities are offering their customers this choice. If you would like to volunteer with the campaign in your area or would like more information contact: Susan Innis, Green Power Marketing Director
Western Resource Advocates
2260 Baseline Road, Suite 200
Boulder, Colorado 80302
Tel: (303) 444-1188 ext. 221 e-mail: info@cogreenpower.org Be sure to also let your legislators know how you feel about clean power. | 
Grass Roots Campaign For Wind Power 
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