Your Impact

Renewable energy is energy that is created from natural resources that can quickly restore, or “renew,” themselves on their own. We’re able to harness this kind of energy from the sun, the wind, and even from organic plant material. So as long as the sun keeps shining, the wind keeps blowing, and plants keep growing, we’ll never have to worry about running out of electricity.

Meanwhile, non-renewable energy is created by using natural resources that we only have access to in limited amounts and can’t restore or renew themselves on their own. This sort of non-renewable energy often comes from coal, oil, and gases. And not only do we have limited amounts of these resources that will eventually run out, but they also emit harmful pollutants into our atmosphere when they’re burned to create electricity.

The good news is that you can choose which type of energy you support when powering your home — and we can help.

The energy you use every day to power your home has a big impact on the health of our planet. And when you use renewable sources instead of fossil fuels, you’re not only minimizing your home’s carbon footprint — you’re also paving the way toward a cleaner future and a healthier planet.

While using energy generated from renewable sources is far more sustainable than using energy from fossil fuels, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), can also be substantially cheaper both in terms of the financial cost and the environmental cost. The benefit of using energy from renewable sources is that it’ll never run out, meaning that the cost will remain stable and, in turn, can end up being far less expensive than using fossil fuels.

And when it comes to the environmental cost of using non-renewable energy versus renewable energy, the results are staggering. Every year, the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels for energy makes up 93% of the US’s total CO2 emissions, severely increasing the negative effects of climate change. By choosing renewable energy, you have the power to change that.

While both clean energy and renewable energy are good for the environment, they sometimes come from slightly different sources. Clean energy is energy that comes from sources that generate zero emissions while renewable energy is energy that comes from sources that can replenish themselves.

Some types of energy are both clean and renewable, while others are renewable, but not necessarily clean. For example, solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy are all considered clean and renewable, but energy generated by burning organic matter like wood, while renewable, is not considered clean because it emits smoke, which contains high levels of CO2.

Our planet’s future depends on clean energy. Today, nearly 27% of greenhouse gas emissions in the US come from the generation of the electricity we use to power our homes and businesses every day. Unfortunately, the majority of that electricity — at least 63% — comes from non-renewable fossil fuels, like coal and natural gas, that create dangerous pollutants when burned.

But clean energy can change that. By supporting the generation of clean energy, you can help make sure that our national power grid relies less on energy from non-renewable fossil fuels and more on energy from clean, renewable sources. That means that the more homes there are supporting clean energy, the cleaner our planet’s future will become.