Sure it is a PR stunt, but an effective one because Congressman Welch is the first to actually do something positive.
Vt. lawmaker brings some green to D.C. - The Boston Globe :
Representative Peter Welch, a freshman Democrat from Vermont, wanted to do something personal as well: reduce his office's greenhouse gas emissions to effectively nothing.So yesterday Welch announced that he was installing low-energy fluorescent bulbs, turning down the office temperature, and spending $672 of his own money to buy “carbon credits” from two Vermont renewable energy projects that are part of an emerging business practice called carbon trading. In essence, the two Vermont projects will save the same amount of carbon dioxide emissions that Welch's offices will produce, making his offices “carbon neutral,” the congressman said.
Welch, a 59-year-old lawyer and liberal activist, is believed to be the first member of Congress to take such action -- but he is calling on his colleagues on Capitol Hill and throughout government to follow suit.
“It has a significant impact in offsetting 56 tons of carbon by that modest expenditure” of $672, Welch told reporters in his office. “Add to it the possibility for 534 other congressional offices, both House and Senate, 15 federal executive departments, and 132 federal agencies. . . . It can add up to a different way of doing business.”
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President Bush has opposed any plans to cap carbon dioxide emissions, saying that such a move would hurt the economy. Instead, he has proposed to increase use of alternative fuels, such as ethanol, and raise fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks.
Technorati Tags: energy, environment
