Agenda Why are Creation Justice Ministries and Groundswell

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Agenda • Why are Creation Justice Ministries and Groundswell Partnering? • How climate change

Agenda • Why are Creation Justice Ministries and Groundswell Partnering? • How climate change affects us • You can do something to help • Groundswell made it easy • Your next steps • Q&A

Who We Are Nadya Dutchin Community Engagement Manager, Groundswell Shantha Ready Alonso Executive Director,

Who We Are Nadya Dutchin Community Engagement Manager, Groundswell Shantha Ready Alonso Executive Director, Creation Justice Ministries

Partnership "Creation Justice Ministries educates, equips and mobilizes Christian communions/denominations, congregations and individuals to

Partnership "Creation Justice Ministries educates, equips and mobilizes Christian communions/denominations, congregations and individuals to protect, restore, and rightly share God's Creation. Based on the priorities of its members, with a particular concern for the vulnerable and marginalized, Creation Justice Ministries provides collaborative opportunities to build ecumenical community, guides people of faith and faith communities towards eco-justice transformations, and raises a collective witness in the public arena echoing Christ's call for just relationships among all of Creation. ”

How Climate Change Affects Us We’re all here because we know that climate change

How Climate Change Affects Us We’re all here because we know that climate change is: • • • Threatening the coastlines around the world Causing unpredictable weather patterns Killing sea life and ecosystems Affecting economically suppressed and underserved populations globally Endangering many species Together we can do something about it right now!

Change Benefits All of Us • • Increased demand for clean energy increases the

Change Benefits All of Us • • Increased demand for clean energy increases the supply of renewable energy. Renewable energy can and will become a powerful economic driver for manufacturing in the U. S. If more people choose to invest in clean energy through conscientious consumption, there will be less demand for coalfired energy and CO 2 emissions will decrease. Decreasing the use of fossil fuels improves overall public health and will proportionately decrease lost work days and premature death.

How Groundswell Can Help We make it easy to change your home’s electricity consumption

How Groundswell Can Help We make it easy to change your home’s electricity consumption to 100% wind energy by negotiating lower prices from wind energy providers through group purchases. • In the energy market, supply MUST equal demand In the last 4 years Groundswell has: v Helped switch more than 12 M k. Wh to clean energy v Empowered more than 4, 000 households to switch. • The more clean energy we demand (use), the more clean energy the electricity providers must supply (purchase) from renewable energy sources.

It’s easy to choose wind power • Anyone who rents or owns their own

It’s easy to choose wind power • Anyone who rents or owns their own home and pays an electric bill can switch. • There is no interruption to your utility service. • You do not need to change your home meter or install anything. • Groundswell has negotiated prices for wind power that are lower than you can obtain on your own. • We’ve created a simple way to make the switch online.

Why switching matters: Why give your hard-earned money to dirty energy when you can

Why switching matters: Why give your hard-earned money to dirty energy when you can purchase clean energy for less than the price of a movie ticket each month?

For around $10 a month… You can sign up with Arcadia Power for 1

For around $10 a month… You can sign up with Arcadia Power for 1 penny more per k. Wh than your electric company is currently charging you and you will receive your bill directly from Arcadia each month. **If you live in the Groundswell service region (MD, VA, DC, PA, DE, and NJ) we are in the process of negotiating a group power purchase and we will present the winning bid on our website (Groundswell. org) by the end of March and you can sign up for 100% wind power for around $3 -$4 more per month.

Next Steps: Go to the Creation Justice landing page here or Groundswell. org/Creation. Justice

Next Steps: Go to the Creation Justice landing page here or Groundswell. org/Creation. Justice

Next Steps: After you finish signing up on Groundswell’s site: • You’ll be directed

Next Steps: After you finish signing up on Groundswell’s site: • You’ll be directed to the Arcadia Power site to provide your account and information. • Please have a copy of your electricity bill or your account number handy to complete the process.

Next Steps: • Share what you did with your friends and family via social

Next Steps: • Share what you did with your friends and family via social media (@Creation. Justice and @Grndswell) • Encourage others to make the switch and provide the link to sign-up here • Ask the leaders of your “Green Team” to compile a list of others at your church who want more information about switching to wind power. • Switch your church over to wind power!

New Developments: • Groundswell is planning to stand up 5 Community Solar projects in

New Developments: • Groundswell is planning to stand up 5 Community Solar projects in Washington, DC and Maryland (Montgomery County and West Baltimore). • We are working to implement energy efficiency programs for small to mid-sized commercial businesses. • Hosting workshops in financially distressed communities to show energy literacy translates into financial literacy. If you’re have connections to leaders in the 3 target areas mentioned above or if you’d like to act as a Volunteer Educator for Groundswell to host an Energy to Financial Literacy workshop at your place of worship, please contact us directly using the information at the end of this presentation.

Spread the word about switching to wind power by using the sharing tools at

Spread the word about switching to wind power by using the sharing tools at www. creationjustice. org/wind

Q&A • Do you have consolidated billing with local energy providers? No, you will

Q&A • Do you have consolidated billing with local energy providers? No, you will receive a new bill from Arcadia Power once you sign up with them • Will my budget billing plan get affected? Yes it will be affected, Arcadia Power DOES NOT provide budget billing. You may be able to ask for budget billing in writing, but it is not currently offered and cannot be guaranteed. • How much higher is his bill going to be? For the average household, your bill will be $8 -$10 more each month. If you have a larger home or use more energy, your increase should be no more than $15 per month. • Will my relationship with my utility change? No, they own the poles and wires and you are simply changing where your electricity supply is coming from. • Is there a contract? No, there is NO contract with Arcadia Power and you cancel at any time.

Q&A • Is there enough renewable electricity to supply this increase in demand? Yes,

Q&A • Is there enough renewable electricity to supply this increase in demand? Yes, there are currently enough renewable energy providers available to meet the increase in demand. We want to get to the point where there is so much demand that it drives the industry to grow and create new renewable energy opportunities. • Will I get wind energy delivered to my house? No, it’s added to the grid on your behalf as we can’t control where the energy is going on the power lines, but you help to contribute to cleaner air in your area because the coal plants do not need to work as hard to supply your home’s energy. • What else do I need to know about billing? You can absolutely have paperless billing and you are able to pay with a credit card. Arcadia will actually gather your payment information during the sign-up process to make things more convenient for you.

Q&A More Questions?

Q&A More Questions?

Contact Information For more information, please contact: Nadya Dutchin Community Engagement Manager at Groundswell

Contact Information For more information, please contact: Nadya Dutchin Community Engagement Manager at Groundswell Nadya. Dutchin@groundswell. org or (443) 598 -6773 Or Shantha Ready Alonso Executive Director, Creation Justice Ministries Shantha@creationjustice. org or (202) 827 -3975