Go Solar, Arizona!
Too much of our energy comes from dirty sources that harm our environment. But by tapping the power of the sun and wind, and using less energy in the first place, we can repower our lives with clean energy that doesn’t pollute and never runs out.
With more wind and solar, we can move to 100% clean energy
Too much of our energy comes from coal, oil and other dirty sources that wreak havoc on our environment.
We are surrounded by clean energy options — the power of the sun, the movement of wind and waves, the heat of the earth, even the energy leaking from drafty windows in our homes and businesses. By using energy more efficiently and tapping our vast renewable energy resources, we can move to 100% clean energy that doesn’t pollute and never runs out.
In Arizona, we’re blessed with over 300 days of sunshine. We should harness that power to transition away from fossil fuels and continue to build a solar economy in Arizona — an industry already providing nearly 5,000 jobs to our state.
Efficient buildings will spur energy savings
America’s homes are like cars that only get 10 miles to the gallon. Buildings consume 40% of America’s energy, and much of that energy is literally flying out the window rather than heating or cooling our homes and businesses. What’s worse, energy-wasting buildings are responsible for nearly half of our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Millions of Americans are already weather-stripping doors and windows, insulating attics and making their homes more energy efficient and thus healthier, more comfortable and less costly to heat and cool.
If everyone makes these small changes, they can really add up — to 334 million fewer metric tons of global warming pollution emitted each year, the equivalent of taking 65.5 million cars off the road. The average family could save up to $400 on their utility bills.
Environment Arizona Research & Policy Center, our sister (c)3 organization, created an online guide to help you save fuel and save money. Check out “Plug Into Clean Energy,” for tips on how to give your home an efficiency upgrade.
Tell the Arizona Corporation Commission that we need more clean energy in Arizona, not less.
Key Facts
- The solar industry provides nearly 5,000 jobs to Arizonans.
- From 2010 to 2011, jobs in the solar sector grew 10 times faster than the rest of the economy.
- By making our homes, businesses and other buildings just 20% more efficient, we could save enough energy each year to power almost 100 million homes.
- Enough wind blows in just four states — Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota — to supply all the electricity that America uses in a year.