The Good Health Guide

Green electricity is produced from non-polluting methods such as hydroelectric, wind and landfill gas.  Every kilowatt of green electricity you purchase means one kilowatt of electricity generated through green sources is fed into the national grid.  If enough of us do this we will force more investment in renewables and more and more renewable electricity will be supplied to the national grid.

Some people worry that green electricity will cost more.  But the cost is the same as or only a bit more than, conventional electricity.

However, some green tariffs are not as green as they look.  Friends of the Earth have thoroughly researched this area and recommend four suppliers - Good Energy, RSPB Energy, Green Energy and Ecotricity.

Of these four, Ecotricity is emerging as an outstanding company, investing far more of its profits into creating new renewable energy sources than any other green tariff.  This year alone it is investing £7 million in wind energy.  It is recommended by WWF, The Soil Association and The Ecologist Magazine.  And it costs no more than ‘normal’ electricity.  Ecotricity can be contacted on 0800 0326 100 or log onto www.ecotricity.co.uk/

If you don’t like the idea of wind energy try RSPB Energy (www.rspb.org.uk/0800 0288 552) - they don’t invest in wind energy to avoid birds getting caught in the blades (however it’s worth mentioning that there is some doubt as to whether this is actually a serious problem).

To end with a quote from Dale Vince OBE of Ecotricity: “switching takes about five minutes but it is the biggest single step you can take to reduce your emissions and protect the environment”.