green is universal

NBC11 First U.S. TV Station To Run On Wind Power

Posted at 03:04 PM on March 17, 2008 comments (2)

By John Boitnott, NBC11.com

NBC11 is happy to report the station has made a major commitment to going green.

As of Friday, March 7, 2008, NBC11 has become the first television in the U.S. to be powered by wind.

The station has offset its electricity with 100 percent certified energy certificates, according to station officials.

That means every bit of power used at the studios on the 2400 block of North First Street in San Jose is replaced on the grid by clean energy created by wind farms.

The wind effort is part of a new campaign started by the station called "EcoLogic."

The campaign is designed to educate NBC11 employees, viewers and local businesses about ways they can reduce their carbon footprint at work and at home.

The campaign will take an honest, public appraisal of the NBC11 studios, and follow as the station weighs various options for improving energy efficiency.

NBC11 kicked off the campaign internally in January with an appeal to employees to reduce electricity consumption by simply turning off unnecessary lighting and shutting down computers and equipment when not in use.

After two consecutive months of reduced electricity usage, NBC11 invested in Renewable Energy Certificates to offset the electricity used by the station’s San Jose studios and to help fund wind energy providers.

EcoLogic stories appearing in NBC11 newscasts in the coming months will show analyses of the station’s use of energy and water, its recycling programs, employee commute patterns, landscaping practices and more.

Viewers will be able to see the costs, benefits and trade-offs as the station embarks on a more ecologically sensitive future.

“This is not a hollow marketing tactic. We are taking a very frank appraisal of our carbon footprint, and will take our viewers through the process as we make changes and improvements to our building and our lives,” said NBC11 President and General Manager Richard Cerussi.

NBC11, in partnership with 3Degrees, committed to renewable energy through purchasing Green-e Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) equivalent to the station’s of electricity consumption at the main studios in San Jose.

This purchase has an equivalent environmental impact of preventing over 2,000 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, or of 473 acres of forest storing carbon annually.

Details of the station’s decisions and progress will be covered on NBC11 News and NBC11.com throughout 2008.

In the coming months, the station will announce several ways in which other businesses and viewers can join with the station in reducing the region’s impact on the environment.

NBC11 is owned by NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

NBC11 gives viewers control, choice and convenience by providing the latest news and programming online and on-air.

Dedicated to serving the communities in our viewing area, NBC11 supports more than 100 community events throughout the Bay area each year.

John Boitnott
Web Producer, NBC11.com