Power a breeze for White Dog

The White Dog Cafe has become the first for-profit institution in the state of Pennsylvania to have 100 percent of its electricity generated by wind.

The restaurant, known for its social activism as well as its organic menu offerings, made the energy switch on Jan. 1.

"We constantly strive to reduce energy use, reduce food waste and recycle as much as we can," White Dog spokeswoman Naomi Fiordimondo said. "Using wind power is just another extension of us serving the Earth. We see it as an investment in the environmental and economic future."

According to the White Dog's Web site, the restaurant is able to purchase wind-generated electricity because of a recent government decision to deregulate the electricity industry. Thus, customers can choose from what source they want to purchase electricity.

Electricity is provided to businesses and households through the power grid. The grid is essentially a melting pot of all the different power companies' electricity. So, according to Paul Copleman, campaign coordinator for the restaurant's new provider Community Energy, "based on the number of kilowatt-hours the White Dog uses, we put in an equivalent amount of wind power back onto the grid."

However, helping the environment does have its costs. The White Dog now pays an extra $7,000 a year for wind-generated electricity, 15 percent more than it paid for traditional electricity. Still, Fiordimondo believes that the extra cost is well worth it.

"When businesses spend money to bring in new technology, it makes the technology more affordable for everyone," Fiordimondo said. "By us investing in wind power, we are hoping to help other businesses purchase it at a more reasonable rate."

College sophomore Andrew Pike, co-chairman of the Penn Environmental Group, agreed. "If a business is looking to just maximize profit, then use dirty oil and dirty power," Pike said. "But if you want to be a model for business reform, like the White Dog, then switch to wind."

Though the White Dog is the first retail establishment to contract with Community Energy, it is not the only University City establishment to purchase wind-generated power.

By purchasing approximately 5 percent of its power -- roughly 20 million kilowatt-hours -- from Community Energy, the University of Pennsylvania is the largest wind-generated power purchaser in the country. Penn, though, is a non-profit organization.

Purchasing wind-generated power is a relatively new phenomenon -- Penn contracted in October 2001, and the White Dog began at the start of 2002.

Prior to being able to choose wind-generated electricity, the White Dog practiced "carbon offsetting." After determining which pollutants and how much of each pollutant the White Dog was releasing, the restaurant purchased a specific number of trees and planted them in Chapas, Mexico, to increase the oxygen production that would offset the pollution.

Historically, the White Dog has been active on a number of social issues, especially concerning the environment. In addition to using only wind power, the White Dog only patronizes organic, family farms and only buys animal products from humane farmers.

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