Six Hampden businesswomen are going green.
The women recently switched their stores? sourceof electricity to wind power, among the first in the area to do so. At least one other business has followed their example and jumped on board, and private residents will soon have the chance to bring clean energy into their homes as well.
“It was a no-brainer, really,” said Susan Weis, owner of Breathe Books. “It?s just not about the money sometimes. You?re doing something for the greater good.”
Joining Weis? business in the effort are Doubledutch Boutique, Red Tree Baltimore, ReNew Organic Day Spa, Sprout: An Organic Salon and Uptown Dog, all in Hampden?s Avenue retail district.
The businesses made the switch following a presentation by Rockville-based Clean Currents, a clean energy broker, at a recent meeting of the Hampden Village Merchant Association, Weis said.
Baltimore Gas & Electric will deliver the electricity from wind power facilities in Iowa and Texas, said Gary Skulnik, co-founder and president of Clean Currents. All the businesses signed a three-year fixed-rate contract and will see an increase of about 10 percent in their monthly bill. However, Weis said future BGE increases could mean savings for the stores.
“For me, my BGE bill went up $15,” Weis said. “I want to talk to someone else who has regular BGE and see how much their bill has gone up in three years.”
State Comptroller Peter Franchot and other local politicians lauded the business owners and the program Tuesday.
“This sends an important signal to the rest of the business community that you can maintain a strong business model while being friendly to the environment.” Franchot said. “I?m urging other businesses to follow the path being forged by these wonderful women.”
“Today, Mother Earth is a ?hon,? ” Baltimore City Council Member Mary Pat Clarke said. “At the beginning of the Avenue?s revival, I had women calling me about cleaning up the streets. Now we have a new generationof ?hons? pioneering a new kind of clean.”
Skulnik said 70 businesses in Baltimore and Washington have switched to green, and his company plans to unveil a program in two or three weeks allowing residents to purchase green energy for their homes.
But the idea has already started to spread among Baltimore businesses.
Environmentally friendly builders Baltimore Green Construction saw an event Tuesday announcing the women?s energy switch and, though previously unaware of the program, signed up on the spot as the seventh Hampden business to go green.
“We do have a green wave starting in Baltimore,” Skulnik said. “I think it?s just getting started, with these businesses at the forefront.”
