Dec. 04, 2007

PGE Festival of Lights Holiday Parade extra green this year

SALEM, Ore. — Salem’s 18^th annual PGE Festival of Lights Holiday Parade will be extra green this year, thanks to Portland General Electric. The state’s largest utility is ensuring the annual parade has less impact on global warming. The parade provides a day of family fun but it also produces an estimated 170 pounds of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming.

To compensate, PGE will purchase solar “green tags” from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to offset the emissions produced by the parade procession's PGE bucket truck, 10 other trucks, 26 cars, 14 buses, 14 motorcycles and two dragsters as they travel the two-mile parade route through downtown Salem.  PGE’s purchase of solar green tags helps to develop solar power systems in schools and public buildings.

For last year’s holiday parade, PGE and Salem residents celebrated winning a citywide Green Power Challenge issued by the city council by signing up more than 3,000 renewable electricity customers.

“During last year’s parade PGE and Salem celebrated winning the Green Power Challenge and that green spirit will continue this year through PGE’s generous sponsorship and offset of carbon emissions,” said Cheryl Mitchell, executive director, PGE Festival of Lights Holiday Parade.

The parade begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8 on the corner of State Street and Waverly Street Northeast.

PGE is also offsetting the emissions produced by parade participants’ travel to and from the parade.  For more parade information, visit the Festival of Lights Holiday Parade Web site. For more information on PGE’s renewable energy program, visit our Renewable Power section.

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