It’s campaign season. Everywhere I look there is a plea urging me to vote, donate or take a pledge. Heck, depending on the coffee cup you choose, you can “vote” for your preferred presidential candidate at 7-Eleven®. But beyond being hyperaware of the opposing presidential campaigns, my attention has been drawn to another campaign of sorts. It’s called the ENERGY STAR® pledge.

Two things to stand behind
The ENERGY STAR pledge has a mantra; Make a change today to save energy and protect the climate. Saving energy? Protecting the climate? Those are two things that get my vote without an exhausting effort. And what makes it even better for me personally, is Xcel Energy’s commitment to the pledge itself. But before I talk Xcel Energy, let’s take a peek at the pledge itself.

Simple, I must say
In one word the pledge is comprehensive. From lighting, electronics and appliances to heating, cooling, insulation and more, it covers several areas of energy use within your home. Beyond that, it’s simple and there are even rebates to help you with pledge items. I think it’s an easily accessible way to take action and to ultimately hold you accountable to be energy efficiency within your home, neighborhood and community.

Back to Xcel Energy
Part of Xcel Energy’s responsibilities as an industry leader is to continually encourage people to conserve energy and adapt their behavior accordingly. Therefore, we are constantly seeking new ways to engage customers and motivate them to make energy conscious decisions in their homes. And thanks to the EPA’s ENERGY STAR pledge Xcel Energy has found success in doing so.

From event booths and speakers to coloring books and stickers, the pledge encourages participation from a wide variety of customers. In fact, the ENERGY STAR pledge utilizes the popularity of the Lorax, a famous Dr. Seuss character, to educate younger generations about energy efficiency as well. The Lorax themed coloring books and stickers have been valuable conversation starters allowing us to capture the attention of younger audiences we’d normally be challenged to reach. The success of this approach has helped Xcel Energy engage entire families from young to old.

 2,870,785 pledges and counting
I’ll admit it’s been tricky to accurately relate the total number of pledges (2,870,785 at the time of this article) with it’s impact on the environment. But, if every pledge taken would cut CO2 emissions by a mere one pound annually per household, that is the equivilent of  the carbon sequestered by 33,389 tree seedlings grown for 10 years (according to the epa’s greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator). It’s easy to see how taking the pledge you can easily save energy and protect the climate (per the campaign’s mantra). As far as campaigning, my job is here is done.

I’m Billy Draper, and I approve this message.

To take the ENERGY STAR pledge or for more info, click here.