Good news for people who live in Maryland and Washington, DC. We can now opt for green energy to power our homes. Local residents who are signed up with either Pepco or Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) can now obtain 50% or 100% of their electricity through wind energy via a program called Clean Currents.

And, it is really cost effective, too. Recently, the rates dropped to the point where they are now the same or  less than normal PEPCO rates. You can learn more or sign up online at: https://www.cleancurrents.com/purchase-energy.asp

I just signed up for my home and it was really simple. 

--Michelle

Today, only one country in the world continues to conduct whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary: Japan.

There was a time in Japan during the food shortage hardships of the postwar period when whale meat was taken as a valuable source of protein. We are alive today thanks in a very real sense to this gift, so should we not reach out in gratitude to whales now and seek a path of peaceful coexistence? This is the message behind a beautiful new animated work by director Yamamura Koji. I hope you enjoy the video...

--Michelle

I wanted to share some recent activities of my Greenpeace colleagues in Colombia. Recently, they "invaded" the Colombian Senate with an inflatable giant.

Senators and Representatives to the Chamber were greeted at their office building with the Greenpeace whale, lots and lots of them went out to the hall and looked over the balconies, some of them took pictures with Greenpeace banners, and most importantly asked a LOT of questions of what they were doing there.

Greenpeace visited the Colombian government to ask them to join the International Whaling Commission and vote for whale conservation. And, it looks like they may have succeeded.

At the end of the day, the Senate had voted unanimously to approve the project. Three senators publicly THANKED Greenpeace for being there, for having "awakened" Colombia to the importance of whale conservation. At the end the vote was taken and every senator raised their card and shouted "APPROVED!"

The project now moves to the Chamber of Representatives in hopes that they will approve it as well. Looks like they are off to a good start. I hope the momentum for the project continues.

--Michelle