DID YOU KNOW THAT... Coal was mined for fuel in Europe as early as the 13th century? The earliest known use of windpower is the sailboat? Solar cells are more efficient at cooler temperatures? The first hydroelectric power plant was built in 1882? Coal is formed from the remains of plants? The oldest documented windmill design is Persian? Biomass, in the form of wood, was the primary fuel in the U.S. until the 1880s? The ancient Greeks used water wheels for hydropower?

1. All electricity is not created equal. Some is destructive to the environment, and some relatively benign, depending on the mix of resources used to generate it. Restructuring lets you choose between them.
   
   
2. The "good" kind, sometimes called green power, uses renewable energy and highly efficient natural gas to cut pollution significantly, compared to the electricity industry's average performance in your region.
   
   
3. The "bad" kind is based mainly on older coal-fired power plants, which contribute heavily to air pollution, acid rain, respiratory disease and global warming.
   
   
4. To complicate matters, two resources -- biomass and hydro-power -- fall into a gray zone: sometimes harmful and sometimes not, depending on the individual plant.
   
   
5. Green power costs a little more now (not much, mind you), but if lots of people choose it, more will be produced down the road, and the price will drop. Then we'll have the best of both worlds -- cheap electricity and clean air. (Now, wouldn't that be nice?)
   
   
6. Some electricity suppliers offer several electricity "products," each generated with a different resource mix. So make sure you get details on the product, not just the supplier.
   
   
7. Above all, be sure to choose. If you don't, you are essentially choosing the status quo -- and all the smog, acid rain, and greenhouse gases that go with it.

  Published by the Natural Resources Defense Council -- contact us at nrdcinfo@nrdc.org