Mayor Donna Holaday will launch the Newburyport Carbon Challenge today, April 1st at 12:30 pm in the Children's Activity Room at the Newburyport Public Library.  The mayor will kick off the first challenge segment for municipal employees. The public is invited to learn about the Newburyport Carbon Challenge and watch Mayor Holaday take the challenge.  The public segments of the challenge will kick off Tuesday, April 27, 2010.

The Newburyport Carbon Challenge is an energy-use awareness initiative with a goal to engage residents in determining their energy-use baseline by using an online calculator.  Information about annual utility usage and transportation mileage is entered at http://necarbonchallenge.org/calculator.jsp and a household carbon footprint is calculated.  The challenge includes choosing among different energy efficiency actions in a pledge to shed carbon pounds.

Funded by the Greater Newburyport Eco Collaborative, the Newburyport Carbon Challenge is part of a much larger carbon challenge effort going on all across New England that is organized and supported by New England Carbon Challenge: a joint initiative of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and Clean Air-Cool Planet.  Mayor Holaday and two Energy Advisory Committee members, Molly Ettenborough and Mike Strauss, will lead the effort to encourage Newburyport residents to participate in the Carbon Challenge.

Municipal leaders and residents are invited to hear Mayor Holaday reveal the Newburyport Carbon Challenge details today at 12:30 pm at the Newburyport Public Library. "The Carbon Challenge does two important things," the mayor said, "it quickly shows you how much energy you consume and a number of ways to reduce your consumption. Then, your energy savings are translated into dollar savings - and those savings are no small thing.  I expect we will all learn something valuable."

Molly Ettenborough, Energy Advisory Committee member and city Recycling Coordinator, pointed out that,"The Newburyport Carbon Challenge is similar to the city's current effort to complete an energy-use baseline for all municipal buildings.  Both initiatives measure carbon energy use - also called a carbon footprint -- and carry the option of taking action on a choice of energy efficiency measures that save money.  Newburyport's goal is to reduce the municipal buildings' energy-use baseline by 20% over five years."

When Mayor Holaday takes the Newburyport Carbon Challenge using the online calculator, the audience will view a large screen as she answers questions about her household energy use.  You'll be able to see her household carbon footprint calculation and watch as she chooses carbon energy reduction steps for her household.

New England Carbon Challenge reports that the average person taking the Carbon Challenge is saving over $800 a year doing very easy things.  It only takes 15-20 minutes to join the Newburyport Carbon Challenge.   Residents will also be able to compare the total number of Newburyport household pledges to reduce carbon pounds to the number of pledges made by other communities across New England who have already joined the New England Carbon Challenge.