Sierra Pacific's Eric Weldon and other environmental experts will be at northern Nevada's Earth Day Celebration on Sunday, April 27, to explain how you can help support a new educational program and encourage the development of renewable energy in our community.

Through the GreenPower program, photovoltaic or solar cells (equipment used to convert energy from the sun into electricity) are projected to be installed at Traner Middle School in Reno. Once work is completed, Traner students, and those at nearby Duncan Elementary School, will be able to study how solar cells work and learn the benefits of renewable energy. In addition to being educational, it's anticipated that this alternative energy source will help reduce power costs at the school.

You can help support GreenPower by enrolling right here.

The amount you select as a donation will then be added to your monthly bill. Each month, 100% of your tax-deductible donation to GreenPower will be invested in demonstration projects like the one proposed at Traner Middle School and renewable energy education throughout northern Nevada. (Installation of equipment at Traner will begin once adequate funding has been secured.)

To help GreenPower get a powerful start, through December 31, 2003, the Sierra Pacific Resources Charitable Foundation has committed to a dollar-for-dollar match of customer donations to the GreenPower program, up to a maximum of $10,000. That means that every dollar you contribute to GreenPower works twice as hard to bring clean, renewable energy to northern Nevada.

The Desert Research Institute (DRI), the non-profit research arm of the University and Community College System of Nevada, administers the GreenPower program through the DRI Research Foundation's GreenPower Committee. Sierra Pacific does not use funds donated to GreenPower in any way. Every dollar you contribute is sent directly to the DRI Research Foundation for investment in renewable energy projects.