KQED Goes Green Making history as the only public broadcaster in the country to be carbon neutral
Green happens... at KQED! As
of March 5, 2007, KQED has made
environmental history as the
only public broadcaster in the
country to be carbon neutral.
On April 21, 2007, KQED will
conduct a "green" pledge
day to support the station's
effort to neutralize the entire
year's worth of carbon emissions,
as a first step to eliminating
its negative climate footprint.
"The way KQED serves the community has evolved greatly over its 50 plus year history," Don Derheim, executive vice president of Northern California Public Broadcasting, said. "Being carbon neutral is another way of serving and better sharing the planet with KQED audiences, members, volunteers, and staff.
"Public media has a responsibility to distribute programs, thoughts and ideas that may not be popular or commercially viable. In the same way, our stand as the first carbon neutral broadcaster will resonate with some and may not with others. Like everything we do at KQED, being green isn't prompted by popular opinion or short-term economic viability."
KQED has established a baseline reading of its carbon emissions, by determining the amount of energy used in is daily operations, from its production vans, to its transmitter towers, to the electricity used in its building. Carbon credits of the same amount were then purchased from the Chicago Climate Exchange, to promote energy efficiencies in other companies, or to be used towards renewable energy sources like wind power and bio-gas.
In addition to going carbon neutral, KQED has implemented responsible environmental
practices for several years. With a daily shuttle for employees that runs between
KQED and the nearest BART station, KQED encourages the use of public transportation.
A charter member of the Business Energy Coalition since 2005, KQED was recognized
by PG&E and The Energy Coalition as a leader in demand response for San Francisco
and California. Since 1991, the organization's direct mail notices have been
printed on recycled paper -- a standard practice for KQED's mailings whenever
possible. KQED's internal Green Team has led the way, partnering with Friends
of the Urban Forest to plant trees around the building to provide shade in 1994,
encouraging recycling throughout the KQED facility, as well as working with vendors
to decrease the amount of paper being used in the building. KQED's newest generation
of copiers, for instance, allows users to scan and email directly to recipients,
instead of the usual duplication and distribution.
KQED seeks donations and matching challenge grants from "green" companies during this pledge day. Every member gift or company donation encourages the station to continue exploring new, environmentally friendly methods of operating. With contributions from companies such as Elephant Pharmacy in Berkeley, Worldwatch Institute, Environmental Magazine, and ReausableBags.com, KQED heralds the beginning of "green memberships" and all-green pledge gifts. Special KQED hemp/cotton shopping bags will be made available for those pledging over $40. New members will be sent the green KQED cling sticker to show their support of our environmentally-friendly public broadcasting.
KQED will continue to bring even more information, resources, examples, and products
that encourage environmental responsibility to our members and audiences. Climate
change and global warming are some of the topics explored on KQED through radio
and television programs like QUEST, Jean-Michel
Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, Science Friday, and Forum
with Michael Krasny. From Sunday April 15, to Sunday April 22, 2007,
KQED will extend its Earth Day celebration with over a week of environment-related
television and radio programming. For more details, please visit www.kqed.org/earthweek.
For more information on reducing and offsetting carbon emissions and purchasing
carbon credits, visit Bay Area nonprofit DriveNeutral at www.driveneutral.org.
highlights
about KQED
"The way KQED serves the community has evolved greatly over its 50 plus year history," Don Derheim, executive vice president of Northern California Public Broadcasting, said. "Being carbon neutral is another way of serving and better sharing the planet with KQED audiences, members, volunteers, and staff.
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