PORTLAND, Ore. — Eric Lester, owner of the Pearl Bakery in Northwest Portland’s trendy Pearl District, makes a game out of trying to see how little he can use his dumpster.

“Our recycling program is more significant than you’d find in most areas,” Lester said. “We even compost our banana peels, eggshells, coffee grinds and bread too old to donate. We take all the bottle caps and batteries, as well as glass, paper and plastic. The bottom line is: We don’t use our dumpster very much.”

In addition, the Pearl Baker uses natural, biodegradable cleaning products, from the dishwashing soap to the workstation sanitizer and oven cleaner. It also tunes its ovens and refrigeration to ensure that the equipment is operating as efficiently as possible. It even offers its 35 employees a 50-percent subsidy on Tri-Met passes. “Anyone who’s been down to the Pearl District knows that parking is a premium,” Lester said. “Why add to it?”

Lester takes that same top-to-bottom approach with the electricity he buys by offsetting half of his power usage with Pacific Power’s Blue Sky renewable energy. Pearl Bakery, located at 102 Northwest 9th Ave., is buying 126 blocks of 100 kilowatt-hour clean energy. Blue Sky enables customers to help bring more renewable energy into the region. Energy generated from wind, biomass, solar and geothermal helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over the course of a year, Pearl Bakery’s Blue Sky purchase will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 151 tons, which has the same environmental benefit of planting 59 acres of trees or not driving 324,000 miles.

Pearl Bakery is making its purchase through Pacific Power’s Blue Sky Quantity Savings program, which allows large wind energy purchases (at least 101 blocks per month for a year) at a reduced cost. Buying just one, 100 kilowatt-hour increment of Blue Sky Block costs only $1.95 per month.

Oregon customers also can choose Blue Sky Usage, which allows customers to receive their equivalent energy usage from renewable resources, or Blue Sky Habitat, which allows customers to buy renewable energy, and make a donation to The Nature Conservancy of Oregon to preserve native fish habitat.

Enrollment in Blue Sky is optional and customers can change their participation or withdraw at any time. For more information or to sign up for Blue Sky, go to www.pacificpower.net/bluesky or call 800-769-3717.

Media inquiries:newsdesk@pacificorp.com