Two popular restaurants, Mazza and Sage's Café, have added even more green to their cuisine by buying Blue Sky wind energy. Their purchases have nudged Salt Lake City closer to its challenge goal of doubling the number of participants in Rocky Mountain Power’s voluntary renewable power program.

“Blue Sky is good for the environment, it doesn’t create pollution and it’s something everyone should do,” said Ali Sabbah, owner of Mazza Lebanese restaurant. Sabbah elected to purchase 50 blocks of Blue Sky wind power each month, making him a visionary-level partner in the program. “Even if people can’t buy a lot of wind power, they should invest in some percentage.” 

Blue Sky is sold by Rocky Mountain Power in fixed, 100-kilowatt hour block increments for an additional $1.95 per block per month. Enrollment is optional and customers can increase their participation or withdraw at any time. While Rocky Mountain Power already buys renewable energy for its customers, Blue Sky brings even more wind power into the system and encourages wind farm development.

Last June, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson launched Salt Lake City’s Blue Sky Community Challenge, which aims to make Salt Lake City "Twice as Nice," by doubling the city's Blue Sky participation rate. Currently, the city is at 67 percent of its goal to add 2,700 new enrollees – just 686 customers short. Currently 4,508 customers are enrolled in Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky.

To Kelsey and Ian Brandt, owners of the vegetarian Sage's Café, investing in renewable energy is a personal responsibility. “Purchasing wind power can assist in implementing a sustainable community for the future,” said Ian Brandt. “It’s part of our philosophy that we do not own any thing, we are only borrowing it.”

Brandt said Sage's Café prepares fine vegetarian cuisine that is at least 85 percent certified organic. “Many products we purchase are locally grown and produced,” he said. “In addition, we buy 10 blocks of Blue Sky each month, which is 40 percent of our electricity use. We use passive solar heating, we recycle and compost, and we will only purchase our needed material new if there is no alternative.”

One block of Blue Sky has the environmental benefit of not driving more than 2,500 miles or to planting almost half an acre of trees. 

"Buying pollution-free Blue Sky wind power is a beautifully simple and inexpensive way to help create the clean, inexhaustible energy supply we want for ourselves and for our children," said Sarah Wright, director of Utah Clean Energy. 

To enroll in Blue Sky, customers can call Rocky Mountain Power at 1-800-842-8458 or visit www.rockymtnpower.net/bluesky .