What does ethical and clean energy actually mean?

‘Clean energy’ is one of those buzzwords you hear a lot in the media, but few of us actually know exactly what it means.

If you’re trying to make more mindful and ethical purchasing decisions, then it’s important to understand exactly what you’re dealing with. Here’s some information to help you make ethical decisions.

What is clean energy, anyway?

That depends on who you ask. There isn’t a single, industry-wide definition of what constitutes clean energy. It’s generally considered to be another term for ‘renewable energy’ – that is, energy taken from sources that have an endless renewable supply, such as Wind, Hydro and Solar power.

Taking care of our natural resources is important to us Kiwis, because we know we live in a truly remarkable corner of the world, and we want to preserve our pristine landscape. That’s why we’re attracted to the idea of ‘clean energy’ – the term holds meaning for us.

According to industry news website Clean Technica, the term clean energy can be used to describe energy from sources that don’t cause pollution and are better for the environment – often referred to as carbon neutral.

However, some people use clean energy to describe nuclear energy, natural gas, and even ‘clean’ coal. While you could argue the case, these energy sources aren’t ‘clean’ in our eyes because of the amount of water pollution, impact towards climate change, carbon pollution and toxic waste these products produce.

How can energy be ‘ethical’?

With Global Warming and climate change on the rise, a number of the planets resources are depleting. So, by making mindful and ethical choices, we could protect and preserve these resources.

Many people (including us) feel we as humans have an ethical duty to be more mindful of what we consume and how fast we consume it.

As an ethical consumer, you’re making an effort to choose products and services that use renewable, recycled, or reusable materials; we put our money behind businesses that strive to make as small an impact on the planet as possible.

Buying ethical energy means you’re making a conscious decision to choose renewable energy sources that don’t cause pollution, harm the environment, or contribute to climate change.

Our mission is simple: supply NZ with 100% pure renewable power

Here in New Zealand, we’re uniquely placed to take advantage of clean energy like solar, wind, and hydro. Currently, around 60% of our national power grid is supplied by hydro and 5% by wind.

We believe we can do a lot better.

So that’s what we’re going to do. Are you ready to join us?