Whatcom County Council, Washington state, approved a resolution in September that requires 100 percent of the energy used in county buildings to come from renewable power in 2007.

To fulfill the resolution, the county will purchase the green power—to be generated from solar, wind or biomass—from Puget Sound Energy. The purchase will represent an increase over what the county currently pays for its power, which will be funded by tax revenue at a cost of about $62,000. County officials were quick to point out that the cost will be more than offset by savings of more than $85,000 that have been realized by more than five years of conservation measures implemented by the county administrative staff.    -Rick Laezman