CORVALLIS, Ore. — This is The Toy Factory’s busiest time of the year, and when owner Errol Noel takes a deep breath after the holidays, he will have helped make the air a little bit cleaner.

The Toy Factory, located at 442 SW Second St., is supporting clean energy as a champion-level Blue Sky partner. By buying 10 blocks of Blue Sky each month, it is offsetting a ton of carbon dioxide emissions each month, which has the environmental benefit of not driving a car 2,142 miles or planting 195 trees.

The Toy Factory began in 1972, and Noel took it over from his parents, Jim and Sue, in 2000.

“I buy Blue Sky because I feel good about promoting renewable energy,” Noel said. “When our business moved into a larger building, I made a conscious effort to have more efficient lighting, heating and cooling; so I figured I should support renewable electricity too.”

The city is in the midst of a communitywide push to get greater public backing for renewable power through the Corvallis Blue Sky Community challenge. The Challenge’s goal is to get 15 percent of the community – or another 1,900 Corvallis-area customers – to buy renewable power through Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program. Currently, 2,222 Corvallis-area customers are enrolled in Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program, which is 9.5 percent or seven times the national average. Enrollment materials are being sent out to area households and the challenge will run through Earth Day 2006.

Buying just one, 100-kilowatt hour increment of Blue Sky Block costs $1.95 per month. Oregon customers can also choose Blue Sky Usage (in which customers receive their equivalent energy usage from renewable resources) or Blue Sky Habitat (in which customers buy renewable energy, plus make a $2.50 monthly donation to The Nature Conservancy of Oregon to preserve native fish habitat). Large customers can buy renewable power in bulk at a discount through Blue Sky QS.

While Pacific Power already buys renewable energy for its customers, Blue Sky brings even more wind power into the system and encourages wind farm development. Pacific Power’s Blue Sky customers added two new wind farms to the voluntary program’s renewable portfolio, buying energy from Nine Canyon Wind Project near Kennewick, Wash., and from the Pleasant Valley Wind Energy facility near Evanston, Wyo.

Customers can sign up for Blue Sky renewable power by calling Pacific Power at 1-800-769-3717 or by visiting www.pacificpower.net/bluesky .

Media inquiries: newsdesk@pacificorp.com