New Orleans is a city that thrives on community. By working together, we can reduce our carbon footprint and create a cleaner, brighter future. Thousands of our neighbors are already participating in 黑料吃瓜网 Smart. 黑料吃瓜网 savings are at your fingertips, and we鈥檙e making it easy to make a difference for your home and our planet. Reducing energy use and lowering your bills are possible with simple actions like these.

• 搁别肠别颈惫别听free energy-saving products聽such as LED lighting, Sensi鈩� smart thermostats, advanced power strips, faucet aerators and water-saving showerheads.
• You may qualify for聽free or discounted weatherization services聽like sealing air leaks, ensuring you have proper attic insulation levels and ensuring your A/C is running at its best. These home improvements can help you聽save up to 20% or more on your annual utility bill. That鈥檚 more comfort at home and money back in your pocket.
• Don鈥檛 forget about potential聽听补苍诲 rebates for even more savings.

• Get rebates of聽$25-$1,000 on qualifying appliances, from window air conditioners to water coolers, pool pumps and heat pump water heaters.

• Earth Day deals starting聽April 9: 40-95% off energy-saving products聽like LEDs, air purifiers, advanced power strips and smart thermostats.

Entergy Arkansas is doing its part to protect the national bird from nesting on energized power poles and related equipment, which can be life threatening.

Recently, Entergy Arkansas partnered with Friends of Lake Ouachita and The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help provide solutions for wildlife in the area. As part of its Avian and Wildlife Protection Program, Entergy Arkansas provided its services to place three utility poles around Lake Ouachita National Forest for bald eagles to use for nesting.

鈥淲ithin Entergy, we have what鈥檚 called an Avian Protection Program,鈥� said Tasha Hill, environmental supervisor for Entergy. 鈥淭his project is more on the proactive side of that program, where we are setting a utility pole with an eagle nest on top and a perch. What it does is it helps us to make sure that the wildlife is not interacting with our energized utility poles and lines.鈥�

Bald eagles are known for their impressive nests, often built high in trees near large bodies of water. The nests are built with large sticks and lined with softer materials like moss, grass, and feathers. These birds exhibit remarkable fidelity to their nesting sites, with some pairs returning to the same location year after year.

Conservationists recognize the importance of providing additional nesting sites for bald eagles to enhance their chances of successful breeding. Constructing artificial nests, also known as eagle platforms, has become a popular and effective conservation strategy.

Lake Ouachita National Forest, with its sprawling woodlands, crystal-clear waters and diverse ecosystems, provides an ideal habitat for a variety of wildlife, including the awe-inspiring bald eagle. This vast expanse of nature offers the perfect combination of forested areas, expansive lakeshores and the tranquility needed for these magnificent birds to thrive.

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen a lot of success from other projects across the country, but we couldn鈥檛 do it on our own,鈥� said Josh Tyler, natural resource specialist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Ouachita office. 鈥淲e needed a partnership to help with our eagle habitat project and Entergy was the right one.鈥�

Tyler went on to say bald eagle viewership brings in a lot of tourism to the area and the Corps wants to do everything they can keep them in the area.

Constructing eagle platforms involves creating sturdy structures high in the trees to mimic natural nests. These platforms are typically made from durable materials such as wood and are designed to withstand the eagles’ impressive size and weight.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got three 60-foot poles installed as part of the project. One near the west side of Blakely Dam and one each at Big Fir and Little Fir campgrounds in Mt. Ida,鈥� said Corey George, safety specialist for Entergy Arkansas. 鈥淗opefully, over time, the eagles will nest here, and it gives them somewhere that鈥檚 clean, nice and away from our power lines.鈥�

After donating more than 40 manhours to the project, the utility poles should last 30-50 years with proper maintenance, giving the eagles a nice home for many years to come.

鈥淭his project is a good way for our lineworkers to give back to the community,鈥� said David Wasson, senior manager, regional distribution operations for Entergy Arkansas. 鈥淥ur lineworkers were just as excited as everyone else involved in the project and it starts an increased partnership with the Corps of Engineers where we hope to do more in the future.鈥�

Building nests for bald eagles represents a meaningful step in wildlife conservation, showcasing Entergy Arkansas鈥� commitment to maintaining reliability while protecting species at risk. It’s vital to remember that the efforts to provide suitable nesting habitats play a crucial role in securing bald eagles in Arkansas for generations to come.

JACKSON, Miss. 鈥� Hinds Community College is leading the state as the first community college campus with an electric vehicle charging station. Six chargers were installed on the Raymond campus in February, as the first site of Charge Up! Mississippi initiative. The program is supported by a $160,000 grant from Entergy鈥檚 Environmental Initiatives Fund.

Adopt a Charger plans to install approximately 24 EV charging stations in and around the Jackson Metro area to enable zero-emission travel and educate the public about the benefits of driving electric. The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the Mississippi Children鈥檚 Museum will be the sites of the next charging stations.

鈥淧artnering with sustainable initiatives like Charge Up! Mississippi helps further Entergy’s commitment to strengthen our communities for the future,鈥� said Kelli Dowell, director of environmental policy. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to support projects through our Environmental Initiatives Fund that will reduce environmental risk, across our service area.鈥�

On the Hinds Community College campus, EV charging stations are available for public usage at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center & Resort and the Student Union Building.

鈥淗inds Community College is proud to be the first community college in Mississippi to have EV chargers located on campus,鈥� said Brock Haas, director of Eagle Ridge Conference Center & Resort/Business Faculty at Hinds Community College. 鈥淲e understand the growing demand for EV charging options. These new stations ensure our students, faculty, and visitors have the practical resources they need to choose more sustainable transportation methods. This new technology will help aid in accomplishing our mission to move people and communities forward by helping develop their purpose, passion, and profession.鈥�

According to experts at Adopt a Charger, installing the chargers in commuter communities and at popular destination locations will enable more interaction between curious consumers and actual owners.

鈥淲hen people spot an EV driving down the road, they don鈥檛 automatically notice that the vehicle runs on electricity. The 鈥榓ha鈥� moment happens when they see the car plugged in at places they like to go and get to ask questions of the driver about the owner’s experience,鈥� said Kitty Adams, executive director of Adopt a Charger. 鈥淚 love partnering with colleges and universities because the demographic is quick to embrace new technology, and typically strives to have a positive impact on the environment. I鈥檓 grateful to Entergy and Tesla Motors for supporting the expansion of EV infrastructure in and around the City of Jackson.鈥�

Tesla is donating their Universal Wall Connector for each charging station, which features both the North American Charging Standard and the J-1772 connector. The equipment provides compatibility with all plug-in vehicles on the market. The Level 2 鈥� 240 volt stations add up to 25 miles of range per hour, making it the perfect solution for visitors who routinely spend at least a few hours visiting the campus.

Entergy鈥檚 Environmental Initiatives Fund has awarded approximately $43 million in Entergy shareholder contributions to environmentally beneficial projects and programs since 2001. EIF has supported wetlands restoration in Louisiana, reforestation in Mississippi and Texas, waterway and wildlife conservation in Arkansas, and a host of volunteer opportunities and other projects you can learn about here.

About Entergy Mississippi

Entergy Mississippi, LLC provides electricity to approximately 459,000 customers in 45 counties. Entergy Mississippi is a subsidiary of 黑料吃瓜网, a Fortune 500 electric company. Entergy powers life for 3 million customers through our operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We鈥檙e investing in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping our region transition to cleaner, more efficient energy solutions. With roots in our communities for more than , Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, we have delivered more than $100 million in economic benefits each year to local communities through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees. For the latest news from Entergy Mississippi, visit the and connect with @EntergyMS on social media.

Not only that, trees can help you save money. When planted properly, a single tree can save a homeowner up to 20% on energy costs.

For the past several years, Entergy has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to give customers free trees as part of the . The program focuses on homeowner education and environmental impact.

By entering a planting address, the program tool also calculates where homeowners can strategically plant trees for the greatest energy- and money-saving benefits.

Since Entergy launched its program in 2018, approximately 8,700 customers have received free trees to plant at home.

The program also benefits the community and the environment overall. Neighborhood trees have shown the ability to reduce stress, improve overall health and development in children, and encourage physical activity. And trees are a proven, affordable, natural way to quickly pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Powered by Entergy鈥檚 Environmental Initiatives Fund, the tree giveaway is projected to avoid or capture more than 94.5 million pounds of carbon, absorb nearly 272,000 pounds of other air pollutants and filter nearly 425 million gallons of stormwater over the next 20 years.

Customers agree: free, energy-saving trees are good for everyone:

• 鈥淢ore people should know about it. It鈥檚 free and lowers energy bill.鈥�
• 鈥淚t was fun to learn about placement of the tree. Planting trees is a good thing, and y鈥檃ll made it crazy easy. It was a no brainer for me.鈥�
• 鈥淲as easy to get a tree. Good for people who lost trees in storms and won鈥檛 be able to afford replacing them.鈥�
• 鈥淭he trees are so pretty and definitely cut down on the electric bills we have from the high heat in the summer.鈥�
• 鈥淭he tree sent is beautiful and healthy and will save us money in the future.鈥�

Entergy customers can follow us on social media for their next opportunity to claim a free tree, which will launch on National Arbor Day 鈥� April 28!

Benchmark your facilities

Create an account to benchmark your facilities. This can help you determine your baseline energy use and uncover ways to conserve energy at work. You can begin with no-cost measures like:

• 黑料吃瓜网-efficient products: Specify energy-efficient electronics in your purchasing policies to reduce energy usage and costs without compromising quality.
• 黑料吃瓜网 efficiency programs: Learn about our energy efficiency programs, which include discounts on efficient lighting and other products you might need when upgrading your facilities.
• Employee engagement: Share your sustainability goals with your teams and empower them to identify new energy-saving opportunities.

Lower your electric waste

On average, 30% of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Smart technology can be one cost-effective way to mitigate your energy waste and advance your sustainability goals. Consider these solutions:

• Smart power strips: Advanced power strips can automatically shut down appliances that consume electricity when they鈥檙e off or in standby mode.
• Smart lighting: Occupancy and vacancy sensors can detect when your facilities are unoccupied and turn off or dim the lights accordingly.
• Smart thermostats: Programmable thermostats can automatically raise or lower the temperature based on usage habits and personalized settings.

Use alternative energy sources

In 2022, we expanded our to give more customers the opportunity to subscribe to and benefit from clean, renewable energy resources.聽Our decarbonization solutions give you the power and flexibility to reduce your emissions with clean energy selections according to your desired commitment level.

We are continuously developing new offerings that meet our customers鈥� ambitions for cleaner operations and energy sources.

We are also actively expanding our , issuing requests for proposals for 5,500 megawatts of renewable projects in 2022.

To learn about decarbonization solutions available in your region, visit .

鈥淪ince 2001, our fund has awarded nearly $42 million in Entergy shareholder contributions to support environmentally beneficial projects and programs across our service area of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas,鈥� said Kelli Dowell, director of environmental policy. 鈥淲e’re proud to partner with community organizations to reduce environmental risk and ensure a cleaner, brighter tomorrow for our communities.鈥�

Do you have a project idea that promotes conservation, energy efficiency or delivers environmental benefits? Submit your proposal for funding consideration through this . All proposals must be received by midnight Central time, May 31, 2023.

Our Sustainability and Environmental Policy organization manages the EIF, evaluates project proposals, solicits approval from company leaders and awards funding to the most impactful project ideas.

Funding will be granted to proposed projects based on:

• Potential to create environmental benefits.
• Projects within the utility service area will be given preference.
• Project quality.
• Proponent鈥檚 standing, reputation and co-party risk.
• The likelihood that a project will not move forward without EIF funding.
• Cost.
• Marketing and public relations opportunities.
• Project-specific terms and conditions.
• Uniqueness, innovative quality or opportunity to expand into self-funding projects.

View our 2022 awarded grant recipients . For more information on Entergy鈥檚 Environmental Initiatives Fund, email EIF@entergy.com.

BATON ROUGE, La. 鈥� Entergy Louisiana customers will soon be able to take advantage of a program that allows them to align a portion of their monthly electric usage with renewable energy credits.

Beginning this May, the Green Select option gives residential and business customers in Louisiana the power to match some or all of their electricity usage with clean, renewable energy generated in state. Participating customers can benefit from resources like the site in West Baton Rouge through the use of renewable energy certificates (RECs). RECs represent the environmental attributes of renewable electricity generation such as wind and solar and are integral to renewable electricity products. Offering customers the option to reduce the impact of their electricity usage through RECs is another way Entergy Louisiana is supporting customer interest in renewable options. The company has proposed additional renewable options for customers that are still pending regulatory approval from the Louisiana Public Service Commission.

鈥淕reen Select gives our customers another tool to help reduce their carbon footprint,鈥� said Phillip May, Entergy Louisiana president and CEO. 鈥淥ur communities are increasingly asking us for clean-energy offerings, and this program will help our businesses and customers meet those goals in helping sustain a bright future for the state.鈥�

Entergy Louisiana operates one of the cleanest power generation fleets in the nation. Today, about 30% of the energy Entergy Louisiana customers use is clean, coming from sources that don鈥檛 emit carbon dioxide, such as hydropower, solar and nuclear energy.

As the first U.S. utility to voluntarily set a greenhouse gas emissions goal in 2001, today the company operates one of the cleanest large-scale power generation fleets in the country, as noted by the independent Benchmarking Air Emissions Report. The company has climate goals that reach into future decades, too. Our carbon dioxide reduction goal is 50% reduction in utility emission rate by 2030 compared to 2000 levels and net zero emissions by 2050.

More information on Entergy Louisiana Green Select can be found by visiting卢鈥�.卢鈥�

About Entergy Louisiana

Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers in 58 parishes and natural gas service to more than 94,000 customers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Entergy Louisiana is a subsidiary of 黑料吃瓜网, an integrated energy company engaged in electric power production, transmission and retail distribution operations. Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy owns and operates one of the cleanest large-scale U.S. power generating fleets with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including 7,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, Entergy has annual revenues of $10 billion and approximately 12,500 employees.

Through the program, 50-gallon olive barrels are given a new lease on life as works of sustainable art. First the barrels are cleaned, and painted by community members, Entergy volunteers and local artists.聽 Then, they are installed in the gutter downspouts of local homes to help reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff and reduce carbon emissions.

Residents who participate in the rain barrel program capture rainwater in barrels, then release it once the ground is dry or use it to irrigate their garden. The catchment system diverts some of the water that would runoff into storm drains which could lead to flooding. For those using the water for irrigation, it helps conserve municipal water use.

One installed barrel can catch 7% of runoff water from a 1,000 sq. ft. roof in a 1 录 in. rain fall, which helps mitigate flooding around a home, limits subsidence and lowers the stress on the City鈥檚 water pumping systems. Since the program鈥檚 start in 2015, 1,178 rain barrels have been installed resulting in more than 2.5 million gallons of stormwater intercepted.

鈥淭he combination of heavier rainfall, rising sea levels, faster strengthening hurricanes, the loss of wetlands and subsidence makes New Orleans one of the most vulnerable cities to climate change,鈥� said Andreas Hoffmann, Green Light New Orleans鈥� executive director. 鈥淏y adopting new ways of doing things that align with nature, we can slow down and mitigate the effects of climate change. Our longtime partnership with Entergy allows us to educate and serve our community as a collective effort to conserve water and reduce flooding and subsidence on a large scale.鈥�

Entergy New Orleans鈥� partnership with Green Light New Orleans also provides Entergy New Orleans employees a unique opportunity to be a part of the nearly 18,500 volunteers helping to ensure a lasting environmental impact to New Orleans. 聽

鈥淰olunteering with Green Light was interesting and important because we learned something new and were able to serve our own neighborhoods,鈥� said Stacie Palazzo, a senior manager in Entergy鈥檚 continuous improvement group. 鈥淲e had fun painting the barrels, but we especially loved putting Entergy鈥檚 mission into action by helping to improve lives.鈥�

Alongside the rain barrel program, Entergy has granted nearly $400,000 in shareholder-funded contributions since 2007 to help support Green Light鈥檚 other environmental initiatives including the installation of more than 608,000 free energy-efficient lightbulbs and cultivation of 601 backyard gardens in food-insecure neighborhoods.

Interested in a rain barrel for your home? Visit .

And see more steps Entergy is taking聽to address the risks of climate change.

Corporate Social Responsibility at Entergy:

For more than 100 years, Entergy has powered life in our communities through strategic philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy鈥檚 corporate social responsibility initiatives help create and sustain thriving communities, position the company for sustainable growth and are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our top CSR priorities are education/workforce development, poverty solutions/social services and environmental programs. Entergy annually contributes $16-$18 million in shareholder-funded grants to approximately 2,000 nonprofit organizations in the communities where we operate. In addition, our employees volunteer more than 100,000 hours in those communities values at more than $3 million.

As part of Entergy鈥檚 commitment to grow strong, healthy and vibrant communities through service and environmental stewardship, Entergy began partnering with NOLA Tree Project in 2015 to help restore the estimated 100,000 lost trees.

This spring, Entergy and NOLA Tree Project鈥檚 partnership reached another significant milestone: the 60,000th tree planted.

鈥淓ntergy鈥檚 support has been invaluable in the number of trees we have planted and given away through our Big Treesy program and other tree-related initiates,鈥� said Connie Uddo, executive director of NOLA Tree Project. 鈥淚n addition to charitable contributions, Entergy employees are among 90,000 volunteers our organization has engaged in community improvement initiatives resulting in more than $10 million in economic impact to the city since our inception in 2006. We could not have reached our 60,000th tree milestone without the help and support from Entergy.鈥�

Why is it important to reforest New Orleans鈥� urban canopy?

鈥淓ntergy is committed to a cleaner, more sustainable environment, and our partnership with NOLA Tree Project helps us support this commitment by addressing significant challenges of climate change through stormwater mitigation and carbon emission reduction across New Orleans,鈥� said Patty Riddlebarger, vice president of corporate social responsibility at Entergy. 鈥淥ur employees have also enjoyed the unique opportunities to volunteer and impact their own communities alongside those from NOLA Tree Project. We are extremely proud of our friends for reaching this incredible milestone with 60,000 trees and counting.鈥�

In addition to helping reforest the city鈥檚 urban canopy, Entergy also partners with the organization to respond to other community emergencies, including COVID-19. With Entergy鈥檚 support, NOLA Tree Project organized the distribution of more than 346,000 meals to nonprofit partners, churches, housebound residents and veterans with disabilities since the beginning of the pandemic. Learn more about our COVID-19 community support efforts.

Learn more about聽,听补苍诲 see more steps Entergy is taking to address the risks of climate change.

Corporate Social Responsibility at Entergy
For more than 100 years, Entergy has powered life in our communities through strategic philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy鈥檚 corporate social responsibility initiatives help create and sustain thriving communities, position the company for sustainable growth and are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our top CSR priorities are education/workforce development, poverty solutions/social services and environmental programs. Entergy annually contributes $16-$18 million in shareholder-funded grants to approximately 2,000 nonprofit organizations in the communities where we operate. In addition, our employees volunteer approximately 100,000 hours annually in our communities valued at more than $3 million.聽

Working on sustainability during this time of pandemic is similar. I feel like I woke up on Mars after a long period of in-transit suspended animation. Then I look around and see that the issues are still the same 鈥� climate change, environmental protection, worker protection, workforce development, human rights in times of severe governmental stress and strain on resources 鈥� and the list goes on.

So how do we 鈥渄o鈥� sustainability in a time like this?

Prioritization is key. A colleague once asked me, 鈥淚sn鈥檛 your job really to make us do everything better?鈥� It鈥檚 tempting to see sustainability in that way; it鈥檚 certainly a broad umbrella of topics. At the same time, it鈥檚 easy for someone with my background to become so enmeshed in the environmental issues that other topics get short shrift. Both extremes are problematic, and it is important for any sustainability program to have a process by which it assembles broad information but then benchmarks performance and prioritizes its focus.

That鈥檚 the other word 鈥� focus. Especially during times like this, it is so easy to lose focus on issues that need action now in order to preserve values over the long term. Today鈥檚 actions on climate, workforce development, and other long-lived issues are not likely to see an immediate return on investment, but without today鈥檚 action, our hope for tomorrow becomes dimmer. Most of our key federal environmental laws are at or near the half-century mark. It鈥檚 taken a while in some instances, but those laws have spurred tremendous progress in the fight for a cleaner, more livable future. Now is not the time to not let our focus blur.

Bradbury published his first novel at eighteen. When he was eighty, he won the National Book Foundation鈥檚 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters 鈥� quite a feat for a 鈥渟cience fiction鈥� writer. In accepting the award, he remarked:

We鈥檙e always asking, 鈥淲hat are we doing here on earth鈥� We are the audience. There鈥檚 no use having a universe, a cosmology, if you don鈥檛 have witnesses. We are the witnesses to the miracle. We are put here by creation, by God, by the cosmos, whatever name you want to give it. We鈥檙e here to be the audience to the magnificent. It is our job to celebrate.

So, take time on Earth Day to celebrate the progress we鈥檝e made. I鈥檝e had the good fortune during my tenure at Entergy to work for a company that values environmental stewardship in both word and deed. 聽We have far to go in creating a world where justice, kindness, and humility reign, but over the arc of our careers and our lives, we can make investments that will provide an irreplaceable return in years to come.

In 鈥淭he Green Morning,鈥� one chapter of The Martian Chronicles, a character hopes the trees he has planted will survive and make Mars awash with oxygen and green light:

He lay listening to the dark earth gather itself, waiting for the sun, for the rains that hadn鈥檛 come yet. His ear to the ground, he could hear the feet of the years ahead moving at a distance, and he imagined the seeds he had placed today sprouting up with green and taking hold on the sky, pushing out branch after branch, until Mars was an afternoon forest, Mars was a shining orchard.

And then, miracle of miracles, they grew.

Chuck Barlow is vice president, sustainability and environmental policy, for 黑料吃瓜网.

Entergy’s Sustainability Commitment