UF – FSU Football Rivalry Includes Mayor's Energy Conservation Challenge
The Cities of Gainesville and Tallahassee will compete to see whose customers can save the most energy
The Gators and the Seminoles will compete on the football field this weekend and the City of Gainesville and the City of Tallahassee will compete over the next year to determine which city has the most energy efficient utility customers. The competition promises to be friendlier than the clash on the field between FSU and UF on Saturday, and is designed to complement the UF, Florida Forestry Association and Environmental Defense's promise to make the UF vs FSU game climate-neutral by planting 18 acres of trees.
Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan said, "We have no doubt that Gainesville will win, because Gators are born orange and blue, live green and thrive on a diet of Seminoles."
The Gainesville vs Tallahassee challenge will compare the total energy saved from energy efficiency programs of Gainesville's city-owned utility, Gainesville Regional Utilities, and those of city-owned utility, City of Tallahassee, adjusted by retail sales. Examples of energy efficiency programs provided by utilities include things like helping customers buy more energy efficient appliances and installing solar water heating.
Mayor John Marks of Tallahassee retorted, "Tallahassee will easily win - Seminoles have known for centuries how to use resources wisely, including Gator meat."
What does the winning community get? The big winners will be the citizens of both Gainesville and Tallahassee, who will save energy, money, and help reduce the carbon foot prints of Gators and Seminoles in Florida. The winning Mayor? Bragging rights, of course!
