For the 5th consecutive year, WGL joined with Clean Air Partners, a DC-based air quality advocacy group, for Clean Air Partners’ annual #BreatheEasy campaign and concert ticket contest. Designed to generate public awareness about the impact of taking simple but critical steps in everyday life to improve air quality, the program encouraged DC-area residents to share their plans to promote cleaner air. The campaign included a concert ticket giveaway with winners attending Jennifer Lopez’s “It’s My Party” show at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, July 17.
As part of the partnership, the concert was made greenhouse-gas emission neutral through 131 carbon offsets donated by WGL Energy Services (WGL Energy) that counterbalanced emissions from the event generated by transportation, land-filled waste, hotel stays, and energy used to operate concession stands. The WGL Energy donated carbon offsets are equivalent to avoiding the consumption of more than 14,000 gallons of gasoline, taking more than 27 cars off the road for one year, or the planting of more than 2,100 tree seedlings that grow for ten years.
Participants in the contest were required to submit their activity to save energy, lower energy use and support a clean air environment. Promoted through social media, local media outlets, and communications from Clean Air Partners and WGL, there were nearly 1,200 entries from those who pledged to take action for cleaner air. The fortunate ticket winners were among the nearly 23,300 fans to experience Jennifer Lopez’s live entertainment performance.
“WGL is committed to promoting clean air for the DC-area and supporting all we can do to foster environmental health,” said John O’Brien, Executive Vice President at Washington Gas. “We’re proud to stand with the Clean Air Partners team year-after-year because they share our ongoing passion for investing in the future of the region. This year’s blockbuster concert was another huge draw to engage our neighbors, friends and families to take part in an exciting campaign and unite for cleaner air and smarter energy use for many years to come.”
WGL and Clean Air Partners have collaborated for 25 years to help bring better air quality to the DC-area community. They launched the #BreatheEasy campaign and concert ticket contest 5 years ago as a fun initiative to increase engagement and broaden the program’s reach. Previous concerts include Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire at Jiffy Lube Live, Bruce Springsteen at Nationals Stadium, Bruno Mars show at Capital One Arena, as well as last year’s Beyoncé and Jay-Z show at Fed Ex Field.
“We applaud all residents and businesses who rally for better air quality and lower pollution levels by pledging to use basic but essential steps that make a tremendous impact,” said Jennifer Desimone, Clean Air Partners Managing Director. “We thank WGL for being a dedicated partner throughout our annual campaign to educate the community about best practices to improve the environment. Congratulations to this year’s concert ticket winners and for everyone who made #Breatheasy a success.”
