ACID RAIN RETIREMENT FUND Education


	Acid Rain Retirement Fund


A. R. R. F.	Buying Pollution Right Out of the Sky!	A. R. R. F.

Acid Rain Retirement Fund

Education Outreach

The Acid Rain Retirement Fund (ARRF) is an all-volunteer, member supported community group dedicated to environmental education and reducing acid rain by purchasing and retiring marketable air emissions allowances issued by the U.S. government. ARRF was incorporated in the State of Maine as a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization in December 1995.

The Acid Rain Retirement Fund encourages participation in pollution markets as a way to educate children and adults about the sources and detrimental affects of air pollution and acid rain, and actions people can take to reduce such pollution. ARRF teaches by example, and invites participation by all individuals. Just as the Nature Conservancy buys land to preserve it, the Acid Rain Retirement Fund buys air pollution to retire it, permanently.

The Acid Rain Retirement Fund shows how anyone can make a difference, thereby imparting a sense of significance and empowerment to individuals of all ages. The more tons of air pollution we retire, the more successful and effective participants feel about their efforts. ARRF provides citizens with information about acid rain, ideas for fund raising activities, access to pollution markets, and the ability to directly prevent pollution.

During 1995-1996, the Acid Rain Retirement Fund worked with students in Gorham (Maine) public schools to increase their understanding of the relationship between air pollution and acid rain in Maine. ARRF provided speakers for several classes totaling about 200 middle and elementary school students during fall 1995. In cooperation with the Gorham Recycling Committee, ARRF helped them organize a paper drive on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1996, which recycled over 10,000 pounds of newspaper and raised enough money to purchase about two tons of air pollution. Students learned they get twice the environmental value for community recycling efforts by spending funds earned on retirement of emissions allowances.
Including donations from individuals, businesses and organizations such as the Portland High School Environmental Club and the Windham Middle School

Honor Society, the Acid Rain Retirement Fund raised enough funds to bid for 16 tons of sulfur dioxide in the EPA auction held March 25, 1996. ARRF recognizes the efforts of fund raisers by presenting them with "Clean Air Certificates" (suitable for display in classrooms) saying how much pollution they helped remove from the atmosphere, and will observe Earth Day 1996 in April with a public announcement and celebration.
In March 1996, emissions allowances were selling on the Chicago Board of Trade for about $80/ton.

That's about 4 cents/pound--less expensive than potatoes! That meant for 75 cents--the cost of a vending machine candy bar--one could prevent almost 19 pounds of sulfur dioxide from being emitted to the air in every future year.

During 1995-1996, the Acid Rain Retirement Fund worked with students in Gorham (Maine) public schools to increase their understanding of the relationship between air pollution and acid rain in Maine. ARRF provided speakers for several classes totaling about 200 middle and elementary school students during fall 1995. In cooperation with the Gorham Recycling Committee, ARRF helped them organize a paper drive on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1996, which recycled over 10,000 pounds of newspaper and raised enough money to purchase about two tons of air pollution. Students learned they get twice the environmental value for community recycling efforts by spending funds earned on retirement of emissions allowances. Including donations from individuals, businesses and organizations such as the Portland High School Environmental Club and the Windham Middle School

	Honor Society, the Acid Rain Retirement Fund raised enough funds to bid for 16 tons of sulfur dioxide in the EPA auction held March 25, 1996. ARRF recognizes the efforts of fund raisers by presenting them with "Clean Air Certificates" (suitable for display in classrooms) saying how much pollution they helped remove from the atmosphere, and will observe Earth Day 1996 in April with a public announcement and celebration. In March 1996, emissions allowances were selling on the Chicago Board of Trade for about $80/ton.

During 2005, the price of an SO2 allowance first reached the $665- $736/ton range projected by the U.S. Department of Energy in 1991, shortly after the Acid Rain Program was created by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. That was DOE's estimate per ton for the installed retrofit cost of SO2 pollution control equipment (scrubbers) on existing units. In fall 2006, a few trades were registered at slightly over $1,600/ton. That meant it was a lot less expensive for polluters to install pollution control equipment than to purchase emissions allowances. Yet many continue to purchase allowances, and continue to pollute the air.

At $10, membership in the Acid Rain Retirement Fund is accessible to nearly everyone. For a $10 annual membership donation to ARRF, one could retire about 41 pounds of air pollution at August 2007 prices of a little less than 25 cents/pound (about $485/ton). ARRF's efforts offer an opportunity for people to take effective action to improve environmental quality, while learning more about environmental science and policy.

Making Acid Rain Retirement

Work In Your Classroom


If children learn to care about our planet, the future will be brighter for everybody. Stopping air pollution and acid rain are easy with the Acid Rain Retirement Fund. ARRF will be happy to assist by purchasing pollution on behalf of your class or school. In 1996, students at Village School and Shaw Junior High School in Gorham, Maine stopped about 2 tons of air pollution and students at Windham Middle School in Windham, Maine stopped another 2 tons with assistance from the Acid Rain Retirement Fund.

They studied the relationship between air pollution and acid lakes, learned about air pollution allowances, and decided to buy some, raising money through a newspaper recycling drive and collecting donations from classmates and neighbors. Some made blue raindrops from construction paper and sold them for $.50 each to classmates, who then put their names on them and tacked them to bulletin boards in their home classrooms.

Your class' efforts will depend on their time, energy and ability to find creative ways to participate in the pollution prevention program. The more a class learns about air pollution and acid rain, the better they will be at stopping pollution. It's as easy as raising money through donations, bake sales, band concerts, or paper and can recycling drives. We hope you will use the Acid Rain Retirement Fund as an opportunity to teach kids about acid rain and the resulting air pollution. ARRF can provide a packet of materials about acid rain and fund raising ideas, and will be glad to buy the pollution and provide certificates of recognition for any level of emissions retirements, even if your class buys one ton or less.

Those who contribute to ARRF are mostly individuals and groups engaged in educational activities concerning acid rain. We've received donations from all over the U.S. and even from Sweden. In addition to contributions of money, ARRF has received donations of SO2 allowances purchased by others.

Groups we've worked with over the years deserve recognition for their efforts, and include:

Gorham Public Schools (Village School, Shaw Middle School), Gorham, Maine
Jesuit High School 6th Graders, New Orleans, LA
Windham Middle School Honor Society, Windham, Maine
South Kortright Central School 6th Graders, South Kortright, New York
Queensbury Middle School, Queensbury, New York
Lynx House, Conserve School, Land O' Lakes, WI
Portland High School Environmental Club, Portland, Maine
Auburn High School Environment Club, Auburn, New York
Camp Fire Boys & Girls Council for Eastern Massachusetts, Boston
Camp Fire Group Children's Learning Center, Malden, MA
Students for Environmental Action, East Lansing High School, East Lansing, MI
Fay School, Southborough, MA
Appalachian State College Economics Class, Boone, NC
Kenyon College Environmental Economics Class, Gambier, OH
Humboldt State University Natural Resources Club, Humboldt, CA
Student Environmental Action Coalition, University of Maine, Orono, Maine
USM Recycles, University of Southern Maine, Portland, Maine
Capital University School of Law, Environmental Law Society, Columbus, OH
University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Environmental Law Council, Pittsburgh, PA
University of Toledo School of Law, Environmental Law Society, Toledo, OH
Canteen Service Company, Portland, Maine
Chili's Grill, Portland, Maine

Thinking locally and acting globally, every little bit helps.


	If we can help, contact us!


MICHAELH@USM.MAINE.EDU	Acid Rain Retirement Fund P.O. Box 10272 Portland, ME 04104