Entergy and the Environment

Offset Projects & Environmental Improvement

For nine years, Entergy has supported the communities it serves by funding projects that help preserve the environment for future generations. In 2008, Entergy awarded $350,000 in Environmental Stewardship Grants to 38 organizations, a 40 percent increase from the $250,000 awarded in 2007. The focus of 2008's Earth-friendly projects included environmental education, forest restoration and eco-tourism.

In addition to our Environmental Stewardship Grants, we awarded $50,000 in Keep America Beautiful grants. In partnership with Keep America Beautiful and its local affiliates in our service areas, Entergy supports a variety of projects including litter prevention, preservation and beautification efforts, and volunteer neighborhood clean-up programs.

For a complete list of environmental projects Entergy supported in 2008, click here.

Carbon Sequestration

We also invest in a number of carbon sequestration projects as a way to stabilize the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Planting native hardwoods on the land Entergy owns and funding the reforestation of other acreage is expected to sequester millions of tons of CO2 gas over several decades. For example, Entergy Mississippi planted 43,000 cloned pine trees on 70 acres surrounding the Attala Plant. The trees feature enhanced disease resistance, better wood quality and faster growth. When the trees are 80 years old, each acre planted is expected to have absorbed between 400 and 425 tons of CO2.

Coastal Restoration

Massive flooding in and around New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina highlighted a critical environmental issue - the ongoing destruction of coastal wetlands. Louisiana has the highest rate of coastal wetland or marsh loss in North America, losing an area the size of a football field every 30 minutes. Wetlands are a valuable environmental resource - providing a habitat for more than 900 species of plants and animals, serving as a natural water purification system and protecting communities from flooding.

In 2006, Entergy granted $150,000 to Ducks Unlimited for the restoration of 580 acres of eroded marsh in Jefferson Parish, La. Ducks Unlimited, an organization dedicated to the conservation of waterfowl habitat, is working with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, Madison Land Company and Camp Club Inc. in its plans to construct approximately 32,000 linear feet of earthen terraces and provide vegetation for planting. The terraces provide nesting sites for wildlife and produce calm water that encourages submersed aquatic vegetation growth. In addition, reduced wave energy reduces shoreline erosion.