State Employees’ Credit Union Joins Planet Earth Celebration for Another Year of Eco-Friendly Fun
Posted: 04-24-2009 : RALEIGH, N.C.

Raleigh, NC – State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) recently demonstrated its support of North Carolina’s continuing efforts to make its citizens more environmentally aware of eco-friendly living by participating in the 2nd annual Planet Earth Celebration, held in Raleigh, North Carolina. The free event, sponsored by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and Burt’s Bees, offered SECU the opportunity to enhance their ongoing partnerships with NC GreenPower, Advanced Energy, and the NC Electric Membership Cooperative. The Celebration also offered the Credit Union a chance to showcase its numerous “green” product initiatives. The overall goal of the Planet Earth event was to celebrate sustainability efforts and to raise awareness in North Carolina communities of the rewards relative to taking better care of the local and global environment. Over seventy educational stations provided valuable information on sustainable innovations and more than 10,000 people attended the festivities.

SECU personnel from operations departments and area branches gave of their time to make the event a success. SECU volunteers manned a booth at the Celebration and brought along Fat Cat, the Credit Union’s youth mascot, to visit with the kids! The booth featured SECU’s “green” product information and offered face painting and an environmental trivia game for the kids, as well as a craft station utilizing recycled materials.

Some of SECU’s product/service offerings highlighted during the event included the Credit Union’s Green Mortgage, Green Vehicle Loan, and SECU online options such as E-Statements and BillPay. Also promoted were member-funded initiatives through the SECU Foundation, such as teacher housing projects with LEED-Certified buildings and Energy Star ratings, and a partnership with NC GreenPower to fund 1.3 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy each year and provide energy conservation and efficiency education.

Morgan Young and Lindsey Barfield, E-Learning Developers with SECU and Credit Union Planet Earth coordinators, comment, “Helping organize SECU’s participation in Planet Earth was a rewarding experience. Seeing young children learn to care for our planet showed the power of community outreach – a goal we strive for everyday as employees of the Credit Union. We are pleased to see SECU expand its ‘green’ efforts each year to help sustain North Carolina’s natural resources. This event truly demonstrates the power of the cooperative spirit --- working together to make a difference.”

Bobby Hall, SECU Senior Executive Vice President and NC GreenPower Board member, adds, “State Employees’ Credit Union feels strongly about supporting the advancement of green initiatives to improve the environment and the quality of life in North Carolina and globally. Our partnerships with organizations like NC GreenPower provide an even greater opportunity to make a difference for our State’s citizens. We also hope to work with the NC Electric Membership Cooperative, promoting the installation of solar hot water systems and encouraging our members to consider this option for their homes. These programs and services help us ‘Do the Right Thing’ for our members and our environment.”

About SECU
SECU is a non-profit financial cooperative owned by its members. SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for over 70 years. Currently serving over 1.5 million members, SECU provides services through 224 branch offices, more than 1,000 ATMs, 24/7 call centers and a website, www.ncsecu.org.