I discovered that electricity and gas has become deregulated recently, and therefore other power companies can offer you "Green Energy", or energy which comes from environmentally-friendly sources such as wind, hydropower, or geothermal (heat from the earth).
These power companies supply power to your power grid, and your regular power company still distributes this power, sends you bills, and maintains the grid.
For more information and to find out green energy providers in your area, see http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml
I was surprised that green energy is almost universally available in the U.S.
The …