Photo courtesy Tangarie Beach Elementary School in Maryland wanted the school’s mascot on their wind turbine.

Let the designer in you grab alternative energy by the color—and not just green! With Tangarie Alternative Power’s wind-turbine customizing feature, you can choose your own color, pattern or logo to make your turbine personalized and oh-so eco-chic.

The goal in providing customized Gale turbines is to create a positive view of alternative energy, says Dirk Taylor, Tangarie’s chief business officer.

“When you talk about alternative energy, some people relate that to an eyesore or something that is going to be an obstacle,” he explains. “They’re ugly; they don’t fit in. We want to show a positive side—almost like hip-hop alternative energy.”

You can get that hip-hop look with different shades of Spitball Green, Brilliant Blue, Italian Villa, Midnight Purple and Evergreen—customize yours by dragging the sliders on the “color picker” on Tangarie’s website. Or, if you want to make your turbine really alternative, try one of the pattern options. Zebra-stripes, a U.S. flag, tropical, camouflage, floral and other designs reveal your chic side. Have your own pattern or logo? Just send in a photo of your favorite pet, your school mascot or your company logo, and Tangarie will replicate it on your turbine.

Photo courtesy Tangarie Chicago Mayor Daley and his team installed a Gale 5KW unit to represent the city and its concern for the environment.

“This isn’t your typical propel blade spinning in the wind,” Taylor says. “It can actually be a part of the community or society as opposed to any other alternative energy form. When it’s not spinning, you can see the logo. It has become a part of the building.”

Tangarie, a North American company that manufactures and distributes the Gale line of vertical axis wind turbines and offers renewable energy services, has offered this unique customizing ability to customers for two years.

“For us, it’s being able to give to our customers and also to the environment,” he says. “We want children to be able to see their school logo on turbines and get interested in alternative energy and create a positive impact.”

Taylor said the customized option has been popular with customers.

“We can’t put these things out fast enough,” he says. “It’s kind-of a win-win. It’s pleasing to the eye and it’s pleasing to the planet.”

For more information on alternative energy options, read “Power to the People” in the Spring 2010 issue of Urban Farm and visit Tangarie’s website.