WASHINGTON -Today, the E.P.A. (EPA) declares its yearly Green Power Leadership Awards, recognizing 22 Green Power Partners and 3 renewable energy suppliers across the country-including Apple, Microsoft, TD Bank, Intel, Kohl's, the National Hockey League and Northwestern University -- for achievements in advancing the nation's renewable energy market and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
"These organizations are leading the way in cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, acting on climate change, and protecting public health by using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually," said E.P.A. Administrator Gina McCarthy. "The Green Power Leadership Award winners demonstrate that green power is a smart and accessible business investment that reduces emissions while growing the renewable energy market and spurring innovation."
The award winners listed below are being acknowledged for their efforts in expanding the domestic renewable energy market. From using enough green power to meet in excess of 100 percent of electricity needs to installing solar arrays on-site or entering long-term power purchase agreements, these organizations are demonstrating that green power is accessible, affordable, and makes good business sense.
The 2015 Green Power Leadership Awards will be presented today at the yearly Renewable Energy Markets Conference in Arlington, Va. Winners are listed below in the following categories:
Green Power Partner of the Year: Apple Incorporated (Cupertino, Calif.); Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, Wash.); National Hockey League (New York, N.Y.); Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (Pittsburgh, Penn.); Tucson Unified School District (Tucson, Ariz.)
Green Power Purchasing: Ahold U.S.A. (Quincy, Mass.); Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences (Santa Monica, Calif.); Government of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.); H&M (New York, N.Y.); Hypertherm, Incorporated (Hanover, N.H.); Kaiser Permanente / California, Colorado, Northwest, and Mid-Atlantic Regions (Oakland, Calif.); Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.); Saunders Hotel Group (Boston, Mass.); State Street Corporation (Boston, Mass.); Traditional Medicinals (Sebastopol, Calif.); Ulster County, New York (Kingston, N.Y.)
On-Site Generation: City of Hayward, California / Water Pollution Control Facility (Hayward, Calif.); General Motors / GMVM Ft. Wayne (Warren, Mich.); New Belgium Brewing Company (Fort Collins, Colo.)
Sustained Excellence in Green Power: Intel Corporation (Santa Clara, Calif.); Kohl's Department Stores (Menomonee Falls, Wis.); TD Bank (Mt. Laurel, N.J.)
Green Power Supplier of the Year: 3Degrees (San Francisco, Calif.); Renewable Choice Energy (Boulder, Colo.); Silicon Valley Power (Santa Clara, Calif.)
EPA, through the Green Power Partnership, works with partner organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. E.P.A. defines green power as electricity that is generated from renewable sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact hydroelectric sources. Green power does not produce fossil fuel-based greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. The Partnership currently has in excess of 1,300 partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities.
Renewable energy production continues to increase substantially in the United States. Today the U.S. generates 3 times as much wind power, and 20 times as much solar power as we did in 2008. And since the beginning of 2010, the average cost of a solar electric system in the U.S. has dropped by half. At the same time, the U.S. solar industry is creating jobs ten times faster than the rest of the U.S. economy.
From using green power on-site to innovative purchasing, these award winners are helping lead the way in advancing the green power market. The awardees were selected based upon a multitude of criteria, including the size and scale of their green power commitment, leadership in purchasing and generating, internal and external communications efforts, as well as organizational strategy for investing in green power. It is through their contribution and leadership that the green power market continues to grow and advance us towards a clean energy future.
More on the 2015 Green Power Leadership award winners: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/awards/winners.htm
