The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made it easy for organizations to purchase renewable energy by becoming an EPA Green Power Partner. This voluntary program offers a way to reduce environmental impacts of conventional electricity.
The Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is an EPA program that helps organizations purchase green power. The EPA supplies advice, technical support, and other resources to facilitate the process. EPA welcomes private companies, schools, and organizations who wish to utilize green energy for their needs.
What is Green Energy?
Green energy is renewable electricity that has been produce for use in homes, businesses, and even industrial plants. It comes from renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass, low-impact hydropower, wind, and geothermal.
Benefits of Green Power Partnership
Through the Green Power Partnership, the EPA helps to reduce transaction costs involved in purchasing green power from renewable energy sources. This green power purchase helps organizations reduce their carbon footprint. In addition, a partnership with the EPA will demonstrate to customers and other associates an organization’s commitment to sustainability and the environment.
How to Become a Green Power Partner
Assess the annual electricity use of your facility or organization in terms of kilowatt-hours. Determine EPA’s minimum purchase requirement of green power for an operation of your size. The amount of green power required is a percentage of the total kilowatt-hours consumed by the establishment. Submit your agreement to EPA. Once your application has been approved, use the Green Power Locator to find and purchase the desired green power products from the eligible renewable sources. These sources are new renewable US-based generation facilities. Send your purchase data to EPA to fulfill the Green Power Partnership agreement.
Helping the Environment
The worldwide benefits of EPA Green Power Partnerships include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing economic benefits of supporting construction and green jobs with new green power projects. Green businesses that have developed the Partnership can be recognized by the Partner Certificate that may be displayed in a prominent location at the organization’s headquarters. The EPA Green Power Partner mark may also used as a logo to identify these organizations. If neither one of these are visible, the EPA also offers posters and banners to create larger-scale signage displaying the commitment to green power.
References
(2010) Steps to Becoming a Partner. Retrieved September 1, 2010. (logo)
(2007) SNHU becomes EPA Green Power Partner. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
(2010) Mohawk Named EPA Top Green Power Partner. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
