EPA ranks Emerson as green energy leader

Emerson College announced today that for the first time it appears as No. 23 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Top 30 College & University list of the largest green power users.

Emerson College is using 25 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet over 100 percent of the college’s electricity use.

The College is buying renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Renewable Choice Energy. This demonstrates a proactive choice to switch away from traditional sources of electricity generation and support cleaner renewable energy alternatives.

This green power commitment also qualifies Emerson College for EPA’s Green Power Leadership Club, a distinction given to organizations that have significantly exceeded EPA’s minimum requirements. Green Power Leadership Club members must use ten times the Partnership’s minimum green power use requirement organization-wide. 

Green power is zero-emissions electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact hydro. Using green power helps accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helps users reduce their carbon footprints.

According to the U.S. EPA, Emerson College’s green power use of 25 million kWh is equivalent to the electricity use of more than 2,000 average American homes annually.

About EPA’s Green Power Partnership

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,300 Partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500^® companies; small and medium sized businesses; local, state, and federal governments; and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.