Recycling plastics and turning off the lights don't really cut it anymore when it comes to the cutting edge of being green. But it looks like the District knows what it takes.
The city ranked high on the Environmental Protection Agency's latest list of top 50 green power organizations. It ranks 14th overall and an impressive third among local governments. Not bad.
The EPA cites the District's use of wind power provided by Washington Gas Energy Services.
When the EPA compiled the list, it looked for organizations, companies, jurisdictions and institutions that use the most renewable electricity. And that green power helps to reduce harmful emissions. The top 10 on the list are Intel Corporation, Kohl's Department Store, Whole Foods Market, City of Houston, Dell Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Cisco Systems, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, U.S. Air Force and the city of Dallas.
American University was ranked No. 6 among the top colleges and universities for its wind power use.
These green power purchasers help reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use, and support development of new renewable generation capacity nationwide. Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydropower. And those resources create energy that produces no net increase to greenhouse gas emissions.
The EPA's Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,200 organizations to purchase green power to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity use, and to inspire the rest of the nation to go greener.
