Penn is only university to earn ranking in EPA’s list of nation’s top 25 green-energy leaders
It’s one thing to talk about going green, but Penn walks the walk, whether it’s implementing recycling initiatives, energy monitoring of college houses and student rooms, or installing a green roof (pictured at right).
Another meaningful way Penn works to reduce its carbon footprint is through its large-scale, 10-year renewable energy contract, and an expansion into the national market, where buyers can get more offset credit per dollar. For its efforts, Penn has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as one of the nation’s top 25 companies, universities and municipalities that have found creative ways to run on renewable power. Penn’s purchase of 193 million green kWh, or 46 percent of total power used, earned a ranking of No. 19. It is the only university on the list.
Penn has been a leading purchaser of wind energy since 2001, and in 2003, announced it would double its wind power purchase—the highest nationally at that time—to 40 million kWh annually. In 2007, Penn President Amy Gutmann was the first Ivy League president to sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging that Penn will develop a comprehensive plan to reduce its carbon footprint.
A story in the June issue of Scientific American notes that many large energy consumers are making large, long-term commitments to buying power from renewable sources. Among these trendsetters are organizations that generate their own renewable energy, buy it from suppliers or purchase offset credits to compensate for their traditional energy use.
Originally published on June 16, 2009
