Town of Ithaca Announces Partnership with Renewable Choice Energy
Boulder, CO (PRWEB) August 29, 2014 -- The Town of Ithaca, New York announced today that it has purchased green power from the Boulder-based firm Renewable Choice Energy to help reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Town purchased 4,533,239 kilowatt hours of green power for the year 2014. The renewable energy credits (RECs) will be used to offset all of the electricity use of the Town’s municipal operations. This will decrease GHG emissions by 2,300 metric tons – the equivalent of avoiding consumption of 258,000 gallons of gasoline.
The purchase of green power is one of the Town’s many sustainability and emissions reduction initiatives. The Town is on target to surpass its stated goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from government operations 30% by 2020.
“We are excited about this initiative -- the Town Board approved it unanimously,” said Town Supervisor Herb Engman. “Purchasing renewable energy credits is a pragmatic and flexible short-term option for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. As we scale up our energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts in the years to come, we will be able to decrease the amount of RECs we purchase.”
RECs are the way that green power is tracked and traded in North America; they are used by thousands of U.S. and Canadian organizations, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to decrease environmental impact. The RECs purchased by the Town are sourced from a blend of renewable energy types including wind power and biomass and are certified by Green-e® Energy, the nation’s leading certification program for renewable energy.
“We are delighted to be working with the Town of Ithaca,” said Aran Rice, VP of Sales for Renewable Choice. “As a leader among local governments, the Town has set significant goals for carbon reduction, and we are happy to partner with them to help them further reduce their impact.”
About Town of Ithaca
The Town of Ithaca is located at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake in Central New York; home to Ithaca College and Cornell University. The Town includes a mosaic of rural, suburban, and urban landscapes of approximately 20,000 people that surrounds the City of Ithaca. The Town hired a Sustainability Planner in 2010, and since then has become a regional leader in sustainability. To learn more, visit http://www.town.ithaca.ny.us.
About Renewable Choice Energy
Colorado-based Renewable Choice Energy is a leading global provider of green power, carbon offsets, sustainability consulting, and renewable energy advisory services and is recognized as a trusted partner to numerous major brands. Recipient of the Green Power Supplier of the Year award in 2012 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Renewable Choice is a certified B Corporation. To learn more, visit http://www.renewablechoice.com.
Amy Haddon, Renewable Choice Energy, http://www.renewablechoice.com/, +1 (303) 551-7584, [email protected]
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