EPA Announces Top Green Powered Colleges

Annually, the EPA conducts the ‘College & University Green Power Challenge’ through the Green Power Partnership. This challenge tracks and reports green power generation and purchases across the nation. Several Northwest institutions were among the top performers including Lewis & Clark College.

Green power at LC is purchased by undergraduates through a voluntary student fee. These fees cover 100% of our electricity use for the three campuses. This year we purchased the renewable energy from a company called One Renewables. We continue to rank highly in the EPA challenge because of the commitment of our students to this program!

For additional information, please see the news story below or contact Amy Dvorak

Green-Powered Northwest Colleges and Businesses Help Reduce Pollution and Combat Climate Change

Contact: Suzanne Skadowski, EPA Region 10 Communications, 206-553-6689, skadowski.suzanne@epa.gov

(April 17, 2013 - Seattle) –– Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership announced the Top 50 Green-Powered organizations that are using electricity from clean, renewable sources such as solar and wind energy. Many colleges and businesses in the Pacific Northwest are among the best in the nation in increasing renewable energy use.

Nine northwest colleges in the College & University Green Power Challenge are among the nation’s highest in green power use: University of Washington, Oregon State University, Western Washington University, Gonzaga University, Evergreen State College, Southern Oregon University, Lewis & Clark College, Pacific Lutheran University, and Whitman College.            

As part of EPA’s Green Power Partnership, more than 1,400 organizations are purchasing more than 26 billion kWh of green power annually, avoiding carbon pollution equal to that created by the electricity use of more than 2.8 million American homes. The partnership provides quarterly updated lists of partners using green power in the following categories: K-12 schools, technology and telecommunications, local government, and retail, among others.

U.S. Top 50 Green Power list: www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists

College & University Green Power Champions: www.epa.gov/greenpower/initiatives/cu_challenge.htm

EPA’s Green Power Partnership: www.epa.gov/greenpower