Energy Curtailment and Green Power
GCS works towards reducing our carbon footprint on many levels. GCS has recently signed up for a program of renewable energy sources for our building with Good Energy. We also use a program run by the Energy Curtailment Specialists to help reduce our energy use at regular intervals. Our switch to green power and energy reduction has not only reduced the school’s carbon footprint, its saved our community money. Through out the school, you will see small footprints located on light switches and monitors and high-traffic areas, reminding students and adults to switch off the lights when not in use. Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) keep out halls bright and green.
Update on GCS’s Green Power Initiative; We are #16 in Green Power Usage for K-12 Schools!
Green Power Usage Edged Higher in 2009 among EPA Partners
Contact Information: Allison Dennis, dennis.allison@epa.gov, (202) 343-9526
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s top 10 Green Power Partners increased their voluntary green power commitments by more than 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2009, while 300 new organizations joined the Green Power Partnership. Overall, the 1,200 partners are buying nearly 18 billion kWh of green power annually, equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions from electricity use of more than 1.6 million average American homes.
“EPA’s Green Power Partners are raising the bar for clean, renewable energy use,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “By using green power, they’re doing their part to fight climate change and proving every day that sound environmental practices can also be economically sound.
Among the top 10 partners, Intel Corporation remains the partnership’s largest single purchaser of green power, increasing its commitment over the previous year to more than 1.4 billion kWh. Kohl’s Department Stores increased its green power purchase by more than 1 billion kWh in 2009, becoming the second-largest purchaser within the partnership. PepsiCo, Whole Foods Market, the City of Houston, Dell Inc., The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Johnson & Johnson round out the top 10 purchasers. All together, these 10 leaders are buying more than 7.3 billion kWh of green power annually, equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity use of more than 680,000 average American homes.
EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,200 organizations to voluntarily purchase green power to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity use. Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydropower. Green power electricity generates less pollution than conventional power and produces no net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The green power purchases support the development of new, renewable generation resources nationwide.
More information on the top 50 green power purchasers list: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top50.htm
Information on EPA’s Green Power Partnership: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower
Green Gremlins 
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