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EPA Honors 19 Organizations for Leadership in Clean Energy

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presented the 11th annual Green Power Leadership Awards to 19 EPA Green Power Partners across the country. Winning partners range from iconic commercial buildings and Fortune 500 companies to local governments and higher education institutions. Through the use of clean, renewable energy sources, partners are increasing our country's energy security, reducing harmful pollution and helping protect people's health and the environment. EPA's Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program helping to increase the use of electricity generated from renewable resources among leading U.S. organizations.

"EPA's Green Power Leadership Award winners are at the forefront of our economy, driving the development of innovative, renewable energy sources and demonstrating that green power makes as much sense for our health and our environment as it does for our business' bottom lines," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "We applaud their efforts to cut pollution and advance the market for green energy, one of the most important frontiers of our economic future. We hope that they will be an example for other organizations."

The 2011 Green Power Leadership Award winners include:

Green Power Partner of the Year: Empire State Building, Google Inc., Intel Corporation, Kohl's Department Stores, and Staples* Green Power Community of the Year: Portland, Ore. and Washington, D.C.* Green Power Purchasing: Adobe Systems Inc., Allegheny College, Datapipe, Inc., Franklin & Marshall College, Jackson Family Wines, Mercyhurst College, MetLife, Santa Clara University, State Street Corporation, and the University of Central Oklahoma On-site Generation: City of San Francisco and SC Johnson & Son.

The City of San Francisco, Intel Corporation, Kohl's Department Stores, and Staples are all previous winners of EPA's Green Power Leadership Award.Washington, D.C. also won EPA's 2010-11 Green Power Community Challenge title for using the greatest amount of green power annually.

EPA presents the Green Power Leadership Awards in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy and the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions. Awards will be presented today at the Renewable Energy Markets Conference in San Francisco.

EPA, through the Green Power Partnership, works with close to 1,300 partner organizations to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity use. Partners voluntarily are using more than 21 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, equal to avoiding annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electricity used by more than 1.8 million average American homes. Green power is electricity generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact hydro and produces no net increase of greenhouse gas emissions.

More information on the Green Power Leadership Awards: www.epa.gov/greenpower/awards

More information on the Green Power Partnership: www.epa.gov/greenpower

Source: EPA