The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has honored 24 organizations for being leaders in producing and using green power, which the EPA defines as electricity generated from renewable resources such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas and low-impact hydro.
The 2012 Green Power Leadership Award winners are listed below in the following categories:
- First-ever Sustained Excellence in Green Power: Intel Corp., Kohl's Department Stores, Staples and Whole Foods Market;
- Green Power Partner of the Year: City of Austin, Texas; Hilton Worldwide; Microsoft Corp.; and the University of Oklahoma;
- Green Power Community of the Year: Beaverton, Ore., and Oak Park, Ill.;
- Green Power Purchasing: American University, Bloomberg LP, City of Philadelphia, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Kettle Foods, Lockheed Martin, McDonald's USA LLC, MOM's Organic Market, NYSE Euronext, Quinnipiac University, TD Bank, and The North Face;
- On-site Generation: Coca-Cola Refreshments and Zotos International Inc.;
- Green Power Supplier of the Year: Renewable Choice Energy and Sterling Planet; and
- Innovative Green Power Program of the Year: Wellesley Municipal Light Plant.
The 24 winners were chosen from more than 1,300 partner organizations. Utilities, renewable energy project developers and other green power suppliers were eligible to apply for the Supplier of the Year and Program of the Year awards.
The EPA also announced the winners of the second annual Green Power Community Challenge, a national competition between communities to use renewable energy and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
In addition to the Green Power Community of the Year award, Oak Park, Ill., also won the community challenge for achieving the highest green power percentage of total electricity use, at 92%. Washington, D.C., also won the challenge for a second year in a row for using the most green power annually.
