Washington D.C. and Brookeville, Md. Currently Leading EPA's Green Power Community Challenge
By Kirsten E. Silven - 18 Mar 2011 18:10:0 GMT
Launched in September of 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) first annual Green Power Community Challenge has already reached the halfway point, with Washington D.C. in the lead for its total green power usage and Brookeville, Maryland taking the number one spot for the percentage of its total electricity that comes from green power, each community working hard to earn the lead in these respective categories.
36 communities in total are participating in the challenge this year, showing the rest of us how cities, towns, villages and Native American tribes can all work to utilize more renewable energy as a way to improve the health of the community and the environment.
At present, the leading five communities in the total green power usage category (in order) are: Washington, D.C.; Portland, Oregon; Santa Clara, California; Gresham, Oregon and Bellingham, Washington. The leading five communities at this point in the competition in the percentage of total electricity that is coming from green power category (in order) are: Brookeville, Maryland; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Bellingham, Washington; Rivers Falls, Wisconsin and Corvallis, Oregon.
In September of 2011 the EPA will award the winning community in each category with special recognition for its efforts. As part of an ever-growing trend, today green power communities are already purchasing close to 2.6 billion kWh of green power each year, which is equal to the amount of electricity that is currently being used in more than 226,000 average American homes.
Today's green power comes to us from a wide variety of renewable resources, including but not limited to: Solar, wind, low-impact hydropower, geothermal, biogas and biomass. Green energy is recognized by the EPA as a means for providing electricity in a responsible, sustainable way that produces far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional power sources.