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University of Denver tops Sun Belt Conference schools in Green Power usage

Release Date: 04/19/2010
Contact Information: Laura Farris, EPA Region 8, 303-312-6388, farris.laura@epa.gov

More than 50 Universities Battle it Out in EPA’s Green Power Challenge

EPA announced today that University of Denver was recognized as the 2009-2010 Individual Conference Champion for using more green power than any other school in the Sun Belt Conference.

Spread across 26 athletic conferences nationwide, 54 universities competed in this year’s challenge. The challenge’s total annual green power usage of more than 1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) has the equivalent environmental impact of avoiding the CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) emissions of nearly 160,000 vehicles.

University of Denver beat its conference rivals by purchasing nearly 16 million kWh of green power, representing 33 percent of the school’s annual electricity usage. University of Denver purchases renewable energy certificates (RECs) from NextEra Energy Resources, which helps to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the campus’s electricity use.

EPA estimates that University of Denver’s purchase of nearly 16 million kWh of green power is equivalent to the CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of more than 1,000 average American homes each year or has the equivalent impact of reducing the CO₂ emissions of more than 2,000 passenger cars annually. The Sun Belt Conference’s collective green power purchase was more than 24 million kWh.

“A little college rivalry never hurt anyone,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “By harnessing the competitive nature of colleges to see which institution can use the most renewable energy, it’s a win-win for the environment and each of the participating schools.”

EPA ranks collegiate athletic conferences by the total amount of green power used by their member schools. To be eligible, each school in the conference has to qualify as an EPA Green Power Partner and each conference has to collectively use at least 10 million kWh of green power. EPA also announced the kickoff of the 2010-2011 Green Power Challenge this week, which is scheduled to conclude in the spring of 2011.

EPA’s Green Power Partnership encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with traditional fossil fuel-based electricity use. The Partnership includes a diverse set of organizations including Fortune 500 companies, small and medium businesses, government institutions as well as a growing number of colleges and universities.

More information on EPA's College and University Green Power Challenge and the list of winners, see: https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/initiatives/cu_challenge.htm

More information on Partner organizations in EPA’s Green Power Partnership: https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/index.htm