Microgrid Energy is is proud to announce that the City of Maplewood, Missouri has received the 2016 Green Power Community of the Year award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This annual award recognizes the country’s leading green power users for their commitment to helping advance the development of the nation’s voluntary renewable energy market. The EPA presented the City of Maplewood with the award at an event held in conjunction with the 2016 Renewable Energy Markets conference in San Francisco, California on October 17, 2016.
Maplewood was the only Green Power Community to receive a leadership award for its collective support of renewable energy from businesses and residents in amounts that meet or exceed EPA requirements. The Maplewood Green Power Community is currently supporting more than six million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet five percent of the community’s purchased electricity use. Green Power Communities distinguish themselves through their green power use, leadership, citizen engagement, renewable energy strategy, and impact on the green power market.
“We are proud to receive this prestigious award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” said Maplewood Mayor Jim White. “Supporting green power is a way our businesses, residential community and school district work together to make our city more sustainable. Adopting a program to utilize clean sources of electricity has served as a foundation in helping us establish viable sustainability goals while reducing the City’s carbon footprint.”
Maplewood’s Green Power Community Challenge represents a joint effort with the City’s Sustainability Commission, Ameren Missouri Pure Power and Microgrid Energy, encouraging local businesses and homeowners to make a commitment to green power through either the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) or the installation of solar power.
Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally-preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact hydro. Using green power accelerates the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.
According to the EPA, Maplewood’s current green power use of more than six million kilowatt-hours (kWh) is equivalent to the electricity use of nearly 600 average American homes annually.
About Maplewood, Missouri
The City of Maplewood takes its role as a steward of the environment seriously. As one of the most walkable communities in the state — well-equipped with bicycle paths and racks, bus routes and two light rail stations — this sustainability-minded city established the first Green Dining District in the entire U.S. aimed at greening local restaurants through renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. Beyond achieving the Green Power Community status in 2015, the City of Maplewood implemented a sustainability action plan in city facilities that includes: purchasing ENERGY STAR® certified products; instating no idling and smoking policies; purchasing 100% recycled paper products and sustainable cleaning products; and using energy saving devices and LED retrofits. Maplewood City Hall has also been overhauled with energy efficient upgrades as well as onsite solar panels. In 2016, Maplewood won the Emerging Leader Growing Green award from the U.S. Green Building Council – Missouri Gateway Chapter for their efforts transforming green building and sustainability practices. Additional city investments in green power include continued city support for REC-based programs and onsite solar as well as construction of a new LEED-certified Silver firehouse in 2016.
About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 60 Green Power Communities and more than 1,400 Partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies; small and medium sized businesses; local, state, and federal governments; and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit www.epa.gov/greenpower.
About the Green Power Leadership Awards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) co-sponsors the annual Green Power Leadership Awards in conjunction with the Center for Resource Solutions. The EPA recognizes winners in the following awards categories: Green Power Partner of the Year; Sustained Excellence in Green Power; Direct Project Engagement; Excellence in Green Power Use; and Green Power Community of the Year. The EPA’s Green Power Partner Awards recognize the exceptional achievement among EPA Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through green power procurement, market leadership, overall green power strategy, and overall impact on the green power market. The Awards are held in conjunction with the Renewable Energy Markets Conference. For additional information please visit www.epa.gov/greenpower/green-power-leadership-awards.
