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EPA Recognizes Webster Groves, Mo., as a Leading Green Power Community; City Hosts Celebration Tonight at 5:30 p.m.

Release Date: 10/08/2014
Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394, [email protected]

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., Oct. 8, 2014) - The city of Webster Groves, Mo., has been officially designated by EPA as a Green Power Community, in recognition of its collective use of more than 7 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, enough to meet three percent of the community's total electricity use.

Webster Groves is buying a combination of renewable energy certificates (RECs) and utility green power products from 3Degrees and Ameren Missouri. This demonstrates a proactive choice to switch away from traditional sources of electricity generation and support cleaner renewable energy alternatives.

Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, eligible biogas, biomass, and low-impact hydro. Using green power helps accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.

Webster Groves will hold a public event this evening to celebrate its designation as an official EPA Green Power Community. The event will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Hearth Room at the Hawken House, 1155 South Rock Hill Road, in Webster Groves. The Hawken House will be open for viewing and there will be a musical performance by the Webster Groves High School A Capella group.

Webster Groves' green power use of more than 7 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of nearly 1,100 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of nearly 700 average American homes annually. Four-hundred and fifty-five Webster Groves homes are purchasing renewable energy certificates through the Ameren Missouri Pure Power program, and 21 homes have installed solar.

The following Webster Groves businesses/organizations are purchasing renewable energy certificates: Big Sky Café, 1st Congregational Church of WG, Freddie’s Market, Hub Bicycle Company, Naturally Pure Salon, Straub’s Market, The Healthy Planet, Verde Kids, Weber’s Front Row and Webster Groves School District. These businesses/organizations have installed solar: Llewellyn’s Pub, Ross & Baruzzini, Straub’s Market, The College School, Webster Gardens Lutheran Church, Webster Groves Service Center and Webster University.

EPA’s 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 1,300 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.