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Rockville Earns Spot in Top 10 in EPA Green Power Community Challenge
ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 29, 2011 — The City of Rockville earned recognition in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Community Challenge for total green power usage.
The Rockville Mayor and Council issued a challenge in February to the community to use green power after signing on with the EPA to become a Green Power Community. Rockville earned its spot at No. 10, the EPA announced this week.
The Green Power Community Challenge is part of a national campaign that encourages communities to use green power and promote environmental sustainability, energy innovation, and a reduction in carbon emissions.
During the Green Power Community Challenge, which ended Sept. 1, Rockville encouraged residents and businesses to switch their electricity source to green power. Rockville tracked and reported the community’s collective green power use to EPA from March through August.
EPA ranked Rockville as the 10th largest Green Power Community in the country because more than 67 million kilowatt-hours of green power (e.g., solar and wind energy) are being used by Rockville residents, businesses, institutions and government entities.
EPA estimates the impact of Rockville's green power usage as avoiding more than 112 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions; which is equivalent to avoiding:
Rockville had set a goal to increase the amount of green power purchased or generated in the city to at least 3 percent of the community’s total electricity use, or 65.8 million kilowatt hours (about 6,00 homes). Rockville exceeded that by more than a million kilowatt hours.
Residents can learn more about the program by visiting Rockville’s environmental web pages at www.rockvillemd.gov/environment and clicking on Energy and Climate in the left side rail.
