Goucher College Purchases Renewable Energy from Constellation NewEnergy to Help Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Goucher College Purchases Renewable Energy from Constellation NewEnergy to Help Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Goucher College announced it will purchase renewable energy from Constellation NewEnergy to match a portion of its electricity usage at its Baltimore-based campus and support the college’s mission of environmental sustainability.

Constellation NewEnergy, a subsidiary of Constellation Energy, will supply Goucher with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to match 25 percent of the college’s projected electricity consumption for the next three years.

RECs are tradable environmental commodities in which one REC represents one megawatt-hour of electricity generated from an eligible renewable energy source. The purchase of RECs may be used to offset greenhouse gas emissions and help support the operation and development of domestic sources of cleaner, renewable energy.

Goucher’s RECs will come from wind energy sources certified by Green-e Energy, an independent verification program for renewable energy. Green-e Energy certifies that the energy that RECs represent comes from eligible supply sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, or “low-impact” hydropower plants that have been built since 1997.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Equivalency Calculator, Goucher’s REC purchase is the environmental equivalent to removing 1,111 cars from the road for a year or saving 688,328 gallons of gasoline.

“Environmental sustainability is a major component of Goucher's Strategic Plan, and this purchase is an important step in fulfilling our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Sanford J. Ungar, president of Goucher College.

The purchase of renewable energy will help Goucher fulfill its commitment to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, a nationwide pledge among colleges and universities to sharply reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.

The college is also supporting its mission of environmental stewardship by recently partnering with ZipCar, a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly car-sharing program that makes it easier for the campus community to use alternative modes of transportation. Goucher also has recycling, composting, sustainable food service, and energy conservation programs.

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