EPA recognizes RVCC among leading green power users
Raritan Valley Community College has been commended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership for using wind power to meet all of the Branchburg campus’ electricity needs.
The college is now using nine million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind power — enough to meet 100 percent of the electricity needs for the main campus. Since March 2014, RVCC has increased its green power usage from 31 to 100 percent, further demonstrating its commitment to environmental sustainability and building upon its ongoing collaboration with the EPA’s Green Power Partnership.
Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. Use of green power helps accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector. RVCC is the second community college in the nation and the second college in New Jersey to commit to 100 percent green energy through the Green Power Partnership.
“EPA is pleased to recognize Raritan Valley Community College for their increased use of green power,” added Melissa Klein, communications director of the Green Power Partnership. “In doing so, RVCC is reducing its carbon footprint and helping advance the market for cleaner, renewable resources.”
“Being commended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is a great honor for RVCC,” said John Trojan, RVCC vice president of Finance and Facilities. “Using green power helps the college become more sustainable and has proven to be a prudent business decision and an important choice in reducing climate risk.”
According to the EPA, RVCC’s green power use of more than nine million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of nearly 1,400 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of nearly 900 average American homes annually.
The College is buying Green-e certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Renewable Choice Energy. This demonstrates a proactive choice to switch away from traditional sources of electricity generation and support cleaner renewable energy alternatives.
This purchase also qualifies RVCC’s Branchburg campus for EPA’s Green Power Leadership Club, a distinction given to organizations that have significantly exceeded EPA’s minimum use requirements. Green Power Leadership Club members must use 10 times the partnership’s minimum requirement organization-wide.
RVCC has a long history of environmental leadership. The college has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions over 50 percent since 2005. In 2014 RVCC opened the Ray Bateman Center for Student Life and Leadership, which was designed to LEED Gold standards and boasts a green wall and a rainwater harvesting system. The college also received a Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award for Clean Air in 2013. RVCC’s partnership with the EPA dates to 2009, when RVCC became the first community college in the country to sign an environmental stewardship agreement with the EPA. For more information, visit www.raritanval.edu/green.