Goodwill Industries International’s headquarters in Rockville, Maryland has been named a Green Power Partner by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in recognition of its efforts to reduce the risk of climate change through green power purchasing. For nearly 110 years, Goodwill® has been an entrepreneurial leader, environmental pioneer and social innovator of the “reduce, reuse, repurpose” practice. In addition to diverting billions of pounds of usable goods from landfills each year, Goodwill has taken integral steps to place increased emphasis on sustainable building and operations practices.
At its headquarters, Goodwill Industries International is tracking its energy data through the Energy Star Portfolio Manager, which serves as a benchmark to measure the energy performance of the building, has undertaken changes to decrease its energy consumption, and has purchased renewable energy certificates to offset 100 percent of its energy use. The effort is part of an overall initiative for Goodwill Industries International to address climate risk.
“Addressing climate risk is increasingly recognized as an important strategic issue for businesses and other organizations,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. “By purchasing green power, Goodwill is helping to reduce climate risk and identify our organization as an environmental leader to our customer base, employees and program participants as well as stakeholder groups.”
Goodwill met the EPA’s requirements through its renewable energy certificates. The EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with a wide variety of leading organizations from Fortune 500 companies to local, state and federal governments, and a growing number of colleges and universities that are utilizing renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and other environmentally preferable renewable resources. Goodwill will be ranked amongst leading organizations across the United States and in industry sectors for its leadership in reducing its carbon footprint by reducing the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use.
The EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that provides assistance and recognition to organizations that demonstrate environmental leadership by choosing green power. To learn more, visit www.epa.gov/greenpower.
