September 9, 2009 - The Environmental Protection Agency reports that the Austin School District is the eighth largest purchaser of green power among all U.S. government entities — and the only public school district in the nation on the EPA’s Top 20 “Green Power” list.

The Top 20 Local Government list represents the largest purchasers among local government partners within the Green Power Partnership. The combined green power purchases of these organizations amounts to more than 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours annually, which is equivalent to the electricity needed to power more than 180,000 average American homes annually.  
 
Green power is electricity from environmentally-preferable renewable resources such as solar, wind, or geothermal power. Green power currently accounts for about two percent of America’s electricity supply, but voluntary purchasing of renewable energy is accelerating renewable energy development.  
 
In October 2003, AISD made the largest purchase to date of renewable energy from Austin Energy’s GreenChoice® program, with 45.7 million kilowatt-hours annually of green power. In May 2008, AISD purchaesd another 19.92 million kilowatt-hours. The total AISD subscription, 65.64 million kilowatt-hours, accounts for approximately 40 percent of all of its electric power needs and is enough to power 5,386 homes year-round.  
 
While other educational institutions subscribe to green power, the AISD subscription is by far the largest by a K-12 school district anywhere in the country, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, Green Power Partnership.  
 
“AISD believes in being good stewards of our resources. It is also important for our students that we set an example of respect and responsibility for the environment,” Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen said. “We are proud to be on EPA’s prestigious Top 20 list of government green power purchasers.”  
 
The Green Power Partnership is an EPA voluntary program working to standardize green power procurement as part of best practice environmental management. Partners in the program pledge to switch to green power for a portion of their electricity needs in return for EPA technical assistance and recognition. The Green Power Partnership currently includes more than 1,100 Partners, including Fortune 500 companies, states, federal agencies, trade associations, public schools, and universities.  
 
For more information on green power, visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower, or Austin Energy at www.austinenergy.com.