Date: Nov 27, 2012

EPA RECOGNIZES HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY AMONG NATION’S LEADING GREEN POWER PURCHASERS

HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY MAKES LEADING GREEN POWER PURCHASE

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY -- Hofstra University announced today that they have increased their purchase of green power as part of their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership. Hofstra University is now purchasing 6 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 10 percent of the university's electricity use.

Hofstra University is buying renewable energy certificates from OneEnergy Renewables and Sterling Planet. This demonstrates a proactive choice to switch away from traditional sources of electricity generation and support cleaner renewable energy alternatives.

 “This is a huge honor and we are proud to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” said Joseph Barkwill, Hofstra’s vice president for facilities and operations. “Purchasing green power helps our organization become more sustainable, while also sending a message to others across the U.S. that supporting clean sources of electricity is a sound business decision and an important choice in reducing climate risk.”

Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass, and low-impact hydro. Purchases of green power help accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.

“EPA applauds Hofstra University for increasing its green power purchase and for taking a leadership position on the environment,” said Blaine Collison, Director of the Green Power Partnership. “Using renewable energy can be one of the most effective ways that a school can address its carbon footprint and make meaningful environmental progress.”

Hofstra University’s green power purchase of 6 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of more than 800 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of more than 500 average American homes annually.


About Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution of higher education where more than 11,000 full and part-time students choose from undergraduate and graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, applied science, communication, education, health sciences and human services, honors studies, the Maurice A. Deane School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,300 Partner organizations voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.


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