WASHINGTON, D.C.—What do 34 U.S. hospitality organizations—including Hilton Worldwide, Mauna Lani Resort, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, and Wyndham Worldwide—have in common? They are all members of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Partnership program (GPP). The initiative is a voluntary program that supports the purchase of green power by offering advice, technical support, recognition programs, tools and resources. Green power, as defined by EPA, is electricity produced from a subset of renewable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and low-impact hydro. Hospitality organizations can participate in GPP by purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) from Green-e certified providers, by purchasing green power from a local utility, or by generating on-site renewable energy.
According to Blaine Collison, GPP program manager, GPP was first launched in 2001. Initially, it was thought that GPP would have the most success in the residential market. That has not happened; it has gained the most traction among commercial purchasers of electricity.
“The program has been a remarkable success,” Collison says. “The number of participants and size of purchases has been tremendous. Regulatory requirements have not driven this.”
Partner, Leadership Club Parameters
Collison says participation in the lodging sector has not been as significant as other sectors but it is growing. There are currently about 1,300 total Partners in the program, including companies such as Intel Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. For Partners, green power must represent from 2 percent to 10 percent of their electricity purchase. Those companies whose electricity purchase is comprised of at least 20 percent green power are eligible for the Green Power Leadership Club. For Partners and Club members, EPA requires that green power sources must have been built since the beginning of the voluntary market (1/1/1997) in order to support “new” renewable energy development. Only current RECs can be purchased.
“For the majority of our Partners, there is a cost premium [to purchasing green power],” Collison says. “There are also green power options, however, that don’t carry an additional cost.”
The majority of GPP participants—75 percent—purchase RECs. About 20 percent purchase green power from their utility companies, and only about 5 percent to 7 percent generate on-site power.
Motives for Participation
What is driving companies to purchase green power? Collison says companies recognize the importance of protecting the environment. Climate change is also a driver with some. Energy security and supporting job-creating industries such as solar, wind and others are also reasons. According to the GPP website, additional benefits of green power purchasing include: reducing some types of pollution; avoiding carbon dioxide emissions; generating customer, investor, or stakeholder loyalty and employee pride; and demonstrating civic leadership. Many organizations have expanded their green power purchasing commitment from year to year.
EPA’s role is to not only share advice and best practices but to “accelerate the market,” Collison says. “We don’t get involved in the mechanics of the process itself. We love talking to new stakeholders and discussing issues and opportunities.”
For those interested in participating in GPP, the GPP website explains the steps and includes the Partnership Agreement form, Partnership Requirements and other helpful documents. A U.S. map links interested participants to state-specific utility green pricing programs. A Communications Support page explains all of the ways a lodging company or individual property can gain recognition from purchasing green power—press releases, rankings, awards program, etc. This page also includes a link to a Green Power Equivalency Calculator to help one calculate the carbon dioxide emissions associated with an equivalent number of passenger cars, gallons of gasoline, and other items typically used to illustrate green power purchasing achievements.
To learn more about GPP, click here. You can also e-mail Blaine Collison at collison.blaine@epa.gov, or call him at (202) 343-9139.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
