Park City Becomes EPA Green Powered Community

With the Green Movement gaining more and more speed, it's great to live in a community that's green conscious citizens are taking the necessary steps to lessen our burden on the environment. The following was taken from press-release earlier today from the city of Park City.

Park City, Utah; April 16, 2007 -- The community of Park City has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an EPA Green Power Community for purchasing 3.7 percent of its electricity use community-wide from green power resources. The world-renowned resort town is now Utah's second EPA Green Power Community and the largest in the state. EPA extends the honor to communities that show their environmental commitment by voluntarily purchasing green power in amounts that meet or exceed EPA purchase requirements.

Simultaneously, city officials announced that they surpassed the 5 percent Green Power Challenge target announced on November 12, 2003. More than 9.4 percent of Park City residents and businesses are now purchasing Blue Sky Renewable Energy. The Park City Council partnered with the Utah Clean Energy Alliance's Utah Wind Power Campaign and Rocky Mountain Power to increase community participation in Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky® renewable energy program. The Community's Clean Energy Challenge still continues with a new goal of reaching 15 percent of Park City residents and businesses purchasing Blue Sky Renewable Energy.

The businesses and residents are collectively purchasing nearly 8.7 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of Blue Sky clean energy annually, which accounts for more than 3.7 percent of the total community electricity load. Based on national average emissions rates, the U.S. EPA estimates that Park City's community-wide green power purchase of nearly 8.7 million kWhs is equivalent to reducing the same amount of CO2 emissions associated with nearly 1,200 passenger cars annually. This purchase is also the same amount of electricity needed to power more than 700 average American households each year.

"I am proud to be the Mayor of a community committed to clean energy and sustainability," says Park City Mayor Dana Williams. "It makes sense for Park City to support energy resources that do not contribute to global warming and air pollution - this community thrives on the quality of our environment."

Park City will officially celebrate the EPA recognition during the city's first Sustainability Week which goes from Saturday, April 14 through Sunday, April 22.

To date, Park City is only one of seven communities in the nation to receive EPA Green Power Community designation. EPA encourages municipalities and organizations to voluntarily purchase green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. As part of its recognition, Park City received two colorful street signs reading, "Welcome to a Green Power Community. We exceed EPA guidelines for buying clean, renewable energy." The sign will be posted at a high visibility location at the base of the stairs from Main Street leading to Park City's City Hall.

Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. Green power is considered cleaner than conventional sources of electricity and has lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a greenhouse gas linked to global climate change. Purchases of green power help accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide.

Park City was named recently the recipient of a Blue Sky Renewable Energy Project Grant funded by Blue Sky program participants to pursue community-based renewable energy projects on various sites in Park City. Park City is looking at multiple ways to promote the City as a "Sustainable Community". On November 7, 2003 the Park City Council adopted a resolution declaring Park City's interest in taking a leadership role in promotion of sustainable energy by promoting both energy efficiency and renewable energy for Park City Municipal and the community.