STAMFORD, CT—March 6,2013—Viridian Energy, a leading provider of affordable green energy, today announced the release of its third annual Sustainability Report, providing an in-depth look at the company’s environmental impact over the past reporting period, the groundswell of grassroots efforts that have supported Viridian’s sustainability mission, and insight into the growing “green” trend that is revolutionizing the marketplace. Trends alone are not responsible, however, for Viridian’s notable growth: In the period covered by its annual Sustainability Report, Viridian’s customers doubled their energy usage from the year before, but were able to quadruple the impact on the environment thanks to the company’s voluntary pledge to increase its renewable energy purchasing.
Although Viridian is not required to publish a report on its sustainability initiatives, it undertakes it voluntarily as a key part of the company’s mission: “This report allows us to clearly illustrate our commitment to our mission of sustainability, that we’re participating in something greater than ourselves,” said Michael Fallquist, founder and CEO of Viridian Energy. “We lead by example and are proud to show the impact of our increased commitment to providing 20% above state renewable portfolio standards of green energy. This means that when our customers use electricity, more of it is backed by renewable sources for the same low cost.”
These renewable energy sources are represented by the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), which are bought and retired by Viridian, and disclosed in their Sustainability Report. The RECs detail how the energy was generated and the facility it was generated from, giving customers a window on the green energy industry.
"Unique in the business for its commitment to transparency as a way to demonstrate value—and set the bar higher for other energy companies—Viridian engages Ernst & Young LLP to examine the company's Renewable Energy Certificates (“RECs”) retired, total carbon offsets purchased, US Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) equivalent measures of carbon emissions avoided, and other EPA equivalencies. Over the past year, the amount of CO2 avoided by Viridian customers is equivalent to each of the following:
- CO2 sequestered by 9,842,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years
- CO2 emissions from 43,031,165 gallons of gasoline consumed in one year
- CO2 emissions from the electricity use of 57, 461 homes for one year
- Recycling 6,163,759,942 plastic two-liter bottles
Further demonstrating its commitment to green, Viridian held 48 sustainability events in 2012, with participation from more than 600 volunteers who spent more than 21,000 hours to pick up 27,394 pounds of trash from waterfronts, parks and forests and plant 334 trees.
Rallying to aid the communities hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy, Viridian organized GenVCares, a campaign which collected thousands of pounds of food and clothing, assisted in clean-up efforts in New York and New Jersey, helped families and small businesses sift through debris to save whatever was worth saving, and donated $10,000 to the American Red Cross plus additional money towards local relief.
Other highlights of the year included the NJ Dash for Trash, NYC CoolRoofs Project, and the Pennsylvania Earthship Project. For more information about Viridian Energy, please visit www.viridian.com and to access Viridian Energy’s Sustainability Report, please visit http://www.viridian.com/assets/marketing/Sustainability_Report_2012.pdf.
About Viridian Energy
Viridian Energy is a socially responsible retail energy supplier that provides green energy at an affordable price. The company services commercial and residential electricity and natural gas customers in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. with electricity derived from renewable sources. In all of its markets, Viridian offers customers affordable electricity rates that comply with a higher renewable energy content standard. Located in Stamford, CT, Viridian was founded with the vision to empower its customers to make a significant collective impact through the individual choice of switching energy providers.
