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UC President Janet Napolitano Honored as Green Power Leader of the Year by Center for Resource Solutions
University of California Office of the President
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Jeff Swenerton
Center for Resource Solutions
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HOUSTON, TX (October 10, 2018)—University of California President Janet Napolitano was honored today with the Green Power Leader of the Year Award from Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) for her work in promoting and advancing renewable energy throughout her distinguished career in public service. The Green Power Leadership Awards are competitive awards that recognize organizations and individuals for outstanding commitments and achievements in the green power marketplace. They were presented at the annual Renewable Energy Markets conference in Houston, TX.
“Janet Napolitano has been one of strongest and most tireless champions of clean energy since she was elected governor of the sunny state of Arizona over 15 years ago,” said CRS Executive Director Jennifer Martin. “Throughout her career she has continued to make it a priority, establishing goals for the federal government and the UC system, and demonstrating time and again the economic and health benefits of investing in renewable energy.”
After she was elected Governor of Arizona in 2003, Napolitano said “Arizona is the ‘Saudi Arabia of solar energy’ within the United States, yet the vast solar resource of the state and its economic potential remain largely untapped.” She mandated new guidelines for renewable energy in new state buildings and shepherded the development of a “solar energy roadmap” to implement up to 1,000 MW of solar generation by 2020. Today Arizona has three times that much solar-powered generation online. Napolitano continued her support for green energy on the national stage when she was appointed Secretary of Homeland Security in 2009. She established strategic sustainability goals for the Department of Homeland Security, including commitments to purchase 7.5% of the Department’s electricity from renewable sources and install more onsite renewable energy on federal sites to enhance energy availability and reduce costs.
One of her first actions as President of the University of California in 2013 was to set a goal for UC to become carbon neutral by 2025. UC now has over 85 separate renewable energy projects in place. To help other colleges and universities invest in clean energy, she recently launched the University Climate Change Coalition. Twelve other research institutions from the United States, Mexico, and Canada joined the coalition’s efforts to further advance and integrate renewable energy generation and storage technologies.
To learn more about the other 2018 Green Power Leadership Award winners, visit www.greenpowerleadershipawards.com.
About the Green Power Leadership Awards
The annual Green Power Leadership Awards (GPLAs) are competitive awards that recognize outstanding commitments and achievements in the green power marketplace. By choosing green power instead of conventional electricity, consumers, businesses, and organizations can support increased deployment of renewable energy technologies that will reduce the environmental impact of electricity generation and increase energy security. The GPLAs are presented by the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the annual Renewable Energy Markets conference. Learn more at www.greenpowerleadershipawards.com.
About Center for Resource Solutions
Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) is a national nonprofit with global impact. CRS brings forth expert responses to climate change issues with the speed and effectiveness necessary to provide real-time solutions. Its leadership through collaboration and environmental innovation builds policies and consumer-protection mechanisms in renewable energy, greenhouse gas reductions, and energy efficiency that foster healthy and sustained growth in national and international markets. For more information about its programs, visit www.resource-solutions.org.