FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WGL Energy’s Carbon Offsets Achieve Green‑e Climate Certification
Commercial customers’ offsets can now earn points toward LEED certification
| CONTACT Jeff Swenerton Center for Resource Solutions 415-561-2119 jeff@resource-solutions.org |
Ruben Rodriguez WGL Energy 202-624-6620 |
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 22, 2015)—Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) today announced that WGL Energy Services’ carbon offsets for commercial customers have been Green-e® Climate certified.
WGL Energy Services is one of the largest competitive energy suppliers in the mid-Atlantic region. Its Carbon Offsets are locally sourced from the Henrico County Landfill Gas Combustion Project, which captures and destroys methane from the Springfield Road Landfill located in Henrico County, Va. The project reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the landfill by installing gas collection and destruction systems that destroy the landfill gas in an on-site power generation facility, and transmits the resulting electricity to the grid. It is validated by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).
“By purchasing certified carbon offsets through WGL Energy Services, companies can help reduce emissions from a large contributor to greenhouse gases in the U.S.—municipal landfills,” said Todd Jones, Green-e Climate manager. “We are excited to work with WGL Energy Services as they provide this important option to their large commercial customers.”
Commercial customers can choose to offset activities such as business travel or corporate events, or can match any portion of their natural gas usage with carbon offsets. In addition, customers purchasing Green-e Climate certified offsets can use them to earn points toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification on new and existing buildings.
“WGL Energy Services is dedicated to helping our customers reduce their carbon footprint and achieve their sustainability goals,” said Laura Pagliarulo, Green Products manager. “By purchasing Green-e Climate certified carbon offsets, businesses can be confident that they are aiding the development of projects that wouldn’t have otherwise been built, leading to real reductions in emissions from landfills in the U.S.”
Green-e Climate is an independent certification and consumer-protection program requiring that carbon offsets include greenhouse gas emission reductions that have been verified according to strict project-level certification programs that ensure the emissions reductions have taken place, are permanent, and come from projects that would not have happened under a “business as usual” scenario. Green-e Climate verifies that reductions have been correctly and exclusively delivered as advertised, based on a yearly audit of a seller’s supply and sales. Sellers of certified offsets must provide customers with a carbon offset content label or project-specific information that explains where the reductions were sourced from, along with other important disclosures.
About WGL Energy Services
WGL Energy is an entity that delivers a full ecosystem of energy offerings including natural gas, electricity, green power, carbon reduction, distributed generation and energy efficiency provided by WGL Energy Services, Inc. (formerly Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc.) and WGL Energy Systems, Inc. (formerly Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc.). To learn more about Carbon Offsets from WGL Energy visit www.wglenergy.com/commercialoffsets or call 703-793-7533.
About Green‑e and Center for Resource Solutions
A program of the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions, Green‑e is North America’s leading independent consumer protection program for the sale of renewable energy and greenhouse gas reductions in the retail market. Green‑e offers certification and verification services through Green‑e Energy, a renewable energy certification program; Green‑e Climate, a greenhouse gas emission reduction certification program; and Green‑e Marketplace, a program that provides forward-thinking organizations a simple, nationally recognized logo they can use to communicate their renewable energy and climate commitment to their customers and stakeholders. To learn more about Green‑e Certified products and programs available in all 50 states and Canada, visit www.green‑e.org.
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©2015 Center for Resource Solutions. For more information, see us at www.resource-solutions.org or call 415-561-2100.