May 13 2008
Village Green Energy launched a streamlined process enabling green buildings to earn credit towards the U.S Green Building Council's LEED certification by purchasing off-site renewable energy (http://www.villagegreenenergy.com/leed-buildings). The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria are quickly becoming the industry standard for certifying green building projects. These projects can earn up to four points towards certification for sourcing off-site renewable power through Village Green Energy.
The LEED program builds on Village Green's expertise in the value chain of the buildings industry. San Francisco based design firm Walker-Warner Architects (http://www.walker-warner.com) recently partnered with Village Green to purchase biogas electricity from the Sunnyvale Power Generation Facility in Sunnyvale, CA. Canyon Construction (http://www.canyonconstruction.com), the Moraga, CA, builders, now powers their office with renewable power from the Mountain View II Wind Facility in Palm Springs, CA, and used Village Green RECs to earn points towards the LEED certification of their building, The Barn. The Barn is currently pursuing LEED Platinum certification.
Village Green also works with property owners to bring green power to building occupants. Village Green's flagship project is Serendipity Apartments, managed by Nessel Development, Inc. (http://www.nesselinc.com), in Dallas, TX. After purchasing green power from Village Green Energy for the apartment complex's common area electricity demand, Nessel Development offered the residents of Serendipity Apartments the option to source their electricity from renewable power. In a strong demonstration of consumer preference for sustainability, over 15% of the building's 315 units signed up for renewable power in the first month of the service's availability.
"Working with Village Green has given our residents a really easy way to make a big difference," said David Danish, VP of Operations for Nessel Development.
Since launching at the San Francisco Green Festival in November, Village Green's customers have helped prevent nearly 1,000,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere through their purchase of California renewable power.
"We've found that businesses are looking for ways to go green that are relatively easy to implement, don't break the bank, and really make an impact. As we talk with our customers, we keep finding better ways to make this a sound business decision," says Village Green CEO, Mike Jackson.
Additional local Village Green partners include Stephanie Wolf Designs (http://www.stefaniewolfdesigns.com) and Iron Horse Vineyards (http://www.ironhorsevineyards.com), who powered their Earth Day event "Eat, Drink and Be Green" with renewable power from Village Green Energy.
Purchasing renewable energy from Village Green forces additional renewable power onto California's electricity grid in place of fossil fuels. Renewable energy not only offsets carbon dioxide emissions, but also reduces smog, acid rain, mercury, nuclear waste, and dependence on foreign sources of energy.
With the help of their growing customer base, Village Green is driving the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.