by Brianna Crandall — March 23, 2011—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) first Green Power Community Challenge has reached its mid-year point, with 36 communities setting an example for other cities, towns, villages, and Native American tribes to use renewable energy to help protect people’s health and the environment.
At this point in the competition, the top five communities in the total green power usage category are Washington, DC; Portland, OR; Santa Clara, CA; Gresham, OR; and Bellingham, WA. The top five communities in the percentage of green power usage category are Brookeville, MD; Swarthmore, PA; Bellingham, WA; Rivers Falls, WI; and Corvallis, OR.
At the end of the year-long national challenge in September 2011, EPA will recognize the community that uses the most green power and the one that achieves the highest green power percentage of total electricity use.
According to EPA, Green Power Communities are collectively purchasing nearly 2.6 billion kWh of green power annually, which is equivalent to the electricity use of more than 226,000 average American homes.
