Starbucks Coffee Company recently joined the EPA's Green Power Partnership and quickly jumped to the #22 spot on the Partnership's Top 25 List of largest green power purchases in the United States (www.epa.gov/greenpower). This year Starbucks purchased five percent of the energy needed to power its Company-operated stores in North America from renewable, wind power.

An organization's electricity consumption is usually one of its largest environmental impacts and source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as carbon dioxide (CO2). The electricity used to power Starbucks' retail stores makes up 50 percent of the company's total GHG emissions. The green power purchase of 24,000 megawatt hours of wind-generated renewable energy certificates (RECs) is one way that Starbucks is reducing its GHG emissions and overall impact on climate change. This significant purchase is equivalent to the electricity generated by eleven large-scale wind turbines.

"Starbucks' purchase is strengthening the green power market which will support new, clean technologies that reduce the environmental impact of electricity generation," said Kurt Johnson, Director of EPA's Green Power Partnership. "Companies, like Starbucks, who voluntarily choose to switch to green power are demonstrating outstanding environmental leadership."

Green power electricity products are partially or entirely generated from environmentally preferable renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact biomass and hydro resources. The EPA, using average avoided CO2 emissions nationally, estimates that Starbucks' purchase is equivalent to reducing annual CO2 emissions by over 34 million pounds. This reduction is comparable to removing nearly 3,300 cars from the road or powering approximately 2,500 homes every year.

For more information on Starbucks' involvement in the Green Power Partnership, contact Blaine Collison at collison.blaine@epa.gov.

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