Kohl's Department Stores announced today that for the second time the company holds the top spot in retail on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) quarterly rankings of top green power purchasers in EPA's Green Power Partnership. Kohl's, recently named the greenest retailer in America according to Newsweek magazine's Green Rankings, also ranks third overall and third among Fortune 500 companies in the Partnership, which includes some of America's largest green power purchasers.

Since the last quarterly rankings were announced in July, Kohl's has increased its green power purchase by more than 42 percent. Throughout 2009, Kohl's has purchased more than 851 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) in renewable energy credits. This purchase is enough to meet 71 percent of the company's purchased electricity use, which means that more than 70 percent of Kohl's energy comes from renewable resources. According to U.S. EPA, Kohl's green power purchase of more than 850 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 112,000 passenger vehicles per year, or is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power nearly 85,000 average American homes annually.

"Green power purchases are one of the easiest and more important ways we can implement renewable energy sources as we work to reduce our carbon footprint," said Ken Bonning, Kohl's executive vice president of store planning and logistics. "We continue to increase our purchases that are applied companywide, and we hope to reach 100 percent green power in the coming year. This is just one more way we continue to operate as an environmentally responsible company."

According to EPA, green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources like wind and solar. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions. Kohl's purchases renewable energy credits in the areas including solar, wind and biomass generation.

Kohl's also ranks ninth on EPA's list of Green Power Partners that generate and consume the most green power on-site with 19,126,000 kWh of on-site green power usage from solar. Kohl's is the world's largest retail host of solar power with 79 active solar locations in six states - California, Wisconsin, Oregon, Maryland, Connecticut and New Jersey. The solar panels generate 20 to 50 percent of the store's electricity, depending on geographic location.

"EPA commends our leading Partners for their continued commitment to protecting the environment by using green power," said Ann Bailey, Acting Director of the Climate Protection Partnerships Division at EPA. "By supporting green power, Kohl's Department Stores is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, supporting clean energy technologies, and contributing to a clean energy future."

A Commitment to Environmental Responsibility
Kohl's has been an active member of EPA's Green Power Partnership since 2006. The company was recently named one of EPA's Green Power Partners of the Year and has been honored by EPA with the Green Power Leadership Award in both 2007 and 2008 for green power purchase and on-site generation respectively.

Kohl's purchases green power in support of the Fortune 500 Green Power Challenge - an EPA program challenging Fortune 500 companies to collectively exceed 10 billion kWh of green power purchasing by the end of 2009. Kohl's is also part of EPA's Green Power Leadership Club, a distinction given to organizations that significantly exceed EPA's minimum purchase requirements. To achieve this distinction, companies or organizations must purchase 10 times the Partnership's minimum requirement organization-wide.

Recently ranked as greenest retailer in America and 18th greenest company overall on Newsweek's Green Rankings, Kohl's takes a comprehensive approach to sustainability. In addition to support of green power and renewable energy, Kohl's works diligently to introduce and enhance initiatives that reduce the company's carbon footprint. These initiatives and partnerships include an extensive, industry-leading solar program in addition to active participation in EPA's ENERGY STAR, Climate Leaders, WasteWise and SmartWay Transport programs, the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program and the U.S. Department of Energy's Retailer Energy Alliance.

For more information on Kohl's green initiatives or EPA's Green Power Partnership, visit www.kohlsgreenscene.com or www.epa.gov/greenpower.

About Kohl's Department Stores
Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. Kohl's operates 1,059 stores in 49 states. A company committed to the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $126 million for children's initiatives nationwide through its Kohl's Cares for Kids® philanthropic program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.kohls.com .

About EPA's Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,100 Partner organizations voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.

Kohl's Department Stores

Kohl's Department Stores

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl’s operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com, join the discussion on Facebook (facebook.com/Kohls) or Twitter (twitter.com/Kohls) or get inspired on Pinterest (pinterest.com/Kohls) and Instagram (instagram.com/Kohls).

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