Hillsboro Among Top 'Green' US Communities

From EPA: eNewly released data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows Hillsboro, Oregon remains the national leader in green power usage.

The data, released on July 23, 2018, shows the Hillsboro community voluntarily purchases more than 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power each year – the most in the nation – representing 64.7 percent of all power purchased throughout the Hillsboro community.

“We are fortunate to have businesses, residents, and a local government that have made sustainability a priority,” said Peter Brandom, Senior Project Manager and Sustainability Manager for the City of Hillsboro. “By making the choice to use clean, renewable energy, our community becomes more sustainable, while also sending a message to others across the United States that using green power is a sound business decision and an important tool in reducing one’s carbon footprint in the fight against climate change.”

According to the EPA, the amount of green power purchased in Hillsboro represents the equivalent annual energy use of more than 161,000 average U.S. homes.

Since 2012, Hillsboro has steadily increased the percentage of green power used by homes and businesses from 39 percent to 64.7 percent in 2018. In doing so, the City of Hillsboro has moved closer to the goal established in the community’s Environmental Sustainability Plan of 75 percent green power purchased by 2035.

Full rankings are located at www.epa.gov/greenpower/green-power-communities

Green power is zero-emissions electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact hydro.

Using green power helps build demand for the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helps users reduce their carbon footprints.

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Image via City of Hillsboro