Viridian Energy Releases Fifth Annual Sustainability Report
4/22/2015
April 21, 2015 - STAMFORD, Conn.--Viridian Energy, one of America’s leading providers of affordable, responsible energy, today released its fifth annual Sustainability Report detailing the significant environmental benefit the company’s products have enabled since inception in 2009. Proof positive of Viridian’s stated commitment to transparency and the power of energy choice, the purely voluntary report includes eye-opening statistics reviewed by leading global professional services firm Ernst & Young that validate the collective impact of individual energy choices.
“As Viridian advances our sustainability mission, it’s important to stay rooted in the areas where our customers live, work and play”
“Since 2009, Viridian customers have helped avoid more than five billion pounds of climate-changing CO2 from being released into the atmosphere through the use of our responsible energy products,” said Michael Fallquist, Founder and CEO of Viridian Energy. “We knew that if we provided the opportunity for people to choose affordable, responsible energy, they would respond, and the market was even more enthusiastic than we anticipated. Today, Viridian represents a movement that is turning back the tide of climate change, and we could not be more pleased.”
For context, Viridian Energy’s five billion pounds of avoided CO2 emissions are equivalent to:
Recycling 17,057,278,620 aluminum soda cans1
Recycling nearly 400 million copies of the Sunday edition of The New York Times1
Recycling more than 35 billion plastic bottles, which could reach to the moon and back 14 times2
Avoiding CO2 emissions from the electricity used by 312,387 homes in one year3
Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 478,116 passenger vehicles in a year3
As in years past, Viridian’s 2014 report discloses the type, tier and serial number of every Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) the company purchases to support its customers’ usage, as well as carbon offsets purchased. The 2014 Sustainability Report also offers in-depth coverage of Viridian’s five-year efforts in the sectors of Education, Global Vision and Local Change.
This April, as part of its ongoing commitment to community action, Viridian is coordinating more than 35 Earth Month sustainability initiatives. During this 30-day campaign, Viridian Independent Associates, customers and volunteers participate in a broad spectrum of local cleanup and planting projects across the company’s service territories. Last year, Viridian Earth Month volunteers around the country dedicated over 1,800 hours of service in their communities.
“As Viridian advances our sustainability mission, it’s important to stay rooted in the areas where our customers live, work and play,” Fallquist explained. “Our Earth Month initiatives encourage and engage volunteers to make sustainability efforts an integral, everyday part of their lives. It’s a great opportunity for Viridian to share our vision of a healthier, more sustainable future, and offer everyone a chance to play a role in making that happen.”
1 Equivalencies as calculated by the EPA Waste Reduction Model
2 Equivalency based on average size of 2-liter plastic bottle and distance to the moon
3 Equivalencies from the EPA Calculator