In an effort to enhance sustainability on campus, Cleveland State University has made a dedicated effort to expand its purchase of renewable power. The University is pleased to announce that its most recent three-year electricity contract includes an all-time high of 58 percent green power.

According to the U.S. EPA, CSU's annual green power usage of 34 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) is equivalent to the annual electricity use of more than 2,879 average American homes. The University is procuring renewable energy certificates (RECs) from MP2 Energy, and over the next three years, is projected to use 102 million kWh of green power.

"CSU takes its commitments to sustainability seriously,¡± says Jennifer McMillin, director of sustainability. ¡°The purchase of green energy is one of the ways we demonstrate our support for climate action and the transition to renewable energy.¡±

For its efforts to increase green energy usage, CSU has earned the designation of Green Power Partner from the EPA. The program has more than 1,700 partner organizations voluntarily using more than 45 billion kWh of green power annually¡ªequivalent to the same amount of power produced by more than 40,000 football fields covered with solar panels. Green power is zero-emissions electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, and geothermal. Using green power helps Cleveland State to support the development of renewable energy capacity, demonstrate civic leadership, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with purchased electricity.

CSU is committed to pursuing sustainability across its operations. In addition to the purchase of green power, the University has received LEED green building certification for five campus buildings, undertaken a series of LED lighting upgrades and recently performed extensive energy audits on five campus buildings with the aim of increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy costs.

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