Sustainable Georgia Roundup
From Brown to Green: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded more than $1 million in grants to clean up brownfield lands in Georgia – those potentially polluted from previous industrial or commercial use. Columbus, Atlanta, Dora-ville, College Park, Sandersville and Mitchell County received the grants to assess the extent of soil contamination in targeted areas.
Electric Benefits: A report by the Greenlink Group on behalf of an environmental coalition has found that state policies supporting electric vehicles (EVs) can generate millions of dollars in economic benefits, including new jobs, increased income and gross domestic product gains for Georgia. Along with the economic benefits, EVs can reduce the state’s oil imports and improve air quality.
When Zero is More: Gainesville-based Mansfield Energy Corp. announced the launch of ZERO™, a program to offset its participating customers’ diesel fuel emissions with investments in certified carbon dioxide reduction projects, including reforestation and use of alternative energy. The program gives customers a simple way to meet sustainability needs for their fleets, facilities and municipalities. Mansfield provides energy commodities and related services to 6,000 customers in the U.S. and Canada.
New Renewable Power: By 2020, 35,000 electric membership corporation (EMC) households in southern Georgia will have access to low-cost, renewable power as a result of an agreement to produce an additional 200 MW of solar energy. Green Power EMC, which was established by Georgia’s EMCs in 2001 and is the renewable energy supplier for 38 Georgia EMCs, and Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent solar power producers, inked the agreement in June.
