Media Contact: Paul Browning: (562) 951-4064, pbrowning@calstate.edu

EPA recognizes California State University system as one of nation’s top green power purchasers

CSU prevents the emission of more than 105 million pounds of CO2 to the environment

Long Beach, Calif. (Oct. 11, 2006) – The California State University (CSU) made the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Top 25 list of the largest national green power purchasers. CSU ranked second among EPA’s Top 10 College and University Green Power Partners.

Both lists highlight EPA Green Power Partners that have completed the largest annual voluntary purchases through September 22, 2006. CSU is being recognized for its voluntary purchase of more than 75 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power.

The EPA, using national average utility emissions rates, estimates that CSU’s purchase is equivalent to avoiding more than 105 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the same as avoiding the emissions associated with over 10,000 passenger cars annually. CSU’s purchase of more than 75 million kilowatt-hours is enough energy to power more than 6,100 average American homes each year.

CSU is purchasing this green power in the form of biomass, geothermal, and wind from APS Energy Services for 16 of 23 campuses located throughout the state of California. The CSU is the largest university system in the U.S. and generates 25 megawatts of its own power, including 3 megawatts of Photovoltaic (PV) generation and 22 megawatts from clean and ultra-clean fossil fuel technology.

“We are proud to be on the EPA’s Top 25 overall list and Top 10 list of college and university purchasers,” said Len Pettis, Chief of Plant, Energy and Utilities for the CSU system. “Purchasing green power is part of CSU’s Energy & Sustainability Policy and underscores our commitment to reduce the impact of global warming, helping achieve our Energy Independence goal and providing diversity in our energy supply.”

“Green power” is defined as electricity that is partially or entirely generated from environmentally friendly resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These renewable energy sources are cleaner than conventional sources of electricity that produce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – a greenhouse gas linked to global climate change.

CSU Northridge will turn on a 1 MW fuel cell this December, and Cal State San Bernardino, Fresno State and Cal State Long Beach will install PV systems in 2007, which will bring the CSU to 60 percent of their energy independence goal of 50 megawatts by 2014.

The 16 campuses purchasing “green power” throughout California are:
· Office of the Chancellor
· Cal State Bakersfield
· Cal State Chico
· Cal State Dominguez Hills
· Cal State East Bay
· Fresno State
· Humboldt State
· Cal Maritime Academy
· Cal State Monterey
· Cal Poly Pomona
· Cal State San Bernardino
· San Diego State
· San Francisco State
· San Jose State
· Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
· Cal State San Marcos
· Sonoma State

About the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership
EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program helping to increase the use of green power among leading U.S. organizations. The program encourages organizations to purchase green power as a way to reduce the risk of climate change and the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. Currently, the Green Power Partnership has over 600 Partners voluntarily purchasing more than 6.8 billion kWh of green power. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, local, state, and federal governments, trade associations, as well as colleges and universities.

About California State University (CSU)
The California State University is the largest system of senior higher education in the country, with 23 campuses, approximately 405,000 students and 44,000 faculty and staff. Since the system was created in 1961, it has awarded nearly 2.5 million degrees, about 84,000 annually. The CSU is renowned for the quality of its teaching and for the job-ready graduates it produces. Its mission is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of the people of California. With its commitment to excellence, diversity and innovation, the CSU is the university system that is working for California. See www.calstate.edu.

For more information on EPA’s Top 10 college and university Partners list, visit www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/top10ed.htm.

For more information on EPA’s Top 25 list, visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/top25.htm.