Great River Energy receives Governor’s award for pollution prevention
Maple Grove, Minn. – In recognition of its environmental stewardship, Great River Energy was awarded the Minnesota Governor’s Award for Pollution Prevention on April 30. The award was presented for the organization’s commitment to environmental leadership through its green building and recycling efforts.
“It’s important to us to practice common sense ways to minimize our environmental footprint,” said Great River Energy Environmental Service Manager Mary Jo Roth. “In the process we also demonstrate to others how they can use less energy and reduce their impact on the environment.”
Great River Energy’s new headquarters building in Maple Grove was awarded Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The award is the highest designation available to buildings that demonstrate energy efficiency and sustainability. The building is the first in Minnesota to achieve the distinction and one of fewer than 100 buildings worldwide to receive the designation.
Great River Energy’s partners in the design and construction of its new headquarters building were also included in the Governor’s Award, including McGough Construction, Perkins+Will and The Tegra Group.
An aggressive company recycling program dramatically decreases waste at Great River Energy locations. Through a recycling program that includes beverage containers, paper products, fluorescent lamps, mercury-containing equipment, batteries, scrap metal, wood, concrete, sheetrock and electronics, Great River Energy reduced solid waste by 5.2 million pounds in 2008. The company also markets its fly ash – a byproduct of burning coal for electrical generation – for use in construction materials and consumer products.
About Great River EnergyGreat River Energy is a not-for-profit cooperative which provides wholesale electricity to more than 1.7 million people through 28 member distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. With $2.8 billion in assets, Great River Energy is the second largest utility in the state, based on generating capacity, and the fifth largest generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative in the United States. Great River Energy’s member cooperatives range from those in the outer-ring suburbs of the Twin Cities to the Arrowhead region of Minnesota to the farmland of southwestern Minnesota. Great River Energy’s largest distribution cooperative serves more than 120,000 member-consumers; the smallest serves just over 2,400. For more information, visit www.GreatRiverEnergy.com.
The mission of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is to work with Minnesotans to protect, conserve and improve the environment and enhance quality of life. For more information, visit www.pca.state.mn.us.
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Contact:Daniel Becchetti
Great River Energy
763-445-5706
