EPA Lauds Kohl's for Green Power Buying

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 2/5/2007 12:00:00 AM

Menomonee Falls, Wis. —

Kohl's has made it onto the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) list of Top 10 Retail Partners in the Green Power Partnership.

Debuting on the list in the fifth position, Kohl's is being recognized for its voluntary purchase of more than 80 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power, representing 8% of the retailer's annual electricity usage. EPA also recognized Kohl's as one of the nation's Top 25 Green Power Purchasers and among the largest green power purchasers in the Fortune 500.

Ken Bonning, executive vp logistics of Kohl's, said, "We continue to be committed in our efforts to be an environmentally responsible retailer and our recent significant green power purchase further cements our dedication to the future of our environment."

Green power includes electricity that is partially or entirely generated from clean resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. Green power is considered cleaner than conventional sources of electricity and has lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a greenhouse gas linked to global climate change.

The EPA estimates that Kohl's purchase is equivalent to avoiding the CO2 emissions of nearly 11,000 passenger cars per year, or avoiding the equivalent CO2 emissions associated with over 5.7 million gallons of gasoline annually.