If You Think Recycling Is the Easiest and Best Way to Help the Planet, Think Again: This Report from Viridian Energy Shows How Their Customers Are Making an Extraordinary Difference by Using Affordable Green Electricity

Imagine passenger balloons filled with CO2, side by side and stretching from coast to coast. That's the amount of harmful emissions Viridian customers helped avoid in the 2013 reporting year alone.

STAMFORD, CT, March 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - Helping to reverse climate change can be as simple as turning on a light - provided that your light is powered by renewable electricity. Although skeptics may scoff, Viridian, a leading provider of affordable, responsible energy, provided positive proof once again today with the release of its fourth annual Sustainability Report.

And the numbers are truly impressive: This reporting year, Viridian's customers helped to avoid 2,108,554,851 pounds of carbon emissions, more than doubling their impact since last year's report thanks to Viridians' voluntary pledge to increase its percentage of renewable energy from 20% to 50% in addition to state standards for its Everyday Green product.

As in years past, the richly designed report not only gives an in-depth look at the company's environmental impact over the past reporting period, it also paints a holistic picture of the local and global efforts that have supported Viridian's sustainability mission, offers a window into the important role consumers play in mitigating climate change and gives support to the growing "green" trend that is revolutionizing the marketplace.

The company further distinguishes itself in the retail energy space by its commitment to transparency and accountability. The report is a purely voluntary action. "As leaders in the retail energy space and as good stewards of the Earth, we are responsive to consumer demand for more responsible energy, and are proud to transparently report on our customers' positive impact," said Chief Strategy Officer Cami Boehme. "We have consciously built a community that supports our values and urges us forward—a symphony, if you will, of sustainability-minded Associates, customers and executives who are keenly attuned to the pressing mandates of our time and how all the different pieces play together. Because low-carbon electricity is a crucial part of a sustainable future, we choose to offer our customers electricity backed by renewable sources at an affordable price."

These renewable energy sources are represented by the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), which are bought and retired by Viridian, and disclosed in their Sustainability Report. The RECs detail how the energy was generated and the facility it was generated from, giving customers a window on the green energy industry.

This year once again, Viridian engaged Ernst & Young LLP to examine the company's Renewable Energy Certificates ("RECs") retired, total carbon offsets purchased, US Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") equivalent measures of carbon emissions avoided, and other EPA equivalencies.

To put their huge collective impact in context, for the past year the amount of CO2 avoided by Viridian customers is equivalent to each of the following:

• CO2 sequestered by 24,523,702 tree seedlings grown for 10 years: More than 100 times the amount of trees in New York City's 840-acre Central Park
  
  
• CO2 emissions from 107,222,465 gallons of gasoline consumed in one year—Three full days' worth of what the entire United States consumes each year
  
  
• Recycling 7,376,691,845 aluminum soda cans—The amount of cans the entire United States recycles in three weeks

Further demonstrating its commitment to green, in 2013 Viridian held 56 sustainability events and collaborated with 45 organizations, with participation from more than 1,153 volunteers who spent more than 2,200 hours to pick up more than 12,500 pounds of trash from waterfronts, parks and forests and plant more than 348 trees. To read the report in its entirety, visit http://www.viridian.com/assets/2013_Sustainability_Report.pdf

About Viridian Energy

Founded with the vision of empowering consumers to be part of a significant, collective environmental impact by choosing Viridian as their energy provider, this socially responsible company connects with customers through a vibrant network of Independent Viridian Associates. Committed to sustainability, community action and global initiatives, Viridian Energy provides affordable electricity that is more than 50% renewable, natural gas with carbon offsets to mitigate usage and residential solar power to a range of customers throughout 15 states plus Washington DC. Learn more at www.viridian.com

SOURCE Viridian Energy