TerraPass Launches Innovative Sustainability Program With The City Of Palo Alto

PaloAltoGreen Gas is the First Greene Climate Certified Natural Gas Offset Program Offered by a Municipal Utility

BERKLEY, Calif., Jan. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraPass, a leading supplier of carbon offsets and emission reduction solutions, is pleased to announce its three-year partnership with the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) to launch and maintain its new PaloAltoGreen Gas program. It is the first-ever Green-e Climate certified gas offset program offered by a municipal-level utility, and one that is designed to allow its customers to reduce the carbon footprint of their natural gas energy consumption. TerraPass is working with CPAU to help provide solutions for all aspects of the program, from securing and maintaining Green-e Climate certification, to creating customer communication and engagement, to fostering ongoing City Council support.

"TerraPass is excited to help not only the City of Palo Alto make measurable progress towards their Climate Action Plan, but to also empower the local individual households and businesses who want to take action to fight climate change," says Christopher Duzich, Vice President, TerraPass.  "It is part of our mission to broaden awareness and provide viable options and solutions to help people and their communities reach their sustainability goals."

Through the voluntary PaloAltoGreen Gas program, utility customers can pay a small premium on their utility bill each month to offset the carbon emissions associated with their natural gas use. The Greene Climate certified program bundles a customer's regular natural gas purchases with carbon offsets that reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

"This is a unique program that we are proud to be a part of, but our efforts don't stop there. We will be launching a new suite of TerraPass products in the Bay Area this spring that will continue our efforts and further our goal to help support balanced emissions," continues Duzich.

"In 2007, we adopted Palo Alto's Climate Protection Plan that clearly outlined our goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sources," said City Manager James Keene. "Thanks to TerraPass's collaboration on communicating the complex idea of carbon offsets to our customers and sourcing the highest quality carbon offsets, Palo Alto is that much closer to our goal of becoming the greenest community in the country."

The program is designed to be an effective and simple tool to help the City of Palo Alto's residents and businesses become carbon balanced. With the aid of TerraPass, the City has conveniently created three different channels for enrollment. Customers can enroll by mail, online and by phone at (650) 329-2161. To learn more and enroll in the program, residents can visit cityofpaloalto.org/pagg and business customers can go directly to cityofpaloalto.org/pagbiz.

Through PaloAltoGreen Gas, carbon offsets are sourced from livestock methane capture projects; chiefly the Green Valley Dairy in Krakow, Wisconsin. Green Valley Dairy uses an anaerobic digester to capture methane as the manure breaks down. The methane is destroyed when it is burned as a fuel to produce electricity that is used onsite. The project is certified by the Climate Action Reserve. Green-e Climate certifies the carbon offsets sold through the PaloAltoGreen Gas program.

About TerraPass
TerraPass, a provider of sustainable carbon emissions solutions since 2004, is one of Just Energy Group's green energy initiatives that can help us all work towards a cleaner planet by pursuing sustainable solutions to climate change. We support projects throughout North America that destroy greenhouse gases and produce renewable energy. The TerraPass products and services provide consumers and businesses with the options and ability to help them reduce the environmental impact of their everyday activities through carbon offsets and renewable energy credits.

Learn more at www.terrapass.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. TerraPass is a registered trade name of Just Energy Resources LLC.

About the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU)
The City of Palo Alto is the only municipality in California operating a full suite of utility services. CPAU has been providing quality services to the citizens and businesses of Palo Alto since 1896. For more information about CPAU, visit cityofpaloalto.org/utilities

About Green-e Climate
Green-e® Climate is an independent certification program for greenhouse gas emissions reductions (carbon offsets) sold in the voluntary market. The Green-e Climate logo identifies carbon offsets that meet the program's high environmental and consumer protection standards. For more information on Green-e Climate certification requirements, visit green-e.org/climate or email [email protected].

The greenhouse gas emissions being offset with PaloAltoGreen Gas are those associated with the combustion of natural gas at the point of consumption only, and do not include lifecycle emissions that occur during extraction, production, or delivery.

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SOURCE TerraPass

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