Fuqua School of Business to Purchase Renewable Energy Certificates
Fuqua is one of the first business schools to independently purchase 100 percent of its energy via renewable energy credits
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Durham, N.C. -- Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business has committed to
purchase renewable energy certificates to offset 100 percent of its
electricity usage. Fuqua is one of the first business schools
to independently purchase 100 percent of its energy via renewable
energy credits.
Renewable energy certificates are credits that individuals, institutions or businesses can buy to compensate for the amount of nonrenewable, greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels -- such as coal, oil and natural gas -- used in their vehicles, homes, offices or other facilities.
Buying the certificates helps subsidize the cost for a wind farm, solar farm or other renewable energy producer to generate an equivalent amount of clean energy and put it back into the national power grid. While Fuqua will not actually change its source of electricity, the school’s purchase of renewable energy credits, which will begin this summer, will help support the use of alternative energy sources in areas of the country where they are more widely available for general use.
“This is a great opportunity for the Fuqua community to demonstrate our commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Fuqua Dean Douglas Breeden. “I’m particularly pleased that our students were the ones who took the initiative to research and develop the proposal for this program.”
Fuqua will purchase its renewable energy certificates through a larger agreement that Duke has established with Sterling Planet, a company that works with businesses to offset their conventional energy use with renewable energy.
The purchase was proposed and organized by members of Fuqua’s student government and Energy Club. Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering and Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences have also purchased renewable energy credits through Sterling Planet.
“It’s important as students and future business leaders that we support environmental sustainability,” said Matthew Meares, a member of Fuqua’s Class of 2006 who led the development of Fuqua’s program. “Business leaders need to know how to operate in an environmentally correct manner, and this is a solid first step toward that.”
