The Auraria Campus is the No. 1 purchaser of green power energy among Colorado’s colleges and universities, and ranks 13th in the nation among higher-ed institutions.

The Environmental Protection Agency defines green power as electricity generated from renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and low-impact hydro power

In 2004, Metro State, CCD and UCDHSC students voted to assess themselves $1 per semester for three years for clean-energy sources. The fee will come up for another vote in 2007.

Last July, Auraria signed a contract with Sterling Planet for the purchase of 17 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy certificates (RECs). The contract has an option to renew every July 1 for the next two years. Sterling Planet is one of the nation’s largest providers of green power and RECs to colleges and universities.

The campus isn’t actually being powered by wind, however. The RECs purchased by Auraria are being traded for units of power on the power grid. The contract with Sterling Planet represents about 45 percent of the electrical usage on campus.

Along with signing the contract, Auraria has applied for membership in EPA’s Green Power Partnership, which recognizes organizations that show environmental leadership by choosing green power. The program has drawn participation from more than 600 companies, nonprofit organizations, higher ed institutions, municipalities and state governments. The largest purchasers of green power nationwide include the U.S. Air Force, Whole Foods Market, Starbucks, Johnson & Johnson, the World Bank, IBM and Safeway.

According to Sterling Planet’s Web site, conventional electricity generation “produces more pollution than any other single activity.” Electricity generation is responsible for two-thirds of the nation’s emissions of sulfur dioxide and one third of the nation's production of carbon dioxide (which contributes to the greenhouse effect). It also generates smog, mercury, nuclear waste and other pollutants.