Becker Underwood plans to reduce its carbon footprint by offsetting 100 percent of its electricity use by purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) that fund wind farm development. The producer of specialty bio-agronomic and colorant products plans to purchase 7,851,879 kilowatt hours of RECs annually for three years from Renewable Choice Energy.
The REC purchases will also help the company prevent a similar amount of CO2 emissions produced by nearly 762 passenger vehicles annually or the electricity use of 518 average American homes.
Becker Underwood says its purchase of RECs will help ensure that the equivalent of the company's electricity consumption is put back onto the grid from wind power sources.
Renewable Choice RECs are third-party certified by Green-e Energy.
"Becker Underwood is not a large consumer of electricity but as an organization that believes strongly in sustainable business practices investing in clean energy through the purchase of REC's is a great way to demonstrate our commitment to a cleaner energy future," said Daniel Krohn, Sustainability Lead for Becker Underwood.
Becker Underwood, together with Amson Technology and Perspectives GmbH, helped develop the first agricultural methodology for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, approved by the United Nations. The methodology will be used to design projects that eliminate the use of synthetic nitrogen on legumes like soybeans and cowpeas.