The Holland Receives 2006 Green Power Leadership Award
VANCOUVER, Wash., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ — The Holland Inc. has received a 2006 Green Power Leadership award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its purchase of wind power. The annual awards recognize leading national green power purchasers and suppliers for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation’s green power market.
The Green Power Purchaser Award was presented to The Holland at an awards event December 4, in conjunction with the Eleventh National Renewable Marketing Conference taking place in San Francisco.
“Every year more energy suppliers are providing their customers the option of buying green power. We are proud to recognize the efforts of the suppliers that are leading the way in promoting the use of renewable energy,” said Andy Karsner, assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Green power is a subset of renewable energy, and includes such resources as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. Unlike other renewable energy resources, green power resources provide a higher level of environmental benefit, such as lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a greenhouse gas linked to global climate change. Green power purchases help accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide.
The Holland Inc. and its family of 39 Burgerville restaurants in the Pacific Northwest has expanded upon its commitment to sustainable operating practices and use of locally-sourced ingredients by using renewable wind power produced in the Pacific Northwest. Their purchase of 13,728 MWh of green power provides 100 percent of the electricity needs for all its restaurants throughout Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington, as well as its local headquarters in Vancouver, Washington. The EPA and DOE presented awards for green power purchasing to 22 organizations that have demonstrated leadership by voluntarily purchasing green power or creating innovative supply options for consumers.
This year a panel of judges reviewed nearly 100 nominations based on criteria ranging from the amount of green power purchased or generated to each organization’s strategy for incorporating green power into its operations and communications.
“From our commitment to contribute to sustaining healthy and thriving communities renewable wind power presented itself as an ideal option,” said Tom Mears, chief executive officer at The Holland. “We are proud of the impact we have produced with our Burgerville restaurants utilizing environmentally sustainable practices. We hope that this recognition will inspire other businesses to do the same in considering their options.”
The Holland Inc.’s wind power purchase represents the largest national implementation of wind power by a quick service restaurant chain. Since the company’s original purchase of green power one year ago, The Holland Inc. has invited their guests to participate in renewable energy, and has participated in community events to enroll other businesses and individuals in renewable energy.
Additional information about the Green Power Partnership and the Green Power Leadership Awards is available at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/winners/index.htm .
About The Holland Inc.
The Holland Inc. is the premiere provider of the Pacific Northwest dining experience to discerning and quality conscious communities and guests. The Holland Inc. restaurants bring the flavor of the Pacific Northwest to life through local sustainable farming by delivering the highest levels of food quality, safety and ingredients. The experience and standards consumers find at white tablecloth restaurants is provided at Burgerville and Beaches, which are wholly owned subsidiaries of The Holland Inc. With a goal to conduct food and business operations in a sustainable fashion, Burgerville has moved out of the quick service food category and into “Fast Casual” dining. The trio of restaurants have menus created with Northwest-sourced ingredients including all-natural Oregon County Beef, Walla Walla onions, Tillamook cheese and YoCream yogurt. With more than 1,600 employees and 39 restaurants throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, The Holland Inc. serves guests with great tasting food in a community-based environment and a mission of “serve with love.” For more information and news on The Holland Inc., please visit the Web site at http://www.hollandinc.com/ .
About the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership
EPA’s Green Power Partnership encourages organizations to purchase green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. The Green Power Partnership currently has hundreds of Partners voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, trade associations, as well as colleges and universities. For a full listing of EPA’s Green Power Partners and information about buying green power, visit the Partnership’s Web site at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/ .
About the U.S. Department of Energy Green Power Network
The Green Power Network is the nation’s premier Web site providing green power market information. The Network’s Web site provides up-to-date information on green power providers, product offerings, consumer protection issues, and policies affecting green power markets. It also includes a reference library of relevant papers, articles and reports. The Green Power Network is operated and maintained by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for the U.S. Department of Energy. Additional information is available at http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower .
The Holland Inc.
CONTACT: Katherine Hansen of McGrath/Power Public Relations,+1-408-727-0351, ext. 328, or katherineh@mcgrathpower.com, for The HollandInc.
Web site: http://www.eere.energy.gov/http://www.epa.gov/http://www.hollandinc.com/