June 2007 - O'Dell Sponsors CMM June Tip of the Month: Could your organization become a green power partner?

Could Your Organization Become a Green Power Partner?

With names like Biogas, Small-hydro and Biomass, newer forms of sustainable energy may not inspire warm, back-to-nature sentiments like the more well-known forms of renewable energy; Solar, Wind and Geothermal power. However, power companies are increasingly investigating alternative forms of energy in the effort to control cost and to decrease pollution emissions. Power companies that are not offering green power programs to industries could do with a little gentle prodding from you, their customers, so that they can prove to their power company "powers-that-be" that there exists a legitimate demand in their market.

The types of green power available have expanded creatively as forward-thinking entrepreneurs investigate previously overlooked resources. As non-glamorous as it sounds, Biogas, a by-product of sewage treatment, landfill fermentation and livestock digestion, can be used to generate electricity. Small-hydro refers to the application of hydroelectric power on a miniature scale, no more than 10-30 megawatts, as compared to the Hoover Dam (over 2,000 megawatts). Biomass encompasses both plant-derived fuels like ethanol & biodiesel and energy generated from fermenting and refining bio-based commercial waste, such as wood pulp from a sawmill. Nine Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) power plants in the Mojave Desert collectively generate over 350 megawatts. Wind energy, according to a recent article in Science News, will see $500 billion in investment over the next two decades, taking wind power from less than one percent of the U.S energy supply up to 20 percent by the year 2030. Geothermal energy, which involves pumping superheated water from a depth of 10,000 feet, then converting it to steam, is also renewable as long as the water is re-introduced into the earth.

U.S. power generation for 2005 was 4,055 billion kilowatt-hours, of which the Top 25 Green Power Partners of the EPA purchase 5.6 billion kilowatt-hours annually. Green power is only 1.3% of total power generated. The EPA itself gets 100% of its energy needs from a combination of Biogas, Biomass, Geothermal and Wind energy. According to the EPA's Green Power website, PepsiCo is the leader in green power purchases with 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours annually, or 100% of the corporation's total energy needs. PepsiCo is one of many that must know discerning customers are starting to make investment and buying decisions based on environmentally responsible operations. There exists an enormous opportunity for all companies; not only to embrace recycling and waste-stream reduction, but also to convert to 100% green power to show their commitment to the holistic protection of the environment.

In February 2007, The O'Dell Corporation, located in Laurens County, South Carolina, became the Laurens Electric Cooperative's first commercial Green Power Partner. The O'Dell Corporation is the largest privately-owned manufacturer of cleaning supplies in the nation and has been in Laurens County for 62 years. O'Dell now purchases 100% of its energy needs as green power from the Co-op. South Carolina's state-owned utility Santee Cooper, which is the chief power-supplier to the Co-op, owns three landfill-powered methane power plants. Santee Cooper is in the process of building a fourth plant powered by Biogas, each capable of generating 3.3 megawatts of power. According to the Laurens Electric Cooperative website, each methane-fueled power plant has the same positive environmental impact as planting 21,000 acres of trees, an area of almost 33 square miles. The proceeds from the sale of green power are used by Santee Cooper to fund future green power projects.

The O'Dell Corporation introduced this year the first wet mop made from recycled PET plastic fibers, the EchoMop, and continues to expand its line of green cleaning products. We are committed to green cleaning and have embraced the recycling and waste-stream reduction philosophy. We use 100% green power and this year will purchase a wind turbine to power our off-site maintenance facility.

When considering your own green program, look not only at the products that interest you, but also at the companies producing them.
Your green efforts may pay even more dividends than you first imagined.

If your company doesn't already use green power, call your power supplier and ask if they have a green power program. If they say they don't, keep bugging them about it until they do. It will help the environment and make you feel better, too!

June Tip of the Month on www.cmmonline.com

For more information:
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/top25.htm
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal
http://laurenselectric.com

For More information contact The O'Dell Corporation at 1.800.342.2843.