From gourmet cooking and artisan baking to making simple homecooked favorites, the recession and concerns about global environmental issues have conspired to raise interest in do-it-yourself cooking projects at home. Rather than driving a car to spend a lot of money at an expensive restaurant, people are learning the ropes in their own kitchens. Even the purchase of premium ingredients is cheaper than paying for someone else’s expertise.

Premium choices include organic ingredients. Choosing organic ingredients is better for the environment as well as for families. Children are especially susceptible to pesticides, which makes organics the obvious choice for many people.

Organic milk and organic produce may be closer to the forefront of people’s minds when they are shopping, but organic dry goods are also widely available at many groceries. Choosing a company that grows and processes organic foods is often making a choice to patronize a company that is concerned about environmental sustainability beyond just the issue of pesticide usage.

One such sustainable business is Great River Organic Milling, a company that has been working towards environmental sustainability for 25 years as they provide consumers with premium flours, hot cereals, and baking mixes. A US EPA Green Power Partner based in Wisconsin, Great River Organic Milling purchases Renewable Energy Credits to equal 100 percent of their conventional power usage while also working to minimize their carbon emissions.

Purchase and production of green power are on the rise around the world. Government representatives from 170 countries came to December 2009’s Climate Conference in Copenhagen to discuss solutions to climate change. There are many new ideas and innovative technologies on the horizon, but energy efficiency and renewable energy remain an extremely important part of the solution. Different countries are taking different approaches to environmental responsibility. Some, like the UK, are making countrywide carbon dioxide emissions goals. Others, such as the United States, seem to be largely leaving the green power initiatives to individual communities, states, and businesses for now, while providing some government financial incentives to go green.

In the United States, about one-fourth of all utility companies offer individual consumers the option of purchasing green power. Some states are much further along than others in terms of the opportunities for businesses and individuals to choose green power. In Wisconsin, a program called Focus on Energy has helped individuals and businesses to save $319 million dollars in energy costs in 2009 alone. Researchers in Ohio, North Carolina, and California have just recently been awarded big grants from the US Department of Energy to pursue innovative green electricity projects. Many northeastern US states such as Vermont are also working towards developing more sustainable energy sources. Voluntary programs such as the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership have also been successful in encouraging businesses and organizations to invest in renewable energy.

Canada is also working on voluntary carbon reductions. The province of British Columbia has decided to go carbon neutral. In addition to overhauling government waste, they will purchase renewable energy credits to offset their conventional electricity usage. Businesses in Canada are also taking the plunge. In the last few months, 184 green energy projects have been launched in Ontario, and 23 have taken off in British Columbia.

In Europe, many countries have more specific goals and regulations regarding carbon dioxide emissions. In the UK, a certain percentage of the power mix at each utility company must come from renewable sources. In Finland, 25.7% of their total green power mix came from renewable sources in 2009. Portugal is striving to lead Europe in renewable energy production within the next few years.

France is an interesting case. Although almost none of its energy comes from renewable sources, it has the cleanest air in Europe since it uses 75 percent nuclear power. Nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gases, but it does have other environmental concerns such as the disposal of nuclear waste.

Around the world in Japan, sustainability efforts were lacking for a long time. Now part of the Japanese economic stimulus plan is to start investing in efforts to reduce climate change, such as investing in solar power green power installations and the production of electric cars. One problem is that emission reduction targets for businesses in Japan are only voluntary, and Japanese factories are big polluters.

Renewable Energy or Green Power is the solution to some major challenges like climate change, dependency on foreign oil and sustainable economic development thatface us today. Consumers have become sophisticated enough to realize this and they have started to support only those businesses that have sustainability built into their core values. Getting your organization green powered is thus not only the right thing to do but it makes sense from a business standpoint. Businesses are also realizing this as can be seen from the dramatic increase over the last few years in renewable energy purchases made specifically by commercial parties.

Due to deregulation of the electricity markets in select states, it is now possible for organizations in such states to run on green power while they cut down on energy costs. Our new whitepaper gives the reader some background on green power, its benefits to business and how an organization in deregulated electricity markets can go green while realizing energy savings at the same time.

Most green electricity costs just a couple of cents more per kilowatt hour to produce than traditional energy, according to many sources. One advantage that green power has over fossil-fuel based energy sources is that most renewable sources are not subject to fluctuating fuel prices. It does not actually cost any money to get energy from the sun, the water, or the wind. The money is spent investing in the technology and infrastructure necessary to harness that energy efficiently and distribute it to power customers.

Some people are resistant to a switch to green power, because it involves a large investment up front, and we already have the existing infrastructure to produce energy in a conventional manner. However, many people are starting to see that the investment in green power is the investment in a premium product, the energy of the future. Climate change, oil spills, and coal mining disasters continue to remind us that the old way is not always the best way.
Some governments around the world are encouraging green power country-wide. In other places, it is up to people to choose for themselves. Individuals and businesses can easily purchase green power in a variety of ways. In the U.S, some utility companies offer the option of investing in more renewable energy sources. Power customers around the U.S. pay upwards of 0.2 cents extra per kilowatt hour to their utility company if they wish to participate in purchasing green power in addition to paying their usual utility bill.

Other people do not have the option of purchasing green power through their utility company, or perhaps they prefer to consider purchasing certified green energy through organizations such as Green-e, Eco Electrons, or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership.

One advantage of purchasing green power and becoming a member of the Green Power Partnership is good publicity for businesses and organizations. For example, the U.S. EPA has just released this year’s top purchasers of renewable energy. According to a publicity email from the EPA, “The top 10 on the list are Intel Corporation, Kohl’s Department Stores, Whole Foods Market, City of Houston, Dell Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Cisco Systems, Inc., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, U.S. Air Force, and the City of Dallas.” It might cost a little more money, but these sustainable businesses and localities are now seen as environmental leaders based on their commitment to green energy use.