The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented the Green Power Leadership Awards (GPLAs) recently at the Renewable Energy Markets 2019 conference in San Diego.
The GPLAs are competitive awards that recognize organizations and individuals for outstanding commitments and achievements in the green power marketplace. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris was honored as Green Power Leader of the Year by CRS.
“It’s a true honor to be named the Green Power Leader of the Year and it’s been a great adventure to lead the City of Lancaster’s charge to become a Zero Net Energy community,” Parris said. “During my tenure we have championed innovative, outside-the-box approaches and partnerships in our quest to achieve a seemingly impossible goal: Become the alternative energy capital of the world.”
Parris added that Lancaster is regarded as a “global leader” in municipal sustainability. “It is my privilege to use my platform to empower other government leaders with our message: that climate change can—and should—be combatted at every level of government,” Parris said. “Municipalities can have a huge impact on carbon emissions through innovation and partnership, regardless of the size of their city.”
The Green Power Leader of the Year award recognizes outstanding leadership by an individual who is leveraging his or her influence, power, position, or purchasing power to increase the prevalence of renewable energy. Evaluation criteria include: efforts and achievements of an individual, contributions to building the green power market, and dedication to and vision for renewable energy.
“Mayor Parris has accomplished something commendable in Lancaster—he created one of the nation’s clean energy capitals from the ground up,” said Jennifer Martin, executive director of Center for Resource Solutions, who presented the award. “Through determination and will, he’s turned the city into a solar boomtown, a shining example for other city leaders that want to bet on clean energy. In spirit and practice, Rex is deserving of the Green Power Leader of the Year Award.”
This year’s GPLA recipients were selected for their commitment to increasing green power use, from installing green power on-site to innovative purchasing and program design. The awardees were selected based on many criteria, including the size and scale of their green power use, leadership and innovation in purchasing and generating green power, internal and external communications efforts, as well as organizational strategy for investing in green power.
The annual GPLAs are competitive awards that recognize outstanding commitments and achievements in the green power marketplace. By choosing green power instead of conventional electricity, consumers, businesses, and organizations can support increased deployment of renewable energy technologies that will reduce the environmental impact of electricity generation and increase energy security.
Learn more at www.greenpowerleadershipawards.com.
