The U.S. EPA is kicking off its national “Green Power Community Challenge,” a year-long campaign to encourage cities, towns, villages, and Native American tribes to use renewable energy and fight climate change. To participate in the challenge, local governments must use green power in amounts that meet the program’s purchase requirements and they must also conduct a campaign to encourage local businesses and residents to collectively buy or produce green power.

Currently, more than 30 cities and towns in Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin have become green power communities, and are collectively buying more than 900 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually. This year’s campaign is seeking to double that amount. Communities will be vying for two awards, one for the community that uses the most green power and the other for which one uses the highest green power percentage of total electricity use.

During the challenge, from Sept. 20, 2010, to Sept. 1, 2011, communities will be ranked for the two award categories on EPA’s website on a quar­terly schedule; EPA will also provide technical assistance to help participants increase their green power usage. Winners will be announced in September 2011.

Is yours a Green Power Community? Check here: http://epa.gov/greenpower/communities/index.htm

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