Green Power! Way to go, Medtronic!

The Memphis Daily News has a great article about Medtronic Spinal and Biologics, one of the city’s largest purchasers of green power, being recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for its commitment to purchase 600,000 kilowatt-hours annually of electricity generated by the sun, wind or methane gas.

Here's an excerpt:

The EPA has added Medtronic to its Green Power Partnership, which boats 1,200 partner organizations voluntarily purchasing green power.

Paul Sorrelle, environmental health and safety director at the Medtronic Spinal and Biologics business unit, said a company goal is to cut down on its carbon footprint.

With 1,350 employees, the Medtronic campus at 1800 Pyramid Place includes two six-story buildings, a three-story building and a four-story building.

Medtronic is purchasing about 6 percent of its electricity with green power.

“There are no tax breaks or anything like that,” Sorrelle said. “It is strictly a voluntary program designed to promote development of renewable energy sources to produce electricity.”

The green power comes from 15 solar generation facilities operated by TVA, a wind facility on Buffalo Mountain in East Tennessee and methane gas from the Maxson Wastewater Treatment facility that is piped to the TVA Allen Fossil Plant, where it is co-burned with coal.

Read the full Daily News article.
Read more about EPA's Green Power Partnership.
Read more about MLGW's Green Power Switch.