Check with your local utility company to see if you can purchase green electricity.

Powerful trend: Electricity from green sources is increasingly popular‹and increasingly available.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—More and more governments, organizations, universities and Fortune 500 companies are juicing up with green energy. This year, three state governments—Pennsylvania (home of Rodale.com), Connecticut, and Wisconsin—even made the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership national Top 50 list.

THE DETAILS: The EPA program consists of 1,000 participating groups who voluntarily purchase billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Green power consists of electricity generated from solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, and low-impact hydro sources. In other words, it gives us power without the environmental downsides associated with burning coal, wood, and other fossil fuels. Intel Corporation, PepsiCo, and Dell top the Fortune 500 leaders in green energy purchases.

Here are some other list leaders:

Top 5 Retailers:
1. Whole Foods Market
2. Kohl’s
3. Starbucks
4. Staples
5. Lowe’s

Top 5 Universities and Colleges:
1. University of Pennsylvania
2. New York University
3. Pennsylvania State University
4. Oregon State University
5. California State University system