Bananas, milk, bread… and emissions reductions.

West Bridgewater, Mass.—Grocery shoppers in Rhode Island can now buy their sundries at Shaw’s and help fight global warming at the same time.

Clean Air-Cool Planet partner Shaw’s Supermarkets, the East Bridgewater, Mass.-based grocery chain, recently purchased certified renewable energy credits for three of its stores in Rhode Island through a contract with Sun Power Electric, a division of Conservation Services Group (CSG). The credits—also called “green tags”—are like buying emissions reductions for homes, factories, and power plants that operate on fossil fuels elsewhere. By providing information about how to purchase the tags at these Rhode Island stores, Shaw’s is making it easier for consumers to invest in clean energy in their local neighborhoods.

Currently, clean, non-fossil fuel power is only available to approximately one-third of electricity consumers in the United States. Green tags make it possible for home and business owners in New England, for example, to make a purchase that will offset carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions originating from fossil fuel use. The funds from the purchase of these tags are used to finance construction of wind turbines or solar panels where their demand is growing most rapidly. Individuals can purchase green tags on their own by visiting the Windbuilders^sm program at Clean Air-Cool Planet, www.cleanair-coolplanet.org.

“We decided to purchase Green Tags to offset our greenhouse gas emissions for three of our store locations in Rhode Island,” says Kathy Loftus, Shaw’s Energy and Regulatory Affairs Manager. “Shaw’s feels confident that our purchase makes a difference in the air we breathe.” In addition to purchasing green tags for several of its stores, Shaw’s has made remarkable progress in installing high-efficiency lighting, upgrading refrigeration systems, and reducing energy usage company-wide.

Clean Air-Cool Planet partnered with Shaw’s to help the company broaden its emissions reduction efforts, publicize those achievements to its 2 million weekly customers, and to help Shaw’s reap continuous economic reward for investing in energy efficient programs. Shaw’s has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 112,500 tons since 1993, the equivalent of removing more than 15,000 typical passenger cars from the roads for a year. In addition to cutting air pollution, these measures have saved Shaw's more than $6 million. Their program includes initiatives in the areas of waste reduction and packaging, recycling, energy efficiency, refrigeration/ozone depletion, and building design.

Perhaps more to the point, a new study by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) shows that a failure by companies to respond to the risks posed by climate change could result in multi-billion dollar losses for U.S. businesses and investment portfolios. CERES is a coalition of investor and environmental groups that advises more than 70 companies on corporate environmental responsibility. The report is available at www.ceres.org. Read more about Shaw’s Supermarkets’ commitment to the environment at http://www.shaws.com/Public/environment/index.cfm.

--Katurah Mackay