Sustainability report
by Brent Kawamura
This article was originally published in January 2019
Grocery retailers consume a large amount of energy to keep foods fresh and customers comfortable. We are happy to report that PCC Community Markets is now powered by 100 percent renewable wind power.
We’ve achieved this by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). The RECs that we purchased represent a specified amount of renewable electricity that is generated from wind. For every 1-Megawatt hour (MWh) of wind energy generated, one REC is created. A certifying agency assigns an identification number to each REC and then sells it to end users, such as PCC, that want to purchase renewable energy. The revenue generated from these RECs goes back to renewable electricity sources, such as wind farms, and helps increase the market for clean energy.
By purchasing RECs, PCC owns the renewable energy that the REC represents and the environmental benefits that come with it. In fact, the total MWhs in RECs that PCC purchased is equivalent to removing 1,862 cars off the road for one year!
In addition to our renewable energy goal, we’ve set a five-year sustainability goal of reducing our total energy consumption by 10 percent. Adding efficiency upgrades to our stores — such as LED lighting, doors and night curtains on open cases, and more energy efficient appliances — are just a handful of initiatives that we are considering to achieve this goal.
Brent Kawamura is PCC’s senior sustainability specialist.