BONNEVILLE ENVIRONMENTAL FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES WIND ENERGY PURCHASE BY INTERFACE FABRICS GROUP
Interface Fabrics Group, Manufacturer of Guilford of Maine and Terratex brand fabrics purchases Wind Power Credits Equal to 10% of Electricity Used in Manufacturing and Operations.
March 17, 2003 (Portland, OR) The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) announced today that Interface Fabrics Group has joined the move to wind energy with a significant purchase of Green Tags (or Tradable Renewable Certificates) based on new wind energy from the Pacific Northwest. Interface Fabrics Group has signed a five-year agreement for 12.5 million kilowatt hours of BEF Green Tags, enough to offset the polluting emissions associated with 10% of their electrical usage for their Maine and Massachusetts facilities.
"In addition, Interface Fabrics Group and BEF will be partnering to bring new renewable energy projects to the state of Maine through the Maine Green Power Connection," said BEF President Angus Duncan. "Both of our organizations have dedicated funds from this purchase to develop solar or other renewable projects to be located in Maine."
Interface Fabrics Group's purchase of Green Tags will result in an increased percentage of wind power in the national grid and a corresponding reduction in the combustion of coal and natural gas. According to the EPA, this purchase of wind generation will displace over 4.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually - roughly the amount of CO2 absorbed annually by 560 acres of forest, or the annual emissions of about 410 cars.
"This purchase accomplishes a goal we set in 2002 to derive 10% of our electrical energy from renewable resources within three years," said Paul Paydos, Vice President of Technical Services for Interface Fabrics Group. "I am very happy to say that we beat our deadline by 28 months and we plan to increase this purchase in future years. With this transaction, we will be able to certify that over one million yards of our fabric is produced with BEF Green Tags - a Green-e certified product."
Interface Fabrics Group is a supplier of fabrics for commercial interiors located in Guilford, Maine. The company, a division of Interface, Inc. derives almost 90% of their thermal needs from biomass or waste wood chips. They have made significant progress toward a corporate goal of reducing their dependence on non-renewable energy sources by conservation while beginning to fuel their factories with renewable energy.
BEF, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit organization, generates revenues from sales of renewable energy to support its mission of developing additional renewable energy resources and restoring damaged watersheds. To date, these revenues have supported the development of some 500 megawatts of wind energy as well as the installation of more than 130 kilowatts of new solar photovoltaic generation. Over $650,000 in BEF funding has been granted to 22 watershed restoration projects.
About Green Tags
Also known as Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) or Tradable Renewable Energy Credits (TRECs), BEF's Green Tags represent the environmental benefits that occur when renewable energy replaces energy produced from burning fossil fuels on the power grid. The result is a corresponding savings in greenhouse gases (primarily carbon dioxide).
BEF's Green Tags are Green-e certified by the Center for Resource Solutions - www.green-e.org and designated Climate Cool by the Climate Neutral Network as a net zero impact on the climate - www.climateneutral.com. New renewable energy resources that produce BEF's Green Tags are certified by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Renewable Northwest Project and the Northwest Energy Coalition.
About BEF
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in 1998 to further the development and use of new renewable energy resources. Through revenues generated from the sales of green power products, BEF funds projects that restore damaged watersheds and support new renewable energy projects from solar, wind and bio-mass. BEF pioneered the sale of Green Tags in 1999 and has helped establish national standards for certification and trading. Created by regional environmental groups and the Bonneville Power Administration, the Foundation operates collaboratively but independent of both. Visit online at www.B-E-F.org
About Interface Fabrics Group
Interface Fabrics Group is a manufacturer of innovative textile products sold under the Camborne, Carolina Decorative Fabrics, Chatham, Guilford of Maine, Infinity, Intek, Stevens Linen, Teknit, Terratex and Toltec brands. In addition, the company provides specialized fabrics services through its TekSolutions business. The company's corporate offices, its main manufacturing facility and a world-class yarn making facility, the Leonard G. Saulter Facility, are located in Guilford, Maine. The company also manufactures yarn in Newport, Maine.
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