NW Natural Donates $23,000 to Oregon Parks Forever on Behalf of New Smart Energy Customers
Media contact: media@nwnatural.com; 503-739-9902
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2022
The voluntary carbon offset program enables customers to offset some or all the emissions associated with their natural gas consumption while also helping effectively reduce emissions in the region.
The Smart Energy program, which now has more than 73,000 Oregon and Southwest Washington residential and business customers, has purchased offsets from 17 innovative projects across the Pacific Northwest, California, Utah and Alaska. These include projects like biodigesters on family-owned dairy farms that capture methane from cow manure, keeping this greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere and harnessing it as a renewable energy source.
“We want to thank and recognize our customers committed to helping fight climate change by reducing their environmental impact,” said Brian Harney, Smart Energy program manager. “We’re proud to donate to Oregon Parks Forever on their behalf so, together, we can help preserve and protect these beloved and beautiful outdoor spaces for generations to come.”
The annual donation to OPF in recognition of Smart Energy customers is also funded in part by NW Natural’s Corporate Philanthropy Fund from shareholders.
“We couldn’t be more grateful to NW Natural for this year’s donation and their longtime support of our parks,” said Seth Miller, executive director, OPF. “This year’s donation is especially critical as we continue to provide ‘socially distanced’ activities to visitors like hiking and biking while also starting to bring back programs that were suspended due to the pandemic.”
NW Natural was the first stand-alone gas utility to offer its customers a voluntary carbon offset program. Since the program began in 2007, participating customers have funded emissions’ reductions of over 1.5 million metric tons — equivalent to over 337,000 cars removed from the road for a year.
With environmental stewardship as one of its core values, NW Natural works with The Climate Trust to ensure that only verified high-quality offsets are purchased and retired for the Smart Energy program. To sign up for Smart Energy, visit nwnatural.com/Smart.
About NW Natural
NW Natural is a local distribution company that currently provides natural gas service to approximately 2.5 million people in more than 140 communities through more than 780,000 meters in Oregon and Southwest Washington with one of the most modern pipeline systems in the nation. NW Natural consistently leads the industry with high J.D. Power & Associates customer satisfaction scores. NW Natural, a part of Northwest Natural Holding Company, (NYSE: NWN) (NW Natural Holdings), is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and has been doing business for more than 160 years. NW Holdings owns NW Natural, NW Natural Renewables Holdings (NW Natural Renewables), NW Natural Water Company (NW Natural Water), and other business interests. We have a longstanding commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, and taking care of our employees and communities, learn more in our latest ESG Report.
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