For the first time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership announced the 20 primary and secondary schools nationwide using the most power from renewable energy sources, according to an EPA press release. The top Green Power Partner schools are buying nearly 113 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, equivalent to carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) that would be produced from the electricity use of 11,000 American homes for one year.

“Our green powered schools are giving kids a brighter future in more ways than one. They’re leading the way in protecting our health and environment, and moving the country into the clean energy economy of the 21st century,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This is a great lesson on how we reduce harmful pollution in our skies and get America running on clean energy.”

The five schools using the greenest power are:
  1. Austin Independent School District (Austin, Texas)
  2. Round Rock Independent School District (Round Rock, Texas)
  3. Rochester City School District (Rochester, N.Y.)
  4. Bullis School (Potomac, Md.)
  5. The Dalton School (New York, N.Y.)
Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydropower. Green power electricity generates less pollution than conventional power and produces no net increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

To view the entire top 20 list of K-12 schools, visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top20k-12schools.htm.