Green Power Purchase Recognition

Carpet manufacturer Beaulieu Commercial was recently honored with a 2009 Green Power Leadership Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the annual Green Power Leadership Awards ceremony in Atlanta, GA. The EPA co-sponsors the Green Power Leadership Awards with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Center for Resource Solutions, a national non-profit organization. The award, which Beaulieu Commercial received on September 14, 2009, recognizes exceptional dedication to environmental protection through green power commitment. Beaulieu Commercial purchases kilowatt hours of green power annually to meet 100% of the organization’s purchased electricity use nationwide.

“People don’t always realize that in the U.S., the largest source of carbon heavy greenhouse gasses comes not from automobiles, but from coal fired electric power plants,” said Beaulieu Commercial President James Lesslie. “Supporting clean sources of electricity is a sound business decision and crucial in reducing our climate risk.”

A recent introduction in the company's BOLYU carpet line is Yada Yada (seen here).
A recent introduction in the company's BOLYU carpet line is Yada Yada (seen here).

In addition to energy conservation and waste management best practices in running its manufacturing operations, Beaulieu Commercial was the first carpet manufacturer to include post-consumer recycled content in 100% of its products.

In addition, its Nexterra® tile backing is an industry leader with 85% post-consumer recycled content. The Nexterra® carpet tile products recently earned the platinum level of NSF 140-2007 certification, the only ANSI certified sustainable carpet assessment standard in the industry. NSF International, a not-for-profit organization setting standards in development and product certification, certified all Nexterra® tile products under the BOLYU Contract, Cambridge Commercial and PURE CONTRACT product lines manufactured at Beaulieu Commercial’s Adairsville and Chatsworth facilities in Georgia.

Beaulieu Commercial’s green power purchase of 9 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power represents over 12 million pounds of emissions that won’t be going into the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of taking more than 1,300 cars off the roads or the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more than 1,000 average American homes each year.

The Center for Resource Solutions' Green-e logo
The Center for Resource Solutions' Green-e logo

Beaulieu Commercial’s green energy leadership entitles the company to display the Green-E Certified Renewable Energy logo (seen at right) on all of its products and corporate communications. “Beaulieu Commercial continues its commitment to being a leader in corporate environmental stewardship,” Lesslie said. “We’re honored by the EPA’s recognition of our efforts.”

Green power is electricity generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources. Green power purchases also support the development of the new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.