As a utility company, our job is to protect our customers and communities, and to provide an essential resource. A crucial part of that commitment is also doing our part to protect the environment. So it’s no surprise that Earth Day holds a special meaning to us at Peoples, and to our parent company, Essential Utilities.
Over the past 14 months since Peoples joined the Essential family, Essential has announced a number of sustainability commitments and released their 2019 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report in 2020. Since Earth Day encourages efforts made toward protecting the environment, there’s no better time to provide updates on Essential’s sustainability progress:
- Essential is pleased to report that they have successfully achieved a 3% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as of December 2020, which is on track for their 2035 goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 60% from their 2019 baseline. This 60% reduction is roughly equivalent to removing 76,000 cars from the road each year.
- Essential is also on schedule to achieve 100% wind power through Green-e Renewable Energy Certificates for their Aqua operations in Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania by early 2022. Switching to renewable energy options throughout Essential’s footprint will help drive the progress toward their emissions reduction target.
Essential’s pledge to uphold these ESG initiatives drives us to continue exploring sustainable and productive approaches to business. We’re confident that our environmental commitments coupled with our team’s passion for providing exceptional service to our customers ensures that we will continue to make a positive, constructive impact.
Achieving these ESG goals – to sustain and better the environment – is nothing short of a team effort. But as we all know, to make an even greater impact in our communities, it’s also important for us to support local organizations who are working passionately toward similar sustainability goals. This is why the Essential Foundation is proud to continue supporting Peoples’ partnerships with nonprofits like the National Aviary and Venture Outdoors to help support their conservation efforts.
At Peoples, we strive to make a difference every day, and we’re grateful to all of our employees for their commitment to making a difference in the region we all call home.
We wish you all a happy Earth Day!
