America’s largest firms pledge to go green

From Wells Fargo to Hewlett-Packard, some 40 Fortune 500 companies pledge to purchase green power.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Some of America’s largest corporations pledged Monday to support green power, responding to a challenge posed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

So-called green power is generated from renewable energy sources like the sun, wind and biomass such as plants or garbage and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

The EPA is calling for Fortune 500 companies to double their green power purchases to more than 5 billion kilowatt hours by the end of next year – or enough electricity to run more than 400,000 homes in the U.S. a year.

Besides helping companies reduce their carbon footprint, purchasing green power is a smart business decision, Kathleen Hogan of the EPA said during a press conference.

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