April 29, 2005—HSBC Bank USA, the worlds first major bank to commit to carbon neutrality, has pledged to meet 30 percent of its needs for electricity through wind power, according to an article in GreenBiz.com. The bank will offset nearly a third of its carbon emissions by purchasing 45,454 MWh of wind energy certificates — one of the largest retail renewable energy purchases made in North America.
HSBC has purchased Green-e certified tradable renewable energy certificates (RECs) from new wind projects in California and Minnesota. RECs represent the environmental benefits of clean energy production that serve to take the place of other non-renewable sources from the regional or national electric grid. HSBC’s investment will contribute to further the development of new wind energy generation necessary for a clean energy future.
Globally, HSBC was named as one of the top fifty companies in the Climate Leadership Index at the launch of the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) second report on climate change and shareholder value.
For more information, visit Greenbiz.com.
