Gov. Mike Parson, in accordance with National Clean Energy Week, declared the week of Sept. 26 as Clean Energy Week in Missouri.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources plans to use the week to spread awareness about the benefits of the state’s usage of renewable energy and its job creations, said Craig Redmon, Director of the Division of Energy for the state.
“Every year we’re trying to build on a little bit more like these interviews and stuff that we’re doing a proclamation,” Redmon said. “Just bringing more awareness to the renewable energy, clean energy sector.”
There are currently 51,000 clean energy jobs in the state. Redmon also added that Missouri is the third-largest producer in the nation of biodiesel, a biodegradable fuel derived from plants.
“We believe in it, we believe that sustainability is going to be our future,” he said. “We see that the marketplace is actually driving Missouri towards renewable energy tasks faster and faster.”
Although Sustain Mizzou, a sustainability organization at MU, is not planning to hold any events for Clean Energy Week, MU was recently ranked 10th nationally by the Environmental Protection Agency for on-site generation of green power usage. MU ranked ahead of large companies such as ALDI, JPMorgan and Kohl’s.
It was also recently announced that MU ranked 21st in the Top 30 universities for the EPA’s Green Power Partnership.
The university has earned these spots for components like its 100% biomass boiler, which produces electricity and thermal energy for the campus, as well as its Combined Cooling, Heat and Power system, which reduces carbon emissions through the MU power plant. Additionally, the university utilizes wind and solar energy, which contributed to its ranking.
Columbia is set to continue its involvement in renewable energy resources by co-sponsoring the Advancing Renewables Conference in April 2023 with the MU School of Natural Resources.
