ECS Partnered with IGS Energy to Commit to 100% Renewable Energy

ECS partnered with IGS Energy in February to commit all three of its buildings to 100% renewable energy as an addition to the organization’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

IGS Energy, which is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, and serves customers throughout Pennsylvania, has a commitment to going green for good by providing sustainable energy to residents and businesses. In fact, the company has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040. IGS Energy’s like-mindedness and service in the Pittsburgh region made it an ideal match as ECS’s energy supplier.

“At ECS, we teach students and families about the importance of sustainability and how to practice it through our adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” CEO, Jon McCann said. “Our educational practices are rooted in real-world problems, and as an organization, we do as we teach. ECS lives by example by making green and healthy choices that benefit students, families, staff, and the surrounding community.”

Partnering with IGS Energy is just one of the many ways ECS prioritizes green education and living, and the organization is proud to reduce greenhouse gases and carbon emissions in the Pittsburgh area with IGS Energy’s help.

In 2020, IGS Energy provided renewable energy for more than 113,000 clients (both commercial and residential) and offset greenhouse gas emissions by more than 839,000,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy usage through clients purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).

For example, IGS Energy’s 2020 offset is equivalent to

• Carbon sequestered by 9,817,978 tree seedlings grown for 10 years

  or

• CO2 emissions from 68,516 homes' energy use for one year

  or

• Greenhouse gas emissions from 128,278 cars driven for one year

ECS looks forward to contributing to its partner’s 2021 offsets and plans to pursue more green opportunities by expanding its renewable energy goals beyond the powering of its buildings. ECS hopes to install EV charging stations at its four locations by Spring 2023.

ECS’s conversion to using 100% renewable energy is just the latest sustainability news coming from the district. The organization also works with Community Kitchen Pittsburgh (a local food service provider), is committed to composting with AgRecycle, and participates in a green cleaning program. For more information about ECS’s sustainability efforts, please visit ecspgh.org/sustainability.