Village of Lombard receives award for 'Green' electricity

LOMBARD, Illinois—“Lombard is on the path to sustainability. It's good for the residents, it's good for businesses and it's good for the community,” said Lonnie Morris, Lombard resident and Sierra Club's Illinois Cool Cities Chair as she presented the Village with a “Cool Cities Award” at last evening's Village Board meeting.

Besides saving residents and small businesses money, the results of the electricity aggregation contract have helped Lombard reach another green initiative. Lombard has contracted for 100% carbon-free electricity.

The municipal electric aggregation contract, in addition to the other actions completed during the past three years, satisfies a pledge in 2009 to the US Conference of Mayors and the Sierra Club's Cool Cities program to reduce the community's carbon footprint by at least seven percent below 1990 levels. The total electricity demand in Lombard has been producing 370,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The switch to all carbon-free electricity sources will eliminate these emissions and will actually reduce the Village's carbon footprint to approximately half of the 1990 levels.