HOK Makes Major Renewable Energy Credit Purchase

The move is equivalent to planting 768 acres of trees.

Mairi Beautyman -- Interior Design, 4/28/2006

HOK is celebrating Earth Day with a major investment in wind power. The global architecture and design firm will offset 100 percent of its annual electricity use, worldwide, with credits purchased from wind farms.

The firm has obtained more than four million kilowatt-hours of wind from Colorado-based Renewable Choice Energy. The purchase, the single-largest commitment to wind energy by an architectural firm, is equivalent to planting 768 acres of trees, and will prevent more than 5.6 million pounds of carbon dioxide pollution in the next year, according to press material.

Primarily, electricity is produced through the burning of fossil fuels. This method, says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is the leading cause of industrial air pollution.

HOK’s offices will continue to use electricity from their local utility, or grid, but by buying renewable energy credits, the firm ensures energy returned to the grid comes from sustainable sources.
 
“Offsetting our electricity consumption with 100 percent renewable energy is a tangible and meaningful way to contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and the continued development of clean energy solutions,” says HOK Chairman Bill Valentine. "We seek sustainable solutions in every project we undertake and are committed to 'walking the talk' in our own operations.”