Georgians all over the state look at our blue logo and think natural gas. And for good reason – we serve more of them than any other gas marketer in the state. We’re proud of that. But we’re also proud of our record when it comes to being environmentally responsible. We like green just as much as we like blue.
As Georgia’s natural gas leader, we view it as our responsibility to also be an industry leader in protecting the environment. We’re committed to a sustainable future as part of the Southern Company family. The most practical way to achieve a sustainable future - where energy is clean, safe, reliable, and affordable - is to ensure it includes natural gas and the infrastructure that transports it.
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) produces less Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxide, and other Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) than traditional fuels. A molecule of CNG only has one atom of carbon as opposed to 8 in gasoline, and 12 for diesel. By providing customers with CNG to power their vehicles, we help them to reduce the amount of CO2 released into the air when they drive.
By utilizing technology to capture methane emissions produced from a Georgia landfill, GNG has partnered with suppliers to process and clean those emissions and turn them into usable energy to heat homes and power businesses. Capturing emissions that otherwise would leak into the atmosphere is one example of GNG’s all of the above approach to helping create a sustainable future for our customers and stakeholders.
GNG was so proud of our use of recycled natural gas that we launched a thought-provoking commercial campaign to promote it to consumers. In these commercials, blue flames represented birds, fish, and other wildlife to show the environmental benefits of using this new product. RNG is captured from landfill emissions that would otherwise enter the atmosphere, and instead uses those as an energy source for our customers.
GNG introduced a Honda Civic powered exclusively by CNG to our fleet for employee use. Not only did it showcase how CNG is more environmentally friendly, but it also showed how this alternative fuel is just as reliable as conventional gasoline and diesel engines.
We wanted to showcase that a CNG-powered car wasn’t just a great idea for our fleet vehicles, but also for the average consumer. And what better way to do that than to give away a brand-new car? One lucky customer got to drive away in a CNG-powered Honda Civic at the end of this showcase for alternative fuels.
Advanced Disposal (now known as Waste Management Inc.) upgraded their fleet of trucks to CNG to improve fuel efficiency and reduce their environmental impact. GNG made their goal possible by providing them with the natural gas they needed to get their fleet moving.
GNG partnered with eWaste/ePlanet to launch an annual recycling event for consumer electronics. eWaste/eplanet makes it their mission to provide a safe and easy solution for consumers to dispose of their unwanted electronics. While electronics waste (e-waste) only accounts for roughly 2% of the trash in the United States, it compromises 70% of the toxic waste we produce. Our yearly earth day drive helps prevent more e-waste from going to landfills, and gives consumers an easy option to get rid of their unwanted electronics.
With the help of the National Park Service and the Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy, GNG’s employees collected litter and debris from the Chattahoochee river. They covered a four mile stretch from Alpharetta to Sandy Springs. This has since become a yearly event, with volunteers getting their hands dirty to help keep the Chattahoochee River clean.
Greener Life is an optional service that helps customers make their natural gas service carbon neutral. For the average GNG customer, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions with Greener Life will be equivalent to driving 10,000 miles less each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
Georgia Aquarium partnered with GNG to become the first Greener Life® for Business participant committing to a multi-year relationship promoting responsible commercial sustainability leadership practices. In addition to retiring carbon offsets tied to their consumption, the partnership extends to educating their audiences in ways they can all work together to improve the environment. GNG primarily does this through its sponsorship of the Southern Sea Otter Exhibit.
Our sister company in Ohio made its first purchase of Responsibly Sourced Gas (RSG). RSG is natural gas that has undergone independent, third-party assessment that is produced with environmental best-practices to minimize its environmental impact.
Through the Greener Life program, GNG customer offset a milestone 100-million pounds of carbon from the atmosphere.
GNG added the A-Gas V5 Voluntary Emission Reduction project to Greener Life project portfolio, which recycles Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, HFC refrigerants can have an impact up to 1,430 times worse than carbon dioxide.
Continuing our annual tradition of electronic recycling, we held another recycling event at Lenox Square. This year we recycled over 29,000 pounds of old, unwanted electronics. To date, GNG has helped recycle more than 90,000 pounds in total.
Volunteers from GNG help clear potato vines, a fast-growing invasive species, from Fernbank Forest. Invasive species outcompete native trees, plants and animals, which cause harm to the forest’s ecological health. The volunteers removed approximately 10 debris bags of invasive plants.
