September 7, 2021
New carbon offset program helps businesses easily reach their sustainability goals
ATLANTA - Sept. 7, 2021 - Georgia Natural Gas (GNG) Georgia's leading natural gas provider, and Georgia Aquarium today announced that the Aquarium is the first organization to take advantage of Greener Life® for Business, a new service from GNG that purchases carbon offsets on behalf of GNG's commercial customers to make emissions from their natural gas use carbon neutral.
Greener Life for Business demonstrates how GNG can play an important role in helping commercial and industrial customers offset emissions while still maintaining day-to-day operations. Through the program, businesses can reduce their emissions footprint significantly without the complications associated with building new infrastructure or replacing appliances.
"We are thrilled to be partnering with Georgia Aquarium, enabling them to continue relying on natural gas for their operations while also making strides toward their environmental goals," said Mike Braswell, GNG president and CEO. "GNG is proud to offer this program to support the work of local businesses and contribute to reduced emissions with the use of natural gas."
"Georgia Aquarium is always looking for innovative ways to reduce our environmental impact," said Dr. Brian Davis, president and CEO at Georgia Aquarium. "Our partnership with Georgia Natural Gas and the Greener Life for Business program provides us the opportunity to reduce our emissions and promote a cleaner, healthier planet."
"GNG's Greener Life for Business program is the latest initiative from the Southern Company Gas family that supports our mission to fuel a cleaner future," said David Weaver, senior vice president of external strategy and environmental affairs at Southern Company Gas. "Many commercial and industrial processes rely on the unique, high-heat properties that natural gas provides. It's often not easy - nor affordable - for these businesses to find alternatives. Our goal is to support the continued use of clean, safe, reliable and affordable natural gas across multiple industries while helping businesses both large and small reduce their environmental footprint."
The Greener Life program also makes it easy for consumers to reduce their emissions footprint at an affordable rate of only $4.99/month. For a limited time, residential customers who sign up for Greener Life will receive their first six months free.
For all those participating, GNG uses Environmental Protection Agency standards to calculate the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere from customers' use of natural gas. GNG then purchases and retires carbon offsets to balance the impact of those customers' emissions.
GNG has purchased carbon offsets from the Wolf Creek Landfill Project in Georgia and the Doe Mountain Forest Improvement Project in Tennessee. Each quarter, GNG will retire enough carbon offsets on behalf of residential and commercial participants to completely offset the greenhouse gases released by their natural gas use the prior quarter.
Residential consumers looking to lessen their environmental impact can visit gng.com/greenerlife.
Additional information on Greener Life for Business can be found at gng.com/business/green.
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Georgia Natural Gas is part of SouthStar Energy Services. SouthStar is owned by Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). SouthStar also operates as Ohio Natural Gas, Florida Natural Gas, Maryland Energy, Pennsylvania Energy, Grand Rapids Energy (in Michigan), and in other parts of the Southeast as SouthStar Energy Services. SouthStar's subsidiaries in Illinois operate as Illinois Energy and Illinois Energy Solutions.
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America's premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.3 million natural gas customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with approximately 666,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other businesses include investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.
Georgia Aquarium is a leading 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization located in Atlanta, Ga. that is Certified Humane by the American Humane Association and accredited by the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Georgia Aquarium is committed to working on behalf of all marine life through education, preservation, exceptional animal care, and research across the globe. Georgia Aquarium continues its mission each day to inspire, educate, and entertain its millions of guests about the aquatic biodiversity throughout the world through its hundreds of exhibits and tens of thousands of animals across its seven major galleries. For more information, visit www.georgiaaquarium.org.
Media Contact:
Robin Gray
m: 339.364.1446 | robigray@southernco.com