Washington, D.C.-based clean energy company Arcadia Power has become the first nationwide clean energy B Corporation after meeting the rigorous social, environmental and legal standards of B Lab.
Driven by a mission to democratize clean energy, Arcadia Power allows businesses and individuals to upgrade their offices or homes to 100 percent clean energy without any additional equipment, for just a 1.5 cents per kWh premium. The company’s proprietary software connects online utility accounts with a clean energy purchasing platform, imports all the energy data, and displays it in a web dashboard with information on rewards, savings and impact.
Launched in 2014, Arcadia Power has grown quickly with clean energy customers in 25 states. Recently, twelve Northern Virginia businesses began running on clean energy through Arcadia Power, and the company is partnering with businesses of all sizes (including a growing number of B Corps) to promote and expand the use of renewable power. In addition to offering renewable energy nationwide, Arcadia Power also helps innovative, new clean energy projects get off the ground.
To become a Certified B Corporation, companies must meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance; legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests; and build collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand. As of January 2012, there are over 515 Certified B Corporations from over 60 industries, representing a diverse multi-billion marketplace.
Since 2012, B Lab has used its annual “Best for the World” list to honor B Corporations across 20 countries and 25 industries for redefining success in business. This year, Sungevity and Trillium Asset Management were among the 67 businesses to make the list. To be recognized, firms each had to earn an overall score in the top 10 percent of all certified B Corporations on the B Impact Assessment, a comprehensive assessment a company's impact on its workers, community and the environment.
Clean technology is a major center point for Apple’s new headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple CEO Tim Cook claimed it would be the “greenest building on the planet” this last week speaking at Climate Week NYC.
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Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Oct 8, 2014 11am EDT / 8am PDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST