Every June Pride festivals across the country bring people together to celebrate equality. Many have taken important steps in making these festivals some of the most sustainable events held every year. This year we’re excited to announce that we’re launching a new partnership with Capital Pride Alliance to purchase enough wind energy to power the entire Capital Pride Weekend festival. Weekend parade attendees in D.C. will play an important part in makings sure more clean energy making it onto the power grid.
Arcadia is providing Capital Pride with wind energy by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to match the entire weekend’s electricity usage. The energy grid works like a water meaning that once power makes it onto the grid, it’s impossible to distinguish where it came from, just as dumping bottled water in the ocean would make it impossible to distinguish where that water came from. However RECs represent an individuals ownership of a certain amount of clean energy that makes it onto the grid. They are official certificates of ownership, monitored and tracked by regulating bodies. For each megawatt-hour (1 MWh) of electricity used to power the Capital Pride Weekend festivities, Arcadia is purchasing an equal number of RECs from wind frames, to ensure that an equal amount of wind energy makes it onto the grid.
“This partnership between Capital Pride and Arcadia is an exciting first step in our effort to recommit to sustainability,” said Curtis Walter, Executive Producer of Capital Pride’s Sustainability Initiative. “The LGBTQ+ community through Pride has the opportunity to be a leader on sustainability, which means rethinking how we power and carry out our events. Procuring energy from wind power and supporting renewables will help ensure Pride is part of an environmental solution.”
In addition to choosing clean energy through Arcadia, Capital Pride 2019 will be reducing plastic waste, improving waste stream management, educating vendors and exhibitors, and earning community buy-in.
“At Arcadia, we believe in equality and are proud supporters of the LGBTQ community through partnerships and employee initiatives,” said Kiran Bhatraju, Arcadia CEO. “We’re thrilled to add Capital Pride to that list, making it one of the most sustainable Pride events in the country. The more organizations who can come together to spread the word about choosing clean energy, the easier it will be for all of us to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.”
Check out CapitalPride.org for more information. We’re PROUD to be partnering with Capital Pride to support clean energy and equality, every day.
