McDonald’s USA LLC has joined the ranks of those large power users buying significant amounts of green power. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, McDonald’s USA, LLC Oakbrook, Illinois, has made its list of the Top 50 green-powered organizations. McDonald’s is number 11 on the 2012 list. The EPA also states that McDonald’s has also reduced energy consumption in its restaurants through multiple energy efficiency initiatives and technical innovations.

McDonald’s leadership places it at number 6 on the top 20 retail green powered organizations, after Kohl’s Department Stores, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. / California and Texas Facilities, Whole Foods Market, Staples, and Starbucks. The data on which these rankings are based are for the US only, with green power usage by business somewhat less developed in Canada than in the USA.

Gallon Environment Letter has previously pointed out that the EPA’s Green Power list is somewhat flawed because it focuses only on green power use and not on energy conservation but leadership in green power use is needed and there is therefore much to commend the list. The fact that using green power costs a little more than using conventional power also provides an additional incentive to green power uses to implement efficiency initiatives.

Hopefully other retail sector companies in both Canada and the US will follow the McDonald’s lead.

The EPA’s announcement of McDonald’s joining the list, with links to the complete list and Green Power Partnership program details, is at http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/d0e91712149cade9852579f3006ca77f!OpenDocument