Adventist Tops Hospitals in Green Energy Purchase

Adventist Healthcare, the health-care system that runs hospitals in and , recently became the largest purchaser of green energy of any healthcare system that's participating in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership, according to a news release from Adventist.

The company was honored Tuesday by the Montgomery County Council.

"We are honoring them [Adventist HealthCare] because they have gone above and beyond what is required in terms of being good to our planet," Montgomery County Councilman Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) said.

This energy initiative has resulted in Adventist HealthCare purchasing nearly 15 percent of its electricity in the form of green energy, according to the release. Adventist is reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 5,119 metric tons each year, because of the 15 percent purchase.

Adventist's next step is to remove an additional 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from its footprint by 2014.