What do Starbucks, Staples, IBM, Whole Foods and the U.S. Air Force have in common?

They're among the who's who of green power purchasers in the US.

The amount of electricity these mega-organizations need just to keep the lights on is huge, so it really makes a difference when they choose to purchase green power.

It helps reduce the need for power generated from coal fired power plants and nuclear facilities. It also increases the demand for alternative power sources, which means more investment into wind and solar technologies.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) keeps a list of the top 25 green power purchasers and updates it quarterly. Although these companies do purchase a lot of green power (they are ranked by total kilowatt hours purchased), only six of the top 25 are actually buying enough to cover 100% of their entire electricity needs. But as the availability of alternative power supplies continue to increase, those numbers will more than likely also change to reflect that.

The top 25 as listed by the EPA:
1. Wells Fargo & Company (42%)
2. Whole Foods Market (100%)
3. U.S. Air Force (4%)
4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (100%)
5. Johnson & Johnson (30%)
6. Starbucks (25%)
7. DuPont Company (4%)
8. U.S. Department of Energy (3%)
9. Vail Resorts Inc. (100%)
10. HSBC North America (35%)
11. Cisco Systems Inc. (21%)
12. Staples (20%)
13. New York University (100%)
14. The World Bank Group (100%)
15. University of Pennsylvania (29%)
16. IBM Corporation (4%)
17. Carbonfund.org (N/A)
18. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (3%)
19. NatureWorks LLC (89%)
20. Sprint Nextel (47%)
21. Safeway Inc. (2%)
22. Pennsylvania State University (20%)
23. Kohl's Department Stores (8%)
24. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (8%)
25. The Tower Companies (100%)

But it isn't just businesses that can buy green power: individuals can too. Check with your electricity provider to see if they have a green power plan you can opt in to.

Via the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD)