Environmental Leader

More and more renewable energy firms are offering their employees green benefits, Renewable Energy Access highlights some of those innovative benefits.The green employee benefits being offered fall into four basic categories: work-related, transportation, residential and personal/well-being.

NRG Systems in Hinesburg, VT, offers employees a stipend of $300 per year to buy compact fluorescent light bulbs and improved energy-efficient windows. They give $1000 per year toward a solar hot-water system, solar PV panels and a wind turbine or a wood-pellet furnace.

XCel Energy in Minneapolis offers a wind source program to employees in three states-Minnesota, Colorado and New Mexico.

Boston-based EnerNOC offers a three-tiered incentive program which includes cash bonuses for influencing others to become energy efficient. It also offers $100 per month subsidy for employees who purchase hybrid cars.

American Solar Energy Society in Boulder, Colorado, provides employees with an eco-pass for the entire Denver metro area.

altPower, a Solar Power firm in New York City provides employees with a travel check that enables free subway and bus transportation throughout the five boroughs.

KACO Solar encourages morning group workouts, subsidizes gym memberships and grants time off for marathons.

On Earth Day at Green Mountain Energy’s Austin headquarters, each employee is given a sustainable gift and attends educational programs before eating a free lunch buffet provided by Whole Foods Market. After lunch, the employees hike through nearby hill country.