Your community energy company serves its customers and communities safely, reliably, affordably and with increasing sustainability.
MGE's Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report details our corporate responsibility, environmental leadership and sustainability goals. It also covers our clean energy investments and partnerships with customers and other stakeholders to advance sustainability through energy efficiency, new technologies and other ways.
MGE recognizes its responsibility to preserve and protect the environment while serving our communities. We are proactive and forward-thinking in our stewardship and promote sustainability with our partners, suppliers and employees as we work together to build a cleaner, smarter future.
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For the 10th year in a row, MGE has attained the highest level of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council's (WSBC) Green Masters Program.
The WSBC's statewide sustainability program began as an action manager for sustainability, emphasizing the implementation of specific actions related to identified sustainability topics.
To achieve Green Master status, a company must score higher than 75% on average in at least 10 of 15 categories. Being named a Green Master signifies that MGE has identified and is effectively managing all material sustainability issues and performance related to those issues.
Our employee-led Sustainability Steering Team serves to help ensure the company takes a global and proactive approach to sustainability. The team helps direct new and ongoing activities supporting sustainability initiatives at MGE such as benchmarking, Green Tier and Green Masters.
MGE is one of 24 companies that met the requirements for Green Master certification in 2023. Nearly 100 Wisconsin businesses currently participate in the Green Masters Program. MGE was the first utility to be recognized as a Green Master in 2014.
More information about MGE's participation in the Green Masters Program is available in our Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report.
MGE is the only electric utility in Wisconsin to be awarded the highest participating level in Green Tier, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) environmental leadership program. MGE is one of only eight Wisconsin companies that achieved the "Tier 2" level.
By participating in the Green Tier program, we are continuing our voluntary commitment to superior environmental performance. In cooperation with the DNR, we have set goals to make significant environmental improvements.
In 2017, MGE expanded the scope of our Green Tier contract, and in 2020, we renewed our five-year contract with the DNR for Green Tier certification. MGE's primary goal in the expanded contract is to cover all MGE operations under our Environmental Management System (EMS). An EMS is a continuous improvement process that evaluates, prioritizes and manages environmental risks.
Participation in the Green Tier program provides certification for our EMS. MGE previously used an EMS at our Blount Generating Station. The expanded scope of our EMS further demonstrates our commitment to goal setting and environmental accountability.
More information about MGE's participation in the Green Tier program is available in our Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report.
We are committed to going beyond regulations to protect our local lakes, rivers and streams.
In 2022, we updated our environmental emergency response plans for facilities with high risk to waterways, human health and sensitive environmental features. MGE's Environmental Affairs staff reviewed the plans for accuracy and improvement regarding the potential for release of materials, oils or chemicals to wetland, water body or other environmentally sensitive areas from operations, bulk storage or construction. Employee training at facilities with the highest risk also was completed.
One way MGE supports clean lakes is through Yahara WINS. This collaborative water cleanup effort began as a pilot and expanded to a 20-year program to reduce phosphorus in our watershed. MGE supports this project through financial support from the MGE Foundation and through service on its technical advisory board, the Yahara Watershed Improvement Network Group. A collaborative approach pools the resources and expertise of community partners. It employs the strategy of watershed adaptive management in which all sources of phosphorus pollution are addressed together to meet water quality goals.
Yahara WINS is exceeding expectations for modeled phosphorus reductions and is on track to meet its 20-year project goals. In 2022, the program reported more than 50,500 pounds of phosphorus reduced, which was greater than its goal of 43,076 pounds.
Pollutants transported in stormwater are harmful to lakes, rivers, wetlands and waterways. MGE implements measures to protect our water bodies. For example, MGE's downtown parking lot has a stormwater filtration system. This system cleans stormwater before it drains into nearby Lake Monona and is effective in reducing pollutants such as petroleum compounds, sediment and phosphorus.
We are committed to implementing proper erosion-control methods at all work sites. This minimizes the likelihood of soil being washed out of a site. We track permits and inspections and have a committee that reviews new regulations, field techniques and technologies to ensure we effectively manage our erosion-control strategies.
Together, we can reach our goal of a cleaner, more sustainable future.
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