Environmental - Great River Energy

We’ve always taken great pride in the way we do business: with respect for our environment. To continue doing our part, we remain committed to conserving resources through environmental stewardship, pollution prevention, waste minimization, recycling and reuse.

Our environmental policy

We make environmental considerations part of our everyday processes and have guidelines in place to help employees make decisions. Every year, we review our policy to ensure it evolves along with our member-owners’ needs.

Maintain a management system with defined objectives designed to minimize the environmental impacts of our business activities.
Continuously improve our environmental management system through periodic audits, management review and corrective action.
Conserve resources through environmental stewardship, pollution prevention, waste minimization, recycling and reuse.
Comply with the spirit, intent and letter of environmental laws, regulations and other requirements to which Great River Energy subscribes.
Provide outreach to the community in which Great River Energy’s facilities are located and with which it has a direct relationship through its operation, products and services.

Supporting local food production with pollinator habitat

Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and bats play an important role in plant reproduction by transferring pollen. We’ve re-established more than 200 acres of pollinator-friendly habitats to support production of foods that sustain both wildlife and people.

Providing a safe space for peregrine falcons

With the help of an Eagle Scout and the Raptor Resource Project, we installed a nesting box on our Elk River campus in 2006. Since then, 54 young falcons have fledged from it.

Awarded for energy-efficient, sustainable building design

Our headquarters in Maple Grove was the first new construction building in Minnesota to achieve Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. This award is the highest designation available to buildings that demonstrate energy efficiency and sustainability. Plus, we have five other facilities that are LEED certified.