MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hilton Worldwide announced today that it received a 2012 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The annual awards recognize the country’s leading renewable power purchasers for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation’s voluntary green power market. EPA presented the award to Hilton Worldwide at an event held in conjunction with the 2012 Renewable Energy Markets Conference in Washington, DC on September 24, 2012.

Hilton Worldwide was one of only four organizations nationwide to be chosen as a Green Power Partner of the Year. The award recognizes EPA Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through their purchase, leadership, overall strategy and impact on the green power market. Hilton Worldwide is currently purchasing 315 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 94 percent of the organization’s purchased electricity use. In addition, Hilton Worldwide is buying renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Renewable Choice Energy.

“As a hotel company, energy is very important to the operations of our business and as such, the development of renewable energy as a viable supply option is critical to our success. It is a huge honor to be recognized for our commitment to renewable power and it is a testament to our focus on sustainability across our brands,” Christopher Corpuel, vice president of sustainability and brand services, Hilton Worldwide, said.

Hilton Worldwide currently ranks number 12 on EPA’s National Top 50 List. Each list highlights EPA Green Power Partners that have completed the largest annual voluntary purchases through July 5, 2012. EPA updates its Top Partner Lists quarterly at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/.

According to the EPA, green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources. Green power purchases also support the development of new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.

“Receiving the Green Power Partner of the Year award signifies Hilton Worldwide's leadership and impact on the green power market,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. "Hilton Worldwide's commitment to supporting green power should serve as an example to other organizations seeking to invest in environmental progress.”

According to the EPA, Hilton Worldwide’s current green power purchase of 315 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of nearly 43,000 passenger vehicles per year, or the amount of electricity needed to power more than 27,000 average American homes annually.

Hilton Worldwide’s investments in green power align with the company’s commitment to measure, analyze and continuously improve its sustainability performance. Since 2008, Hilton Worldwide has achieved more than $147 million in cumulative savings through LightStay™, the company’s proprietary sustainability measurement system, and is on track to reduce energy consumption, CO₂ emissions and waste output by 20 percent, and water consumption by 10 percent by 2014. More information about LightStay and Hilton Worldwide’s 2011 sustainability performance is available at: http://hiltonworldwideglobalmediacenter.com/index.cfm/newsroom/detail/22071.

About LightStay

LightStay is a proprietary system developed to calculate and analyze sustainability performance. LightStay measures multiple utility and operational metrics such as (but not limited to) energy, water, carbon, housekeeping, paper product usage, waste, chemical storage, air quality and transportation. In addition, LightStay provides social networking tools that allow properties to communicate and share information, and features a "meeting impact calculator" element that calculates the sustainability impact of any meeting or conference held at a property.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,900 hotels and timeshare properties, with 640,000 rooms in 91 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.

About EPA’s Green Power Partnership

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,300 Partner organizations collectively purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.

About the Green Power Leadership Awards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) co-sponsors the annual Green Power Leadership Awards in conjunction with the Center for Resource Solutions. EPA recognizes winners in the following awards categories: Green Power Partner of the Year; On-site Generation; Green Power Purchasing; Sustained Excellence in Green Power; Green Power Community of the Year; Green Power Supplier of the Year; and Innovative Green Power Program of the Year. EPA’s Green Power User awards recognize the exceptional achievement among EPA Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through green power procurement, market leadership, overall green power strategy, and overall impact on the green power market. EPA’s Green Power Supplier awards recognize green power suppliers for outstanding efforts, initiatives and programs that significantly advance the development of green power sources serving the voluntary market. The Awards are held in conjunction with the Renewable Energy Markets Conference. For additional information please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/awards/.