GNG’s Greener Life a Case Study for Bundling Carbon Offsets and Natural Gas Products

Southern Company Gas has long invested in tools and resources that minimize its environmental footprint. One of its latest initiatives, however, casts an even wider net, enabling customers to easily do their part to limit their environmental impact, as well.

Greener Life®, the carbon offset program from Southern Company Gas subsidiary Georgia Natural Gas® (GNG), makes it simple for customers in Georgia to live a carbon neutral lifestyle by taking care of purchasing and retiring carbon offsets related to their natural gas usage on their behalf.

The program, which launched in October 2019, was recently featured as a case study of forward-thinking gas marketers and utilities that are offering customers the opportunity to reach their personal sustainability goals.

Keith Gallagher, SouthStar Energy’s Director of Mass Markets, highlighted the Greener Life initiative in a webinar presented by the independent Center for Resource Solutions (CRS).

“Customers hear a lot about ‘net zero’ and Greener Life is an easy way for them to make their natural gas use carbon neutral,” Gallagher said.

Greener Life has received Green-e Climate certification from CRS. Green-e Climate is the leading certification program for voluntary carbon offset programs. This designation helps GNG’s effort stand out, Gallagher said. “We built a strong foundation for our program to give customers assurance that we deliver on our promises.”

Gallagher said Greener Life is on track to retire 10 million pounds of carbon offsets as the program approaches the end of its first 12 months. GNG purchases its offsets from the Doe Mountain Forest Improvement Project in Tennessee and Wolf Creek Landfill Project in Georgia.

Greener Life is $4.99 per month for residential customers and $9.99 per month for small business customers on any price plans offered by GNG, making environmental sustainability an affordable, obtainable goal for all.

GNG is expanding its carbon offset program to large commercial and industrial customers across the Southeast. Many large companies have sustainability and environmental missions, Gallagher said, and he’s hopeful that participating in GNG’s carbon offset programs will help those businesses achieve their goals.