It's Rutherford...and he's proud to make a home for his family near our Goat Rock hydroelectric project in Georgia. On the land around our generating plants and in our communities, we provide habitat and support for many varieties of animal and plant life.

     

REDUCING EMISSIONS
Every day, more than 400 Southern Company employees work on protecting and improving the quality of the air, land and water around us. And they've been doing a good job.

Since 1990, we have reduced total nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by more than 20 percent and per-megawatt-hour NOx emissions by nearly 40 percent. During the same time, we've reduced total sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions by almost 30 percent and per-megawatt-hour SO2 emissions by nearly 40 percent. And that's while increasing our electricity production by 20 percent.

Although carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are not regulated, we were one of the first companies to join the U.S. Department of Energy's Climate Challenge Program. Over the past nine years, we have voluntarily reduced, avoided or offset nearly 33 million metric tons of CO2.

MAKING ENERGY CLEANER
Our efforts to reduce emissions will continue. Our projections for 2010 include further reducing NOx by more than 40 percent and SO2 by more than 25 percent. We want every megawatt-hour we produce to be cleaner – on average – than it was the year before.

As we grow, our new generation will be increasingly environmentally friendly.

For example, in the Southeast, 78 percent of our electricity is currently generated from coal. We project that will decrease to about 60 percent by 2010 and to about 45 percent by 2020. As a result, we expect to decrease per-megawatt- hour CO2 emissions by about 12 percent by 2010.

IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT
We also have many other activities aimed at improving the environment. Our Environmental Teachers Corps annually helps more than 40,000 students learn about conservation and recycling. Employees voluntarily participate in various programs that help monitor rivers, protect wildlife habitats and support sea turtles and other animals, birds and fish. We sponsor the largest employee electric vehicle lease program in the United States.

Because we're the largest producer of electricity in America, we do more than most companies to improve the environment wherever we do business.

In addition, we're a leader in protecting and improving the environment through our employees' actions, education and volunteerism. Visit our web site that offers environmental education, ways to get involved, and updates on our activities: Planet Power