Science & Technology (alternative energy)

And unless you are a rockclimbing or yoga aficionado you are probably scratching your forehead, thinking “Who the hell is prAna?” Well the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last month published a list of the top ten retailers who purchased the most green power. Heavy hitters like Whole Foods Market, Starbucks, Safeway, Staples and FedEx Kinko’s took out the first five positions. And there sitting quietly at number eight was prAna, who strictly speaking is not even a retailer. But as we reported last year, this supplier of organic cotton climbing and yoga apparel launched its Natural Power Initiative, buying renewable energy certificates (RECs) in wind power to offset the energy used by 250 of its retailers. As well as 100 percent of its headquarters and all of the homes of its full-time employees. For 2006, this is estimated to offset approximately 16,500 MWh. "Sustainability in our industry should not be limited to fabrics and materials," said Beaver Theodosakis, founder and president of prAna. "Manufacturing and distribution is energy intensive, and while we are always increasing our use of organics, we see an even greater opportunity to affect change by cleaning up the power we use to make and retail our products." We are pleased to see this commitment acknowledged nationally by the EPA. ::prAna via Outdoor Industry Assoc.