LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby Festival, in partnership with Louisville Gas and Electric Company, today announced it will completely offset the carbon emissions produced by the electricity use at its Louisville headquarters.

The Kentucky Derby Festival now joins the more than 390 customers currently enrolled in the program. Through its purchases of LG&E Green Energy, KDF will totally offset the more than 18 tons of carbon dioxide created each month by its electricity use at the organization's headquarters on South Third Street in Louisville.

"This is just the first of many steps the Festival is taking to 'Go Green.' The plans we will unveil in the coming weeks are just the beginning of a long-term commitment to become more environmentally responsible," said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. "The purchase of LG&E Green Energy certainly furthers that mission. We're proud to be the first Kentucky business to completely offset carbon emissions produced by our electricity use and we hope this will encourage other area companies to do the same."

LG&E and Kentucky Utilities Company's Green Energy program provides for the growth and development of renewable energy including that of the Mother Ann Lee Hydroelectric Plant, located on the Kentucky River near Harrodsburg, Ky. LG&E and KU residential and small business customers can participate for as little as $5 per month, or in larger purchases of $5 blocks.

Each $5 block contributes to 300 kilowatt hours of green energy. An average residential customer who uses 900 kilowatt hours of electricity each month can fully offset the carbon impact of that usage for $15 per month. All green energy purchases are voluntary and in addition to the regular bill amount.

"As the first Kentucky business to completely offset carbon emissions produced by its electricity use, the Kentucky Derby Festival is taking action to help the environment and expand the generation capacity of Kentucky regional renewable power," said John P. Malloy, Vice President of Energy Delivery, Retail Business, for E.ON U.S., parent company of LG&E.

"They're paying the difference to make the difference, and we hope other businesses in our service territory follow their example by joining our Green Energy program."

Interested customers can enroll in the Green Energy program - and calculate the environmental benefit of their purchase in terms of carbon emissions reduced each month - by visiting www.eon-us.com/green.


E.ON U.S., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a subsidiary of E.ON A.G., the world's largest investor-owned energy services provider. E.ON U.S. is a diversified energy services company that owns and operates Louisville Gas and Electric Company, a regulated utility that serves 321,000 natural gas and 394,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties, and Kentucky Utilities Company, a regulated electric utility in Lexington, Ky., that serves 525,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia.