Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) purchased renewable energy credits (RECs) for wind power equivalent to the electricity it uses annually at its corporate headquarters in New York City.

PB’s purchase of RECs for 3.1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity is made through Community Energy Inc., and guarantees that carbon-free energy generated by wind farms is produced and fed into the national grid to offset the conventional power it receives at its offices in midtown Manhattan. PB will continue to draw electricity from the local power grid.

“This purchase is part of an ongoing corporate commitment to sustainability,” said CEO Keith Hawksworth. “Buying green power is a viable way for Parsons Brinckerhoff to contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and address the problem of global warming.”

Wind power RECs purchased by PB will offset the release of roughly 1,870 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is the estimated equivalent of planting 1,600 acres of trees or taking 359 cars off the road for one year.

PB has also joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership, a group of organizations that have made voluntary commitments to purchase electricity from renewable sources.