Green energy solutions are easy to talk about, but not every company that appears to offer them is giving its customers everything it claims it is. Because many companies make false promises about energy efficiency and green technologies, to draw customers in without delivering on those promises, it's been necessary to develop organizations to assess environmental claims and grant certification to companies who deliver on them. One of these organizations is called Green-e Energy, and it works in cooperation with a whole network of other socially responsible accreditation groups.

Green-e Energy, as one of an increasing number of organizations granting environmental accreditation, does work that dovetails with that of other members of this important network. If it certifies an energy source, then that source can be used to gain LEED credit for a building. This refers to the U.S. Green Building Council's rating system for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (hence, LEED). To earn such credit, buildings are judged on how they reduce carbon emissions, are water and energy efficient, are stewards of resources, and what other environmental impact they have. These two certifications work together.

So what, exactly, does this organization do? It both educates and certifies. For example, in the Green-e Climate program, companies must meet certain standards in the voluntary marketplace of carbon offsets and greenhouse gas emission reductions. In the Green-e Marketplace program, a business or organization must buy renewable energy from approved companies or generate it themselves on-site in certain approved ways. And in the Green-e program itself, companies supplying such energy are required to meet certain requirements and standards before being given certification, and must be willing to submit to regular audit and verification programs, whose reports will be provided to the public.

The Green-e Energy organization also makes considerable efforts at outreach and information sharing. At its website (http://www.green-e.org/), people can search for local certified energy suppliers, download information brochures, find links to green energy events and read verification reports. The organization publishes guides to help people understand renewable energy claims and provides information about what to watch for when trying to switch to more sustainable types of energy. This is an organization that is serious about helping people and companies move to more responsible kinds of energy use, and it does this in a very thorough, well-informed way, with a myriad of facts at its disposal. When it grants certification to a company, it's very clear that it has done its homework.