ATLANTA, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to serving communities in Georgia, the Atlanta Area Council, Boy Scouts of America is signing onto Greener Life® for Business, a program where Georgia Natural Gas® (GNG) purchases and retires carbon offsets on customers' behalf to make emissions from their natural gas use carbon neutral.

Georgia Natural Gas' Greener Life for Business program makes it easier for many commercial and industrial processes to decarbonize. Businesses and organizations like the Atlanta Area Council can make their natural gas use carbon neutral without having to disrupt business operations or incur extra costs for prioritizing their environmental goals.

"We appreciate our partnership with Georgia Natural Gas," said Tracy Techau, scout executive/CEO of the Atlanta Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. "Scouting helps children to understand the environment and our responsibilities to our planet as citizens.  Our community is better served by the community stewardship demonstrated by Georgia Natural Gas."

Georgia Natural Gas' Greener Life for Business program is the latest commitment from the Southern Company Gas family that will help both the company and its customers reach their sustainability goals. For participating customers, Georgia Natural Gas will calculate the amount of greenhouse gases their natural gas use releases into the atmosphere and will purchase and retire carbon offsets to balance the impact of those emissions, making their natural gas use carbon neutral.

"We're honored to have the opportunity to help the Scouts reach their sustainability goals while allowing them to maintain normal operations that require natural gas," said Mike Braswell, GNG president and CEO. "We hope more of Georgia's local businesses that also rely on natural gas follow suit and contribute to reducing emissions."

"The more businesses that join the program, the more carbon offsets we will purchase and retire," Braswell continued. "It creates the kind of ripple effect that is required for all businesses to play a role in a clean energy future and establish our state as a leader in sustainability efforts."

Each quarter, Georgia Natural Gas will retire enough carbon offsets on behalf of participants to completely offset the greenhouse gases released by their natural gas use the prior quarter. To learn more about the Greener Life for Business program, click here.

About Georgia Natural Gas

Georgia Natural Gas is part of SouthStar Energy Services. SouthStar is owned by Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). SouthStar also operates as Ohio Natural Gas, Florida Natural Gas, Maryland Energy, Pennsylvania Energy, Grand Rapids Energy (in Michigan) and in other parts of the Southeast as SouthStar Energy Services. SouthStar's subsidiaries in Illinois operate as Illinois Energy and Illinois Energy Solutions.

About Southern Company Gas

Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America's premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.3 million natural gas customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with approximately 666,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other businesses include investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.

About the Atlanta Area Council, Boy Scouts of America

Through the dedication of adult volunteers, the Atlanta Area Council serves thousands of boys and girls in kindergarten to age 20 in 13 Metro-Atlanta counties. For more information about the Atlanta Area Council visit: www.AtlantaBSA.org.

SOURCE Georgia Natural Gas