Earth Day at Xcel Energy is a time to celebrate our ongoing commitment to the places we live and work. This month, employees across several states we serve—including Minnesota, Colorado, and Michigan—are taking part in our third annual Earth Day Tree Giveaway in partnership with Neighborhood Forest. They’ll help expand green spaces to strengthen their communities. Meanwhile, volunteers in Minnesota are gearing up for the Mighty Mississippi Clean Up Challenge.
But the mission of Earth Day isn’t limited to one day or even one month: all year long, Xcel Energy and its employees work toward a more sustainable future by reducing emissions, preserving wildlife habitats and protecting species.
And each year, through the Xcel Energy Foundation, we directly support local nonprofits dedicated to protecting and preserving our natural resources. In 2024 we awarded $848K to 69 nonprofit organizations through our Environmental Sustainability focus area, including investments that will result in the planting of 21K trees, offsetting 14K tons of carbon emissions.
Read on to see how we put the environment and our communities first all year round.
Supporting Pollinator Habitats
Business for Environmental Excellence (BEE) Sustainable Partners Program, hosted by Butterfly Pavilion in Denver, Colorado, engages employees and communities in hands-on conservation efforts that make an impact across open spaces throughout the state.
Through this initiative, we work alongside experts to restore and protect pollinator habitats. In the past year, our five corporate partners have contributed over 100 hours of volunteer service, leading to the removal of 3,240 pounds (1.62 tons) of invasive weeds, improving two acres (1.5 miles) of pollinator habitat trails.
Additionally, our teams have collected more than 50,000 native seeds, enough to restore over an acre of pollinator habitats, and protected 25 native shrubs from prairie dogs, ensuring a healthier and blooming ecosystem for our pollinators and birds.
Beyond volunteer work, we foster ongoing education through quarterly lunch-and-learn sessions and end-of-year celebrations that reinforce our shared responsibility for the environment. Xcel Energy is not only advancing sustainability within our operations but also sets an example for businesses to drive real, lasting environmental change.
Preserving Waterways
Flowing through the heart of the Upper Midwest, the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers have long been a sanctuary for wildlife and a source of inspiration for those who walk their shores. But keeping these waters pristine requires dedication and action. That’s why Xcel Energy has partnered with the Wild Rivers Conservancy, working together to protect these rare ecological treasures.
The St. Croix Watershed Habitat Protection and Restoration program has led to the active management of 1,318 acres of land and the protection of 6.5 miles of shoreline. Through our collaboration, Xcel Energy is helping to restore habitats as well as ensuring clean, thriving waterways for everyone to enjoy. This partnership is more than conservation—it’s a commitment to the communities who depend on these rivers, the wildlife that call them home, and the generations who will one day paddle these same waters. By investing in environmental stewardship every day, not just on Earth Day, we are ensuring that these rivers continue to flow wild and free for years to come.
Protecting Bird Species
Our dedication to environmental stewardship includes efforts to protect bird species across our service areas. In 2002, we became the first utility in the nation to create a proactive approach with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, entering agreements to develop Avian Protection Plans. These plans reflect our belief that utility leadership includes protecting wildlife and preserving natural ecosystems. Transmission infrastructure can unintentionally create risks for birds during nesting, roosting or flight.
Through the Avian Protection Plans, we’ve addressed these risks head-on by retrofitting high-priority lines and poles, especially in the Colorado, New Mexico and Texas area, where upgrades are now complete. These plans extend beyond power lines. As part of the construction and operation of our Sagamore Wind Project, we partnered with Lost Draw Conservation Bank to preserve approximately 2,000 acres of habitat for Lesser Prairie Chicken, a threatened species in the Southern Great Plains. Since 2014, we’ve voluntarily spent more than $9.5 million on minimizing and mitigating impacts and improving habitat for these birds.
We’ve also rerouted transmission lines in the region to avoid critical habitats, not only for the Lesser Prairie Chicken, but also for the federally endangered Desert Sand Dune Lizard. Critically, the rerouting of our transmission lines avoids sand dune ecosystems the Desert Sand Dune Lizard depends on. This way, we demonstrate thoughtful siting and long-term conservation.
Earth Day reminds us that the steps we take today—planting trees, protecting wildlife, supporting communities—create an ongoing impact for generations to come. At Xcel Energy, we’re proud to turn that spirit into action every day of the year. Want to learn more about how we’re making progress? Explore our Environmental Initiatives and read our Sustainability Report to see how we’re delivering on our commitment to a cleaner energy future. Keep an eye out for our 2025 report, coming this June.