If you buy organic produce, you might be accustomed to looking for the label that says the food is certified by the USDA.

But did you know that natural gas is a product that also can be verified to show environmental responsibility?

Responsibly sourced gas or RSG is natural gas that an independent third party has verified as meeting the highest standards and practices to minimize the environmental footprint.

Assessment criteria for RSG are generally focused on methane emissions but can consider additional qualities such as other air emissions, water use, water quality, land use or community engagement.

While methane, the main component of natural gas, is used to heat homes and power the electric grid, it’s also a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why it’s increasingly critical to quantify, reduce and monitor methane emissions from every segment of the natural gas value chain, from wells to processing facilities, to transmission and distribution systems to industry and consumers.