Hi Kellie26, Great question. Although the ground wire is not a current caring wire it is very important for fixtures with a lot of metal parts. If a short occurs and these parts become energize that could shock you with out a proper ground. HomeDepot sell the fixture ground wire by the foot. Tie it on to the fixtures ground with a wire nut and run it along with the chain to your source of power. If it is a plug then you will have to put a grounded plug on the end of the wire and attach the ground to the green screw on the new three wire plug. If you are hardwiring the fixture tie the ground to the bare copper wire from your source of power. I hope this helps. Stukas
I am a Master Trade Specialist with the Home Depot
