Massachusetts Municipalities and Schools Earn Awards and Grants for Sustainability Efforts
Learn how you municipality or school district can get money for sustainable energy.
In central MA once again the Blackstone Valley Regional Technical High School was once again recognized for its efforts in sustainable energy first earned with their LEED certification on its new addition and re-engineering of its older buildings. Now the school is one of six organizations in the state named by Governor Deval L. Patrick to receive a Clean Energy Workforce Development Grant. This grant will be worth $150,460.
The Massachusetts state house recognized outstanding efforts among Commonwealth agencies, public institutions of higher education, and municipalities that have established and implemented policies and programs resulting in significant and demonstrable environmental benefits. Two Municipal Awards went to the Town of Shirley Public Schools and the Town of Barnstable. The Town of Shirley Public Schools received the award for their efforts in electricity management that resulted in a 14.3% reduction at the elementary school and an 11.5% reduction at the middle school. The Town of Barnstable’s “Green Team Committee” was recognized for its efforts to reduce waste and energy consumption and to improve building efficiencies.
Two higher education awards were presented to Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) and to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. MassArt has taken several actions to improve energy efficiency, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to advance water conservation, to reduce waste, and to promote “green” design and activities on campus. UMass-Dartmouth created an Office of Community Sustainability to coordinate a growing interest in campus wide environmental and energy issues.
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nine wind energy project grants
US Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles has made grants available for nine new wind energy projects awarded by the MA Renewable Energy Trust through the new Commonwealth Wind Community-Scale Wind initiative.
‘Wind energy is a core component of Governor Patrick’s plan for the Commonwealth’s clean energy future,’ said Secretary Bowles. ‘These nine grants will help get more wind turbines installed and help more community institutions reduce their use of fossil fuels.’
The grants amount to more than $2.2m and project funding included design and construction grants for three wind projects totaling more than 4MW and six feasibility studies for wind energy that would amount to more than 3MW in capacity if built.
‘These heavy energy-users-municipal and state facilities, schools, retail centers, and farms-have much to gain from wind power, and the Trust is glad to be able to put wind power within their reach,
4 Comments
A terrric article and a valuable resource. Our town and school has used “Ecology by Design” as the firm to figure this all out for our town and school district. Their URL is : http://ecoprofitable.wordpress.com/ We found the team knowledgable, knew what they were taking about, worked well with the school and the town planners. One of the priniciple consultants and owners Laura Hanny is the most knowledgeable person I have ever meet in how to do this all the right way. I would recommend them to anyone.
I agree with evertyhing the previous person said we also used Laura Hanny’s team and found them knowledgeable , dependable, and easy to work with. They have contacts to overcome any insurmountable issue.
I recommend that you read School Districts Make Money with Sustainable Energy Url : http://socyberty.com/activism/school-districts-make-money-with-sustainable-energy/
Great article. “Ecology by Design” can get you on track fast Laura’s team is an impressive collection of talent, with Laura knowing about site surveying, costing, grant writing, permitting, working with the town and schools and she is an expert on different kinds of wind trubine, solar-passive and active and geothermal. She can find the kind of equipment to meet you site wind, water, sunlight and geothermal requirments- they also do site audits. I really nice bunch of folks.
Terrific article right to the point of the matter. School Administrators , School Comittees and counsels do not see the money available and don’t get it. They never have the skills on board to pull this off. They add more layers to administration and cost the municipality more- don’t see the forest for the trees how to both save and generate money.
Terrific article hit the nail right on the head.