New England;
Cleaner Environment Through
Energy Efficiency
£ Clean Energy
SEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
October 2
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An Introduction
nergy use nos on
enormous impact on
New Englond's air
quality, water quality and
climate. That's why EPA New England
has dedicated significant resources
to strategies that reduce the
environmental impacts of energy use
and increase the reliability of our
energy supplies. Through con-
servation and development of cleaner
energy sources. New England can
meet its energy needs while ensuring
the health of our environment.
Through more efficient appliances,
buildings and automobiles, we can
slash our energy demands with no
reduction in the quality of our lives.
And through increased use of
renewable energy such as wind
power and small, decentralized
sources of energy such as fuel cells,
we reduce our reliance on foreign
supplies.
The information in this brochure is a
snapshot of the great worlc being
done by municipalities, businesses,
nonprofit groups and colleges and
universities to mofce energy efficiency
and clean energy a part of their lives too.
Spurred by the prospect of large cost savings on energy bills and growing
citizen interest in less- polluting energy sources, communities as big as
Boston and as small as Poultney, VT are saving mi/lions of dollars each
year with new energy efficiency programs and by using cleaner,
renewable energy sources. Among the highlights:
Energy Efficiency
oer W.Varney
Regional Administrator
EPA New England
> Fairfie/d, CT has saved more than $1 million on its
energy bills the past two years thanks to energy efficiency
improvements at two dozen municipal buildings and school
buildings, as well as the town's wastewater plant. The work has been done
through a Performance Contract with an energy services company which
guarantees the town $7.5 million in energy savings over an eight-year penod.
> In V\torwidc, Ri, the school
deportment has slashed its
electncity, gas and heating bills
at 29 school buildings by 25
percent through vanous energy-
saving measures. The energy-
efficiency program has saved
the city $2.3 million over the past
five years.
> Manchester, NH is
saving nearly $100,000 a
year on its energy bills by
replacing more than 3,000
traffic lights with energy-
efficient light emitting diode
(LED) traffic lamps which use
80 to 90 percent less energy
and are certified under EPA's
ENERGY STAR® Program. The
city is also saving tens of
thousands of dollars a year
on maintenance costs
because the LED lights last
three to four years longer.
> Who says historic
buildings cannot be 'green?' Cambridge, MA debunked this myth
when it restored its 1 32-year-old City Hall Annex with dozens of green
building features, including solar panels, glazed windows, maximized
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Cities and Towns
doylighting and a ground-source heat-pump system that uses three 1,500-foot
deep wells to provide all heating and cooling. The 33,200-square-foot building,
which retained all of its historic architectural features, is expected to use 30 to 40
percent less energy.
> More than 95 percent of Pou/fney, W's 3,575 residents participated in a recent "Change a Light
Challenge," which involved replacing at least one incandescent light bulb per household with new energy
efficient bulbs. The newer Energy Star-qualified bulbs use one fourth as much energy and typically last up
to 10 times longer than the older bulbs. Among the key players in the project was Green Mountain
College which sent students door-to-door to deliver bulbs.
> Skylights, high-efficiency boilers and lights activated with
occupancy sensors are |ust a few of the environmentally friendly
features at the recently-renovated Congm Elementary School in
Wesfbroolc, ME. The $4.2 million project, which is expected to
cut energy usage by 1 5 to 18 percent, was funded in part with a
$1.8 million interest-free loan from a state revolving loan fund and an
$85,000 grant from the state PUC's High Performance Schools Program
nil
•' \\
V:
Keene, NHhasbeena feoaer
»i using btodiese/ /ue/.
t Portsmouth, NH is pushing for its new library to be the first
municipal facility in New Hampshire to be certified under the US
Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) standards. The library will include water-
efficient faucets, daylightmg, occupancy sensors and energy-saving
heating and ventilation systems. Studies show that while 'green' buildings may cost an extra 1-2 percent
to construct, the long-term financial savings will be more than 10 times the additional up-front costs.
> The Somersworth, NH Housing Authority is saving more than 545,000 a year on its energy bills, thanks to
energy-saving lighting and other energy improvements at its 169 housing units. The energy upgrades, completed
last fall, were done through a perormance contract with an energy services company which guarantees the town at
least $540,000 in energy savings over a 12-year period.
Transportation
> Cambridge, MA is using local ordinances to require
companies and developers that add new parking spaces to
offer programs that encourage commuting by public transit,
biking and walking. Among the companies that has developed such programs is
Millenium Pharmaceutical which compensates employees who walk and bike to work and
charges them for use of company parking spaces. The city's Vehicle Trip Reduction and Transportation
Demand Management Ordinances are key reasons why the city has seen a significant drop in single-occupancy car
commuting in recent years.
> In New Haven, CT, the city is running all of the city's diesel vehicles on 'clean' ultra low-sulfur fuel and has
installed a natural gas fuel station that can service up to 30 vehicles.
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Clean Energy
Keene, NH is running all 78 of the city's diesel vehicles on
biodiesel fuel. The cleaner fuel, which is 20 percent soybean oil, is
reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions by 420 tons a year.
In Hull, MA, a new 150-foot-high wind turbine is running all of the town's street lights and traffic lights,
while also saving the town's ratepayers $ 130,000 a year on their electric bills.
t Keene, NH is saving $55,000 a year on its electricity bills by capturing methane gas at its landfill and
converting it to electricity.
> In Brattteboro, VT, the school department is putting the finishing touches on a new wood-heating facility that will use
wood chips from local lumber yards to heat the high school and the middle school. The heating system is expected to save the
city $50,000 a year on energy while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1,280 tons a year.
NE States Stepping up to the Plate on
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Power
From energy-saving vending machines in Maine,
to energy efficient buildings in New Hampshire
to renewable power in Rhode Island, the New
England states are all getting serious about
fostering energy efficiency and "clean" energy
sources within their borders.
As part of their commitment to reduce air pollution
and meet greenhouse gas reduction goals set by
the New England Governors and Eastern
Canadian Premiers in 2001, the region's six state
governments are adopting various strategies and
programs to reduce their overall emissions and, in
many cases, save money at the same time. Among
the recent highlights:
In addition to distributing 3,700 energy-saving
traffic bulbs, Maine officials recently announced fhe
purchase of 100 percenf renewable electricity for
750 state accounts. The extra cost for fhe renewable
power is being offset through energy efficiency
improvements at state buildings, including the recent
installation of Vending Miser vending machines which
use 46 percent less energy.
* Massachusetts has completed an inventory of
greenhouse gas emissions at all state buildings and
has pledged to reduce them by 25 percent fay 2012.
• New Hampshire is saving more fhon $1 million a
year on its energy bills due to recent energy-saving
upgrades at more than two-dozen state buildings.
• Rhode Island recently approved a renewable
energy portfolio standard which requires electricity
suppliers to buy an increasing percentage of
renewable energy every year, ultimately reaching
16 percent by 2020.
All told, the New England states have been among
the notion's leaders when it comes to public
investments in energy efficiency—committing
nearly $250 million in 2003 alone.
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Cities and Towns
> In New Haven, CT, a new hydrogen fuel cell facility at the
city's wastewater treatment plant will save the city nearly 5700,000
on its electric bills over the next 10 years, while also supplying the
heat necessary to run an expanded fats/oil/grease processing facility
which will yield the city an extra 5200,000 in usage fees each year.
The fuel cell uses chemistry rather than combustion to produce
electricity and heat.
> Worcester's pay-as-you-throw trash recycling program has
diverted more than 100,000 tons of trash from incineration, saving
the city millions of dollars in tipping fees while also reducing air
pollution from nearby incinerators. The city's recycling rate is over
50 percent, the highest of any ma|or city in New England.
> Hanover, NH is installing wood-heating facilities that will use
wood chips from local lumber yards to heat the high school and
middle school. The heating systems, a first in a New
Hampshire public school system, will save the
community more than 560,000 a year on energy
bills, while also reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by nearly 1,000 tons a year. The
facilities will displace about 1 1 5,000 gallons
of fuel oil a year.
> Burlington, VT recently signed a 20-year
contract to buy nine megawatts of wind power
from a planned wind project on Little Equinox
Mountain in Manchester, VT. The wind project,
slated to provide seven percent of the city's
electricity, is a major boost to the city's goal of
reducing greenhouse gas emissions citywide by
percent by 2010.
i *
EFKNewEngbnd 's regamlhb
in North Che/msfofd, MA
> Essex Junction, VT is using a new cutting-edge technology at
its wastewater plant to burn methane gas to generate electricity. In
addition to cutting its electric bills by about $30,000 a year, the
co-generator is cutting the plant's greenhouse gas emissions by over
250 tons a year—the equivalent of taking 42 cars off the road.
In The Future
t Brockton, MA is moving forward with plans to build New
England's largest solar energy park on an abandoned Brownfields
site in the city. The "Brightfield" project, which has received major
funding from EPA and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative,
could include as many as 6,720 solar panels connected in ''strings"
that span the 27-acre site. Construction could begin as early as
fall 2004. .5.
EPANEa
National Leader
en Energy
Efficiency
EPA's New England Office is 'walking the talk'
on energy efficiency and one of our proudest
achievements is our new regional laboratory
in North Chelmsford, MA, a national
model for green building design.
Equipped with occupancy
sensors, energy-saving
lighting, modular gas-fired
''ers and dozens of other
_reen' features, the
68,000-square-foot
building is at least 35 percent
gionalhb more energy efficient than a
d, MA^^ typical laboratory. The building is
also being powered with wind-
generated electricity purchased through
Green Mountain Power of Vermont, which will
generate or purchase wind-powered electricity
which matches the electrical consumption of
tf>e lab facility.
The North Chelmsford lab was the first EPA
building in the country to receive a LEED 1.0
Gold Rating from the U.S. Green Building
Council. LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) is a national rating
system designed to encourage more
sustainable buildings.
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Bringing Energy
Efficiency to
Massachusetts
Banks
EPA recently collaborated with the
Massachusetts Bonkers Association,
Cambridge Savings Bank and Mellon Financial
on a series of workshops to educate financial
institutions in Massachusetts about the
importance of energy efficiency and the
availability of the agency's Energy Star
benchmarking software tool that bonks can use
to assess the energy efficiency of their
individual buildings and branches.
The bonkers association, which has more than
200 members with more than 2,000 buildings,
hosted a half-dozen workshops last fall and
winter in all comers of the state. More than 40
banks attended the half-day sessions.
Among the highlights of the workshops were
presentations by two Boston-area banks-
Cambridge Savings and Mellon Financial in
Everett—that have participated in the
agency's ENERGY Sw?*program and are already
seeing tangible benefits in terms of cost savings
and pollution reductions.
EPA will be undertaking an assessment of
follow-up actions taken in response to the
workshops. One bank, Lowell Five Cent
Savings Bank, has already benchmarked 10
of its buildings.
Businesses across New England have learned that
curbing their energy use is one of the easiest, most
cost-effective ways to control costs. Companies are
also achieving greater energy independence and
cost predictability by purchasing more of their power
from clean, renewable energy sources. Among the
examples across the region:
Energy Efficiency
t The MA-based Shaw's Supermarket
chain is saving several million dollars each year
through energy efficiency programs, including
comprehensive lighting retrofits at its stores and detailed
computerized tracking of energy use. Shaw's, a recent ENERGY
STAR® "Partner of the Year," has consistently found that energy-
saving investments have paid for themselves in two to three
years.
> The Raytheon Corp. received a national ENERGY
STAR® award for its successful lighting efficiency program
which is saving the company more than $250,000 a
year on its lighting costs. With upgrades only partially
completed, Raytheon has cut lighting costs by an average
of 82 percent.
> After launching an energy program in 2000, Cambridge
Savings Bank in Cambridge, MA reduced its energy use
by 22 percent between 2001 and 2002, even though it added
two new branches during this time period. The company's
energy efficiency program is saving the bank more than
$60,000 a year on its energy costs. Two Cambridge Savings
Bank buildings earned the ENERGY STAR® label in 2003 and
seven buildings, including five branches, received the
ENERGY STAR® label in 2004.
> Working with Efficiency Maine, Taylor Farm in St.
Albans, ME installed nine large energy efficient fans in its
dairy barn instead of 119 conventional fans. In addition
to expected energy savings exceeding $20,000 a year,
the variable speed drive units produce a more even flow
of cool air that is better for milk production because it
deters the farm's 500 cows from bunching around the
smaller fans.
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> The Genzyme Corp. has built a new 1 2-story headquarters in
Cambridge, MA that will reduce energy use by about 42 percent,
saving the company an estimated $460,000 a year. The building's
sustainable design also includes waterless urinals and low-flow fixtures
that will reduce potable
water use by nearly a third,
i^ or about 500,000
gallons, and a vegetative
roof and rainwater
collection system that will
reduce stormwater runoff
impacts.
Newso/or panels of Show's
Supermor/cef in Burlington, MA
9 it =
t Since launching an
energy program at its
Everett, MA facility in
2001, the Mellon
Financial Corp. has
slashed its energy usage
by 1 3 percent and saved
more than three million
kilowatt hours of electricity.
The reduced energy use at
the 375,000-square-foot
office complex has saved
the company more than
$220,000 over the past
two years. Mellon earned
a 2003 ENERGY STAR® label.
> Progressive Plastics
is saving nearly $18,000
a year by installing energy efficient hydraulic injection molding
machines at its Williamstown, VT plant. In addition to cutting their
electricity use by 1 60,000 kilowatt hours each year, the more efficient
machines reduced the company's scrap rote from five percent to
nearly zero and eliminated the labor and environmental costs of
dealing with hydraulic fluids in the old machines
* Hines, an international property management company, has 70
major office buildings in the US that have received the ENERGY STAK®
label, including two flagship properties in downtown Boston known
as Two Twenty Two Berkeley and Five Hundred Boylston The
company's reduced energy usage and avoided emissions through
2003 was equivalent to removing more than 33,600 vehicles from
the road for a year and planting over 45,000 acres of trees.
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Bringing "Green
Principles to
The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a new
voluntary program between EPA and the
freight industry that will increase the energy
efficiency and energy security of our country
while significantly reducing air pollution and
greenhouse gases. The partnership creates
strong market-based incentives that challenge
companies shipping products, and the truck
and rail companies delivering these products,
to improve the environmental performance
of their freight operations.
By 2012, this initiative aims to reduce 33
million to 66 million metric tons of carbon
dioxide emissions and up to 200,000 tons of
nitrogen oxide emissions per year. At the same
time, the initiative will result in fuel savings of
up to 150 million barrels of oil annually. More
than 50 partners have already joined the
program, including Clean Diesel Technologies
in Stamford, CT; AMI Transport Services in
Worcester, MA; and Brauns Express in
Hopedale, MA.
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ENERGY STAR®
Bolsters Energy
Saving Efforts
EPA's ENERGY STAB® program provides
energy efficiency services for just about
everyone, including municipalities,
business owners and individual
homeowners.
A voluntary partnership between
government, consumers and businesses,
ENERGY STAR*worlcs by making it easy for
everyone to become more energy
efficient. The ENERGY STAR® toco helps
consumers buy products that use less
energy without sacrificing performance.
ENERGY STAR®-qualiried appliances, for
example, use up to 50 percent less energy
and water than standard models. ENERGY
STAR®Jighting performs even better, using
two thirds less energy and lasting six to
7 0 fimes longer than traditional lighting.
ENERGY SM/?*"S Portfolio Manager software
allows municipalities, businesses and
other groups to bench/none and improve
the energy efficiency of their buildings. The
software is easy to use — so easy, that
middle school students in Keene, NH
used it a few years ago to evaluate the
energy performance of Keene City Hall.
As a result of that effort, the city is now
looking to implement energy efficiency
measures in the building.
The bottom line: ENERGY STAR® is saving
money and improving the environment.
In 2003 alone, ENERGY STAR® helped
Americans save more than $9 billion on
their energy bills and prevent greenhouse
gas emissions equivalent to those from
J 8 million automobiles.
> The Green Co., a residential home builder based in Newton, MA,
has constructed hundreds of ENERGY SiAR®-qualified homes in the past
several years, including 80 at the Pinehills in Plymouth, MA that earned
the company a "2004 ENERGY STAR® for Homes Outstanding Achievement
Award." ENERGY SiAR®-qualified homes are independently verified to be at
least 30 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the national
Model Energy Code 10 years ago.
> Gregory's Supply, a building supply and hardware store m
Burlington, VT, is saving about $10,000 a year on its electric bills after
implementing energy efficient equipment and practices at its 24,300-
square-foot store.
Transportation
In addition to offering its employees $65 per month
for transit subsidies, the People's Banlc in Bridgeport,
CT provides employees $ 1 a day when two employees commute together
and $1.50 a day when three or more employees ride together. People's
Bank joined EPA's Best Workplaces for Commuters list last fall.
> Chitrenden Banlc in Burlington, VI is part of the 10 Percent Challenge,
a local effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the city by 10 percent
by 2010. To help employees reduce air pollution from their daily
commutes, the bank provides free bus passes and a shuttle service among
its downtown buildings and remote parking lots.
Clean Energy
Last winter, Cronmore Mountain in North Conwoy,
NH became the first ski resort on the East Coast to use
biodiesel fuel to power its snow grooming machines. The project is a
collaboration of the NH Department of Environmental Services and the
Granite State Clean Cities Coalition, a statewide partnership to increase
the use of alternative fuels across New Hampshire.
> Massachusetts Electric, Nonrucket Electric and Rhode
Island's Narragonseft Electric recently launched a GreenUp program
that gives residential and small business customers several options for
getting their electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind,
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solar, biomass and small hydroelectric. The program, the first of its kind in New
England, has already attracted more than 1,000 Rhode Island customers. For a
typical residential customer using 500 kilowatt hours of electricity a month, the
additional monthly cost, depending on the renewable product selected, will range between
about $6 and $12.50.
> Interface Fabrics Group, a commercial fabric manufacturer with
facilities in Massachusetts and Maine, is buying 2.5 million kilowatt hours of
wind power a year—enough electncity to weave one million yards of Interface's
environmentally conscious fabnc known as Terratex™. The power is being
purchased with Green-e™ certified renewable energy certificates. The
company displays the Green-e™ logo on its products and the new business
generated by this approach has more than offset the premium paid for the
energy certificates.
t The Public Service Co. of New Hampshire expects to begin
construction this fall to replace a 50-megawatt coal-fired unit at its Schiller
Station in Portsmouth, NH with a 50-megawatt 'renewable' unit that will
burn wood chips. In addition to being carbon dioxide neutral, the wood-
fired boiler will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 75 percent, sulfur
dioxide emissions by 98 percent and mercury emissions by 91 percent.
> Pitney Bowes Inc., a $4.4 billion company based in Stamford, CT,
agreed in 2003 to purchase renewable energy certificates for 10 percent
of the electricity consumed at its US and UK offices. The certificates will
support wind, geothermal and other renewable projects. Pitney Bowes is a
founding member of the Green Power Market Development Group, a
commercial/industrial partnership dedicated to building markets for
renewable power.
> New England Confectionery's new manufacturing facility in
Revere, MA is powered by a new six megawatt combined heat and power
(CHP) plant, which operates at an efficiency of 68 percent compared to a
national average of 33 percent for conventional generation. The plant will
save the company about $750,000 a year in utility costs while cutting emissions per ton of candy produced of
carbon dioxide by 32 percent, nitrogen oxides by 39 percent and sulfur dioxide by 97 percent.
In The Future
Concerned about electric system reliability in Fairfield County, CT, EPA's New England Office is working with the
Bus/ness Council of Soufhwesf Connect/cuf (SACIA) to advance energy efficiency in the business community.
EPA and SACIA members evaluated eight million square feet of office space and discovered vast opportunities to
slash energy use and save millions of dollars. Armed with nearly $1 million from Connecticut Department of Public
Utility Control, EPA, SACIA and Connecticut Light and Power are now moving forward with a pilot project to
implement energy efficient programs in the office buildings.
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Nonprofit groups ore uniquely positioned to educate and inspire New Englanders about the wide range of
possibilities for "greening" buildings with energy-saving features and renewable energy. All across the region—
from parish halls and art studios in Massachusetts, to land conservation groups in New Hampshire—nonprofits
are using new green building designs to showcase technologies that are available and to demonstrate their own
environmental commitment.
Energy Efficiency
> Given Mark
Twain's fascination
with technology, it
only makes sense that the new Museum Cenfer at
the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, CT
would include cutting-edge green' technologies. The 33,000-square-
foot building that opened last fall uses geothermal wells as the primary
heating and cooling source for the building and various other energy-
saving systems that are expected to cut energy use by nearly 30 percent.
> By installing photovoltaic solar panels and a renewable wood-chip
heating system, fhe Society for the Protection of New Hampshire
Forests has cut the energy bills at its Concord, NH headquarters by 23
percent. The nonprofit group has also opened a new 1 1,400-square-foot
wing, built with native green-certified lumber and a super-insulated air-
tight exterior shell, that uses 60 percent less energy than comparably-sized buildings.
t Through upgrades and other energy-saving measures, fhe All Saints Parish of Brookline, MA has cut its utility
bills by nearly $5,000 a year, despite an increase in operating hours. All Saints Parish is a member of the Massachusetts
Interfaith Power and Electric initiative which has helped dozens of other congregations reduce energy consumption
and Renewable Energy
EPAs New England Office is working closely with
state and federal agencies to increase the supply
of renewable energy resources in the region. EPA
was one of several federal and state agencies to
provide funding to Brockton, MA to redevelop an
abandoned 27-acre industrial site into the largest
solar electricity generation facility in New England.
Construction is expected to begin this fall. EPA is
also working with the Massachusetts Renewable
Energy Trust and other state agencies to assist
Massachusetts municipalities in siting and building
small-scale wind power protects in their
communities. Finally, EPA New England is working
with federal and state agencies to review large
and controversial renewable energy projects such
as the Cape Wind proposal off Cope Cod to
ensure that they are developed in a manner
consistent with the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act.
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Nonprofits
P/K>tovolto»cpane/s provide 25 percent
of fhe electricity at the Doyle Conservation
Center in Leominstec MA
and promote renewable
energy.
> Roof-mounted
photovoltaic panels,
composting toilets
and two 1 ,500-foot
geothermal wells used
for heating and cooling
are just a few of the
"green" attributes of
The Trusfees of
Reservof/ons' new
Doyle Conservation
Center in Leominster, MA. The 1 8,000-square-foot building
is showing annual energy savings of 61 percent, which is
reducing energy bills by about $6,000 a year.
> Massachusetts Audubon's Boston
Nature Center in Mattapan, MA includes
photovoltaic shingles that convert the sun's
energy into electricity and a ground-source
geothermal heat pump system that takes
advantage of the solar energy stored in the
earth to provide efficient heating and
cooling. The 10,1 50-square-foot building
uses 30 to 35 percent less energy than
similarly sized buildings.
Transportation
Bike commuting is catching
on in Burlington, VT
> In Burlington, VT, the Campus Area
Transportation Management Association is
spearheading a Bike/Walk Bucks Reward Program in which 200
city employees are earning $10 a month by biking or walking to
work. The commuter incentive—awarded as $10 gift certificates
redeemable at downtown stores—is available to workers at the
University of Vermont and several other large employers.
^ A partnership of Maine organizations, including Acadia
National Park, Downcast Transportation Inc and Friends of
Acadia, last year launched a 'clean' propane shuttle bus service
that substantially reduced road congestion and pollution levels
on Mount Desert Island. The free Island Explorer Shuttle Bus
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Best Workplaces
for Commuters
EPA and the U.S. Department of Transportation
have teamed up to recognize and honor
companies and organizations that offer superior
commuter benefits such as public transit subsidies,
robust te/ecommuting programs and corpoo/
matching services. Participating companies and
organizations ore included on New England's
list of "Best Workplaces for
Commuters." The list is
publicized annually through
the media and at special
j. ' ^ events across New
» "1 England.
...e current list for 2004
includes 30 new
employers from around
New England, bringing the
list total to 113 employers
ng scotching
, >/r ^ representing neany /70,0(
employees in the region. Among
those on the New England list are
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Harvard University, Delta Airlines, EMC Corp.,
Massachusetts General Hospital and Intel. Also
recognized this year for the first time was fhe Upper
Valley New Hampshire/Vermont Best Workplaces
for Commuters District, which has done exemplary
work in providing commuter benefits to residents
in Hanover, NH and five nearby communities.
In 2002, EPA's New England Office in Boston
became the first government agency in the region
to join the program. More than 90 percent of the
agency's Boston employees use public transit, van
pools or bicycles in their daily commutes.
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The Greater Bosten
Breathes Better
Campaign
EPA has launched a new partnership among
government, the private sector, institutions and
non-profit organizations to improve Boston's air
quality by reducing air pollution and air toxics
from transportation sources in the Boston area.
The pro/ect, a collaboration of Boston area
companies, medical and academic institutions,
non-profit organizations, government agencies,
and EPA, provides one-stop shopping for local
partners to participate in EPA's voluntary
transportation programs and other innovative
pro/ects to reduce air pollution and air toxics from
mobile sources.
Workshops were held this spring and summer to
solicit input and involvement from Boston area
companies, medical and academic institutions
and local communities.
Many employers are already taking action. Boston
Coach has established a robust anti-idling
program for all of its buses and limos. Shuttle buses
that service the Long wood Medico/ area hove
been equipped with diesel particulote matter filters
and run on ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, reducing
emissions by more than 90 percent. And Harvard
University is operating all of its diesel vehicles on
biodiesel fuel. In /ust the post year, 11 Boston-
area employers have been added to EPA's Best
Workplaces for Commuters list.
Nonprofits
service includes seven bus routes linking inns, hotels and
campgrounds in and around Acadia National Park.
> Grow Smart Road Island, a member of the New England
Best Workplaces for Commuters coalition, provides employees
with a $150-per-month subsidy for public transit expenses.
Clean Energy
The Artists for Humanity Epicenter,
a new studio and exhibit center in Boston's
Point Channel neighborhood, includes the city's largest
photovoltaic system.
The 49-kilowaft, 160-
panel solar array is
expected to supply
more than 80 percent
of the building's
electricity. The project,
which received funding
support from the
Massachusetts
Technology
Collaborative and
NStar, also includes
natural daylighting,
panel fans and an
unusual ventilation
tower that eliminates
the need for air
conditioning.
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Colleges & Universities
Blending student idealism and cutting-edge thinking, university campuses
are ideal locations for setting the bar on energy efficiency and clean energy
projects. That's certainly been the case in New England, where dozens of
universities and colleges are aggressively reducing their energy consumption
and purchasing renewable energy at unprecedented levels. And the impetus is coming
from all levels—from ground-level student activists such as CT College's Renewable Energy
Club to high-level administrators.
Energy Efficiency
> The Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE) at Eastern Connecticut State
University is using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool to help cities
and towns across Connecticut measure and improve their energy performance. ISE has already evaluated
more than 70 school and municipal buildings - leading to actions that are saving the communities
millions of dollars each year on their energy bills.
> The University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH has received national kudos for its energy
efficiency program which has cut UNH's energy bills by more than
$4 million a year. After surveying 180 colleges and universities,
the US Department of Energy recognized UNH for being in the top
five percent of the energy-efficient research universities in the
country. The program includes lighting change-outs, motor
replacements, control system upgrades and energy awareness
programs for maintenance and operations staff, students and
faculty.
* Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT received the Excellence
in Energy Efficiency Award this winter from Efficiency Vermont, a
statewide energy efficiency utility, for successfully integrating energy
efficiency in a number of recent construction projects, including a
new library, a new dining and residency hall and a chilled water
plant. The college expects it will save $35,000 in energy costs each year at the library due to energy
efficiency measures regarding construction and lighting. The energy-saving measures will also curb
greenhouse gas emissions by 250 tons a year.
> Since the University of Vermont established an energy policy in the early 1990s, projects in
energy efficiency and smarter energy use have avoided an estimated $1.6 million in electricity costs in
2003 alone. Among the 'smart' projects: Cooling system upgrades at the heating plant have reduced
annual energy bills by $40,000 and annual water use by 690,000 cubic feet. New on-campus washing
machines consume 50 percent less water and 40 percent less electricity. Occupancy sensors, light
emitting diode exit signs and Sleep Mode software for computers are used in all campus buildings.
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Transportation
> Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH has reduced parking
and traffic congestion by implementing a Parking Decal
Buyout Program which provides subsidies to eligible
employees who use alternative transportation means for
getting to work instead of commuting alone in their cars. Participants receive subsidies of up
to $360 a year, as well as four parking passes per month.
> In an effort to reduce the number of cars on its campus, Tuffs University m Medford, MA is offering
faculty, staff and students over 21 years of age the option of using Zipcars, which can be leased on an
hourly basis. Members reserve cars by phone or the Internet, go to the car parked in its designated spot
and use their membership card to get in. More than a dozen college campuses in the region are
participating in the Zipcar program.
t In addition to providing an extensive shuttle bus service for employees and students, Yale University
sponsors a HomeBuyer Program that offers $25,000 to employees who purchase homes in designated
areas of New Haven, CT, enabling them to walk, bike or take the shuttle to work. Nearly 600 employees
have taken advantage of the program. It is the largest, most generous employee-assistance home ownership
program offered by a university.
Clean Energy
> The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA is
using 28 percent less fuel with a 21-megawatt combined heat and power
facility that provides electricity, process steam and heating and cooling for its
campus. The university received an Energy Star Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Award
for its work.
> Colby College in Waterville, ME no longer relies on fossil fuels for its electricity thanks
to a new contract that has all of the college's electricity coming from renewable energy
sources. Half of the college's power is coming from Maine hydro-power, the other half from
Maine biomass wood waste such as wood chips and saw dust. By eliminating its past
reliance on coal for 70 percent of its power, Colby has cut its smog-causing nitrogen oxide
emissions by 41 percent and acid rain-causing sulfur dioxide emissions by 98 percent.
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* In April 2004, the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, ME became the nation's
first college to make a multi-year commitment to purchase 100 percent of its electricity
from new renewable wind-power sources. To achieve this goal, the college signed two
contracts - a short-term contract to buy renewable energy credits, or 'green tags/ from
Native Energy LLC in Charlotte, VT and a long-term contract with the Endless Energy Corp. which is developing
wind power facilities in Maine.
^ Connecticut College, a founding member of EPA's Green Power Partnership, recently doubled its support for
the generation of green power by purchasing wind power energy certificates equal to six megawatts, or about 44
percent of the college's annual electrical consumption. The effort began three years ago when students in the
college's Renewable Energy Club won approval to raise student fees to pay the extra costs for the renewable power.
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Colleges & Universities cont'd
> EAD Environmental, a New York-based green power marketer, announced this
year that it will supply Harvard University in Cambridge, MA with renewable energy
certificates (RECs) to offset the electricity consumption of newly constructed, energy
efficient buildings. Under a two-year contract, Harvard will purchase 3.99 million kilowatt
hours of Green-e™ certified RECs from landfill gas generating projects, which is equivalent to
150 percent of the electricity needed for the new Graduate School Housing building.
> Under a two-year contract, EAD Environmental is also supplying the University of Southern Maine fUSMj
in Portland, ME with 1.5 million kilowatt hours of Green-e™ certified renewable energy certificates from wind
energy facilities to offset the electricity needs of a new campus building for which it is seeking LEED certification.
> Vale University in New Haven, CT was recently recognized by EPA's Combined Heat & Power Partnership for
its Direct Fuel Cell power plant that provides 250 kilowatts of electricity as well as heat for controlled humidity at
the school's Environmental Science Center. The power plant supplies about half of the electric power for the
building, which is the archival storage facility for the Yale Peabody Museum. Heat from the fuel cell is recovered
and used to maintain a controlled humidity environment for Peabody's collection of artifacts. The CHP system
operates at 58 percent efficiency and requires 32 percent less fuel than typical onsite thermal generation and
purchased electricity.
NE and Eastern Canadian Universities
Charting New Energy Paths
Lost summer, the governors of the New England
states and the premiers of the eastern Canadian
provinces issued a "campus challenge" to the
presidents and chancellors of colleges and
universities across the region, asking their support
to the greenhouse gas reduction goals adopted
by the governors and premiers in 2001. By May
2004, the leaders of nearly 100 schools had
pledged their support.
On the heels of that support, EPA and the NE
Board of Higher Education held a college/
university climate change symposium in June that
brought together campus budget and planning
officials, energy and plant managers and
sustainability coordinators from across the region.
Participants heard case studies, shared their varied
experiences in "greening" their campuses, and
discussed ways to implement commitments made
in response to last year's "campus challenge."
Much of the work will focus on improving energy
performance through aggressive energy
efficiency and conservation, pursuing clean
technology projects, expanding recycling and
green procurement activities, purchasing hybrid
and fuel efficient vehicles and exploring
opportunities for renewable energy.
Plans for future workshops are being developed
by the NEGC/ECP's College/University
Committee and its advisory group.
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Contacts & Reference
EPA New England
Energy Team
Programs:
Energy Efficiency
Renewable Energy/
Clean Technologies
Transportation
SmartWay Transport
Partnership
Global Climate Change/
Energy
Contact
Informations
For more information
call 1-800-827-1237
or visit
www.epa.gov/ne
Web links to EPA's Energy Programs
Energy Star www.energystar.gov/
Green Power Partnership wwwepa.gov/greenpower/
Combined Heat and Power Partnership
www.epa.gov/chp/
Best Workplaces for Commuters
www.commuterchoice.gov/
SmartWay Transport Partnership
www.epa.gov/smartway/
Climate Leaders -www.epa.gov/climateleaders/
Web links to EPA New England
Energy Programs
Energy & New England's Environment
www.epa.gov/region 1 /eco/energy/index.html
EPA NE's 'Green' Regional Laboratory—
www.epa.gov/region 1 /lab/greenbuilding/mdex.html
Related Links
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
www.neep.org/
Web links to New England
State Energy Programs
Connecticut—www.ctclimatechange.com
Maine—www.maine.gov/dep/air/globalwarming/index.htm
Massachusetts—www.mass.gov/ocd/climate.html
New Hampshire—
www.des.state.nh. us/a rd/climatechange/i ndex.html
Rhode Island—www.state.ri.us/dem/programs/bpoladm/
stratpp/greenhos.htm
Vermont—www.vermont.gov/governor/orders/Climate-
Change-Action-Plan.html
Credits
Content Peyton Fleming
Graphic Design/Illustration —Kim Gorrasi
?/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
October 2(KU
EPA90l-K-m-(X)l
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