10 Green Stories In Connecticut

 

January 15, Bloomfield, Conn. – AuctorVerno, LLC and buildingctgreen.com have announced the 2007 CTGreen10, recognizing the ten best Connecticut green stories for the past year. AuctorVerno's staff has selected stories that include energy projects, education, recycle and reuse, commercial, school and residential building projects and green transportation. Any person, businesses, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) and governmental institutions/programs that had a green story was eligible for recognition. The nomination period was from November 26 to December 31, 2007.

 

"We want to thank everyone who submitted nominations this year," said AuctorVerno's Managing Director, Adam Ney. "This year's stories are truly reflective of Connecticut's position as a leader in the emerging green economy. They are about innovation and change and hopefully will be models for others to follow."

 

Last year, nine green stories were selected for inclusion in the 2006 CTGreen9. Because of Connecticut’s green growth over the last year, we added one more slot and included two stories worth mentioning. Below is the list in alphabetical order.

 

 

 

Bartlett Hollow at the Bacon Homestead, Middletown
Nominated by Georgia Newcomb, Bartlett Hallow

 

Bartlett Hollow is Connecticut’s first all geothermal, Energy Star, solar active adult community. The development has received three HOBI (Home Building Industry) Awards; for Best Green Community, Best Detached 55+ Community (over 2,000 sq. ft) and Best Green Feature for the homes’ solar panels.

 

 

Branford Public Schools - Francis Walsh Intermediate School
Nominated by Trane, Farmington

 

The Branford Public School District in Branford, Connecticut consists of one high school, the 248,000 square foot Francis Walsh Intermediate School, three elementary schools and a pre-kindergarten facility. Retrocommissioning Francis Walsh Intermediate School in the summer of 2007 revealed that the results of the heating and cooling renovation and lighting retrofit program made the school eligible for an ENERGY STAR rating through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

 

 

CTTRANSIT and New England’s First Fuel Cell-powered Hybrid Bus
Nominated by UTC Power, South Windsor

 

New England’s first zero-emission fuel cell-powered hybrid bus debuted in Hartford in April of 2007. Equipped with a UTC Power fuel cell power plant, the bus is operated and maintained by CTTRANSIT and re-fueled with hydrogen at UTC Power’s facility in South Windsor, Conn. The bus circulates on a route in downtown Hartford, giving local residents and visitors an opportunity to experience this clean, quiet transit experience.

 

 

Elm City Green School Renaissance Leads the Constitution State - Barnard Environmental Magnet School
Nominated by the Connecticut Green Building Council

 

Home to one of American history’s first public tree-planting initiatives, the ‘Elm City’ or New Haven can now boast that its present and future leadership on energy and the environment resides in its green schools. The Barnard Environmental Magnet School now stands as Connecticut’s model for a high performance school.

 

 

Green Home Design - 122 Bayberry Lane, Westport, CT
Nominated by Barry Katz Homebuilding

 

Selected by the Home Builders Association of Connecticut to receive the 2007 HOBI award for “Best Green House”, it was selected for the award because of its exceptional energy efficiency, environmentally friendly materials, and healthy indoor air quality, in addition to the overall excellence of its design and construction quality.

 

 

L.L. Bean Store, Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk, South Windsor,CT
Nominated by 4Elements Group, Stamford, CT

 

This past summer, L.L. Bean, a national retail giant, opened a new store in Connecticut. The store, which is currently the first retail structure in Connecticut to be LEED registered with the U.S. Green Building Council. The project has applied for the gold certification for the LEED category Commercial Interiors (CI) and is also included in the LEED pilot program for Retail Construction.

 

 

The ReCONNstruction Center, New Britain, CT
Nominated by the ReCoNNstruction Center

 

The ReCONNstruction Center, which is a 6000 square foot warehouse and showroom in New Britain, promotes environmental and social sustainability by salvaging and acquiring new and used building materials and reselling them at prices affordable to low-income and average wage earners. Since 2005, the Center has saved 13.5 tons of materials from the waste stream.

 

 

United Natural Foods, Inc., Dayville, CT
Nominated by Connecticut Clean Energy Fund

 

In December, United celebrated the installation of New England’s largest solar electric system at its headquarters in Dayville. The 550-kilowatt array, funded in part by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, is expected to generate 600,000 kilowatt hours of clean energy annually and avoid over 14 million pounds of carbon dioxide over the 25 year life of the system.

 

 

Yale Sculpture Building and Gallery: First LEED Platinum Building in Connecticut
Nominated by Maria A. Loitz, CPSM, BVH Integrated Services, Inc., Bloomfield, CT

 

Yale University’s new $52.6 million Sculpture Building and Gallery has achieved LEED Platinum Certification by the United States Green Building Council. BVH Integrated Services worked closely with the architect, KieranTimberlake Associates, and the contractor, Shawmut Design and Construction, to devise an energy-efficiency strategy for this glass clad building. Energy modeling was provided by Atelier Ten.

 

 

Yale Develops Green Workers
Nominated by The Center For Business and the Environment at Yale

 

Big Blue – Becoming the Big Green? Among the ivory towers of Yale University, the mantra of “green” is taking the campus by storm. The university has committed to a 43% greenhouse gas reduction target by the year 2020 (based on current emission levels) with a cost goal of no more than one percent of its annual operating budget. It is also producing the next generation of green workers.

 

Worth Mentioning

 

Konover Development, 135 South Road, Farmington, CT
Nominated by Trane, Farmington

 

Konover Development Corporation entered into a project with Trane at their facility at 135 South Road in Farmington, CT to improve the energy efficiency of the building. Trane was more than happy to help since their Connecticut sales and service office is located in the facility. The efficiencies will save 206,084 kilowatt hours – the equivalent of 105,931 pounds of coal not burned, or 13,619 gallons of oil not burned, or 25 homes provided with electricity for a year.

 

 

CBIA Promotes Awareness of Green Business
Nominated by AuctorVerno, LLC

 

During the past year, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) has helped its 10,000 members better understand how they and their employees can embrace and develop best green business practices. CBIA, which employs a little over 100 people in Hartford, has also taken steps to green its own operation and like its members, is finding that implementing green procedures has positive results.