Late summer 2008 Edition

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IN THIS ISSUE:

• CET reaches 30% more!
• Green homes on Village Hill
• Renewable energy workshops draw crowds
• CET rides into town
• Berkshire Team scores at regional JSS
• Clean and green Northampton
• From Beacon Hill to Western MA

CET reaches 30% more!

Last year CET staff reached more than 20,000 children and adults in their classrooms, town halls and community centers. We reached tens of thousands more through newspapers, radio, television and our web site. As astonishing as it sounds, our educational and outreach activities over the last year increased by 30 percent! And that doesn't even include the thousands of homes we visited to conduct energy audits. (This coming year we estimate we'll do 2000 to 2700 home energy audits.) At the end of every June we tally up our numbers to report to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a source of organizational support. That's when we discovered the extent of our reach. Are you interested in energy efficiency, renewable energy, recycling or climate change? Visit www.cetonline.org and learn more about everything we do!

Green homes on Village Hill

Healthy, energy efficient homes and a walkable village-like environment are coming to what is known as the Hospital Hill site in Northampton. We've been working with Wright Builders to ensure all the hill homes they are constructing will earn the ENERGY STAR label and LEED for Homes certification. If you are interested in going green in your new or existing home, contact Megan McDonough at 1-800-369-3333 ext. 21.

Renewable energy workshops draw crowds

Renewable energy presentations held by CET in May and June drew standing room only crowds. Participants discovered how to get started with wind or solar projects for their home, business or community; and learned about the technology, site evaluation, and rebates and incentives, including the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's 68 million dollar Commonwealth Solar program. Attendees report that they are keen on our presenter Chris Vreeland, for his knowledge and amazing ability to impart it clearly and completely with a dash of humor. Learn more about renewable energy by contacting Nancy Nylen.

CET rides into town

Communities with limited resources are working on ways to save money and implement greener practices with a little help from citizen, business and municipal volunteers. CET's new Climate Action Circuit Rider program allows us to work with towns on strategies to reduce their energy waste and build awareness among residents about reducing their carbon footprint. Recently, representatives from more than 15 area towns got together to network and learn how to strengthen their community's energy committee at a CET workshop during Co-op Power's 4th annual Sustainable Energy Summit. Our next round of Greening Your Community workshops are scheduled for October in both the Valley and the Berkshires. These activities are supported by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the Jessie B. Cox Charitable Lead Trust. For more information, contact Peggy MacLeod at 413-586-7350 ext. 26.

Berkshire team scores at regional JSS

Close to 300 middle school students from across the Northeast converged under a sunny Springfield sky in early June to go heat to heat in the 2008 Junior Solar Sprint Regional Championship. Best model solar cars were judged in a variety of categories, and we're proud to announce that one of the teams from the Berkshire competition won the Best Re-Use of Materials award. So they scored on renewables and recycling. Congratulations to the Our Team crew - Herberg Middle School students Zach Rahilly and Tim McCraken. We again thank our co-sponsors for the Berkshire competition: Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO), Berkshire Gas, Energy Federation Incorporated, NESEA, Berkshire Bank, Guido's Fresh Marketplace, Bob's Elm Street Service and South Street Servicenter. For more information contact Cynthia Grippaldi at 413-445-4556 ext. 25.

Clean and green in Northampton

CET was instrumental in helping Northampton surpass 6% of households and businesses enrolled in a clean energy option like New England GreenStartsm. The city earned a Massachusetts Clean Energy Choice matching grant of $12,400 for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, which brings the total earned by the City to $198,555 - more than any other municipality in the Commonwealth, including Boston, Cambridge or Worcester! For more information on Clean Energy contact Tomasin Whitaker at 413-586-7350 ext. 25.

From Beacon Hill to Western MA

We are thrilled that the MA legislature has enacted and the Governor has signed two major pieces of innovative legislation that will reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and strengthen our local economy -- the Green Communities Act and the Green Collar Jobs Act. The state's goal is to achieve 20% clean energy by 2020. As these programs, policies and regulations and new resources are developed, CET is working overtime to respond to the ever-increasing requests for help in saving energy and money. We've hired and trained three new energy analysts and will be training 5-10 more this fall - once again demonstrating that our collective commitment to energy efficiency will result in local green collar jobs. The revisions in net-metering will make it more attractive for small businesses and households to install renewable energy systems and CET will help increase public understanding through technology workshops, tours and other activities. We are also very excited that the legislation recognizes the leadership role that communities will play in a sustainable energy future. You can read the Summary of the Green Communities Act with this pdf download. For more information, contact Laura Dubester at 413-445-4556 ext. 13.

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For over 30 years, CET, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has worked to improve the economy, ecology and health of western Massachusetts. Visit www.cetonline.org to find out more about our programs and to make a secure online donation to CET. Your tax-deductible contribution will help sustain our community work.