Medford Energy Committee Chair Fred Laskey, Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn, and Tufts University President Anthony Monaco accepting a Green Award for Tufts' Office of Sustainability.
The winners of first Medford Green Awards were announced at the Harvest You Energy Festival on Saturday October 13. Mayor McGlynn, Jodie Coyne Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, Tufts President Monaco, and Fred Laskey Chairman of the Energy Committee, presented the awards to each winner. The award was a Bamboo Plaque that was giving to each of the eleven businesses and ten residents. The businesses also received a Green Award window decal that can be placed in their window for
all patrons to see.
The Green Awards Program recognizes businesses and citizens who have made their business or home more energy efficient, installed renewable energy, adopted practices to conserve water, reduce the amount of resources used in their work and daily routine, and other actions to conserve resources are helping to improve Medford today and in the future.
Mayor McGlynn congratulated the winners and said, “The Green Award winners deserve high praise for their commitment to the environment and their commitment to making Medford a better place to live and work.”
Applications were received from both businesses and residents. Practices that were considered for the award include generation of renewable energy, energy conservation, environmental advocacy, water conservation, waste reduction and reuse, sustainable landscaping methods, and other innovative environmental and energy conservation practices. A Sub-Committee to the Energy Committee made up of members of the Energy Committee, the Executive Director of the Medford Chamber of Commerce, and the Director of Medford’s Office of Energy and Environment reviewed the applications and selected the winners.
“The businesses and residents of Medford have once again shown that we are leaders in cleaning up the environment by using cutting edge, sustainable practices,” said Chamber President Charlotte Scuderi.
While the majority of applications were for either a traditional business or Medford resident there were two applications that did not fit into these categories. As a result, the Sub-Committee created the Emerald Award for an organization or person whose actions are environmentally friendly and help conserve energy or resources for the community at large.
The Green Awards program was co-sponsored by the Medford Energy Committee and the Medford Chamber of Commerce.
Fred Laskey, Chairman of the Medford Energy Committee said, “I tip my hat to those who made the Green Awards and the Harvest Your Energy Festival programs successful. Mayor McGlynn, the Chamber of Commerce, the Medford Energy Committee, and the staff of the Office of Energy and Environment – Carey Duques and Alicia Hunt.”
It is anticipated that the Green Awards program will occur annually, with the applications being available in April around Earth Day, due in late August, and awards will be presented at the Harvest Your Energy Festival in October.
“We were very pleased with the large amount of interest in the first year of the Green Awards and plan to share the stories of the winners with the businesses and residents in Medford so others can follow their lead,” said Carey Duques Director of Energy and Environment.
The Energy Committee hopes to work with organizations such as the Chamber and Green Medford to hold seminars teaching businesses and residents how to make their business or home more energy efficient and green while taking advantage of programs offered by the utility companies. Please check www.medford.org/energy for more information on these and other energy and environmental events or call the Office of Energy and Environment at 781-393-2137.
2012 Green Award Recipients
Businesses (for profit and non-profits)
Ace Creative is a 4 person graphic design firm participating in green printing practices and the Sustainable Business Leader Program. Ace renovated their office using recycling materials for windows, doors, tiling, and bathroom fixtures.
Casoli Trust renovated a building on the Mystic River at 24-30 High Street that was built to LEED Gold Certification standards.
Century Bank’s headquarters has deployed a hybrid-electric delivery vehicle” Volt” and a highly efficient “Smart Car” for its courier fleet to minimize its carbon footprint and fuel consumption.
Grace Church implemented energy efficiency initiatives in the buildings and Grace created the annual GreenUp CleanUp Program cleaning-up Medford parks.
Old Medford High Condominiums replaced the pool skylights with polycarbonate panels offering a higher R-rating allowing for solar gain, installed Energy Star gas dryers, and completed lighting improvements such as installing motion-sensor fluorescent fixtures.
Mystic Place, a residential apartment community of 465 apartments, completed lighting replacements in all common areas with approved energy saving fixtures, implemented water conservation upgrades, and has three co-generators that use gas to create electricity with the water created as a byproduct used in boilers.
River’s Edge, a mixed-use development, has a LEED Gold Certified building constructed on a former brownfield site, resulting in the removal of 187 tons of tires, 176 tons of rubber, 1,200 tons of metal and a 40-foot by 270-foot 100 ton abandoned steel barge embedded in the property’s riverbank.
Shaws Supermarket implemented reduced lighting throughout the store along with sensor light switches that turn off lights when nobody is in the room. Shaws also sends product to the Boston Food Bank, along with a pig farmer in Tewksbury.
Whole Foods offsets 100% of its electricity usage with the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Some of the environmental initiatives that have been implemented include composting and recycling, resulting in the diversion of 80% of its waste stream from landfills.
Tufts University’s Medford/Somerville campus retro-commissions large facilities and new construction projects are designed with state of the art HVAC, lighting and controls to improve energy performance and reduce emissions. The University is on track to beat the goal of reducing emissions by 7% below 1990 levels by 2012.
Residents
Susan Altman has solar panels at her home and is active in Green Medford, the Mystic River Watershed Association, and organized Walk/Ride Days.
Linda and Louis Bruno implemented energy efficiency initiatives such as the installation of solar panels on the roof of their property and they compost and collect rain water in a rain barrel for use in the garden.
Brian Butler has completed a National Grid Deep Energy Retrofit at his property and is seeking Passive House EnerPHIT certification.
Dorothy Emerson and Donna Clifford have 22 solar panels on their roof, operate a Neutron electric (battery operated) lawnmower and continue to maintain their 20-year-old Aquastar instantaneous (tankless) gas powered water heater.
Cornelia Davis installed solar panels, added insulation into her walls, basement, and roof crawlspace and uses a programmable thermostat.
Lois Grossman has installed solar panels on her roof and has a wood-burning stove that is the only source of heat in her house.
Tom Lincoln has installed solar panels on his roof, a high-efficiency furnace, an on-demand- hot water heater and EnergyStar appliances throughout the house.
Bob Paine has installed solar panels on his roof, added insulation in the house and completed a total boiler and hot water heater replacement.
Kevin Ring completed a deep energy retrofit in 2008 at his property. The structure has been designed to support rooftop PV panels and a future green roof and waste piping has been designed to capture shower and laundry water for reuse in a future grey water system.
Emerald Award
Kristina Johnson developed the idea for the Teacher Resource Room, located at Medford High School, that contains school supplies she finds on sites like “FreeCycle” and “Craigslist.”
Medford Farmer’s Market creates a market for local producers to sell their goods, and a place where customers can get locally grown/made products, supporting local agriculture, local businesses, and efforts to reduce emissions.
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