Town receives its first green grant

Date: 2/15/2010

Feb. 15, 2010

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



EAST LONGMEADOW - The town of East Longmeadow has moved one step closer to becoming a green community - earlier this month, the town received its first grant for green technology.

"It's a big deal," Carleen Fischer Hoffman, community outreach coordinator for the town's Green Committee, said. "I'm really excited. It's a big step for the town. We're making a statement here and we're setting a precedent for the town and for the residents [for green technology and funding].

"We have such great momentum," she added, noting the recent adoption of the stretch energy code in addition to receiving the grant. "We have to keep it going."

The grant, which totals $6,714.84, was awarded by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative through the state's Renewable Energy Trust. The funds will be used for a Clean Energy Choice Program project, which Fischer Hoffman said will focus on education.

"I originally applied for the grant because I've been trying to get the Green Learning Center up and running," she explained. She added she is currently looking for a public space in town to host the small exhibit.

The grant funding will also be used in the high school for some of the green projects being hosted there, Fischer Hoffman said, and it will also be utilized to purchase solar panel technology science kits for younger students.

"I don't want to sit on this grant," she stated. "I want to get things done."

"This is definitely something we're proud of," Jim Driscoll, chair of the Green Committee, said. "Part of the mission of the committee is to look for things like this [grant]. This first one opens us up to hundreds of thousands if not millions of more dollars."

He added that receiving the grant is "a great example of the Green Committee's hard work."

Another way the town of East Longmeadow is focusing on being environmentally friendly is by being a part of the expansion of the state's bottle bill. The revised bill would include five cent deposits on bottled water, teas and sports drinks.

According to Dmitriy Nikolayev, president of MassRecycle, "The update of the Bottle Bill is a recycling trifecta: more materials recycled, less litter, plus the much needed funds for local recycling programs."

East Longmeadow is one of only five lower Pioneer Valley communities that have signed on to support the expansion of the bill - the others being Granby, South Hadley, Springfield and Westfield.

"The new bottle bill could have both a positive environmental and financial impact," Driscoll said.

He added that the Bottle Bill will be on the agenda for the next Regional Boards of Selectmen meeting, taking place in Hampden on Feb. 25.