Mayor Menino gets "green"
Robin Lewis
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Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is getting "greener" by the day. In his third of four announcements, Menino is aiming to reduce city greenhouse gas emissions while also creating 100 green-collar jobs.
In hopes of cutting 40,000 metric tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions, the mayor revealed his Renew Boston Residential Efficiency Pilot Program (RBREPP). The $200,000 program is in partnership with Next Step Living, Inc., a company whose aim is to reduce energy costs for homeowners while making energy consumption more efficient.
In his third announcement, Mayor Menino disclosed a plan to fund his RBREPP campaign. The mayor will use $6.5M from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants of the U.S. Department of Energy. The mayor's press office said the money was received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The mayor said "A sustainable city starts with sustainable homes, and this innovative partnership will increase environmental awareness in our neighborhoods and give people a break on their energy bills." Mayor Menino's press office said "the pilot program will provide more than 150 Boston homes with free professional energy efficiency audits and immediate retrofits from Next Step Living to make the homes more efficient based on the audit's findings." This program will upgrade the efficiency of the homes in question, making massive home improvements at no cost to the homeowners.
RBREPP is expected to be finished in the next five months. The program will be funded by the Empowerment Zone Green Job Creation Project, in an effort to give city residents energy savings and create green jobs within the Empowerment Zone.
According to Mayor Menino's press office, this initiative "will create an innovative one-stop shop to coordinate the provision of energy efficiency and alternative energy services for all Boston residents and businesses while also expanding the Mayor's green collar workforce initiative."
After the Mayor's initial program is utilized, more homes and businesses will be added to the initiative. Press officials from the mayor's said the pilot program will have far reaching effects in the lives of the citizen's of Boston.