Best Practices

One goal of the New England Futures project is to identify existing projects in New England, or around the United States, that represent innovative and proven models for energy usage in New England. We invite you to submit projects that you believe represent a best practice in the area of energy to info@newenglandfutures.org.

Biofuel Initiatives

Biomass Energy Resource Center: The Biomass Energy Resource Center, located in Montpelier, Vermont, works on projects around the country to install systems that use biomass fuel to produce heat and/or electricity. Partners in these projects have included schools, communities, colleges, businesses, utilities, and government agencies. Visit the center's site to learn more about their projects in Vermont and around the country.
Frontier Energy: Frontier Energy was the first fuel dealer in Maine to offer Biofuel and petroleum fuels in blends. Frontier Energy is a division of Frontier Oil Co., which has been doing business in central Maine for over 20 years. Frontier was the supplier to L.L. Bean, which began to test market biodiesel in their distribution fleet in 2003, and was the supplier of a 10 percent bio-heating oil to Maine's Capitol building, the Governor’s mansion, and many State office buildings for the 2004 – 2005 heating season.
Homestead Inc.: Homestead Inc. is a farm-scale business in Western Massachusetts and has been making biodiesel commercially since 1999 as Yellow Brand PREMIUM Biodiesel.
Loud Fuel and Mass Biofuel: Mass Biofuel, operating out of Dedham, Mass., and Loud Fuel of Falmouth, are among the pioneering distributors of a blend for home heating that’s 10 or 20 percent biodiesel. Biofuel performs the same as traditional oil in boilers and furnaces, but units burn cleaner and produce less aroma. Along with Mass Biofuel, Loud Fuel has distributed biofuel in field trials around New England, including the mansion of Maine Governor John Baldacci, and the Warwick School system in Rhode Island.
Northeast Biodiesel: Northeast Biodiesel was incorporated in 2004 by Co-op Power, with support from Tom Leue, the Pioneer Valley Biodiesel Cooperative, and Co-opPlus of Western Massachusetts. It plans to begin production of 5 million gallons of biodiesel a year in April of 2006. Expansion to 10 million gallons a year is planned for 2008. This clean fuel will be sold to brokers and diesel distributors as an alternative to diesel fuel for heating and transportation. It will use recycled vegetable oil as its primary raw material, with bulk deliveries from New York City and Philadelphia at launch, and developing local sources of recycled vegetable oil over the next two years.
Oyster River Biofuels Initiative: The Oyster River Biodiesel Initiative is a co-op in the seacoast area of New Hampshire, focusing on producing biodiesel primarily for offroad use (home heating oil, tractors, etc.), but potentially for onroad use.
UNH Biodesiel Group: The UNH Biodiesel Group is an inter-departmental group at the University of New Hampshire focusing on a variety of projects related to biodesiel fuel. One of their first projects focuses on building a processor at the UNH campus to be used for converting waste vegetable oil from the campus dining halls into biodiesel for use in UNH vehicles. The Group is also currently pursuing funding to begin a project working with New Hampshire area farmers on crops most suitable to this climate for biodiesel production.
Vermont Coffee Company: The Vermont Coffee Company operates the first roaster to run on biodiesel. Read the article in the Addison Independent for complete details about this effort.
The Vermont Biodiesel Project: The Vermont Biodiesel Project is the first phase of the Vermont Biofuels Initiative, a public/private collaboration established to help accelerate growth of the emerging biofuels industry in Vermont.

City/State Initiatives

City of Burlington, Vermont: In May of 2000, the City Council of Burlington, Vermont adopted the Climate Action Plan aimed at reversing the steady growth of greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Burlington. The Alliance for Climate Action, a group of local, regional and state-level professionals, was formed in December, 2000 to pursue this strategy. To read Mayor Clavelle’s update on this program, go to http://www.ci.burlington.vt.us/mayor/letter20050715.html. The Alliance for Climate Action also formed Vermont’s 10% Challenge, a voluntary program to raise public awareness about global climate change and to encourage households and businesses to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10 percent. The program's goal is to reduce greenhouse gases by 10% below 1997 emissions levels by 2010. For more information on this program, see also:
City of Hartford, Connecticut: Vehicle owners who can demonstrate that they drive a vehicle that gets at least 30 miles per gallon both city and highway qualify for a 50 percent discount for monthly parking patrons at three Downtown Hartford parking garages.
Clean Cities Program: The goal of the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program is to advance the economic, environmental, and energy security of the United States by supporting local decisions to adopt practices that contribute to the reduction of petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. Clean Cities carries out this objective through a network of more than 80 volunteer, community-based coalitions, which develop public/private partnerships to promote alternative fuels and vehicles, fuel blends, fuel economy, hybrid vehicles, and idle reduction. All six New England states are participating in this program.
Connecticut Clean Energy Fund: The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund is engaged in a long-term effort to foster in Connecticut the production and use of energy from clean and renewable sources.
The Green Wave Environmental Investment Initiative: In February of 2004, California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, joined by environmental, labor and business leaders, launched a landmark environmental Green Wave initiative to bolster financial returns, create jobs and clean up the environment. The four-pronged initiative calls on the State’s two large public pension funds – the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) – to marry the jet stream of finance and capital markets with public purpose by committing $1.5 billion to investments in cutting-edge technologies and environmentally responsible companies. The goal of the initiative is to improve long-term financial returns for pensioners and taxpayers through investments in the burgeoning environmental technology sector, while also reducing the risks to the pension funds posed by corporate environmental liabilities.
Participatory Energy Planning - Mediated Modeling (Vermont): The Participatory Energy Planning - Mediated Modeling project is a series of workshops about electrical energy in Vermont. Using a method called Mediated Modeling, participants at the workshops pool their expertise to create a shared understanding of electric energy realities in Vermont, jointly create a computer simulation model, and reach for consensus on recommendations for Vermont's energy future. The project was initiated by Marjan van den Belt of Meditated Modeling Partners, LLC with a grant from the Northeastern States Research Collaborative. The Department of Public Service has sponsored the first four workshops scheduled in 2005 and is hosting the project web pages on its web site.
Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund: Rhode Island created the nation's first public benefit fund when the state passed its restructuring legislation in 1996. The Renewable Energy Fund that resulted was initially administered by a utility-based collaborative. The Rhode Island State Energy Office took over the administration of the fund on January 1, 2003. Projects currently underway include a Million Solor Roofs, Solar on Schools, the Rhode Island Greenhouse Gas Action Plan, Winds of Freedom, and a Used Oil Recycling program. Visit the fund's website for a complete list of projects.

Corporate Initiatives

General Electric: General Electric, headquartered in Fairfield, CT, recently set a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least 1% to be achieved by 2012 (compared to their 2004 baseline). Read the Forbes article, "GE Turns Green," about General Electric's agenda for windmills, water filters, nuclear power, and cleaner turbines and jet engines.
L.L. Bean: As part of L.L.Bean's long-time committment to environmental stewardship, the company has incorporated bio-diesel and propane fuel into their company vehicles as a way to reduce truck emissions. L.L. Bean also works with others in the industry to reduce global emissions from freight carriers. For detailed information on L.L. Bean's use of biofuels, read the success story at the U.S. Department of Energy's website.
Omega Optical: Omega is seeking LEEDS certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its new facility, which is the first building on the Delta Campus, a 137 acre site planned to include a unique combination of business and residential uses. The Master Plan for the Campus includes seven "high information technology" businesses, an educational institution, and forty residential units. Read the Times-Argus article for more information.

Green Buildings

Caribou Weather Forecast Office: As a LEED Silver Award candidate, NOAA's Weather Forecast Office in Caribou, Maine is one of only a handful of structures in the country to be recognized as a high-performance building. Read the LEED Certified case study of the Caribou office for more information about the building.
ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain: In October of 2003, just five months after it opened as Vermont’s premier lake aquarium and science center, ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain was awarded Vermont’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Green Building Certification by the US Green Building Council.
Read the LEED Certified case study of the ECHO center for more information about the building.
Genzyme Center: The Genzyme Center, located in Cambridge, Mass., received the highest rating issued by the U.S. Green Building Council. Read the LEED Certified case study of the Genzyme Center for more information about the building.
Mark Twain House & Museum: The Mark Twain Museum Center is the first museum in the nation, and the first building of any kind in Connecticut, to attain LEED Certification.
Read the LEED Certified case study of the Genzyme Center for more information about the building.
McCardell Bicentennial Hall, Middlebury College's Science Center: As part of Middlebury College's committment to environmental responsibility, the college incorporated green building practices in the construction of the McCardell Bicentennial Hall. It's green features included knowing the history of the wood used for its construction, the utilization of recycled materials, solar-powered lights, triple glazed windows and a ventilated "cold roof" design. A complete list of the building's green features can be found at their website.
Mt. Holyoke College Science Center: Mount Holyoke underscored its committment to preserving the earth for future scientists to explore by making every effort to create a science center that will have as little impact on the environment as possible. The center piece of the science center, Kendade Hall, was designed and built to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria for a “green building,” as established by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Read the LEED Certified case study for more information.
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests: The headquarters for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, located in East Concord, features a 4-kilowatt (kW) solar electric system, which is the largest grid-tied photovoltaic system (PV) in New Hampshire. Read the LEED Certified case study for more information.

Renewable Energy

New England Wind Forum: The New England Wind Forum, funded by the Wind Powering America Program and managed by the Department of Energy's Northeast Regional Office, was launched in 2005 to provide a single comprehensive source of up-to-date, Web-based information on a broad array of wind-energy-related issues pertaining to New England. Links to all wind projects, active and proposed, can be found at the Projects in New England section of this site.
Salmon Falls Land Association: Salmon Falls Land Association is a co-housing community in Shelburne Falls, MA, building state-of-the-art passive solar homes focused on finding creative ways to integrate sustainable energy and sustainable agriculture into their lives. The first home was built with a radiant heating system using a solar hot water system as its backup heat source. The second will rely on a very low emissions corn stove as its back up heating system. The community also installed a 4 kW solar electric system in March 2005 to provide electricity for their four homes. They shared the $34,559 system cost and now share the output through a common electrical service. Taking into consideration the value of the electricity they’ll receive in the next three years, they estimate the cost for this solar electric system for each of the four families was approximately $2,500.
Solar on Schools Program, Burlinton Electric: Solar on Schools program is a joint effort of Burlington Electric Department and the Burlington schools. The program is going very well with solar panels up at Champlain Elementary School and soon to be at Burlington Hight School. Part of the Solar on Schools program is curriculum development for renewable energy - a real growth industry in the future. Champlain Elementary teachers have received teacher training with others to soon follow. The program is being funded solely through private contributions.

School Initiatives

Harvard University: In 2000, Harvard University began the Green Campus Initiative, a university-wide collaboration between faculty, administrators, staff, and students. Its goals are to reduce the environmental impacts of campus operations and promote environmental sustainability. Today, Harvard University is the second largest purchaser of renewable energy among universities in the U.S. In 2001, the Initiative also collaborated with Harvard's Fleet Management Services to create the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Project, which advocates the use of alternative fuels in Harvard's transportation fleet. The Harvard fleet of 25 diesel vehicles uses about 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year.
High Performance Schools Initiative: This initiative was launched by the CT Green Building Council (CTGBC), with support from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), in March 2005. This effort will bring together key organizations, decision-makers, and opinion leaders in the public, private, non-profit and academic sectors to discuss the need for high performance green schools in Connecticut.
Keene State College: Keene State College’s fleet of maintenance vehicles, including mowers, snowblowers and garbage trucks, all run on biodiesel.
Middlebury College: In May of 1995, Middlebury College’s Trustees endorsed its Environmental Council’s mission statement, which "gives a high priority to integrating environmental awareness and responsibility into the daily life of the institution." In October of 2000, Middlebury College (Vermont) joined the U.S. Green Building Council, signaling its intention to continue to follow practices that improve energy and environmental efficiency in its construction projects. The most significant outcome of this effort so far is the college’s McCardell Bicentennial Hall.
Northeast High Performance Schools Exchange: Managed by NEEP, the Northeast High Performance Schools Exchange was established in 2003 to lead the region towards the long-term goal of, by 2010, implementing high performance design and construction principles in the majority of new and renovated schools to provide excellent learning and teaching environments that are energy efficient, cost-effective and use sustainable technologies.
Solar on Schools Program, Burlinton Electric: Solar on Schools program is a joint effort of Burlington Electric Department and the Burlington schools. The program is going very well with solar panels up at Champlain Elementary School and soon to be at Burlington Hight School. Part of the Solar on Schools program is curriculum development for renewable energy - a real growth industry in the future. Champlain Elementary teachers have received teacher training with others to soon follow. The program is being funded solely through private contributions.
University of Connecticut: In April, 2004, University of Connecticut officials announced the launch of a wide-ranging environmental policy that sets siting and building guidelines for new construction and campus renovations, conserves energy and water resources, further encourages recycling, and increases efforts to improve environmental literacy among students, faculty and staff. The policy and other information can be viewed at the university’s www.EcoHusky.UConn.edu website.
Warwick Schools: Rhode Island’s Robert Cerio — incidentally the first person in the United States to use biodiesel as a heating fuel — led the Warwick schools first to the discovery that biodiesel was a better fuel for the boilers in schools (almost eliminating carbon build-up), and then finding that all the school buses could run on a 20 percent blend with no problems, and get better fuel mileage.