Islip Landfill Goes Solar

Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan, Councilman John Edwards, and Congressman Steve Israel came together Thursday, March 24 for the ceremonial groundbreaking of a 330-panel solar project at the Islip landfill.

Made possible through funding provided by Congressman Israel, as well as the Islip Resource Recovery Agency, the project is expected to produce 50 kilowatts of energy daily, and an estimated 82,125 annually.

“This is another step toward expanding Long Island’s clean technology economy and creating new green jobs for future generations,” said Congressman Israel, who secured $475,500 in federal funding for the project. “I’m grateful to Supervisor Nolan and Councilman Edwards for our partnership on this project.”

Ronkonkoma-based FPM Group, an engineering and environmental firm, completed the design and engineering for the project and the Eldor Contracting Corporation out of Holtsville is the general contractor. The solar panels are “Buy America Act” qualified and manufactured domestically by Schott Solar.

The project is expected to be completed this summer.

‘Go Green to Save Green’ LI Power Solutions Expo. March 28

Long Island Power Solutions, a Bohemia-based company focused on developing alternative  energy sources, will host an informational workshop on Solar Power at the Smithtown Sheraton on Monday, March 28th.

Lasting from 7 p.m until 9 p.m., the workshop will feature experts from Long Island Power Solutions, local politicians, as well as a representative from LIPA who will answer questions  about the feasibility and benefits of solar power on Long Island. Topics include LIPA rebates,  current and future; financing options; federal and state tax credits; permits and zoning requirements; and more.

The expo is free to attend.  Professionals will be available to provide  estimates for interested attendees.  To find our more about the speakers, exhibitors and sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.longislandpowersolutions.com.

Suffolk County Executive names sustainable expert Director of Planning

Suffolk Executive Steve Levy announced Wednesday, March 16, the nomination of Sarah Lansdale, executive director of Sustainable Long Island, to become the next Suffolk County Director of Planning.

reLI March Newsletter

Renewable Energy Long Island (reLI), a leading not-for-profit organization that promotes clean, sustainable energy recently published its March newsletter.

Within the monthly newsletter you will find a little love for reLI Executive Director Gordian Raacke, who was recently named for TheDailyGreen.com’s Heart of Green Local Hero award. There is also some tips on how to green your spring cleaning, a list of upcoming events, information on LIPA’s rebate to the Long Beach Library, the Brita Climate Ride to raise awareness of renewable energy, and more. View the newsletter here.

Attainable Green Homes Competition announced

A joint partnership between the Town of Babylon, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), the United Way of Long Island (UWLI) and the U.S. Green Building Council Long Island Chapter (USGBC-LI) was recently forged to host the inaugural Attainable Green Home Competition.

Announced with a press conference earlier this year, the competition, which is open to both professionals and students, aims to design a single-family home that is affordable to build and maintain while also addressing issues of sustainability, efficiency and environmental design.

The Town of Babylon will donated property in Wyndanch for the winning design to be build upon, the UWLI will construct the project, LIPA will provide expertise regarding energy efficiency, and the USGBC-LI will assist the winning design team to make sure the home is LEED certified (Gold or higher).

Designs entered will be judged on the following criteria: architecture, market appeal, innovation and energy use, affordability, sustainability, constructability, and repeatability, or the ease of which the design can be applied to different sites.

Registration for the competition opened January 31 and will May 20. The deadline for design submission is June 3. All entries must summed through the competitions web site, www.attainableli.com.

A look at prep classes offered for the LEED Green Associate exam

Interested in pursuing a ‘green job,’ but don’t know where to start? Perhaps becoming a LEED Green Associate is a good first step.

Energy Efficient Seminars for Small Businesses this Month

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), NYS Small Business Development Center (SBDC), NYS Empire State Development, National Grid and Nassau and Suffolk Counties are sponsoring free informational seminars this month on how to access financial incentives and achieve cost savings through energy efficiency, process efficiency, and technical assistance programs.