Stamford Advocate
Friday, June 5, 2015
The Stamford 2030 District an effort to create a healthier city that kicked off last fall has
received its first major grant.
The district, one of 10 in the country, was awarded $75,000 from the Partners for Places program, a project of the Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities. It also won a matching grant from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.
The district brings together property owners and other city stakeholders in order to find ways to reduce the environmental effects of commercial and largescale buildings throughout the city, by lowering carbon emissions, energy and water consumption.
"With this award, we're very excited that we'll be able to continue expanding the district, which will include outreach and increasing our membership, more benchmarking activities and increasing our visibility through both marketing and events," said Megan Saunders, executive director of Stamford 2030.
Saunders said she also would be hiring one individual to help her move the district forward. She is the only employee.
Since launching officially in October, the district has grown by more than 40 percent, raising
membership from its 22 founders to 32 today, she said.
Andrea Pinabell, vice president of sustainability for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, one of the district's founding members, said the company believed it was important to represent the needs of the city's business community.
"At Starwood, we have pretty aggressive goals that are very much aligned with the Stamford 2030 plan," she said.
The company has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption by 30 percent each and to reduce water consumption by 20 percent by the year 2020.
So far, the district has benchmarked 50 percent of its buildings, essentially creating energy profiles for each one. Its members, which include the city, also have met nearly every month to discuss best practices and share ideas.
"A lot of businesses are a part of it and with all of this momentum the work is growing," said Don Strait, president of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment. "What these grants do for us is allow us to capitalize on the momentum."
"We're going to be able to save the taxpayers a lot of money just by having much more efficiencies in our buildings," added Thomas Madden, the city's economic development director.
Mayor David Martin said 2030 may seem far away, but "it's really right around the corner."
Anne Wallace, director of programs at Funders' Network, said the selection committee for the grant program was impressed by the involvement of the city's economic development director, the Business Council of Fairfield County and the Connecticut Fund for the Environment.
Michelle Knapik, president of the Tremaine Foundation, said the organization was excited to help spread the word about Stamford 2030's work.
"We really need new ways to design and operate our energy, water and transportation systems," she said.