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ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP AWARDS Our awards go to an individual for his/her outstanding contribution to making an environmental difference and to a group who has done much to foster environmental awareness/activism. In 2005, a business award was added to recognize those whose actions positively impact the health of our planet and local communities. 2011 Environmental Leadership Award Winners Individual Award Deb Crossley  Alderman Deb Crossley accepts the Individual award. Deb Crossley, alderman and architect, has been an activist and leader in Newton for more than 20 years. During that time, with a particular interest on sustainability, she has served as president of the Newton League of Women Voters and on many city committees and advocacy groups including Newton's Comprehensive Plan and Energy Action Plan. She has served as vice–chair of the Energy Commission and Co–Chair of Newton High Performance Building Coalition. Deb's leadership has brought real results to Newton. She was a stalwart in persuading the city to use life cycle cost analysis and high performance building techniques at Newton North High School. She then led the effort for Newton to become the first community in Massachusetts to adopt the higher efficiency "stretch" building energy code in 2009. That proved to be the first step in Deb's mission to have Newton be one of the first state–designated Green Communities. Deb has provided oversight in the implementation of the Energy Service Company (ESCO) currently underway. More recently, working closely with Rep. Kay Kahn and the Public Buildings Dept., Deb has guided the renovation of the Lower Falls Community Center to serve as the City's first deep energy retrofit of a public building. Her efforts to conceptualize the project, capitalize on opportunities presented by needed repairs and secure financing will enable this building to reduce its energy needs by more than 50%. Of course these are only highlights of Deb's influence in moving us all to a more sustainable future. Her efforts will save thousands of tons of green house gas emissions. Group Award Greengineers, Newton North High School  Steve Chinosi and Matt Anderson, Newton North teachers and Brendan Hathaway, Greengineer alumnus and faculty, accepted the award from Green Decade's Peter Smith. Greengineers is a student entrepreneurial effort at Newton North High School. This program is about saving the planet and finding solutions to problems in a manner that is in harmony with nature. The students in this program lead the country with "Solution–Centered Learning and Student–Centered Solutions." The program combines chemistry, engineering, physics, economics, finance, design and industrial safety. The philosophy of the Greengineers is: "Inside of all of us there is the potential to change the world, and all that it takes is conscious thought followed by action." Students in the think–tank design new solutions for known problems and issues that affect local and global communities. Greengineers transcend the common standards of a "class." The students in this program will become out–standing and persistent leaders, as they become biodiesel manufacturers who smile at the sight and smell of grease or take on the challenge of turning the endless supply of plastic bags and used billboard fabric into useful products: plastic shopping totes, computer cases, rain ponchos, business card holders and more. They are stepping up to become professionals, looking for solutions that are as good for their company as they are for our planet. We thank you for your significant contributions. Business Award General Compression  Patrick M. Moran, Chief Operating Officer of General Compression, accepts the Business Award from Peter Smith. General Compression is a Newton Corner based cutting edge company working to move us forward to a new era of carbon-free technology. This February the U.S. Dept. of Energy: Advanced Research Project announced a $750,000 grant to General Compression, one of only six such grants nationwide. General Compression is developing fuel-free compressed air storage technology to enable low cost grid storage and to help make intermittent renewable power such as solar and wind fully dispatchable during peak load periods. Following the grant, General Compression has received more than $12 million in additional funding from existing and new investors. In April 2011, General Compression signed an agreement with ConocoPhillips to develop compressed air energy storage projects in Texas. Unlike conventional compressed air energy storage installations, no fuel is burned in the expansion stage, which dramatically reduces emissions and operating costs. This process could accelerate the integration of renewable electricity, particularly wind, into the grid. We thank General Compression, Inc. for your significant contributions. Special Awards
Previous Environmental Leadership Award Winners
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