April 2008

Go Green Summit

Story by Miranda Gatewood

DSNY Group headed by Dennis Sneden presented the Go Green Summit at Carlyle on the Green. Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi whose Green Levittown program aims to ramp up sustainability in Nassau County was keynote speaker. The summit illuminated Long Island's environmental issues and touched on solutions involving the consumer and the business community.

Suozzi noted that Long Island's economy, formerly founded on Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE) has shifted its bearings to Ideas, Culture and Education (ICE). "There is a huge economic engine in going green," he said, "whether [its] changing your boilers or putting grass on the roof."

Panelist Adrienne Esposito, executive director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said, "We're on the precipice of change and we have to do it fast." Concerning global warming, Esposito urged "We, on Long Island, are on the forefront of impact."

Green Levittown, a public-private partnership, is a model program to mobilize citizens and business people alike to go green. Levittown was America's first suburb. Green Levittown aims to make it America's first green suburb.

"We are going door to door," said Suozzi, "to get every one of the 17,000 Levittown homes to participate. If this works, we will launch a whole Green Long Island program."

This participation can mean changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs, installing energy-saving devices to improve the efficiency of air conditioners or boilers, or replacing boilers, windows and upgrading insulation. Additionally, the program encourages using new technology such as biofuels and solar energy.

Businesses throughout Long Island are partnering to offer incentives whether it is financing green home improvements or directly selling those goods or services.

"Older technology can cost 50% more [than newer advancements in] lighting, HVAC, air filtration, roof insulation, window film, and control systems, such as thermostats," said panelist Rudy Holesek, president of Apollo HVAC Corporation.

The panel included: Rudy Holesek, Adrienne Esposito, executive director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment; John Simoni, partner, Goetz Fitzpatrick LLP; and Jed Morey, CEO, The Morey Organization. Panelists Sal Ferro, president of Alure Home Improvements and Karen Joy Miller, founder and president of Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition were unable to attend.

Sal Ferro, president of Alure Home Improvements spoke via a video presentation he made while he was in New Orleans taping Extreme Makeovers for ABC-TV. Alure Home Improvements is part of the Green Levittown program. For information, visit www.greenlevittown.com on the web.