Green Buildings Open House October 1

This Princeton Street home in Medford is participating in the Green Buildings Open House event.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at money saving green technologies near you!

If you’ve been on the fence about a sustainable upgrade or energy efficiency retrofit for your property, this event is for you. The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s annual Green Buildings Open House, the largest sustainable energy event in the Northeast, will be taking place on October 1, 2011 from 10 AM to 4 PM. On this day, homes, businesses and schools will invite the public inside to investigate the renewable technologies and green building features being employed on site. Last year, more than 10,000 people toured some 500 sites from Maine to Pennsylvania, and this year’s event is expected to be even bigger!

Location in Medford, MA will be part of this year’s Green Buildings Open House (GBOH). View the full list of GBOH sites and learn more about their features at http://www.nesea.org/openhouse/listings/

GBOH operates in conjunction with the American Solar Energy Society’s (ASES) National Solar Tour and helps to kick off National Energy Awareness Month. For the past 15 years, the GBOH program has inspired thousands of individuals to learn about and implement energy efficient and renewable energy solutions in their homes. The goal of the GBOH event is to enable participants to see, firsthand, energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements in their communities and motivate them to adopt similar solutions for their own homes. At host sites, participants are able to talk with home and business owners, ask questions, and see how their renewable energy technologies actually work. GBOH also connects building owners and managers with professionals who can provide them with sustainable energy services or energy efficiency retrofits. As host sites register, detailed information and photos of the buildings’ innovative energy features are posted, providing an ongoing educational tool.

“As an organization, NESEA is committed to any and all measures which increase the adoption of clean energy solutions and improved energy efficiency,” says Jennifer Marrapese JD MA, Executive Director of NESEA. “Nothing breeds success like success. When people see for themselves how families and businesses in their own communities are saving energy – and money! – sustainable technologies and strategies become much more accessible. And that, ultimately, is our goal.”

Marrapese added, “There is also something very powerful about homeowners talking directly to other homeowners, as opposed to professionals working in the field. Peer to peer recommendations have galvanized participants over the years – this is where real change happens.”

At GBOH sites, you will:
– See homes or businesses that feature any or all of the following: energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable materials
– Learn ways to reduce a site’s eco-footprint, reduce embedded energy, conserve water, and ensure that buildings are healthy environments
– Talk to home or building owners on-site, who can help answer your questions about installation, costs, and benefits

For more information about Green Buildings Open House, visit http://www.nesea.org/greenbuildings/aboutgboh/.

About NESEA

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (www.nesea.org), is a leading regional advocacy and membership organization dedicated to promoting sustainable energy practices and whole systems thinking. For more than thirty years, NESEA has supported and inspired a growing network of professionals and sustainable energy experts committed to responsible energy use. NESEA’s members hail from the 10 Northeastern states, from Maine to Washington, D.C. NESEA members are “practical idealists” – passionate about the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in order to create a healthy, efficient built environment powered by clean, renewable energy.

– Information from NESEA