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Live Green Connecticut! is an organization that educates the public and municipalities on ways to mitigate climate change and preserve natural resources while also saving money. President and co-founder Daphne Dixon said that the organization is expanding its scope in the state, both through its annual Family Festival in Norwalk and by building a new website that highlights the work of local towns to preserve the environment.
“So many wonderful towns have great projects that have economic payback and environmental protection qualities, and that’s a wonderful thing to have,” Dixon said.
She said Norwalk was at the top of the list of municipalities striving to be more environmentally friendly. The city has worked closely with Live Green Connecticut! on its home energy audits and other environmental projects designed to save money.
“We take very seriously our obligation to be good inhabitants of our planet and to reduce our carbon footprint,” Mayor Harry Rilling said. “We have done so much in energy efficiencies and we have so much more to do. We have retrofitted a lot of our buildings with energy efficient lighting, we’re looking at street lighting efficiencies, we’re looking at solar opportunities, we’re looking at so many things we can do to reduce energy consumption and actually save money.”
Patrice Gillespie of Wilton Go Green announced the Green Business Designation program that awards businesses that demonstrate leadership in sustainable practices. The program launched with the support of the Wilton Chamber of Commerce and has expanded to Norwalk. She said that they are now looking to implement the program in other communities in the area as well. Businesses are awarded based on their actions in categories such as education, water, indoor environment, transportation and energy.
Aitoro Appliances on Westport Avenue is the first Norwalk business to be honored and was given a Platinum Level Award based on its practices. Gillespie said that owner Tony Aitoro has been committed to going green, and has implemented 33 of 46 criteria on the Green Business Designation checklist.
“A lot of the refrigerator companies we carry are all Energy Star-rated, many of our appliances are water-saving appliances. We have filtered water so we don’t use as many plastic bottles,” Aitoro said. “I didn’t realize, until we started going over the list, what we do. It’s inherent in our business.”
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