Enterprise Launches New NYC Green Business Service Helping Retrofit Multifamily Affordable Housing

PartnerPREP’s Comprehensive Program to Help Owners Develop and Implement Long-Term Energy Saving Plans Will Lower Operating Costs, Provide Energy- and Cost-Efficient Homes for Low-Income New Yorkers New York, NY – May 16, 2012 – Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise), an innovator in financing, creating, and preserving green affordable housing, launched today Partner Portfolio Retrofit Engagement Platform (PartnerPREP), a new green business service that will help owners of multifamily affordable housing developments to retrofit their buildings. With its comprehensive portfolio-based approach, PartnerPREP will help property owners develop and implement long-term energy savings plans to lower operating costs and provide energy- and cost-efficient homes for their low-income residents. A fee-based program, PartnerPREP provides owners with energy planning and building management advice, energy efficiency and building performance technical support, and assistance in identifying financial opportunities and resources to support energy efficiency upgrades and improvements during the course of a two‐year engagement.

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Secrets to achieving a sustainable style at home

You’ve changed all your light bulbs to energy-saving compact fluorescents or light emitting diodes (LED). You’ve cut your shower time down by a minute and installed a low-flow shower-head. Of course you recycle and compost and never leave your cell phone charger plugged into the wall. Now, take the leap from eco-chores to eco-chic with these tips from top interior designers and The Early Show’s green living expert, Danny Seo. RETHINK YOUR WALLS Painting a wall has long been a designer’s trick for adding more oomph—without more clutter—to a room. Rachel Winokur, the founder of eTTa Designs, an eco-friendly interior design firm in Los Angeles, suggests putting down the paint brush and considering these green options instead.

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Leviton Launches Next Generation Electric Vehicle Charging Station

New Level 2 charging station designed for the Toyota RAV4 EV Melville, New York, May 7, 2012 – Leviton today announced the launch of its Level 2 (240V, 40A) charging station. Designed, tested and assembled in the United States, the next generation Leviton charging station is able to provide 9.6 kW output, and will charge the Toyota RAV4 EV in approximately six hours. It also includes a 25-foot charging cable which offers flexibility in the mounting location. The weatherproof, thermoplastic NEMA Type 4 enclosure makes the device safe for use in both indoor and outdoor locations. The unit comes standard with Leviton’s patent pending “cord-connected” system, which is ideal for indoor applications, with the capability to be converted to hard-wire for outdoor applications. “Leviton has designed a next generation charging station that provides unique ergonomics and aesthetics at a leading price point for Toyota consumers,” said Michael Mattei, Vice President and General Manager for Leviton’s Commercial and Industrial Business Unit. “Through our relationship with Toyota, customers know the products they purchase are designed by two companies that value safety, quality and efficiency.”

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EPA Reaches $6.6 Million Settlement Getting Groundwater Cleanup San Gabriel Valley Superfund Site

Cleanup has removed 4,600 lbs of contaminants from one of the most polluted sites in the U.S. LOS ANGELES - The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has entered into three settlements totaling $6,605,080 to help pay for groundwater cleanup at the South El Monte portion of the San Gabriel Valley Area 1 Superfund Site in Los Angeles, Calif. Since EPA began cleaning up this site in 2008, approximately 4,600 pounds of contaminants have been removed from the groundwater. EPA has recovered a total of $25 million for the South El Monte cleanup, with the latest $6.6 million to pay for extraction and treatment of groundwater polluted with industrial solvents such as TCE (trichloroethylene) and PCE (perchloroethylene), a chemical once common in dry cleaning operations. “EPA remains committed to pursuing parties responsible for environmental damage in the San Gabriel Valley,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “So far, more than ten billion gallons of water have been treated to provide safe drinking water for the local communities.”

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