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“This is a great honor,” said Mayor Bill Finch in a press release. “In Bridgeport, we’re making smart investments in the future. We’re doing this in part by creating green jobs, investing in clean energy production, and creating transit-oriented developments – all of which will ensure our kids breathe cleaner air.”
The acknowledgement is due in part to Finch signing the city onto “The Compact of Mayors,” a global coalition of mayors who have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance resilience to climate change.
Finch, who serves as co-chair for the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Task Force, has been recognized as a national leader in creating green jobs and promoting clean energy.
Earlier this year, he received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leadership Award, which recognizes groups and individuals who demonstrate innovative leadership in combating climate change.
Other notable projects in Bridgeport include:
- At Bridgeport’s Eco-Technology Park, green businesses employ hundreds of people, and through a citywide initiative, nearly 1,000 workers have been trained and placed in green jobs over the past several years.
- Bridgeport’s Dominion Fuel Cell, which is the largest in North America, powers 15,000 homes with clean energy.
- Bridgeport’s Green Energy Park, currently under construction, consists of putting thousands of solar panels and a fuel cell atop an old and unused landfill. Once complete the Green Energy Park will power another 5,000 homes with clean energy.
- In order to combat climate change, Bridgeport is improving the city’s downtown with transit-oriented developments, developing Steelpointe Harbor, and building a second train station – as well as more than 1,000 new apartment in these areas – so more people will live within walking distance to public transit.
Through the green job and clean energy initiative, BGreen2020, carbon emissions in the city have been reduced by 55,290 metric tons per year, which is roughly equal to taking more than 11,000 petroleum-fueled vehicles off the road annually.
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