2. Amy Thompson
Amy Thompson is currently the Principal of Paguridae LLC and provides energy and sustainability
consulting services to the United Illuminating Company (UI) and its municipal and board of education
(BOE) customers by helping them measure, track, and achieve their 20% energy reduction goals through
use of the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool. Amy is the boots-on-the-ground, working
with communities to assist them in developing a building energy performance and tracking portfolio,
which is critical to organizations that are managing multiple buildings, and in some cases 100’s of meters
and energy usage points across their organization. From collecting the building and energy data, to
training each organization’s workforce, to verifying the benchmarking data, Amy has worked with these
organizations the entire way, helping them achieve recognition for their energy efficiency work and
helping them identify new opportunities for savings. Amy has hired, trained, and managed several
engineering and sustainability interns from a local university over the course of this project, helping to
promote the field of building energy efficiency to current engineering students.
6. Suzanne Huminski
Suzie Huminski is an innovative thinker and a tireless advocate for employing sustainability and energy
efficiency strategies to improve the overall campus life and health at Southern CT State University, where she is
the Sustainability Coordinator. She developed the project in 2015 called: “SCSU Sustainability in 2015: Interns
help lead”. In 2007, President Cheryl Norton signed the American College and University Presidents Climate
Commitment (ACUPCC), pledging SCSU to become climate neutral as soon as possible or by 2050. Suzie
decided that the 2007 SCSU commitment should be put into action in a new way.
2015 Sustainability Project: Interns take leadership role!
In 2015, the CSU Office of Sustainability planned and implemented a range of projects with a primary goal of
broadening student opportunities to be integrally involved in all aspects of sustainability project planning,
implementation, evaluation, and improvement. In previous years, the Sustainability Office employed between
one and three students at a time, which was identified by all graduating student workers in the sustainability
office as an important factor in acceptance to graduate school or being hired.
56. City of Milford
The City of Milford has made tremendous efforts to reduce the energy consumption in both Municipal Buildings
as well as Board of Education Buildings. Milford Mayor Benjamin Blake has partnered with members of the
Milford Energy Advisory Board, representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency) and United
Illuminating Company and Southern Connecticut Gas to take a holistic look at their energy consumption.
Recently, City Hall and Parson’s Government Center both received an ENERGY STAR label for performing within
the top 25 percent for energy efficiency of similar facilities nationwide, while simultaneously adhering to strict
performance levels set by the EPA.
On average, ENERGY STAR buildings use 35 percent less energy than typical buildings, and release 35 percent
less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Milford City Hall has reduced its site energy by 43 percent. When
compared to the national median, City Hall uses 51 percent less energy than a typical administration building.
Additionally, the building produces 58 fewer metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions each year.
the past few years.
59. City of New Haven Municipal & Board of Ed Buildings
The City of New Haven, leading by example through Mayor Tony Harp, the Board of
Education, and Youth Conservation Corp, are all making a tremendous impact on the
environment working with Partners like The United Illuminating Company, and the
Environmental Protection Agency. The city and the board of education have worked
in conjunction making a proactive effort to improve energy efficiency in the
community. They have worked diligently to provide cost-effective and energy-
efficient solutions for the schools and city. These conscientious efforts led to
incorporating LED lighting across the community, specifically in their public schools,
in addition to offering rebate programs for citizens has allowed New Haven to
develop into one of the most energy efficient cities in the state.