Mayor Bloomberg Inaugurates New York City's First Wind Turbine at a School

An eddyGT wind turbine manufactured by New York City-headquartered Urban Green Energy now sits atop The Town School in Manhattan, providing the building with renewable energy

NEW YORK, New York, June 12, 2012 - June 11, 2011 marked the first installation of a wind turbine at a New York City school. A brief ceremony took place at 2:30 p.m. at The Town School in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The school educates children from nursery school to eighth grade. About 70 students, alumni, parents and friends attended the ceremony. A major highlight of the ceremony, besides the official announcement of Manhattan's first wind turbine at a school, was the flipping of the switch by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to activate and formally commemorate the installation of the eddyGT wind turbine by Urban Green Energy atop The Town School.


The wind turbine was a gift by the school's Class of 2009. It took three years to obtain the permits necessary to install the turbine, as the wind turbine was purchased prior to the change in City ordinance that now permits small wind turbine installations in New York City. Stephen Petrillo of The Town School commented, "This is a dream come true. A wind turbine for renewable energy for Town School." A team of architects, engineers, and electricians volunteered their time to install this special gift from the students, which was purchased from The Big Wind, LLC, a local distributor of Urban Green Energy's renewable energy solutions. The Town School is a member of The Green Schools Alliance, which provides children with the tools and education to build a greener and sustainable future. As a Charter Member and Climate Champion of GSA, The Town School addresses climate change and the challenge of improving the state of the environment.

As Town School's Upper School Dean and Sustainability Coordinator Ken Higgins said, "A critical part of The Town School's mission is to educate our students for sustainability, to teach children to meet the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations. We are thrilled to be the first school in New York City to have a wind turbine on its roof. We hope this wonderful addition to the Manhattan skyline inspires schools and communities everywhere to continue to work together to give our children the tools and education they need to create a sustainable future."

The turbine is also part of PlaNYC, New York City's sustainability program. Mayor Bloomberg stated, "I'm excited about this windmill!" He also mentioned GreeNYC, which is an online resource with simple steps to live green for children and their parents.

The ceremony closed with an expression of gratitude to the Mayor by Kevin Sheekey, former Deputy Mayor for Governmental Affairs, and his children, "Thank you for all the good things you've done for the environment."

About Urban Green Energy
With installations in approximately 60 countries, including several government agencies and Fortune 100 companies, UGE is changing the face of distributed renewable energy generation. UGE's goal is to put users in control of their energy source, and is doing so by designing and manufacturing more versatile wind turbines and hybrid wind/solar systems for use in applications ranging from residential to commercial, from suburban US homeowners to off-grid telecoms towers in rural Africa. Visit www.urbangreenenergy.com today to learn how together we can create a greener tomorrow.

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