Sustainable Communities: Meadville and Reading
Investing in local small businesses, schools, houses of worship, and nonprofits – the anchors of any community – saves costs today and supports a stronger, more economically vibrant future.
With support from the Met-Ed/Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund, GBA is working with the communities of Meadville and Reading, Pa., to improve outdated local buildings and prepare them for the demands of the future. We recommend building practices that reduce energy needs, utility costs, and emissions; and enable entire communities to become more resilient to the effects of extreme weather, energy volatility, and emergency events. Collectively, this work strengthens local communities, making them more attractive to residents, families, and business owners, and to prospective investment.
Offered at no cost to partners, GBA services include:
- Tailored guidance and ongoing support on property development and renovations
- Recommendations for energy and water efficiency upgrades and operational improvements in commercial, nonprofit, institutional, and municipal buildings, resulting in savings in utility costs
- Building utility bill assessments (Preliminary Energy Assessments) to evaluate performance of equipment, systems, and structures compared to similar buildings and to recommend concrete action steps to improve performance
- Connections to service providers and contractors to assist businesses, nonprofits, and communities in moving building improvements from concept to reality
- Assistance with identifying funding sources as well as grant writing support
- Education and training on foundational high-performance building operational practices, from basic strategies to advanced content on cutting edge building practices
- Workforce training and credentials, including GPRO Operations & Maintenance, Energy Efficiency 101, and Energy Star Portfolio Manager
- Career support for youth and adults interested in sustainable design, construction, systems engineering, and operations
This program also helps grow quality jobs in the areas most critical for managing sustainable and high-quality buildings, such as operating engineers; facilities managers; heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) technicians; electricians; and renewable energy technicians. In all of the smaller cities that GBA works in, the supply of contractors and technicians with sustainable building credentials is lagging behind demand. Working with both property owners to encourage best practices in decision making and operations and facilities workforce ensures that communities’ vision for a sustainable future is attainable.
Businesses, schools, multi-family housing owners, nonprofits, commercial property owners, and more – reach out to learn how you can be a part of GBA’s Resilient Communities initiative.
“The City of Meadville is excited to be named a Resilient Community and for the good work that is sure to result from the partnership with GBA. This program will help us achieve goals set in our Climate Action Plan for a safer, healthier, more resilient Meadville. Through this partnership, we’ll get much needed support to make improvements to our aging building stock, making the people of Meadville safer and more comfortable in their homes and buildings, while helping residents, community partners, and local businesses save money. It’s a win-win-win. We’re eager to get started and grateful for the opportunity.”
Autumn Vogel, City of Meadville Councilmember
“I’m very excited to partner with the Green Building Alliance. This partnership will increase our capacity and provide critical technical assistance to our community partners, businesses, schools, and our staff as we are working towards our Reading for 100 goal of 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050. The City of Reading and many of our community partners have begun the transition process, and working with GBA will help facilitate and expedite a just transition. We are big fans of Erie’s success and are looking to duplicate it in Reading.”
Eddie Moran, Mayor, Reading, Pa
