Portland, ME —The US Green Building Council’s Maine Chapter has awarded its 2012 Advocate of the Year Award to the Natural Resources Council of Maine. The award recognizes NRCM’s outstanding efforts to improve the energy efficiency of buildings in Maine, as well as a myriad of other efforts to protect Maine’s environment by reducing toxic chemicals, promoting sustainable forestry, and protecting open space.
NRCM works to reduce the environmental impacts from our use of energy, by supporting clean, renewable energy resources, and by increasing the energy efficiency of Maine homes and businesses. This two-pronged approach not only helps to protect the environment, it also saves Mainers money, reduces oil dependence and air pollution, creates jobs, and protects the health of Maine people.
In addition to its advocacy efforts, NRCM’s office building in Augusta has earned an Energy Star rating from the U.S. Department of Energy, and, in 2012, a large 11-kilowatt solar array was installed to provide a portion of the organization’s electricity.
“We are grateful to the US Green Building Council for this award,” said NRCM’s executive director Lisa Pohlmann. “NRCM is continually working in partnership with many different organizations and businesses, and is pleased to count among them USGBC-Maine and its member architects, engineers, builders, and others.”
“It is an honor to recognize NRCM as our 2012 Green Building Advocate of the Year,” said Katye Charette, LEED AP BD+C, Executive Director, U.S. Green Building Council, Maine Chapter. “NRCM’s strong leadership and superb coalition-building ability have enabled us to advocate effectively for green building for many years, especially in 2012. We are grateful for NRCM’s commitment to green building in Maine.”
In recent years, NRCM has been a leader in opposing rollbacks of Maine’s energy progress, advocating for policies to help protect, restore, and conserve Maine’s environment. NRCM has been an outspoken advocate for a statewide energy building code and the requirement that state-owned buildings are built to genuine green building standards, both of which have come under fire in the last two years. NRCM is based in Augusta and supported by thousands of members across Maine and the U.S. It is one of the largest and most influential state-based environmental advocacy organizations in the country.
