HYDE/JACKSON— Hyde Jackson Square Main Streets (HJSMS) was recently selected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Main Street Center as one of the first pilot communities to participate in America Saves!
The new program, funded by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, is designed to support the economic success of Main Street communities and other small-scale commercial districts by improving building performance and energy efficiency.
“We’re enticing businesses to invest in energy retrofits,” HJSMS Executive Director Gerald Robbins told the Gazette last week. “Our goal is to reduce costs to our small businesses so that they flourish and continue to be strong anchors in our neighborhood,” he said in a release.
HJSMS is aiming to help 75 business owners and property owners understand their buildings’ energy use and consider options for improving their buildings’ energy efficiency. The outreach done through this project will complement existing City of Boston programs such as Renew Boston that helps businesses reduce their energy use.
HJSMS will also be hosting an information session on Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. to explain the program, answer questions, and encourage people to volunteer on this pilot project. The information session will be held at the Old Havana Restaurant, 349 Centre St.
“For the first time, we’re able to bring best practices and resources to small businesses and small buildings, and it’s the strength of Main Streets that makes it possible,” Mark Huppert, senior director of the National Trust’s Preservation Green Lab, which is leading the U.S. Department of Energy-funded initiative, said in a release. “Harvesting energy efficiency from small buildings is like striking oil, except it’s local, clean and keeps dollars in our local economies. The savings can produce local investment, including jobs.”
More information can be obtained at hydejacksonsquare.org or at 617-522-3694.