Vote For Your Favorite Shortlist Candidate

Click on the links below to view more information on each of the four shortlisted candidates. Then, VOTE for your choice to be the non-profit organization to partake in the BrightBuilt Retrofit.

- Biddeford, ME - view details
www.cpime.org

Community Partners, Inc.

Biddeford, ME

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Community Partners, Inc.'s mission is to support people with developmental disabilities to live valued lives within their communities. Founded in 1967, Community Partners, Inc. (CPI) is a Maine-based, private non-profit with a deep commitment to sustainability and a belief in sharing resources in the communities it supports. As an organization funded by Maine Care, CPI has a responsibility to all taxpayers to provide high levels of support at the lowest reasonable cost. CPI has a conservative approach to spending and is a responsible steward of the public trust. Staffing levels and operating costs are continuously monitored, and CPI is committed to investing in new cost-saving technologies.

Community Partners operates 37 residential homes in Maine. Any energy cost savings in our residences will translate into direct healthcare savings. Making deep energy upgrades with the Bright Built Retrofit is an opportunity to ensure long term control over housing costs, and will serve as a benchmark for retrofits to other properties we own. CPI is committed to reducing our carbon footprint with energy audits and upgrades, wherever possible. We actively seek feedback and guidance from people we support, families, staff, colleagues, and interested community members.

- Plymouth, VT - view details
www.farmandwilderness.org

Farm & Wilderness

Plymouth, VT

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Farm & Wilderness Foundation's mission is to provide education and adventure experiences for children and adults. Founded in 1939, Farm & Wilderness Foundation (F&W) is a Vermont-based, private non-profit that operates five residential summer camps for children and youth, a day-camp for young children, and a family camp. F&W's summer camps serve approximately 775 children ages 4-17. F&W also operates as a year-round organic farm, offering a variety of educational experiences for community and school groups and our residential interns. F&W has a long history of environmental sustainability programs and achieving Scope One carbon neutrality is in our current strategic plan.

Farm & Wilderness is an ideal organization to host the BrightBuilt Retrofit, as sustainability is a core value of our organization, and reduction of our carbon footprint is a key objective of our current strategic plan. The Tamarack Farmhouse is a perfect fit for a deep retrofit - it is the primary retreat center and year-round facility for the Farm & Wilderness Foundation, as well as a summer camp for 15-17 year old participants. Thousands of individuals across New England use the Farmhouse each year and can learn from the experience and outcomes of the project. We recently received a $25K challenge grant toward reduction of our carbon output, funds of which can be immediately applied as match toward a BrightBuilt retrofit.

- Freeport, ME - view details
www.fcsmaine.org

Freeport Community Services

Freeport, ME

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Freeport Community Services (FCS), a Maine based non-profit, has been passionate about serving the needs of the people of Freeport and Pownal for over 35 years. True to our mission, we provide - a forum for assessing needs, information and referrals, direct services, and opportunities for over 425 community members to participate as volunteers. Rapid growth, including a 30% increased demand for the emergency food services from our Food Pantry, drove us to expand our facilities. Purchase of the historic Mallett house adjacent to our Freeport Community Center home gives us room to expand.

In contrast to the traditional renovation of the first two Mallett houses already incorporated in our Community Center, the Deep Energy Retrofit of the new addition will reduce our carbon footprint, reduce our fuel costs by over 50% and free scarce funds for programs. As a cutting-edge effort to blend Deep Energy Retrofits with historic preservation, we are open-sourcing the project on the web and creating a demonstration model with a collaborative educational program. The building industry, homeowners and tourists to Freeport will come to our highly visible, high impact �how to� example of affordable ways to increase energy efficiency in older Maine housing stock.

- Warren, VT - view details
www.yestermorrow.org

Yestermorrow Design/Build

Warren, VT

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Yestermorrow's mission is to inspire people to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process. Founded in 1980, Yestermorrow is a Vermont-based, private non-profit teaching more than 1,000 students annually in its design/build educational programs led by a nationally-recognized faculty of over 150 professional architects, builders and artisans from around the world. In addition to short 1-day to 2-week courses, Yestermorrow offers certificate programs in natural building, woodworking and sustainable building and design. In 2011, the school will launch a Semester in Sustainable Design/Build, providing a 15-week immersion program for undergraduate students in the fundamentals of sustainable building and design.

The deep energy retrofit of Yestermorrow's intern housing will demonstrate the school's longstanding commitment to innovation in building and design, energy efficiency, and cutting-edge green building strategies. Constructed with minimal insulation and air sealing, this 1960s structure suffers from inadequate ventilation and moisture control which impacts the health of the interns living there. Partnering with BrightBuilt Retrofit, Yestermorrow will launch a new curriculum to teach building and design professionals how to tackle Deep Energy Retrofits, thus ensuring that the project's impact resonates well beyond this building's footprint. This retrofit will be a vital addition to Yestermorrow's campus, which serves as a living classroom, where buildings and structures showcase ground-breaking advances in design and construction.

Please note that only one vote per computer will be counted toward the
final tally.