Pine Manor College

Joseph P. Kennedy II, Citizens Energy Corporation Chairman and President (former US Congressman from Massachusetts and son of Robert F. and Ethel Kennedy), and President Gloria Nemerowicz announced a partnership between the non-profit energy company and PMC in a special ceremony in the Founder’s Room courtyard in June before an audience of almost 100 that included members of the PMC community, Citizens Energy staff, neighbors, reporters, and regional conservationists.

 “Today is a great day!” Kennedy said. “Pine Manor College is setting an example for every school, college, and university in the country on how to fight back against out- of- control energy prices and vast quantities of our money going overseas to further enrich the OPEC countries.”  

Under the agreement, PMC becomes the first college in the country for which Citizens Energy will act as the energy services provider, assisting the College in using energy and water resources more efficiently across the campus.

“Pine Manor is proud to be the first college partnering with Citizens Energy,” said President Nemerowicz. “These efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and operate this institution in an earth-friendly manner reinforce the commitment of our faculty, staff and students, to our mission of social responsibility.”

Last year PMC spent $1.3 million on energy and water. With the help of Citizens Energy, the College will minimize the rise in energy costs, implement efficiencies in its operation, and ensure that operating standards incorporate environmental practices that lower its impact locally and globally.  Annual savings are expected to be $300,000.

“In confronting national educational challenges,” President Nemerowicz continued, “we have been strengthened by partnerships that include the Boston Public schools, The Home for Little Wanderers, Tufts University. In this new collaboration with Citizens Energy, PMC is striving for accountable stewardship in fulfilling our mission of social responsibility. We are working for the common good of our planet as well as the common good of our community.” 

“The rising costs of energy are devastating our communities, and the way we consume energy is deteriorating our environment,�� Kennedy said.  “By partnering, we can find more efficient ways to consume energy, improve our business operations and move us toward a more sustainable future.”

“Citizens Energy and Pine Manor College will show that energy conservation is the only way to go,” Kennedy added  “Our individual behaviors created the crisis that our country now faces, and we now have to step forward and take responsibility. Our survival as a society, as a nation, as a planet, depend on it.”

Following remarks by Kennedy and Nemerowicz, PMC Biology senior Patricia Pabon ‘09 commented on the impact her Environmental Issues Biology course had on students. “We came to realize the true meaning of inclusive leadership and social responsibility -- that we had to take action or stand back and watch the massive negative changes take place in our eco system and in our world.”

The first phase of the project will include installation of energy efficient equipment and plumbing and state of the art building management systems designed to help reduce operating costs by saving on energy consumption. Energy and water efficient upgrades will include improvements to lighting systems; boiler and steam systems; heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; advanced building controls; and plumbing systems.

These energy upgrades will be financed through ongoing savings, beginning next fiscal year, and through the College’s current fundraising campaign, Women of Promise: The Campaign for Pine Manor College. As part of the partnership, Citizens and Pine Manor are exploring additional ways to reduce the overall project cost through a series of state- and utility - based incentives and rebates, which will help the College continue to fulfill its mission of providing affordable higher education. Also on the agenda is assessing the integration of solar photovoltaic systems on several campus buildings---on-site alternative energy projects that provide clean renewable energy directly to campus buildings.

In the fall the entire PMC community will be involved in learning about and  implementing changes that will contribute to the project’s success.