Ameresco, Inc. Joins Hundreds of Colleges and Universities

Framingham, MA – Independent energy solutions provider Ameresco, Inc. announced today that it has joined the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) as a Silver Sponsor. The Presidents Climate Commitment is an effort to make campuses more sustainable and address global warming by garnering institutional commitments to reduce and ultimately neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on campus.

Ameresco’s has worked with colleges and universities around the country to implement energy management improvements. Its work in this category has resulted in millions of dollars in annual energy savings and tons of carbon emissions reduced for higher education institutions.

“At Ameresco we work with colleges and universities every day to conserve energy,” said Louis P. Maltezos, Ameresco Vice President. “We applaud ACUPCC’s efforts to inspire colleges and universities across the country to evaluate the way energy is used and make changes that reduce impact on the environment.”

Colleges and universities often struggle with huge revenue gaps created by shrinking budgets, declining tax bases, aging facilities, and rising energy costs. Ameresco works with these institutions to provide new sources of investment capital for improving dormitories, facilities and providing more services to their student population. Colleges and universities can thereby attract more students, without impacting capital funds.

“We will continue to offer our services as an environmentally and financially sound way for colleges and universities to improve their infrastructure without large capital outlay,” said Mr. Maltezos of Ameresco. “Together with our clients and the ACUPCC we are dedicated to continuing our work to reduce the impacts of climate change on our environment.”

To date, presidents at more than 500 colleges and universities have signed the ACUPCC commitment and pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions over time. There are several requirements of the commitment including completing an emissions inventory, taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and integrating sustainability into the curriculum.

“It is support from companies like Ameresco that make it possible for us to increase the overall impact of the commitment,” said Lee Bodner, Executive Director of ecoAmerica, a co-organizer of ACUPCC. “The private sector’s cutting edge expertise and technical knowledge is key to helping educational institutions implement infrastructure changes that result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions.”