June 11, 2012 marked the first installation of a wind turbine at a New York City school.  The installation took place at The Town School in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  The school educates children from nursery school to eighth grade.  About 70 students, alumni, parents and friends attended the ceremony.  A major highlight of the ceremony, besides the official announcement of Manhattan's first wind turbine at a school, was the ribbon-cutting by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The wind turbine was a gift by the Class of 2009.  The students purchased the eddyGT wind turbine through The Big Wind, LLC, a local distributor of UGE renewable energy solutions. It took three years to obtain the permits necessary to install the turbine, as the wind turbine was purchased prior to the change in City ordinance that now permits small wind turbine installations in New York City.  Stephen Petrillo commented, "This is a dream come true.  A wind turbine for renewable energy for The Town School."  Since the wind turbine was a gift to the school, the team of architects, engineers, and electricians volunteered their time to install the beautiful machine.  

The Town School is part of The Green Schools Alliance, which provides children with the tools and education to build a greener, more sustainable future.  It is a charter member and Climate Champion of GSA and, as such, combats the challenge to make the environment healthier for all of us head on.  The turbine is also part of PlaNYC, the city's sustainability program.  Mayor Bloomberg stated, "I'm excited about this windmill!" He also mentioned GreeNYC, an online resource for children and parents with simple steps to live green.

After providing a brief overview of all of NYC's resources for sustainable living, Mayor Bloomberg explained to the students that he was about to hit the big red button to activate the wind turbine with his right thumb.  He explained the importance of his thumb stating that it was used to light the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and the World's Largest Hanukkah Menorahs in Manhattan and Brooklyn, as well as the Giant Mulch at MulchFest (for NYC's Christmas trees). Right before Bloomberg hit the button, he asked all in attendance to countdown from three. Seconds later, the turbine was activated and spinning with the wind, generating green power with every rotation.

At the end of the ceremony, Kevin Sheekey and his children expressed their gratitude to Mayor Bloomberg, "Thank you for all the good things you've done for the environment."

Urban Green Energy's eddyGT atop The Town School on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Written by Ann

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