Turning "First Suburb" into "First Green Suburb"

related articles

Widely regarded as the first mass-produced suburb and the archetype for postwar neighborhoods, Long Island's Levittown is again on the cutting edge of design and modern living. This week Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi jump-started the much-anticipated effort to remake the community as a pioneering Green Suburb, as Newsday reports.

Suozzi began the process of canvassing Levittown's 17,000 homes with the goal of getting residents to sign on to public/private partnerships based on saving energy and money. The heart of the program is that homeowners can receive special discounts on energy efficient items, such as $500 off and 10 free trees when purchasing a soy-based bioheat furnace from Tragar Oil. Residents get 20% of all Satco CFLs and gift cards back upon purchase of Energy Star appliances from P.C. Richard & Son.

Other program partners include the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Alure Home Improvements and Bethpage Federal Credit Union.

Historic Levittown, which was built between 1947 and 1951 by the firm of Levitt & Sons, Inc., hopes this program will catch on nationwide. The initiative's website is Green Levittown.

COMMENTS ()