Bridgeport, Connecticut

BR IDGEPORT , CONNECT I CUT amount of residential solar hookups, so we’re trying to balance it out between business and residential benefits from our energy portfolio. That portfolio will, hopefully, be expanded. As a state legislator, I serve on both the environment and energy committees and, last session, we had our Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issue another RFP for offshore wind generation. Vineyard Winds has been front and center in Massachusetts with the idea of putting a wind farm off of Martha’s Vineyard, and they’re very interested in locating a facility here in Bridgeport. So, we’re trying to round out our portfolio in that way.” Following Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene, earlier in this decade, there was a call for a more resilient energy grid, so Bridgeport established a natural gas-fuelled micro-grid behind city hall that powers not only that building but also the police dept and seniors’ center. The project has been highly regarded across the country. People from Indiana and Kentucky have come to see how it works and how they can duplicate it in their own states. “We’re attacking on all fronts,” says Gresko. “Bridgeport is the largest city by population (145,000) in Connecticut – we’re not the capital, and we don’t have Yale University like New Haven does, so we view the green and sustainable avenue as a way of putting our stake in the ground and letting people know that’s how we roll here.” Building-wise, Bridgeport has a new high school and two brand new grammar schools that have taken advantage of the LEED certification program, and have earned both Gold and Silver in that aspect. As far as the environment, Bridgeport, being known as The Park City, boasts several large parks, including Seaside Park which borders the University of Bridgeport and Beardsley Park, home to the state’s only zoo, Beardsley Zoo. There is also another park, close to 400 acres, with quite an interesting history. Back in the day, Remington Artillery was the