Crowdfunding campaign launched for electric vehicle charging station in Essex

$7,042 crowdfunding goal to receive matching grant from Sustainable CT's Community Match Fund

Willimantic, CT (08/03/2020) — Sustainable Essex is working to install the town's first electric vehicle charging station to provide electric vehicle owners a place to recharge and reduce carbon emissions. The project's organizers are calling on the community to join this initiative by donating to a crowdfunding campaign or volunteering in the effort. All community donations will be doubled by Sustainable CT's Community Match Fund, is an innovative funding resource for public, community-led sustainability projects.

If the campaign reaches its $7,042 goal by its fundraising deadline of Sept. 27, the project will receive a matching grant of $7,042 from Sustainable CT, an initiative of Eastern Connecticut State University's Institute for Sustainable Energy. For project details and to donate, please visit: Patronicity.com/essexevcharger.

"Greenhouse gases are known to be a major contributor to the warming of our planet," say project organizers from Sustainable Essex. "According to the CT DEEP, the transportation sector contributes 38 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in our state.

"The Governor's Council on Climate Change has identified electric vehicles as a primary way to reduce 2001 greenhouse gas levels by 45 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050. As of December 31, 2019, there were approximately 12,000 registered electric vehicles on Connecticut's roads; the state has launched an aggressive plan to put 125,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2025. Consumers cite a lack of charging stations as the third most significant impediment to EV adoption. The availability of charging stations in all settings, including public parking lots, can remove this barrier."

Essex First Selectman Norm Needleman adds, "I want to thank the Sustainable Essex committee for working diligently on finding a path to an electric vehicle charging station at the Main Street Park. Based on the current plan we are hoping that this will not come out of tax dollars at all. I'm very grateful that the committee is raising money and will hopefully get a match from Sustainable CT and the Community Match Fund."

The EV charging station will be located in the town parking lot behind the Essex Post Office, which provides an ideal spot for out of town visitors to park and re-charge while enjoying Essex's shops and restaurants, say project organizers. Additionally, it offers town residents a central location to plug in while running errands.

Sustainable CT is an initiative of the Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE) at Eastern Connecticut State University that inspires, supports, and recognizes sustainability action by towns and cities statewide. The Community Match Fund, supported by the Smart Seed Fund, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and the Connecticut Green Bank, provides a dollar-for-dollar match to donations raised from the community, doubling local investment in projects.

"Through the Community Match Fund, we aim to put residents at the forefront of creating positive, impactful change," said Abe Hilding-Salorio, community outreach manager for Sustainable CT. "Match Fund projects are community led and community funded, demonstrating the power of people working together to make change in their communities."

MEDIA CONTACTS

Abe Hilding-Salorio
Community Outreach Manager
Sustainable CT
hildingsalorioa@easternct.edu
860-465-0256

Mark de Jongh
Member
Sustainable Essex Committee
mmdejongh@msn.com
860-767-4951

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