McKee Administration Recognizes Clean Energy Achievements Across Public Sector at 7th Annual Lead by Example Awards

Special Honors - University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension, Energy Fellows Program

Lead by Example Clean Energy Award Winner: Public School - Woonsocket Education Department

Lead by Example Clean Energy Award Winner: State Entity - University of Rhode Island

Lead by Example Clean Energy Award Winner: Municipality - Town of Lincoln

PROVIDENCE, RI – The McKee Administration has recognized 20 state entities, municipalities, and public schools for their renewable energy and energy efficiency achievements at its Seventh Annual Lead by Example Clean Energy Awards ceremony.

“I am proud of all our nominees and winners for your efforts to reduce our energy usage across the public sector,” said Governor Dan McKee. “The Lead by Example program promotes state entities, municipalities, and public schools to work together to meet the state goal of net-zero emissions economy wide by 2050. This collaboration helps the public sector cut greenhouse gas emissions while improving the efficiency of their operations.”

"Congratulations to all the state entities, municipalities, and public schools for leading by example in clean energy and energy efficiency project investments” said Chris Kearns, Acting State Energy Commissioner. “Our Lead by Example team is working hard to meet the emission reduction goals in our Act on Climate throughout the public sector."

The Lead by Example Program works with public sector entities to lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy costs across Rhode Island. The work done by State and municipal employees often goes unheralded but is a critical tool in addressing public sector energy burdens across government.

In 2023, Governor McKee signed a new Lead by Example Executive Order that updated the state’s clean energy, energy efficiency and emission reduction goals for all state entities. Within this Executive Order, all state agencies must collaborate with the Office of Energy Resources to implement and promote emission reduction projects, in keeping with the purpose to Lead by Example in clean energy and sustainability. The Executive Order sets out new goals in alignment with the 2021 Act on Climate, which sets mandatory, enforceable greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals leading the state to achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050.

Lead by Example Energy Award-Winners

Category: Public School – Woonsocket Education Department

The Woonsocket Education Department completed LED lighting with control upgrades in six schools, dramatically improving the learning environment and saving significant energy for the Department.

Category: Municipality – Town of Lincoln

The Town of Lincoln retrofitted all streetlights to LED lighting. These upgrades will improve the safety and visibility on all town streets as well as provide significant energy and cost savings to the community.

Category: State Entity – University of Rhode Island

University of Rhode Island installed a solar carport and completed other energy efficiency projects across the Bay Campus. The array is one of the largest solar canopy arrays in the state to date.

The Bay Campus also replaced the entire maintenance vehicle automobile fleet with electric low speed vehicles.

The nominees that received honors

Honorees:

University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension: Energy Fellows Program

Public Schools:

Central Falls School District, Chariho Regional School District, Lincoln Public School District, North Kingstown School Department, Pawtucket School Department, Portsmouth School Department, Providence Public School Department, South Kingstown School District

Municipalities:

City of East Providence, City of Newport, City of Providence, Town of North Kingstown

State Entities:

Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals, Department of Corrections, Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance, Rhode Island Army National Guard, Rhode Island College

To read more about how the Lead by Example program is supporting the public sector to reduce energy use and combat climate change, please visit: https://energy.ri.gov/lead-example.