CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND TOWN PARTNER TO ROLL OUT INNOVATIVE NEW ENERGY FINANCING PROGRAM

Lantana, FL (July 18th, 2011) -- The Town of Lantana, in partnership with the Greater Lake Worth and Greater Boynton Beach Chambers of Commerce, has selected a team led by EcoCity Partners, L3C to create the “GreenBiz Energy Collaborative Program.” This new program will provide financing to businesses to complete energy efficiency or renewable energy projects on their buildings and facilities. The result is that the business will lower their energy costs and local contractors will be put to work.

The GreenBiz Energy Collaborative Program will leverage up to $15 million in private bank financing to fund the upfront costs of the building retrofits. EcoCity Partners will create the financing program, while also creating a green business certification program that the participants can use to market the green goals they achieve. The program is funded with a Florida Clean Energy Grant, awarded last year, through which EcoCity Partners’ proposal placed 1st out of 120 competitive applications statewide.

The EcoCity Partners team includes Renewable Funding, an energy financing pioneer and industry leader in these Programs throughout the country. The team also includes the non-profit, global green Chamber of Commerce, EcoChamber.

The Program will be open to other municipal and county governments in Florida who want to opt-in and provide these benefits to their local businesses. “We are very excited to finally roll this Program out, to help businesses save money on electricity costs and simultaneously create desperately needed jobs in the community,” said Michael Bornstein, Lantana Town Manager. “The design of this Program as a multi-jurisdictional partnership began well over a year ago and it is really exciting to finally get to work.”

“Our goal is to be able to start offering financing within six to seven months,” said Michael Wallander, Principal with EcoCity Partners and the Program’s Project Manager. “We know there is significant demand for this Program; we have already had discussions with other city and county governments who like our financing alternatives and want to join the Program.”

“The real winners in this process are the businesses,” said Heri Santiago, Chairman of the Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce. “We will be providing free workshops to educate businesses about the opportunities to ‘green up’ both by saving money and doing the right thing,” said Glenn Jergensen, President & CEO of the Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce.

This Program will be the first commercially-focused financing program of its kind in the State of Florida and one of only a handful in the entire country. It will seek to build upon the success of a similar PACE financing program for residential property owners that was established by Leon County, Florida – the Leon Energy Assistance Program (LEAP).

If you would like more information on the Greenbiz Energy Collaborative Program please contact Michael Wallander at 818-527-6511 or by email at Michael@ecocitypartners.com.