Major Challenge Grant for Energy Education Announced

United Way of Long Island – which works to advance the common good among Long Island’s communities by developing programs that address Long Islanders’ critical needs in education, income and health – has announced that it has secured a major donation that will enable it to expand efforts on its income platform by creating Green jobs in the high- growth, high-demand energy industry.

Robert Catell, formerly Chairman and CEO of KeySpan and Chairman, U.S., National Grid, has provided a major gift as a challenge grant to United Way of Long Island (UWLI) to advance the E3 Initiative, a new project developed by United Way.  The “E3” insignia stands for “Education, Efficiency and Environment.” 

The project’s goals are to (1) Educate and train a new Green collar workforce in the areas of energy efficiency, Green building, renewables, and weatherization upgrades; (2) Create efficiency within the existing housing stock to lower energy use;  (3) Protect the environment by reducing the carbon footprint associated with housing developments using the latest energy efficiency technologies; and (4) Build a more durable and sustainable housing stock to transform the way in which Long Islanders live through a Greener lifestyle.

United Way of Long Island will oversee and coordinate education and training activities which are designed to actively put unemployed Long Islanders back to work.

Contributions made to the E3 Initiative will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $150,000.  For more information about the E3 Initiative, contact Rick Wertheim, Senior Vice President of Housing Initiatives at United Way of Long Island, at 631.940.3722 or rwertheim@unitedwayli.org.