Four Rhode Island communities are on the way to reducing the state’s carbon footprint.

Five years ago, Warwick, South Kingstown, East Greenwich and North Providence partnered to be a Climate Showcase Community, working with a nearly $500,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement programs and create new systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become more energy-efficient.

On Monday, community leaders and elected officials met at Thayer Arena in Warwick to celebrate and discuss energy efficient initiatives put in place thanks to the grant over the past five years.

The intergovernmental partnership was one of 25 projects chosen out of the 450 applicants nationwide, “a huge win for us as a state,” according to Mayor Scott Avedisian.

Avedisian said, “We were committed to this project; we weren’t going to let it get shelved. We let each community put forth energy-efficient initiatives that were not only necessary but also made a definite impact on the individual consumer.”

He wanted to ensure not only was the city benefiting from lowered energy costs, but the community at-large would benefit as well.

In Warwick, Fire Stations 2 and 3 received energy-efficient boilers and Thayer and Warburton Ice Arenas received new energy-efficient lighting systems both inside and outside the facilities. Those same buildings received variable frequency drive (VFD) motors on their evaporator fans to better control energy output. McDermott Pool has VFDs installed on hot water circulator pumps, circulation pumps and an energy management system on air handling units.

All together, Warwick spent around $137,000 on its projects, and Avedisian said that the city could expect to save $3,500 a year in energy costs.

All of the communities in the partnership reported that they would see significant savings due to the changes they implemented as part of the Climate Showcase.

Charles Lombardi, mayor of North Providence, said, “We’ve experienced considerable savings through using geothermal energy in our town hall. Our electricity and fuel cost have been reduced drastically.”

In South Kingstown, lighting at the public safety building was retrofitted, a project that cost $90,000 but will save the city $20,000 a year and reduce energy usage by 120,000 kilowatts a year.

Stephen Alfred, town manager of South Kingstown, said, “This really opened our eyes to all that could be done, and we are looking at what we can do with our other city buildings. The grant is not ending. It created a foundation so that we can move forward and continue to have energy-efficient initiatives, and I hope that this partnership continues in the future.”

With the Climate Showcase community program, the four municipalities partnered with National Grid and held an energy-efficient program as well as engaged residents to invest in energy efficiency at home. The municipalities also partnered with the University of Rhode Island that taught and trained Energy Fellows to work directly with the leaders of the communities to assess energy needs and help with implementation of projects.

David Bidwell, URI Assistant Professor Marine Affairs, said that the university is extremely proud of their fellows, taken from both graduate and undergraduate programs, for making the commitment to improve Rhode Island’s environment. He assured that the university would continue to educate fellows to continue their commitment to improving the environment throughout the state.

He said, “This proves that positive things can happen at the local level, and it’s an important model for further actions. We have to take this as a lesson and roll into a larger audience.”

Curt Spalding, U.S EPA Regional Administrator, explained that as part of the project 6,000 old refrigerators recycled, 7,000 energy assessments, 2,000 residential weatherization projects and 1,500 small business participated in the National Grid led energy-efficiency program.

“I am very proud to say that there have been dramatic reductions in energy waste. This was about results, real world results.”

EPA’s program aimed to have communities present themselves as role models for neighboring cities and towns.

Marion Gold, R.I. Office of Energy Resources Commissioner, said, “We will serve as a model. We are keeping energy dollars in the economy, while creating jobs at the same to create a secure, cost-effective and energy sustainable future.”

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said in a press release, “Our cities and towns are setting an example by adopting sensible measures that reduce harmful carbon pollution, while lowering energy costs for consumers.  They show that reducing carbon emissions is a win-win.”

“The lessons learned through these projects will help pave the way for communities to save money and energy and support local jobs, all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Governor Raimondo said in a press release.

Spalding said, “What if this was happening in every community in the country, one collective effort to reduce our carbon footprint, think of all the things we could do.”

For more information on the Climate Showcase Community program visit www.epa.gov.statelocalclimate/local/showcase.