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Westchester Businesses Team Up On Earth Day To Promote Energy Efficiencies

ELMSFORD, N.Y. -- A Mamaroneck contracting company combined Earth Day with the Food Bank For Westchester to plug insurance breaks for energy-efficient construction.

Michael Kelly, sales and marketing manager for PURE Insurance of White Plains, talks to architects and designers at the Food Bank For Westchester.

Michael Kelly, sales and marketing manager for PURE Insurance of White Plains, talks to architects and designers at the Food Bank For Westchester.

Photo Credit: Jon Craig
Ellen Lynch, president of the Food Bank For Westchester, and Michael Murphy of Murphy Brothers Contractnig with other energy and insurance experts during a break from a continuing education course in Elmsford on Earth Day.

Ellen Lynch, president of the Food Bank For Westchester, and Michael Murphy of Murphy Brothers Contractnig with other energy and insurance experts during a break from a continuing education course in Elmsford on Earth Day.

Photo Credit: Jon Craig

Michael Murphy of Murphy Brothers Contracting invited a White Plains-based home insurer to one of his continuing education courses held at the Food Bank offices in Elmsford on Wednesday to explain the first-time offers.

Michael Kelly, marketing manager with PURE Insurance, said his company is offering discounted premiums while guaranteeing coverage of losses on LEED-certified homes worth more than $1 million.

"It was really a no-brainer for us,'' Kelly said. "We write (policies) in every state in the country."

If a home is damaged or destroyed after being built at 2010 LEED standards, PURE's specialized coverage will restore the home at current-year standards, Kelly said. "These houses are much less likely to suffer a loss,'' he said.

Murphy, who has been active with Food Bank programs for nearly three years, also used Wednesday's course on "zero energy home construction" -- attended by more than 30 architects and designers -- to promote their becoming active with the non-profit organization by volunteering time or donating food, money or equipment. "These people don't realize, in their neighborhoods, somebody's hungry,'' Murphy said.

Food Bank President Ellen Lynch said simply having new people visit the Elmsford facility and spreading the word to friends, coworkers or business associate helps its programs, noting there are about 200,000 in need of food in Westchester.

New York is the first state to be eligible for this special LEED for Homes coverage.

Other organizers included Thomas Coughlin, president of Coughlin Insurance Services and Karla Donnelly, senior sustainability specialist at Steven Winter Associates, -and Majid Jelveh, LEED-certified architect at GreenPlague.com.

 

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