OIC goes Green

Alarm over our environment intensifies. Global climate change is delivering more immediate and catastrophic ruin than our gloomiest predictions. It affects us here in Massachusetts; and communities throughout the State are organizing themselves to take action.

In many rural areas, toxicity levels are up, environmental degradation and over-development rampant. In our larger towns and cities, health issues such as juvenile asthma and environmental cancers have reached epidemic proportions.

The good news is that Franklin County/North Quabbin have seen gains in land conservation along with rapid growth in eco-tourism and sales of local farm produce, natural foods, fibers, and wood craft.

The Greening of the Orange Innovation Center: How are we going about it?

OIC's green building initiative is in the right place at the right time, it's a strategic step to help revitalize the rural economy, a high profile showcase of green building design and green industry complementing development in a region which is building on its agro, forest, and recreational resources.


The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the "nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings". It is a third party rating system that gives points for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. OIC is working towards a high score on the LEED scale of greenness and efficiency whose criteria immediately benefit the health and safety of occupants and users of the building through enhanced ventilation effectiveness, and the use of low-emitting adhesives and sealants.

OIC intends to serve as a model incubator of locally owned green industry, encouraging innovative environmental start-ups to join our ranks.

Towards this end, OIC is completing major site improvements, which will 1) make the building fully handicap accessible, 2) "green" the building in accordance with LEED guidelines including alternative energy strategies; 3) shift the focus (with costs contained through cost savings once the building is self-sufficient) to continuing to develop the business-incubator function, stimulating more green growth and green jobs in the region, and develop OIC as a regional center of eco-building excellence.

What are some examples of green building practices in the works?

Continued installations of high R-rated windows, restoration of floor to ceiling glass in the cement-floored portion of the building equipped with sun-light triggered insulated blinds to improve passive solar gains and heat retention, install a Photovoltaic grid for interior and exterior lighting and electrical systems, add wood/bio-mass fired boiler systems and geo-thermal heat pumps to reduce oil consumption; and convert current interior courtyards into atrium style work space with extensive skylights and demonstration garden area.