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>> [LEVATO]: Rich, Janet. The state awarded more than 700 million dollars to New York’s
ten regions. Rochester and the Finger Lakes finished at the top and will divvy up that
96 million across 76 projects. We zeroed in on one of them today, the 5 million dollars
going to the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at RIT. We wanted to know, where is that money
going.
>> Dr. Nabil Nasr is the director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability.
>> [NASR]: How long is it going to take Brian for installation?
>> The installation setting today. Probably about an hour.
>> [LEVATO]: Contractors today had a huge crane to install a 400-kilowatt fuel cell
powered by natural gas to supply electricity for the building. Dr. Nasr gave a tour of
the building. Construction workers still putting the finishing touches on the inside. The institute
works with industry to find ways to make things work more efficiently. That’s the sustainability
part, making sure we don’t waste resources that will be needed by future generations.
A 10 million dollar gift from Tom Golisano helped build this state of the art smart building.
Five million in state funding will pay for machinery to equip the buildings many labs.
I asked if taxpayers are getting their moneys worth.
>> [NASR]: Absolutely, having the resources, the laboratories, the know-how at the university
and the ability to also educate professionals in this area is critical for our community
to be effective, competitive in this area. We see some great values to the community
and to the state.
>> [LEVATO]: Dr. Nasr stressed how important it is to have the resources, the laboratories
the know-how and the ability to also educate professionals in this area. He said it’s
critical for our community to be effective and competitive. That even with cutting edge
technology, the building gives a nod to the past. Besides solar panels on the green roof,
rainwater is collected down in the basement to flush the buildings toilets.