The Long Beach Public Library Receives New Energy-Efficient Lighting Upgrades From Winthrop-University Hospital

LONG BEACH, N.Y., November 3, 2015 /3BL Media/ – Thanks to generous financial support from local healthcare provider Winthrop-University Hospital, the Long Beach Public Library will receive brand-new, energy-efficient lighting upgrades. The funding for this project was generated through Winthrop-University Hospital’s participation in CBS EcoMedia’s EcoAd program, an initiative which enables advertisers to support community projects across the nation.

The lighting retrofit will enhance the overall appearance of both of the library’s facilities and reduce energy usage and electric costs while ultimately saving taxpayers money. This project is expected to save the library approximately 100,000 kilowatt-hours per year as well as reduce the library’s carbon dioxide emissions by 150,000 pounds.

The Long Beach Public Library has historically been a focal point of the community because of the programs and services offered at the main library and point lookout branch locations. The Long Beach Public Library serves as the meeting location for several community groups and hosts music festivals, art showcases and youth programs throughout the year. Since Hurricane Sandy, the library has solidified its position as a community and cultural center by serving as an official emergency location as designated by the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Planning Committee.

A special celebration event was held Monday at the Long Beach Public Library’s Main Library to celebrate the completion of the lighting retrofit project. Notable guests included Winthrop-University Hospital President and CEO John F. Collins and Paul Polizzotto, President and Founder of CBS EcoMedia.

“We are extremely pleased to be part of CBS’s EcoMedia initiative again this year. Our goal is to provide the highest-quality health services to the communities we serve. We are committed to prevention and education, as well as to outstanding treatment,” said Collins. “It makes sense to support this upgrade in the library, not only to help reduce energy costs but also to improve the quality of life and learning in the community. A smarter community is a healthier community.”

 “The Long Beach Public Library is both delighted and grateful to work with Winthrop-University Hospital on this exciting project, which will fund the installation of energy efficient fixtures and lighting,” said Library Director George Trepp. “These lighting upgrades will save the Long Beach Public Library and district taxpayers money that can be redirected into other much-needed programs and services. We are also grateful to Winthrop-University Hospital for this funding from their EcoAd, as the library hopes to augment the grant with state construction money and PSEGLI rebates to extend the project and make the retrofit that much more meaningful.”

“These lighting upgrades will save Long Beach Public Library money that will now be redirected into other much-needed programs and operations,” said Polizzotto. “We’re grateful to Winthrop-University Hospital for putting the funding from their EcoAd to work on such a meaningful retrofit.”

About Winthrop-University Hospital
Founded in 1896 by a group of local physicians and concerned citizens, Long Island’s first voluntary hospital is a 591-bed university-affiliated medical center with a deep commitment to medical education and research, offering a full complement of inpatient and outpatient services. Winthrop’s mission is shaped by the basic value of “Your Health Means Everything,” and a deep and abiding commitment to the integrity, comfort and well-being of every individual.

In 2014, Winthrop provided inpatient care for 35,032 men, women, and children. There were over 70,000 emergency visits and 4,792 childbirths logged for the year. Winthrop is also Nassau County’s only Trauma Center with full trauma capabilities for both adult and pediatric patients.The Hospital employs 6,505 dedicated and caring individuals, including over 1,900 full-time and voluntary attending medical staff. Winthrop offers a broad range of inpatient and outpatient programs and services for the newborn through the elderly, primarily from Nassau, Suffolk and Queens Counties on Long Island, in a dynamic, progressive environment.

About The Long Beach Public Library
The Long Beach Public Library was established on Sept. 29, 1928 with the dedication of the first building at 124 West Park Avenue. Subsequently the Library moved to the Long Beach Trust Company building, opposite the railroad station, and to a storefront on Park Place. In 1956, the Library moved to its current location and was expanded in 1997-98. In 1967, a storefront branch was opened in Point Lookout and the branch has moved twice since, now residing in its new quarters at 79 Lido Boulevard. The West End Branch was opened in 1968 and, in 2009, moved to another storefront in the community.

Effects of Super Storm Sandy

On Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, Super storm Sandy devastated the community and closed the three Library facilities. The Point Lookout Branch was the first to reopen on Jan. 10, 2013, having sustained the least damage while the Main Library reopened on March 27th, after extensive rehabilitation and the loss of over 15% of the adult material collections. Unfortunately, the West End Branch had substantial damage and had to close.

While the main library historically has been a focal point of the community, since Sandy it has solidified its position as a community and cultural center. More and more community groups meet at the Library, there are six (6) music festivals, from cabaret to rock, throughout the year, the second floor Art Gallery showcases local artists, Sunday cultural programs attract capacity audiences and film programs show the latest releases. The Library’s children’s and teen programs provide important literacy programs and public computers provide high speed access to the Internet. Further, the main library is now being considered as a “Community Center” for emergencies by the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Planning Committee. Finally, Point Lookout Branch may soon evolve into a similar center for that community.

About CBS EcoMedia Inc.
EcoMedia was founded in 2002 by social entrepreneur Paul Polizzotto. The company's mission is to harness the power of the advertising dollar to make tangible, quality of life improvements in communities nationwide. In 2010, after successfully partnering on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia was acquired by CBS Corporation, exponentially scaling its reach across television, radio, interactive, and publishing media. 

Through EcoMedia's patent-pending EcoAd, as well as EducationAd, WellnessAd, Viewers to Volunteers and Volunteering with the Stars advertising programs, national brands and local businesses provide millions of dollars in financial support to some of the nation's most effective nonprofit organizations, funding critical veterans’, education, health and wellness, and environmental projects nationwide. 

EcoMedia's innovative and proprietary business model has fundamentally altered the advertising and nonprofit landscapes, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change.

EcoMedia has earned numerous awards and recognitions for its work, including the U.S. Conference of Mayors Award for Excellence in Public Private Partnerships (2009), Edison Awards for Social Innovation and Social Impact (2012, 2013), and the Starlight Children's Foundation's “General H. Norman Schwarzkopf Leadership Award,” which honors individual and organizational leaders who are doing extraordinary work to advance the common good and strengthen their communities.  

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By participating in EcoMedia's EcoAd, WellnessAd, EducationAd, and Viewers to Volunteers advertising programs, EcoMedia's advertisers agree to provide funding for projects we believe will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, health and/or education within local communities. EcoMedia's advertising programs are not certification programs nor are the EcoAd, WellnessAd or EducationAd logos seals of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse or make any representations about EcoMedia program advertisers, their products or services.

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Press Contact:

Theresa Schieber
Theresa.schieber@ecomediacbs.com
212-975-3471