Tammy Daniels of Iberkshires writes, “The county’s iconic curtain company let the sunshine in on Friday with a ceremonial flick of a switch.
Country Curtains’ 100,000 square-foot headquarters and distribution facility on Pleasant Street now hosts the biggest solar array in the county. The nearly $1 million, 140-kilowatt installation will generate up to 20 percent of the building’s energy needs and is expected to pay itself off in less than five years.
“We’re very proud of this. This is the kind of thing we do that’s kept us in business for 53 years now,” said former state Sen. John “Jack” Fitzpatrick of Stockbridge shortly before flipping that switch, as wife Jane Fitzpatrick, the company’s chairman, sliced through the green ribbon around the array’s electrical panel.
Sustainability has become a central philosophy for the Fitzpatrick family endeavors, which include The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge and Porches inn in North Adams. In February, The Red Lion lead a panel on suppliers and sustainability at a daylong forum in Springfield on green themes and corporate responsibility.
“This family has really lead the way,” said Bill Booth, chief executive officer for Country Curtains, ticking off examples such as the massive recycling of cardboard from the distribution center and the use of energy-efficient lighting. “It is part of our cultural history, it’s in our bones.”
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