As we embark on a new year with questionable oil resources, a growing population and economic uncertainty, energy and sustainability are on our minds as strongly as ever.

And as much as we're tempted to look forward to a new year of environmental developments, sometimes it's not so bad to look back at what we've accomplished already.

The Ridgefield Action Committee for the Environment is developing their "Energy Action Plan" and working on ways to get the public interested in the types of innovations that are out there.

And what better way than to look at what some people and businesses in town have done this past year?

Patch teamed up with RACE to feature Ridgefield's "greenest of 2010" – this is not to say there aren't others, but here we have examples of what we can all do to be greener in 2011.

In this edition, we have Ridgefield High School junior Alex Hance and his recycling bin initiative and Michael Smith with his solar home energy system.

If you know of someone who is doing great things (big or small) to improve sustainability in Ridgefield, let us know!

Where Eagles Dare … to Recycle

Alex Hance, a junior at Ridgefield High School, wanted to make a lasting impression on Ridgefield this last year with his final Eagle Scout project.

And if you're looking to make an impression, it's best to start on Main St.

Looking for a project to earn his merit badge, Hance noticed recyclable items in the trash bins along Main St. and asked himself, "Why not just put recycling bins there?"

With his mind set on making that change, he noticed it wasn't quite as simple as it sounded.

After talking to First Selectman Rudy Marconi, who was very interested in the project, Hance found that, in order to retain the character of the town, the bins would need to fit in to the current aesthetic.

"I had to find the same manufacturer that made the garbage bins," Hance said, "and then Georgetown Auto Body painted the tops green to differentiate."

There are eight bins in all from Town Hall to the hot dog stand, all well-marked but also well-adapted to the Ridgefield look.

Each recycle bin cost $500, Hance said, and each is adorned with a plaque in honor of those who donated their money and services – RACE and Hudson Bailer are among these.

"I've been interested in recycling since I was in Middle School," Hance said. "As long as it can be convenient, I think, people will pay attention."

As a high school junior, Hance is beginning the college search, "preferably to somewhere warmer," he said – this interview was a day after the late-December storm – where he wants to study either engineering or business at this point.

He also runs a computer repair business with friends in town called "TigerTech."

Hance recognizes the true spirit of innovation.

"Find a need, and fill the need," he said. "It's fantastic how this has worked out."

Smith's House of the Rising Sun

In 1930, when the Smith house was built in Ridgefield near Wataba Lake, photovoltaic cells and efficient insulation were a thing of the future.

But now that same house is retrofitted with a number of solar innovations that for Michael Smith have become something of a hobby.

After adding a few rooms to the house in 1996, Smith needed to add radiant heating –from the floor -- out of necessity, but became interested thereafter.

"It was the start of our energy awareness," Smith said.

With some more research, he was hooked.

"I started going to demonstrations and looking at all this other stuff we could do," Smith said. "There was one at the Danbury Library about the photovoltaic rebate (from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund), and I was in."

He had 24 photovoltaic panels installed atop the house that, even though Connecticut isn't Arizona and the panels aren't situated ideally, bring a substantial amount of power to the house.

For $40,000, half of which came out of the Clean Energy Fund, Smith saves about $1000 a year in energy costs – with projected 5 percent annual increase in electricity cost each year, over the 30-year life of the system, the savings would be about $60,000, according to Smith.

That's three times the amount he paid to get it started.

Beyond the savings, Smith cites an overall "energy awareness" as one of the benefits of the system.

As a data collection professional at MasterCard, numbers are Smith's game, and he keeps meticulous books to always have a hand on the pulse of the system – in this way, it has become his hobby, tweaking the system here and there to optimize the house's performance.

The photovoltaic cells aren't the only innovation on the house, though – Smith's personal favorite is the "solar hot water" system above the roof of the garage.

He likes it for its simplicity – water is heated by the sun and brought into the house, saving the oil it would normally take to heat the same amount. This system, he said, would also pay for itself in about 10 years.

Smith is insistent that anyone can make these changes, but recommends tackling it in the opposite direction. He started big with the solar panels and water heater and then saw to some of the smaller aspects of the house such as insulation and lighting.

"It's important to recognize the small steps," Smith said. "I'm happy to talk about my experience because now I have knowledge of the pieces involved."

"It's time to get motivated about it," Smith said. "If we get everybody thinking about energy we can change our patterns."