Hartford Business Journal

CT Green Guide Winter 2015

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www.CTGreenGuide.com WINTER 2015 • CONNECTICUT GREEN GUIDE 11 HEADQUARTERS: Norwalk PRESIDENT: Brian Davis FOUNDED: 1988 EMPLOYEES: 80 VOLUNTEERS: 288 WEBSITE: www.maritimeaquarium.org DID YOU KNOW? The Maritime Aquarium contributes $42 million annually to the Connecticut economy, according to a study commissioned by the organization. A Sound Vessel By Brad Kane T he Maritime Aquarium realized over the summer that to truly listen to Long Island Sound, it had to go quiet. The aquarium has wrapped up its summer educational cruise season with its new $2.7 million, 64-foot, hybrid electric catamaran, setting new records of 2,699 passengers for the season and attracting schools from as far as Pennsylvania. "Given that our mission is to protect the environment, particularly Long Island Sound, we were attracted to a hybrid boat that would use less en- ergy," said Thomas Naiman, the aquarium's director of education. The hybrid-electric boat — which runs off of 14 lithium ion batteries charged by an onboard generator — replaced the aquarium's 40-foot diesel- powered trawler. The new vessel not only holds more passengers — up to 45 — but runs much quieter, enabling students to hear teachers better. It also keeps Sound sea life from rushing away from the noise. Already into its fall season, the catamaran dubbed Spirit of the Sound is running fall foliage and lighthouse tours and prepping for winter marine life cruises. With word getting out about the new vessel and the fall season bringing a new type of passenger, the aquarium should see even more busi- ness coming its way, said Travis Mingo, director of vessel operations and lead captain for the aquarium. "Next year, we will have even more success with it," Mingo said. The Spirit of the Sound has an onboard submarine that educators can use to showcase shipwrecks and aquatic life. Green Fact: When it was last studied in 2010, the estimated total output of all the Connecticut maritime industries was $7 billion. SOURCE: UCONN ECOmpany: THE MARITIME AQUARIUM AT NORWALK PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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