Among many other things, New York City is known for its museums — the Met, Guggenheim, MOMA and the list goes on. Honeywell and Con Edison put a unique twist on this heritage in September when they set up a “cool museum” with vintage and antique refrigerators in the middle of Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.
As park visitors quickly learned, the pop-up museum was designed to draw attention to Con Edison’s expanded appliance recycling program, which Honeywell runs on the utility’s behalf, along with other energy-efficiency efforts. The program now recycles old freezers, in addition to refrigerators, in an environmentally-responsible way. And customers receive $50 each in return, up from the previous amount of $30.
Many of the thousands of Manhattan residents and visitors who typically rush by the park slowed to take notice of the unique spectacle. Old refrigerators of various shapes and sizes — some covered with artwork — dotted the park, and a local artist commissioned for the event put his own touches on several relics.
Members of Con Edison’s Green Team, which includes Honeywell specialists, were also on hand to explain to visitors how those old refrigerators and freezers, which often go ignored, can waste a lot more energy and money than most people realize. Recycling these old energy hogs can lower energy expenses by as much as $100 a year.
The refrigerator museum drew crowds throughout the day and most of the local broadcast outlets covered the event, helping to further spread the message to viewers that they should think twice about the beer fridge running nonstop in the basement. It’s likely worth more than the dents and rust suggest — and worth recycling.
For more information, watch a video of the artist, which includes comments from a Honeywell Utility Solutions expert, or view a broadcast news report on the event.
