Green party

The New England Clean Energy Council, a group that promotes the growth of a clean energy sector in the region, hosted its first Green Tie Gala last night at the Museum of Science in Boston.

The dress code for party-goers was "black tie with a flourish of green."

Governor Deval Patrick spoke at the event, where he issued a challenge to commercial and industrial energy users to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent within three years. More about that can be found in this list of news items, which ran in today's Globe.

"Massachusetts is serious about leaving the fossil fuel era behind," Patrick told the gala crowd about wanting the state to be at the forefront of the "clean energy revolution."

The Council also honored several companies and individuals at the event:

-- Breakout Clean Energy Company of the Year - A123 Systems
-- Emerging Clean Energy Company of the Year - Aspen Aerogels
-- Clean Energy Employer of the Year - GT Solar Inc.
-- Clean Energy Corporate Citizen of the Year - Staples Inc.
-- Clean Energy Hall of Fame Inductee - Mark Farber, who helped found Evergreen Solar Inc.
-- Clean Energy Leadership Award - Berl Hartman, of E2, and Peter Rothstein, of Flagship Ventures

Award recipients, which are listed below, got a blue pyramid trophy like this one:

The US Department of Energy also presented an Energy Innovator Award to the New England Clean Energy Council.