Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo has been named as the recipient of a $15,000 grant from United Illuminating under Connecticut’s Neighborhood Assistance Act tax credit program. The money will be earmarked for the Zoo’s Greenhouse Energy Conservation Project, which demonstrates the connection between people, plants, and animals, and is seen as an important part of the zoo’s conservation and education mission. United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas, and Connecticut Natural Gas have so far, distributed a total of $450,000 in grants to 65 nonprofit community and neighborhood organizations across the state, to improve energy efficiency and reduce their energy costs.