Climate Smart Communities: Fifteen Years of Municipal Climate Action

By Peter Aronson

As New York State celebrates the 15th anniversary of a program designed to get local governments involved in fighting climate change, the New York League of Conservation Voters is urging every municipality in the state, from the smallest villages to the largest counties and cities, and towns, to sign on and participate. 

The Climate Smart Communities program was launched in 2009 to encourage local governments to commit to agreeing on a 10-step climate change pledge by passing a local resolution. The program is jointly sponsored by the following New York State agencies: Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC); Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA); Department of Public Service (DPS); Department of State (DOS); Department of Transportation (DOT); Department of Health (DOS); Division of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR); and the Power Authority (NYPA). DEC acts as the main administrator of the program. 

A certification component was added five years later, on Earth Day in 2014, to further encourage local municipalities to go beyond the pledge by completing certain municipal actions. The certification program recognizes communities for their accomplishments through a rating system leading to three levels of award: bronze, silver, and gold. (The gold level is currently under development.) 

These actions are attainable for local municipalities. NYLCV has developed a web site devoted to providing information to local governments wanting to learn more. For over a year now, NYLCVEF Climate Smart Commuinities Fellow Ella Nielsen has been aggregating the data from all certified community applications and has developed a road map of  most common actions taken by counties, cities, towns and villages that become certified. Some of the most popular actions taken by communities include: inventorying and decreasing local and government energy use,  shifting to renewable energy;  establishing a farmer’s market; creating a local forestry program; installing biking and walking paths.

On June 27, DEC announced that 23 more communities had been certified, bringing the state’s total to 154.

“These exceptional communities are helping the DEC celebrate the 10th anniversary of the state’s Climate Smart Certification program by demonstrating sustained and robust commitment to local climate action,” said Sean Mahar, the DEC’s interim commissioner.    

Of the 23 communities certified, one, the city of Canandaigua, received a silver certification.Among those receiving the bronze certification were Dutchess and Putnam counties; the city of Oneonta; the villages of Oswego, Cold Spring, Larchmont and Rhinebeck; and the towns of Richland, Kent, Orangetown, Clinton, Potsdam and Bethel.  

The state DEC has a comprehensive website that lays out clearly the steps a municipality must take to enroll in the program and get started towards becoming certified.

The initial steps include forming a local team, studying and setting climate goals and passing a municipal resolution that abides by the CSC pledge. The 10-point pledge provides a framework for community action, from inventorying emissions and decreasing energy use to shifting to clean energy and informing and inspiring the public.  

To further educate municipal leaders and the public in general about the Climate Smart program, NYLCV recently hosted a webinar called Think Globally, Act Locally: How Local Governments are fighting Climate Change.

“In order to achieve the critical carbon reduction and clean energy generation mandates set forth in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), we need all sectors of the economy to do their part,” said Joshua Klainberg, NYLCV Senior VP who co-hosted the event. “The includes every village, town, city and county across the state. Every municipality that takes action through the Climate Smart Communities program helps in the fight against climate change.”

The state has set nation-leading goals in its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) to reduce our state’s carbon footprint. New York has a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. In addition, New York wants to have 70 percent renewable-energy generation by 2030 and attain carbon neutrality by 2050.

Participating in this New York State initiative is a tangible way to preserve rich natural resources for the future, save your municipality money on utility costs, and increase eligibility for grant funding.

Yes, increasing eligibility for grant funding is a significant incentive to participate in the program. The state offers grants up to $2 million through its Climate Smart Communities Grant program. Grants are awarded based on a point system and while any municipality in the state can apply, those that are registered and certified in the Climate Smart program get extra points in a competitive system to receive a grant.

Canandaigua, which received its first certification in 2019, received at the time a $28,000 grant to complete greenhouse gas inventories (to calculate emissions at the local level), a natural resources inventory and a climate vulnerability assessment. In 2021, the city, located in the Finger Lakes, received almost $360,000 for eight level 2 solar-powered, off-grid charging ports and in 2022, received $28,820 for six level 2 charging ports.

Since the program began, the state has awarded more than $60 million to help municipalities develop programs to mitigate their carbon footprints and adapt to climate change. A total of $22.5 million is available statewide to communities that apply. For this year, all applications are due by July 31.

Among the types of projects to be considered, as per the state: those designed to reduce vehicle miles traveled, reduce food waste, reduce hydrofluorocarbon emissions from refrigeration and cooling equipment, increase natural resilience through restoration or preservation of natural features, reduce flood risk and aid in the preparation for extreme weather events.

In addition, according to the state, grants between $10,000 and $200,000 are available for planning, inventory and climate assessment projects.

Info about CSC grants can be found here and info about the many additional grants available to help New York communities fight climate change can be found here. 

Currently , only 13 municipalities in the state, other than Canandaigua, have received a silver certification, currently the highest award. Those communities are Beacon (in Dutchess County); Bedford, Croton-on-Hudson, Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry and New Castle (all in Westchester County); Kingston and Ulster City  (Ulster County); New Lebanon (Columbia County); and Erie, Schenectady, Suffolk, and Tompkins counties.

If villages, towns, cities and counties participate in the Climate Smart program and become certified, and then strive for the highest certification, it will be a significant step in the right direction.

Peter Aronson, a volunteer writer at the New York League of Conservation Voters since September 2022, is a former journalist and retired attorney. He is the author of Mandalay Hawk’s Dilemma: The United States of Anthropocene, a novel for middle-grade readers about kids fighting global warming. Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, wrote: “A scathing work and an essential blueprint for youth battling climate change.” To read more about Peter, visit his website www.peteraronsonbooks.com or to purchase his book, click here.