STONE RIDGE – The Town of Marbletown has completed the steps required to reach the Bronze Level of certification as a Climate Smart Community.
Marbletown now joins other Hudson Valley communities including the Town and Village of New Paltz, Town of Saugerties, and Village of Rhinebeck.
In order to achieve Climate Smart Community certification, each community must pass a pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and put together a climate action task force that includes municipal and citizen representatives.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is showing us the value of planning ahead for future crises,” said Tom Konrad, chairman of the town Environmental Conservation Commission. “Our nation’s leaders were unprepared, and now we are all paying the prices. Climate change is the next crisis for which the nation is totally unprepared, but like the pandemic, New York is a leader in planning for climate change in a nation that is an international laggard.”
The community must then take specific actions at the local level to combat climate change, which may include installing electric vehicle charges, placing solar panels on municipal buildings, completing a greenhouse gas inventory, or converting to LED streetlights.
Communities are then awarded points toward certification based on the actions selected.
“Marbletown has repeatedly shown that we can lead in protecting the environment while also being careful stewards of taxpayer funds,” said Konrad. “The actions we are being recognized for have come at no net costs to taxpayers of Marbletown, because the financial savings from energy efficiency measures and community solar have more than paid for the cost of actions like installing election vehicle chargers.
