Welcome to the Winter 2020 edition of our Southern Tier Clean Energy Communities (CEC) quarterly newsletter!
Welcome to the Winter 2020 Edition of our Southern Tier Clean Energy Communities (CEC) quarterly newsletter! The purpose of this newsletter is to keep municipalities, elected officials, and others in the counties of Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins informed about the great work being performed in the Southern Tier to make our communities more sustainable and energy efficient. As coordinators, our focus is NYSERDA's Clean Energy Communities initiative and other energy-related activities taking place throughout the region. We are available to assist you, your local government, and your community as you implement clean energy actions, save energy costs, create jobs, and improve the environment.
The Southern Tier region now has 36 officially designated Clean Energy Communities! Work continues with many other municipalities seeking designation and advice on energy usage. CEC coordinators are available to function as your municipality's energy advisor. If you have any questions regarding energy usage, or if you're interested in joining the movement towards becoming a Clean Energy Community, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Terry Carroll - CEC Coordinators for the Southern Tier
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Announcement from CEC Coordinator,
Katherine Herleman:
Although it is bittersweet, I am very excited to announce that I have accepted the position of Environmental Resiliency and Sustainability Specialist at Ecology and Environment and will be leaving the Cornell Cooperative Extension and my position as the
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regional Clean Energy Communities Coordinator. Terry Carroll, the Southern Tier Clean Energy Communities Program Coordinator, will continue to serve communities in Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties
My last day as a Clean Energy Communities Coordinator will be available to answer questions through February 28th. If you have any questions through February 28th, please feel free to e-mail me and cc Terry. Keep up the incredible work you're doing in our communities!
Kind regards,
Katherine
Read Katherine's full farewell letter here
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Municipality Needs Assessment Available!
As we look twards this new year, your Clean Energy Community Coordinators for the Southern Tier are looking to improve upon our work with municipalities and to add to the resources available on our website. We have created a municipality needs assessment survey for Southern Tier communities which will help your community coordinators gain insight on your experience with the Clean Energy Communities (CEC) and Climate Smart Communities (CSC) programs, interactions with CCE staff relative to the programs (as your CEC coordinators and associated staff), and your needs or feedback on the programs so far.
This survey will takes about 5 minutes to complete and will greatly inform how we communicate with communities as well as the resources and training we facilitate and provide.
Please consider taking this short survey and feel free to forward it on to municipal or community members involved with the CEC and CSC programs.
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Congratulations to the Town of Dickinson for their accomplishments!
The Town of Dickinson was one of the first municipalities in Broome County to become a designated Clean Energy Community. The town has completed 5 High Impact Action Items, the most of any municipality in Broome County (Benchmarking, Clean Energy Upgrades, Clean Fleets, Energy Code Training, and Unified Solar Permit). The Town of Dickinson is leading the way in clean energy and efficiency, proving that even a small municipality in the Southern Tier can make huge changes that positively impact their community, region, and environment.
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"Our goal is to make our town operations and our residents as energy efficient as possible”
- Town Supervisor, Mike Marinaccio
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The Town of Dickinson received a grant to help install a charging station at the Town Hall. as well as a $50,000 NYSERDA grant. Part of this grant funding is being used to upgrade street lights on town roads, as well as at Town Hall and the Highway Garage, to longer lasting, more efficient LED lighting. In addition, this grant is funding a community LED giveaway and any remaining funds will be used to help those who have poor insulation in their house be able to improve their energy conservation with financial help.
With the help of NYSERDA grant funding, the Town of Dickinson is working towards approval of the LED Street Lights action item, their 6th High Impact Action Item!
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Benchmarking is a natural High Impact Action Spotlight for the start of this new year. Whether you are interested in enrolling your community in the Clean Energy Communities program or are already enrolled or designated, the start of the year is an opportune time to check out this action item.
Benchmarking is a policy that a local government adopts that requires the annual reporting of energy used in municipal buildings. In large communities, local governments may require the annual disclosure of energy used in large private buildings. Buildings account for over 60% of the energy used in New York State. Setting up a system for measuring and sharing data on building energy use over time will allow owners and occupants to compare energy usage against other buildings, and better identify opportunities to cut energy waste.
If you are starting the benchmarking process, now is the time to set your goals for the new year. Benchmarking will give you a baseline of energy usage. On the other hand, if you have already completed this action item, now is a great time to compare your energy usage to past reports. Collecting, reporting, and sharing benchmarking data regularly helps the public and government agencies make smarter investment decisions, reward efficiency, and drive widespread, continuous improvement.
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Congratulations to the Town of Greene (Chenango) for becoming a designated Clean Energy Community!
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Congratulations to our newly registered Climate Smart Communities!
The Village of Odessa (Schuyler), Town of Hector (Schuyler), Town of Lansing (Tompkins), and the Village of Lansing (Tompkins) passed the CSC pledge as a municipal resolution to join the program and become a Registered Climate Smart Community. A model CSC resolution can be used as a template for drafting your own local resolution.
Already participating in the Clean Energy Communities (CEC) Program? the CEC and CSC programs are complementary. Both require applicants to document completion of specific actions in order to earn a designation and most of the CEC High Impact Actions satisfy the requirements of one or more CSC certification actions. Local governments that complete any of the CEC High Impact Actions are encouraged to submit for points under the related CSC certification actions!
Not sure if you want to participate in the Climate Smart Communities program just yet? You may be missing out! The Southern Tier has received $1,776,688.00 in CSC related grant funding! Funded projects include improving sidewalk, watershed monitoring, drainage improvement, and transportation demand management. Contact Terry Carroll for more information on how to get started!
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- Thursday, March 19, 2020
- 10:30 AM 12:30 PM
- Huron Campus, Endicott, NY
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