The City of Yonkers has released its first-ever Climate Action Plan, which outlines steps the city plans to take to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions while improving the health of residents, enhancing the natural environment, creating new jobs and strengthening the economic viability of local businesses.
“By embracing sustainable practices and investing in a greener future, we are doing our part to strengthen our city”™s resiliency against climate change,” Mayor Mike Spano said. “This plan will help us to form equitable strategies to lower emissions, keep our city energy efficient, and lower climate risk for future generations of our residents.”
The 158-page plan took a year to create. It calls for creating incentives for green businesses to operate in Yonkers, assisting existing business in reducing their carbon footprints, and starting a green jobs training program. The plan calls for the city to plant at least 5,000 new trees by 2050 in parks, community spaces and other public places. Programs would be developed to help deal with flooding in sections of the city. The plan calls for the city to promote increased energy efficiency in all public and private buildings and expand the use of renewable energy sources.
The plan sets the goal of reaching zero greenhouse gas emissions in Yonkers by 2050. It points out that from 2012 to the present, Yonkers has decreased municipal energy use by 26% and decreased its oil consumption by 13%.
The plan points out that last year the city partnered with Sustainable Westchester to provide residents with access to electricity from 100% renewable sources through the existing Con Ed grid. More than 7,500 households enrolled in the program last year, mitigating over 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases. This past April, Spano announced plans to increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations to 90.
While developing the Climate Action Plan, city officials heard from residents at community workshops, roundtables and meetings with Groundwork Hudson Valley”™s Climate Safe Yonkers Task Force.
The plan states that it is “preparing Yonkers for a greener, more prosperous, and equitable future. This plan provides a roadmap to getting there, outlining actions for the next two to ten years.” The plan states that just as the city did not create the Climate Action Plan alone, it does not intend to act alone in taking the steps that are called for and intends to work collaboratively with the Yonkers community.
