Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the latest round of communities to achieve certification as part of New York State’s Climate Smart Communities program.
Nearly two dozen municipalities met the criteria to be certified during the third quarter review, the largest number of certified communities in any round in the program’s history. To achieve Climate Smart Community certification, local governments accumulate points for planning and implementation actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve community resilience to the worsening impacts of climate change.
Two municipalities were recertified as Silver, the highest level of achievement available: Tompkins County and the village of Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County. In the tier of Bronze Certified Climate Smart Communities, the Hudson Valley saw Mamaroneck recertified while new certifications were awarded in Westchester to New Rochelle, Peekskill and the Village of Tarrytown, to Rhinebeck in Dutchess County and to the towns of Olive, Rosendale and Shandaken in Ulster County.
“New York State applauds the work of local communities facing the climate crisis head on through the implementation of policies and plans that benefit local residents, create green jobs, and help build a stronger, more resilient Empire State,” said Hochul in a statement. “It is crucial to do everything we can to combat climate change, and I thank my partners not only in the state, but in our neighborhoods for making these smart communities a reality. For our children, we must leave the earth better than it was when we inherited it, and with work like this we certainly are.”
