New Castle Earns Silver Climate Smart Communities Certification

NEW CASTLE, NY —The town of New Castle has just achieved silver-level Climate Smart Communities program NYS certification, the highest level currently available, after having received bronze in 2021.

On Friday, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the latest round of communities to achieve certification as part of NYS's Climate Smart Communities program, which supports local efforts to meet the economic, social and environmental challenges posed by climate change. By taking meaningful steps to mitigate and adapt to climate change, six communities statewide successfully met the criteria to be recognized as leaders during the second quarter round of review. These communities were New Castle, Yorktown, Northeast, Wawarsing, Huntington and Acram.

"Kudos to our Sustainability Advisory Board, Development Department and Town Board for making this a priority," New Castle Town Supervisor Lisa Katz said on Facebook.

New Castle was also the state's first municipality to take the pledge and register as a Climate Smart Community. The DEC said that New Castle's continued commitment to local climate action enabled the town to achieve its silver-level certification, including actions such as converting all of the town's 531 streetlights to energy-efficient LEDs, installing electric vehicle charging stations for public use and developing a climate vulnerability assessment to identify and reduce risks to the community from climate change.

SEE ALSO: Town Of Mamaroneck Once Again Certified As 'Climate Smart Community'

"DEC applauds the work of these six communities helping address the climate crisis by acting locally and bolstering New York State's climate leadership," Commissioner Seggos said. "We look forward to working with our Climate Smart Communities and other local leaders who are ramping up clean energy, improving climate resiliency, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, among other actions, to benefit quality of life and advance the State's climate goals."

Since 2009, the Climate Smart Communities program has provided guidance and technical support to local governments to take locally driven climate action. The first step in becoming a Climate Smart Community is to register by pledging to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. 356 local governments representing more than 9.4 million New Yorkers have so far adopted the Climate Smart Communities pledge.

In 2014, the certification program was started to document and celebrate the accomplishments of communities taking climate action. There are currently 94 total certified Climate Smart Communities in New York State, nine silver and 85 bronze. In order to be certified, communities have to demonstrate an active climate change task force that includes residents and municipal representatives. Most certified communities complete greenhouse gas inventories that calculate emissions locally and help local leaders identify how to best help NYS meet its greenhouse gas reductions mandates.

The online certification reports describe all the actions each certified community took to achieve certification.

All six of the newly awarded communities also participate in the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's (NYSERDA) Clean Energy Communities program, which helps local governments to implement clean energy actions and save on energy costs.

"It is up to all of us to ensure a healthier, more sustainable New York, and continued local action to combat climate change is an essential piece of these efforts," said NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris. "Congratulations to these six communities for furthering their commitments to energy efficiency and renewable energy, improving air quality for residents and stewarding our environment for generations to come."