4 Westchester Cities Team Up To Reduce Emissions Together

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — A new partnership and some fresh federal funds will help make Westchester grow greener.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced today the City of Yonkers will be sharing nearly $500,000 in federal grant money from the U.S. Department of Energy with the cities of Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and White Plains to create a green building standard for residential and commercial buildings.

"This is part of our overarching goal of reducing our carbon footprint," Spano said. "The outcome of creating this standard will be leveraged across all existing buildings and create a benchmark for our new buildings. We want Yonkers to lead the way to meet our climate goals and reduce the energy burden on our most vulnerable residents. Thank you to our federal partners for sharing our vision and commitment to the health and sustainability of our communities."

The partnership between the Westchester cities as well as the Hudson Valley Regional Council (HVRC), Groundwork Hudson Valley, the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center, community nonprofit organizations, and Hudson Valley regional planning organizations in neighboring counties, has a goal of implementing the policy and plan created from this grant to benefit disadvantaged communities and reduce building emissions significantly.

"With all of us working together, this project has the potential to accelerate the passage of a statewide mandate," Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability William Serratore said. "It will create a better quality of life for the future of Yonkers and New York State."

During the first year, the money will aid in creating a survey of building owners in participating municipalities, draft policies, and implement a working plan.