Bedford2020 Supports Green Business Champions

By Mary Beth Kass, Co-President, Bedford 2020 Coalition

The Bedford 2020 Coalition (B2020) was formed in December 2009 to play a leadership role in the Town of Bedford, New York’s efforts to become a sustainable community and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2020.

B 2020’s strategy is to work with all members of the community: residents, businesses, schools, houses of worship and civic entities, to accomplish our mission. Engaging the business community in improved energy efficiency and waste/recycling practices is an important part of this strategy.

On March 7, 2012, B 2020 hosted a workshop for local small businesses to illustrate: 1) overall green strategies, 2) energy audit, and other energy efficiency steps and 3) improvements in waste/recycling practices.  As a follow-up to this workshop, and with the help of a grant from Clean Air-Cool Planet, B 2020 hired an intern to work directly with our Business Task Force on an outreach program to inspire and help local small businesses navigate the process of conducting energy audits, completing upgrades and improving waste/recycling practices.

We heard from many of our local small businesses owners that they don’t have the time, personnel or familiarity necessary to research and pursue green strategies. However, the absence of implementation is not necessarily a result of these businesses viewing these types of actions as trivial or unbeneficial.

This past summer, our Community Catalyst Fund grantenabled the task force to launch the “Green Business Champions” pilot.  The purpose of the pilot is to enlist 6 local small businesses who agree to undergo energy and waste assessments, perform some of the recommended improvements and allow B 2020 to follow, track and promote the process and results of those improvements for the purpose of encouraging other businesses to make improvements in their operations.  Pilot businesses receive hand-holding through every step of the process, including assistance with data gathering, filling out applications, accessing financing, rebates and other incentives.

The first step in the Pilot was to research existing energy efficiency programs.  We quickly learned that there are many energy efficiency incentive programs out there but no “one size fits all”.  Please check the Bedford 2020 website (www.bedford2020.org) soon for a summary of available programs, which is currently in development.

After interviewing more than 20 small business owners to learn about their current practices, we identified 6 Bedford businesses (across a range of business types) to participate in our Pilot.  One-on-one handholding is effective in engaging businesses and breaking down barriers. With B 2020’s assistance, all pilot business are moving forward with evaluating and implementing Green Strategies.  Some lessons learned:

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

• Free assessments/lighting upgrades are an “easy way in” to engage small businesses in going green. For some businesses this is an entry point and could lead to further green measures. For some, this is the extent of what they can/will do.

• Free assessment reporting/recommendations varies greatly by supplier. The assessment process is similar for each supplier (i.e. a quick walk-through followed by entering usage data into a software program). However, the reports provided by the utilities can vary from a 2-page report focused on a short list of measures to a 25-page report with recommendations across a wide range of energy improvements.

• Small businesses are not tracking/measuring the results of their energy efficiency improvements due to lack of time, lack of personnel and confusion on what to data to track. However, businesses are open to providing data for B 2020 to track results.

• For some businesses the “brightness” of new energy efficient bulbs is a barrier to moving ahead with a lighting upgrade: 1) new bulbs are very bright and irritate some; 2) new bulbs don’t show the true colors of products, 3) difficulty changing the intensity of these new bulbs

• The opportunity for energy efficiency measures beyond lighting upgrades is limited with the small business/tenant segment. They do not have the resources/incentive to make the investment required. We will explore involving the landlord/building owners in our conversations with tenant run businesses about energy improvements.

• Building-owner businesses that participated in the pilot did express interest in exploring deeper energy upgrades and related cost savings — with B 2020 assistance. However, at this point, we need further learning about commercial building assessments/upgrades conducted via existing energy programs (i.e. NYSERDA Flex Tech). The Energy Task Force is currently working on project with several municipal buildings in the Town of Bedford that we anticipate will provide relevant learning.

WASTE REDUCTION

• While some businesses are taking waste reduction measures, they are not tracking these measures, as they find it difficult and time consuming to measure.

• All Pilot businesses are open to learning more about how they can improve waste practices in their operations, including double sided printing, switching to electronic billing and working with their vendors on less waste in packaging.

• There is interest among food-service pilot businesses in exploring cost-effective, environmentally friendly disposable take-out containers – perhaps on a co-op basis.

Next Steps:

We are grateful to Clean Air-Cool Planet for their support of our efforts to engage the Bedford business community in improved energy efficiency and waste/recycling practices.  The grant truly was the catalyst we needed to launch this ongoing project.   The Bedford 2020 Green Business Champion Pilot will continue to track results and share the learning with other local small businesses and the entire community.

We are pleased to announce that B 2020 has raised additional funds to keep this initiative going. The work conducted over the summer, has positioned the task force to move into the next phase of the Green Business Champion Pilot – the Outreach phase, which focuses on marketing and PR to convey our pilot businesses’ “green stories” as a way to inspire the community and other businesses in taking green measures.   Outreach will include: 1) stories in local press, 2) business to business outreach, 3) a B 2020 recognition program, 4) simple adaptation of available resources, energy efficiency programs, tips and pilot business profiles for the B 2020 website.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Pays a Visit to CA-CP

By Roger Stephenson, VP for Programs, Clean Air-Cool Planet

New Hampshire’s senior U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen met with me in Clean Air-Cool Planet’s office to hear about what Clean Air-Cool Planet has learned in 10 years of climate and energy initiatives at the community level, and to discuss specifics of the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S.1000).

We agree with Senators Shaheen and Portman (R-OH) that “the cheapest energy … is the energy we DON’T use”.   At home, my household electric bill is as low as $45/month thanks to CFLs and EnergyStar appliances.   By installing a system on our home Buderus boiler that monitors both indoor and outdoor temperature and accordingly adjusts boiler temperature to actual demand, we’ve reduced heating oil use by 25 percent. By my count, we’re saving at least  $885 a year. Who wouldn’t agree with this – and with looking for ways to expand energy efficiency a thousand-fold across the country?

Unfortunately the political world we live in demands that progress come only in tiny increments; in a different world the Senate would have supported more of the original Shaheen-Portman bill, which provided for a great deal of economic relief in the private sector, saved businesses and consumers money, and increased our energy security.

Nevertheless, the provisions of S.1000  that the Senate passed will lead to more efficient use of energy in buildings by federal agencies, resulting in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions  and save taxpayer dollars.  S.1000 also directs the DOE to find ways to reduce barriers to the deployment of energy efficiency technologies in the commercial and industrial sector.  In the energy consumption world, local governments are considered ‘commercial and industrial’. CA-CP will make  sure local energy committees understand that the post-election potential  for  a national strategy to increase the use of energy efficiency technologies is real, as are the prospects for strong bi-partisan involvement and support.  We very much look forward to working with Senator Shaheen.

In the meeting  we also had a chance to brief Senator Shaheen on our current work on adaptation, climate preparedness and resiliency.   Local people in New Hampshire are informing themselves using new data, and are beginning to identify ways in which they can protect their coastal communities using federal tools.  Corey Riley, Manager of the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, briefed the Senator  on three science collaborative projects that invest in community outreach and citizen involvement, and we poured over several of Clean Air-Cool Planet sea level rise maps showing impacts to Hampton, New Hampshire.

I’m looking forward to making sure CA-CP devotes time and attention to see that all members of the delegation witness and understand the growing coastal impacts and challenges of a changing climate, and what solutions local communities are relying on from state and federal agencies.

Defending the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) In New Hampshire

Clean Air-Cool Planet offered the following testimony before the New Hampshire Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on April 19, 2012. 

Testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on HB 1490 – relative to New Hampshire’s regional greenhouse gas initiative cap and trade program for controlling carbon dioxide emissions.

April 19, 2012 Roger Stephenson, Clean Air-Cool Planet, 100 Market Street Suite 204 Portsmouth NH 03801

Mr. Chairman thank you for this privilege to testify before your committee.  My name is Roger Stephenson and I am the vice president for Clean Air-Cool Planet, an organization headquartered in New Hampshire since our founding in 2000. Clean Air Cool Planet is supported through contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations.

In 2009 the NH PUC awarded Clean Air Cool Planet a $400,000 grant to develop the Municipal Energy Assistance Project.  Using the grant we hired 8 temporary energy project assistants who lived in 8 regions of the state.  We offered services to municipalities through a simple application process and the Municipal Energy Assistance Project was soon oversubscribed.  The Municipal Energy Assistance Project worked with 48 towns in every senate district in the state to conduct a systematic inventory of energy used for municipal buildings, transportation and street lighting over the course of one year.  Under the PUC RGGI grant we also retained two consulting firms who serviced towns over the course of 12 months.  One firm conducted building energy audits in each of the 48 municipalities in cooperation with selectmen and energy committees, and one executed energy-focused regulatory audits to help 6 communities understand where current local regulations or zoning ordinances might conflict with energy goals in their master plans.

Results of the Municipal Energy Assistance Project

Analysis of the baseline inventory data reveals that the municipalities spent over $9 million on municipal energy annually.  The average annual energy expenditure for the municipalities was $192,656. Our baseline inventories show that the average cost per household to pay for municipal energy use ranged from $50 to over $200 per year.  In contracts, the cost of RGGI-related carbon pollutions allowances per household is estimated to be less than $9 per year. At the projects conclusion we conducted a survey to capture feedback from client towns in order to inform future approaches with municipalities regarding energy assistance People were asked to evaluate the services received through the program in terms of quality and impact, to evaluate the importance of types of additional technical assistance that might best serve their municipality, and to share any suggestions for improvement.

Key Findings of Survey

• People had a high expectation that their participation in the MEAP program will lead to energy conservation projects;
• Hands-on assistance is  very important to completing the baseline inventory and subsequent inventories;
• For those who have been guided through a first energy inventory, the likelihood exists for completing follow-up inventories without assistance especially in towns with strong relationships between selectmen and functioning local energy committees;
• MEAP is having a positive impact on municipal energy management;
• A la carte energy-related technical assistance is welcome and necessary

We asked for examples of local energy projects, or how towns planned to use the results of the energy inventories and audits.  The actions and projects are as diverse as the NH towns themselves:

• Power purchase agreement
• Lighting upgrade Demand-response projects through utility programs
• Municipal building energy audits
• Municipal building retrofit planning
• PV System installation on a municipal building
• Streetlight reduction or upgrade projects
• Evaluation of municipal ordinances and tax policies in light of energy conservation goals
• Landfill gas-to-energy project
• Pellet boiler project
• CFL collection and recycling program
• No-idling awareness program
• Biomass heating plant for school
• Indoor efficiency upgrades (occupancy sensors, thermostats, etc)

The Municipal Energy Assistance Project is one example of how RGGI proceeds might be used over time to assist local communities measure and manage their energy use.  Whether Clean Air-Cool Planet or someone else continues the Municipal Energy Assistance Project is immaterial.  In fact, we envision a future scenario in which New Hampshire’s community colleges might conduct annual energy inventories for towns in their regions, and incorporate elements of the Municipal Energy Assistance Project into their curricula, and help energy committees continue to grow into trusted advisors to their local elected officials. But none of this is possible if HB 1490 is passed.

Clean Air-Cool Planet opposes HB 1490 for four main reasons:

1. HB 1490 converts the present market-based program into a regulatory program.
2. HB 1490 eliminates any funding that can be used to help secure NH’s energy future.
3. HB 1490 grows government.
4. HB 1490 prevents taxpayers from supporting the greater good in New Hampshire.

HB 1490 changes the present market-based program into a regulatory program. Presently, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is market-based, with allowances to pollute sold at auction at prices determined by supply and demand. New Hampshire adopted the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, HB 1434, in 2008, to be part of a Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regional cap-and-trade market to purchase and sell allowances for emissions from area power plants.  New Hampshire emissions allowances are sold at quarterly auctions and the proceeds fund the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction (GHGER) Fund. HB1490 removes the allowance pricing and gives allowances away for free.  Moreover, HB 1490 levies a fine on polluters and thereby introduces new regulations at a time when legislators are seeking to eliminate regulations.

HB 1490 eliminates any funding that can be used to help secure NH’s energy future. HB1490 eliminates $45 million over five years that could be applied to town and school assistance to reduce energy costs and the associated energy cost burden shared by taxpayers.  Small businesses will no longer benefit.

HB 1490 grows government. Under HB 1490, any proceeds resulting from regulatory action and fines are to be directed to the Department of Environmental Services. How do small businesses and taxpayers benefit under this scenario? Growing government is not the answer.

HB 1490 prevents New Hampshire citizens from supporting the greater good in New Hampshire. The consequence of HB 1490 is that NH citizens and businesses will continue to pay into the RGGI system, but our money will be swept into the RGGI programs in other Northeastern states  — and forever unavailable to New Hampshire. The PUC has managed a funding program broadly written in the original law, and they have done so rigorously.

In conclusion, HB1490 is fundamentally misguided.  Energy security for New Hampshire is a long haul, we will not achieve it overnight, and the pursuit of energy security should not be guided by pendular swings of policy shaped by ideology.     The issue should not be whether to repeal RGGI, but what to do with the money. Clean Air-Cool Planet welcomes the opportunity to assist members of this committee, other policy makers and the PUC in discussions on the effective use of RGGI proceeds to benefit taxpayers, or help New Hampshire businesses remain competitive in the face of ever rising energy prices, or both.

Cutting Emissions One CFL at a Time

By Debra Mastroeni, Village of Montebello Clerk/Treasurer

The Village of Montebello, NY, was awarded a $1,000 grant from Clean Air-Cool Planet’s Community Catalyst Fund to pay for a CFL-Incandescent light bulb swap. The light bulb swap enables residents to trade in an incandescent light bulb for a CF light bulb- for FREE. This is the first and only Light Bulb Swap in Rockland County.

CFLs save energy and money because they cost less to operate. Using CFLs also helps the environment because, since they use less energy to operate, less pollution from energy production is created. Finally, CFLs save time. A CFL that is used for 5 hours a day should last at least 3 years, while an incandescent bulb used for 5 hours a day will only last about 6 months. Using a CFL instead of an incandescent bulb means fewer trips to the store to purchase replacement bulbs, and less time spent changing burned out bulbs.

Montebello is the first Municipality in Rockland County to become a “Climate Smart Community” in a partnership program with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. By promoting Compact Fluorescent technology, the Village is seeking to conserve electricity, reduce greenhouse emissions and protect the environment.

The Village purchased 480 CFLs and, to date, has swapped out 104 with residents.  Over the life of these bulbs, they will prevent about 50 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.  The Village has advertised the light bulb swap at our monthly meetings and in our quarterly newsletters.  We will continue to advertise this energy saving project until all the CFL bulbs are swapped out. 

10% Challenge Training

 By Melissa Everett, Ph.D., Executive Director, Sustainable Hudson Valley

Sustainable Hudson Valley was generously awarded a CA-CP Community Catalyst Fund Mini-Grant to capture lessons learned in the pilot phase of our 10% Challenge, by designing and delivering a training session for regional champions who could then scale up the Challenge in their own communities.   Through our relationship with the Center for Regional Research, Education and Outreach at the State University of New York in New Paltz, we were able to access a very affordable, spacious conference room and a scrumptious locally-sourced lunch menu including quiche, greens, and apple crisp.  Fortunately the menu also included plenty of coffee, because we worked hard.

The schedule was designed to start with strategy and move into hands-on, community-specific planning and problem-solving.  Special attention was given to two areas we knew were challenging:  measurement and verification, and creating an appropriate business model for sponsorships to support the campaign financially.  To address this second issue, we invited the CEOs of several new and original sponsoring businesses to sit in on the session and discuss their thoughts over lunch.  Broadly, here is what we covered:

1. Campaign overview
2. Reports from the field
3. Refresher on community-based social marketing: (a) discussion  of the framework, role of opinion leaders and modeling, commitments, and supports; (b) “Sustainable Connections” video of a highly successful organization using CBSM for waste reduction, clean energy and buy-local campaigns.  Discussion (animated!)
4. LUNCH and sponsor round table – emphasis on business’ desire to offer their expertise as well as their products and services, and to build community relationships.
5. Breakout sessions: (a) outreach and visibility; (b) measurement/ verification; (c) focus on behavior change – “the ask”

Besides the original communities, the audience represented the town of Rochester (where the campaign was not adopted due to expected political resistance), the town of Rosendale (which has a very advanced Environmental Commission and is in the midst of its ICLEI greenhouse gas emissions inventory, where the campaign was not adopted because there is so much already going on) and 6 representatives from the Town of Montgomery and its 3 villages of Montgomery, Maybrook and Walden, where the Challenge has been adopted across the board.  Representatives came from the Conservation Council, school system, Town Board, the arts and youth, including a prolific local blogger who agreed to devote the next year’s blogging to her audience of 600, to the 10% Challenge!  We realized anew that this campaign is not for everyone, but it is for a very special, highly motivated, risk-taking population that we love to draw out of the woodwork.

Helping Households Save Energy in Guilford, CT

Greg Seaman, Secretary, Guilford Energy Task Force

Guilford Energy Task Force applied for a grant from Community Catalyst Fund for $2500 to fund 30 low-income homeowners for home energy assessments.  (The balance of the grant was for postage and supplies.)  These HEAs were carried out by companies authorized by Northeast Utilities, which cost each homeowner $75, with the balance of the cost covered by the CT Energy Efficiency Fund.  The grant was to pay the $75 for each homeowner in the Guilford “circuit breaker” list, homeowners whose income is sufficiently low that the state of Connecticut subsidized their property taxes.

The grant was applied for in Dec., 2010 and received in Jan., 2011.

Informing the Homeowners and Responses

Letters were sent to the 321 homeowners in the town “circuit breaker” list, with a self-addressed, stamped postcard to return if they were interested in a home energy assessment.

Publicity from an article in the New Haven Register the day the letters were sent out helped draw attention to the program.  There were six calls to the Energy Task Force committee chair or to the town hall before postcards started arriving on March 23.  These six were outside the grant program, but all were told that they could schedule their own energy assessment and pay the homeowner fee.   Most were appreciative, not having known about this possibility.

Postcards were time stamped as they arrived, with 30 arriving by March 28.  (A total of 66 were received through April 26, and none after that.) 

Two members of the committee contacted each of the first 30 homeowners to determine if they had had recent energy assessments.  Two declined to have an assessment, five had had recent energy assessments, and one was not available until later.   Additional people were contacted and added to the list.

Providing the $75 Co-Pay

The Town of Guilford received the grant money.  A check made out to the energy company was mailed to the homeowner once the assessment was scheduled.

Home Energy Assessments

The 30 homeowners were divided up between the two closest energy companies, Energy Resource Group in Northford, CT and Lantern Energy in North Haven, CT.  Homeowners were asked to contact one of these companies directly to schedule.

The assessments were performed starting April 18, and continued through October.

All of the homeowners after the first thirty were informed that they are on a waiting list, and that we are seeking additional funds for them.

The two energy services companies provided a summary of the work performed for the homeowners, without attribution.  Also, homeowners were asked to save utility bills for three months after the HES so that we can get some idea of electricity savings (the utility provides current month and usage from one year ago on each bill).

Estimate of Energy Savings

An analysis of the annual energy savings was made for the first 28 homes that received home energy assessments.  (Two additional homes were scheduled late in the process.)

Annual energy savings of about $4,000 is estimated, based on one hour daily use of each compact fluorescent light provided, 5% heating fuel savings for insulation provided, and 2% hot water cost savings for each hot water flow restrictor provided.

This clearly justifies the $2,500 grant amount in the first year alone.

Energy Savings Analysis Methodology

Three areas of savings were analyzed:

• Electricity savings from using compact fluorescent lights instead of incandescent bulbs.
• Heating fuel savings from insulation provided.
• Hot water heating savings from providing flow restrictors.

Actual annual fuel usage for the three types of home heating (oil, gas, and electric) were obtained from one home each in Guilford, and expressed as cost per square foot.  Current (Aug. 2011) costs were used for oil and electricity, but natural gas was the 2010-11 cost.   Most of the homes (22 of 28) in the analysis had oil heat, so fuel oil costs are the largest factor in the analysis.

The assumption of one hour operation per day for each CFL replacement resulted in annual electricity savings in good agreement (within 6%) with an estimate from an electric utility that an average of three fixtures per room (and outdoors) are in use more than three hours per day.  (Just three hours were used in the comparison.)  An average of the two methods was used.  A mix of 40, 60 and 100 watt replacement CFLs was used.

Hot water costs were assumed to be 37% of whole house heating costs, based on three utility estimates.  The reduction in hot water use from flow restrictors is hard to estimate, with no references found for estimated savings.  This analysis used savings of 2% of hot water costs per flow restrictor installed.    Since restrictors can cut hot water usage in a shower by as much as half, this is probably a conservative estimate. 

This is an average of about $132 per home per year.   The total will be close to $4,000 when the two additional homes are included.

 The amount of CO₂ emissions reduced was also determined, using the estimates:

• 22.4 lbs CO₂ per gallon of heating oil
• 12.06 lbs CO₂ per therm of natural gas
• 0.35 Kg CO₂/kwh for electricity generation in Connecticut

This latter number is an average of an overall number found for Connecticut in 2007, and the emissions for each type of fuel used in electricity

Adding the savings for home electricity use, and heat and hot water for oil, gas and electric, the total savings in CO₂ emissions was about 8 tons per year.

Conservation Lands a Starring Role in Wethersfield, CT

By Matthew Forrest, Esq., Wethersfield Green Summit Committee

The Community Catalyst Fund provided the Wethersfield Green Summit Committee with a grant in the amount of $2,500.The grant provided us with the opportunity to create two videos for Wethersfield residents to view new conservation technologies. One video focused on insulation and weatherization technologies for the home. The second concentrated on tankless and solar hot water heating alternatives. Both videos were shown at town-wide forums, with approximately fifty residents in attendance at each. The videos will be consolidated into one program to air on public access local TV during the fall.

The videos were created for two reasons: 1) to show easy to do but significant conservation improvements; and 2) to highlight local residents who had already completed money-saving energy conservation home improvements.

Evaluations were handed out to audience participants, and feedback on the event and the videos was positive. Local and regional newspapers in the Hartford area covered the event, ensuring widespread coverage of the events.

The Green Summit programs also featured slideshow presentations on financing options for energy-saving home improvements. A rain barrel and audit energy audit were given away as door prizes at each event, which generated audience interest.

Pictures, movies, the videos, and slideshow presentations are located on the Wethersfield Green Summit Facebook page.

Overall, the Green Summit was a huge success with good publicity, strong attendance, and far-reaching educational messages re: energy conservation. The Wethersfield Green Summit committee thanks the Community Catalyst Fund for providing the funds that enabled us to sponsor these community-based programs.

A Busy Year for Spencer-Van Etten Middle School’s Greenhouse Program

By Brenda J. Anderson, Spencer-Van Etten Middle School

The 7^th and 8^th grade students in my Greenhouse Program (GHP) at Spencer-Van Etten (S-VE) Middle School in Spencer, NY, plan big .  The students in this hands-on integrated elective continued their work from previous years of promoting Green Education in their building, district and community in a variety of exciting ways. 

Much of their planning and work focused on promoting the 2^nd Annual Green Week, March 14^th -18^th, 2011 in both the elementary and middle school buildings.  Students in all grades PreK-8 participated in trivia contests, lessons, recycling initiatives with www.terracycle.net and a recycling audit.  Eighth grade math students used data from previous waste audits to calculate the amount of waste that S-VE school district diverts from the landfill each year by composting and recycling (102,000 pounds annually!) while eighth grade science students studied the ecology of the compost pile, grew fresh mushrooms and prepared a class luncheon fit for a king.  The week culminated in a spectacular presentation about environmental issues by presenter Glenn Colton at both the elementary and middle levels.

In April, the Board of Education (BOE) and community members were given an opportunity to look into the endeavors of the GHP during a community expo prior to a BOE meeting.  Students shared initiatives in composting, recycling, reductions in plastic bag usage and raising money for their program through “upcycling” with Terracycle.  Students shared a composting DVD and spoke to members of the media about their successes.

In May, the 8^th grade class and some 7^th graders in the GHP took a trip to Cornell University for a series of workshops on water and soil quality, recycling and hydrofracking.  Students had opportunities to speak with community leaders in their fields and learn about related jobs.  The field trip ended at Aman Farm in Candor where S-VE sends all of its compostable waste.  Students learned about the farm firsthand, including how their lunch room waste is turned into usable compost and methane gas for electricity production.  Following the field trip, students in the GHP began editing video footage taken during the trip.  Their video, while still in production, intends to educate the larger community about the composting process from lunch pail waste to completed compost. 

Our final community educational endeavor, Party at the Pond, took place on June 4^th, 2011.  Students from Green Teams in both the elementary and middle buildings spent the day teaching community members about the dangers of plastic bags with an educational flyer and DVD.  Participants that visited the booth were able to create canvas grocery shopping bags to take home and use on their next visit to the store.  Students also helped booth visitors plant seeds using the compost collected from our own cafeteria waste and recycled yogurt cups. 

While GHP students are wrapping up the year, they are also busy planning events for the 2011-12 season.  Plans are underway for a trip to a local recycling center and to Ithaca College to see green buildings and college campuses in action.  Students who attend will be turn-key trainers for other students when they return from their buildings.  Several community workshops are also in the planning stages, including one to teach community members how to compost with worms.  Students also wish to create an environmental calendar for community distribution.

A heart-felt thank you goes out to the Community Catalyst Fund from the students and community of Spencer-Van Etten.  Your generous monetary contributions are helping to make all of our Green Dreams come true!

Ahead of the Curve: Watervliet, NY Adopts a Cutting-Edge Climate Action Plan

 By Mayor Mike Manning, Watervliet, NY

I’m happy to report that the Watervliet, NY, City Council has adopted a Climate Action Plan (CAP). The Plan, made possible by a $2,500 grant from the Community Catalyst Fund, creates a framework for increasing the effectiveness of the Watervliet Sustainability Working Group (WSWG) by monitoring and evaluating the city’s efforts at minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.

 WSWG was founded in 2009 to advise the city on further developing sustainable and practical strategies that can help Watervliet take strides toward diminishing its impact on the environment. I believe the group, which contains both city staff and community members, can serve as a forum for input that can lead to citywide improvements.

Climate change is not a problem Watervliet can solve alone, but, as the Watervliet Climate Action Plan indicates, we certainly plan to do our part by reducing our carbon footprint. While we believe we can trim our greenhouse gas emissions by 10% below our 2008 levels by the year 2014, our goal is to slash them by 20%. Given rising energy and waste management costs, this is the time for us to act.

We’ve taken great strides toward making our city more green by doubling recycling collection using single-stream recycling, engaging a performance contractor for city operations, installing a solar PV panel at Hudson Shores Park and doubling the generation of hydro-electric power from the city’s municipal reservoir. Going forward, the WSWG plans to develop a program to use anaerobic digestion to break down organic waste and supply a source of renewable energy while reducing the emission of landfill gas.

“I applaud Mayor Manning and the City of Watervliet for being so far ahead of the curve,” says Jim Yienger, Principal of Climate Action Associates LLC, Watervliet’s sustainability consultant. “Anaerobic digestion isn’t even on the radar for most other cities and yet Watervliet is on the cusp of becoming the first community in the Northeast to implement this promising new method of processing and recycling organic waste locally. As a professional and Watervliet resident, I’m proud to have played a role in this innovative effort.”

Community Catalyst Fund Supports Municipal Green Team Development in Westchester County Villages

By Dani Glaser, Green Team Spirit

“To hit the climate challenge ahead of us we need to make changes now.  Our village governments need to set an example for our communities, and this change starts from within. Our village green teams will help change the culture, and this training will help us do that.”


– Mayor Peter Swiderski, Village of Hastings-on-Hudson 

 “The Green Team initiative is a great example of the action that can be taken at local levels of government to improve energy efficiency and savings, which is not only good for the environment and our quality of life, but good for business too. It is also another example of how the villages are working more closely together to share services and opportunities to lower the cost of government and benefit taxpayers.”

– Mayor Hartley Connett, Village of Dobbs Ferry

Green Team Spirit was contracted by the Villages of Dobbs Ferry and Hastings-on-Hudson, NY to develop municipal Green Team programs for internal government operations.  Generous funding for this work derives from grants awarded to the Village of Dobbs Ferry and the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson from Clean Air-Cool Planet’s Community Catalyst Fund. The grant supported training and assistance to municipal employees in the critical areas of leadership development, goal setting, identification of resource-conservation opportunities, and communication.  The program is further intended to serve as a role model for residents, local businesses and neighboring municipalities.

The program kicked off on March 1, 2011 at Dobbs Ferry Village Hall where Mayor Connett of Dobbs Ferry, Mayor Swiderski of Hastings-on-Hudson and 18 Village leaders attended a Green Team Leadership Training session led by Dani Glaser of Green Team Spirit.  Over the course of three months, the Green Teams met on a regular basis, identifying clear goals and began working on prioritized projects.  They assigned leadership roles to keep the teams organized and on track for future growth.  Roles include:

• Green Team Coordinator – point person responsible for (intra) Green Team communications (meeting calendar, goal tracking, etc.).
• Green Team Secretary – responsible for taking minutes at meetings.
• Municipal Liaison – responsible for communicating with neighboring Green Teams to share ideas and resources

Initial Areas of Focus in Hastings-on-Hudson

Waste & Recycling

• Green Team members conducted a manual waste audit at the Municipal Building, Library and Recreation Center.  The results will serve as a benchmark for waste reduction goals.
• Volunteers stenciled the Green Team logo and the words “Recycling” and “Trash” on the bins outside of the library and municipal buildings.
• Green Team members met with the owner of the janitorial service contractor and staff to make sure that all waste remained properly source separated on route to its destination.  Of note, this service uses all green cleaning products.

Paper

Paper saving practices and switching to electronic forms of communication were well underway before the Green Team started. Knowing that there is always room for improvement, the Green Team embarked on the following paper saving initiatives:

• Paper Audit – Counted the reams of paper purchased in FY10/11 (June to May) by the Village and associated costs as a benchmark for improvement. 
• A decision was made to switch to 100% recycled copy paper for FY11/12.  The cost increase was minimal and paper saving practices help to offset the cost of this initiative that is very beneficial to the environment.
• Set printer default to double-sided for printers, village-wide where feasible. 
• Electronic board packets – Village board, Planning board and Zoning board packets will transition from paper to electronic, as is feasible beginning in June 2011.
• Paper towels – New, efficient towel dispensers that dispense one (small) hand towel at a time will replace the inefficient dispensers that “pull out” multiple tri-fold towels and waste a great deal of paper, resulting in paper savings and cost savings. The Green Team is evaluating high efficiency hand dryers as well.
• Payroll System – The Green Team plans to explore ways to minimize paper in the payroll system by encouraging direct deposit and exploring the feasibility of emailing pay stubs.  They will coordinate with Dobbs Ferry, which has this process underway.

Communication

• The Green Team is working on obtaining a complete email list of all staff for electronic distribution of staff newsletters, rather than printed communications.  Green Team updates and tips are planned as part of the content.
• Signage with the new Green Team logo will be posted increasingly in areas for behavioral reminders.

Energy

Information about the most energy- and cost-efficient way to manage computers will be communicated to staff. 

 Initial Areas of Focus in Dobbs Ferry

 Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

• Working on getting new HVAC and lighting systems for the Library, with efficient room controls and sensors.
• Lighting fixtures in Village Hall are being replaced to make it more energy efficient.  
• A bid for solar PV panels was approved by the Village board on June 14^th, to be placed atop the Library and DPW buildings.
• LED streetlights are being re-bid with broader specifications.

 Paper

• Paper Audit – Counted the reams of paper purchased in FY10/11 (June to May) by the Village and associated costs as a benchmark for improvement.
• Paper Policy – Paper guidelines for dissemination to staff are under review by the Green Team. Double-sided printing to be the default.
• Electronic Board packets — currently in use by Library board; in discussion with other boards (village, planning, building, zoning) on switching to electronic processes where feasible. 
• Electronic subscription to Village calendar – Beginning in May 2011, the quarterly Village calendar, formerly mailed to all residents, was taken on line and available via email subscription only; saving 20,000 pieces of paper/year plus eliminating the cost of printing and postage.
• Scanning – Village is in the process of scanning items such as permits, titles and residential building plans that will be available on-line.  State forms are increasingly scanned and filled out on line.
• Payroll – working toward the goal of 100% direct deposit and emailing pay stubs.
• Village invested in highly efficient system that saves time and money for purchasing, accounting and budgeting practices. 

 Green Cleaning

The Village put out a bid contract for cleaning services.  Service providers will continue to use green cleaning products already in practice.

 Waste & Recycling

• $10,000 was spent on new recycling bins and garbage cans for Cedar and Main Streets.
• Recycling program is expanding in the Village in accordance with the County’s new rules on recycling of plastics.
• Community clean up day for past 2 years, very successful.

 Next Steps

The Village Green Teams have accomplished a great deal in a short period of time.  They are well organized and will have ongoing access to information and tools from Green Team Spirit to continue their work toward a more sustainable government and community.  Dobbs Ferry and Hastings on Hudson join the Town of Cortlandt as the first three municipal Green Teams in Westchester County, leading an intra-municipal effort toward greener government.