The town of Geneva is one of nine New York communities to achieve certification in the latest round of New York State’s Climate Smart Communities Certification program. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton said the program supports local efforts across the state to meet the economic, social, and environmental challenges posed by climate change.
“The Climate Smart Communities program provides critical support to local governments working to reduce pollution in their communities, enhance resilience, and improve needed infrastructure for a cleaner and greener future,” said Acting Commissioner Lefton. “I congratulate these nine new certified ‘Climate Smart’ communities and thank them for their efforts and partnership to advance climate action in New York State and set the example for communities statewide. DEC looks forward to the continued work of Climate Smart Communities Coordinators to provide even more local partners with the assistance and support they need to implement projects and policies that complement the State’s ongoing transition to a cleaner, more resilient economy.”
Communities certified as part of the program accumulate points for planning and implementing actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve community resilience. As part of this announcement, eight communities successfully met the criteria to be newly recognized or recertified as leaders at the bronze level.
Established in 2009, the Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program provides guidance and technical support to local governments to take locally driven climate action. The first step to becoming a Climate Smart Community is to register by pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. To date, 439 local governments representing nearly 9.7 million New Yorkers have adopted the Climate Smart Communities pledge.
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