Town Of Bedford Awarded Silver Status By NYS Climate Smart Communities

Press release from the Town of Bedford:

Town of Bedford Awarded Silver Status

New York State Climate Smart Communities

One of only 10 Silver-certified communities in NYS

Bedford, NY – The Town of Bedford is pleased to announce that it has been awarded Silver Status in the New York State Climate Smart Communities program. Bedford is one of only 10 communities in New York State to receive this prestigious award. Some of the milestones in achieving Silver status include: adoption of new community-wide and government Climate Action Plans with aggressive 2030 goals, upgrades to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy use in municipal buildings, and installation of electric vehicle charging stations among many others.

This award was announced on April 21, 2023 by NYS Governor Kathy Hochul. Click here for Governor’s press release.

Climate Smart Communities (CSC) is a New York State program that helps local governments take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate. Certified communities are considered leaders in the state and have taken the CSC pledge and documented a full suite of actions that mitigate and adapt to climate change at the local level.

“We are honored and incredibly proud to receive NYS’s highest climate award level. This recognition reflects the hard work of our town and the intentional path we have taken through the acts of evolving town codes & policies, monitoring sustainability best practices and identifying grant opportunities. A huge thank you to our amazing department heads who actively work to help us operate at this high level, “said Supervisor Calves.

Supervisor Calves went on to say, “We are grateful and humbled by the work of our colleagues at Bedford 2030 who have helped us prioritize and navigate this crucial work. I would like to give special recognition to Mark Thielking, Director of Energy and Sustainability, for this leadership and passion and to Mariah Okrongly of Bedford 2030 for steering the rigorous application process.”

“We are thrilled that the Town of Bedford has achieved Silver Status in New York State’s Clean Energy Communities program. This achievement reflects ongoing partnership and commitment to climate action between Bedford’s Town government, members of the Bedford community and Bedford 2030. We need to build on this momentum, continuing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and working together towards a clean, healthy future,” said Midge Iorio, Executive Director Bedford 2030.

This press release was produced by the Town of Bedford. The views expressed here are the author’s own.