Mamaroneck Carbon Footprint Shrinking, Says Report

Mamaroneck Village has reduced its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 3% between 2008 and 2013, according to a recent report by the Village of Mamaroneck Committee for the Environment (CFTE).

GHG emissions were calculated from sources under the Village’s control, including direct GHG emissions from fuel combustion of stationary and mobile sources and indirect emissions from electricity usage. The Village obtained fuel and electricity data from all Village buildings, fleets and operations for the full calendar year of 2013, which were measured against the baseline year of 2008. Emissions themselves were calculated using procedures defined by The Climate Registry, widely regarded as the premier source of climate change information. The emission reduction was “real”, and not based on weather patterns those years that would decrease energy use.

“The most dramatic reductions were in heating fuel, which went from 15,825 gallons of diesel fuel in 2008 to 5,767 in 2013, as many of our buildings were converted from oil to gas heat,” said Marc Karell, chair of the CFTE, who led the study. “These strategies to reduce GHG emissions and energy use have saved the Village tens of thousands of dollars per year.”

The Village also reduced electricity usage by 70,371 kilowatt hours, a 2.5% decrease. According to Karell, the Village sees opportunities to further improve on this reduction by upgrading to more efficient lighting and installing occupancy sensors to ensure lights automatically turn off when not in use.

“These results clearly show that the Village Energy Conservation Program is off to a good start, but there’s still so much more we can do in order to keep this momentum going,” said Karell. “By gradually upgrading our systems, following more “green” design principles, and simply being more mindful and less wasteful, we can send a strong message that Mamaroneck is taking a long term approach to conserving energy and resources – to the benefit of both the planet and our taxpayers.”

For a full copy of the report, contact cfte@vomny.org.