Town Earns Climate Kudos

East Hampton Town, which took a pledge in 2009 to become a state-designated “climate smart community” and has been taking various actions in relation to climate change and sea level rise, has been certified under the state program, the first of more than 170 participating communities to achieve that designation.

Under the New York State Climate Smart program, communities are encouraged to take actions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prepare for the impact of climate change, and save taxpayer money. 

Working with the town’s energy and sustainability committee, John Sousa-Botos, the town’s climate-smart coordinator, and other members of the Natural Resources Department have instituted “a number of projects to enhance the town’s sustainability and resiliency efforts,” according to Kim Shaw, the department’s director. 

“The town is experiencing a changing coastline and scientists are improving their modeling to demonstrate that we need to prepare to mitigate and adapt to climate change,” Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell said in a press release this week. 

The “certified community” designation, he said, will make the town eligible for funding for more projects and new technologies. 

“East Hampton’s leadership in acting on climate change is exemplary,” Basil Seggos, the acting commissioner of the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, said in the release. “Achieving status as a certified Climate Smart Community means the town has implemented a wide range of actions that both reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and help protect the town from extreme weather. I applaud East Hampton’s commitment to preserving natural resources and utilizing renewable energy, and I encourage more communities across New York State [to] follow its example.”