Visitor outlines New York’s Climate Smart Communities program and offers village support

Carly Leary of the Adirondack North Country Association told the Village of Champlain Board of Trustees on Tuesday that the New York State Climate Smart Communities program is an interagency initiative run primarily by the Department of Environmental Conservation and that Champlain already meets many program actions.

Leary said the program differs from the Clean Energy Communities program run by NYSERDA: Clean Energy Communities used a points-based grant structure, while Climate Smart Communities uses a certification model where communities submit documentation of completed actions for review. "Certification doesn't get you anything in particular," Leary said, "but it does help get you additional points on other state grant applications."

Leary explained the program requires formation of a Climate Smart Communities Task Force with at least one municipal representative and community members, and the appointment of a coordinator. She said communities must meet at least twice a year but that many meet more frequently depending on local needs. "It's a completely voluntary program," she said, adding that communities may pass the pledge and later stop participation if priorities shift.

Leary listed examples of qualifying actions and told trustees that many activities Champlain has already pursued under the Clean Energy Communities program — tree city designation, food-scraps collection, elements of the comprehensive plan, and an EV charger — would transfer to Climate Smart Communities. She also said connector recreation trails, community gardens, farmers markets and education/outreach efforts can qualify with appropriate documentation.

Trustees indicated interest. Leary offered to provide a resolution template and said she would email it to the board for review and suggested she could bring the resolution to the next meeting if the board wished. She also offered technical assistance for greenhouse gas inventories, natural resources inventories and climate vulnerability assessments and said her organization can help with uploading documentation to the program portal.

The board did not take a formal vote at the meeting; Leary said she would send a draft resolution to trustees and the matter would return to a future agenda.