Happy Earth Week!
This is the City of Beacon's fourth sustainability e-newsletter. Read on to find out about a new green City policy, our leadership in a state clean energy program, and updates from our volunteer groups. Plus, you can find a link to sign up for the Green Beacon Coalition's Earth Day clean-up on April 24!
We've added a new recurring column, "For Your Consideration," where we'll highlight something you can do related to sustainability. This month - buying a climate friendly refrigerator! Refrigerants can have 1000x the greenhouse warming effects of Co2, but there are low-emitting options available. Check it out at the bottom of the newsletter if you happen to be in the market for a new fridge.
Looking for a cheaper action to take? Get around town using public transit. Did you know the Beacon Free Loop bus now has a tracker? You can download the Double Map Bus Tracker on your phone, or find a link here.
If you have any questions or concerns, or want to learn more about anything you see here, please email Eleanor Peck, Beacon's Climate Smart Coordinator, at beaconclimate@gmail.com. Special thanks to Faye Leone for her help putting this newsletter together!
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Earth Day Cleanup
Green Beacon Coalition is hosting their annual Earth Day Cleanup again this year. On Saturday, April 24th, please join us at one of the 10 locations around town. This year the clean-up sites include two of Beacon's beautiful schools.
Sign up here.
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100% Renewable Electricity for the City Government
On Monday, the City Council passed a resolution committing the City government to procure 100% renewable electricity for the City. (Read the resolution here.) We're planning to accomplish this in three ways.
First, the locally-generated electricity we've produced from the solar farm on the old Denning's Point landfill has generated Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Only the owner of the certificates can claim to be using renewable power. We own the certificates on the solar farm and are in the process of registering them in New York's system. This certificate system, while convoluted, ensures no one double counts clean electricity. For more information about RECs, this article is helpful.
Second, we will purchase RECs for any additional electricity we use that is not covered by the solar farm. While we would love to make sure the RECs we purchase are from NY State-produced green energy (hydro, solar, or wind), that is cost prohibitive for the City right now, so we are only committing to purchase national RECs.
Third, we will take part in Community Distributed Generation or Community Solar for all applicable electricity accounts. While we will not own the RECs for this, we will get a 10% discount on all Central Hudson bills and will contribute to greening the grid. This will help make Central Hudson's electricity rely more on renewable energy.
In the coming months, the City will be considering renewing the Community Choice Aggregation program for City residents. This program pools the buying power of all of Beacon and the other participating municipalities to negotiate an exceptionally good rate on New York clean electricity. Residents can opt-out of the program at any time. We've been part of this program for the last two years.
New in the 2021 contract will potentially be an opt-out program for community solar. If this is finalized, City residents will get a negotiated discount on their total Central Hudson bill of up to 10%. More on all of this in our summer newsletter. Plus, if the City moves forward, you will receive information in the mail.
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A screenshot of NYSERDA's Clean Energy Communities scorecard.
Clean Energy Communities Leadership
The new Clean Energy Communities program from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is providing resources and funding to create a healthy and sustainable environment. Beacon is a state leader thanks to our silver-level Climate Smart certification, 2020 passage of the NY Stretch code, LED streetlights, and more.
Our 4,400 points make us eligible for up to $35,000 for new clean energy projects. In addition, with just 600 more points, we will be eligible for an additional $70,000 to put towards clean energy projects.
Got an idea for what the City should put the funding towards? We'd love to hear it! Drop a line to beaconclimate@gmail.com.
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Sustainable Beacon Update
Sustainable Beacon is an initiative moving Beacon towards leadership as the “greenest” community in the Hudson Valley. We have established working groups and partnerships among our boards, city employees and community. The working groups presented initial ideas to City Council on July 27, 2020. Since then, several efforts have gotten underway:
The composting working group is creating a flyer explaining the composting options in Beacon, including home composting and drop-off/pick-up options.
The recycling and waste reduction working group has refreshed the City’s webpage on disposing of household trash, recycling, yard waste and hazardous waste. We are collecting questions from the public so that we can further improve the information on the website – what do you want to know?
The green energy working group is planning two community campaigns, which you will hear about soon! In addition, Beacon's Energy Navigator, is featured in this week's Highlands Current! Please reach out to her to learn more about free or discounted home energy upgrades like high efficiency lighting, attic and wall insulation, and more! You can visit midhudsonenergychoices.org or email h.ogrady.en@gmail.com.
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Conservation Advisory Committee Update
How glorious is Beacon in the spring?
The Conservation Advisory Committee has several projects in the works to take care of the natural environment where we live. During the first few months of 2021, the CAC has been:
- Advocating to create a hazardous waste collection point for Southern Dutchess County in Beacon – making it more convenient to get rid of our e-waste and other items.
- Protecting the natural resources of Beacon that were identified in the 2020 NRI by creating a set of maps, with public input. This will comprise an Open Space Inventory – as a catalog that could be referenced in development decisions for Beacon. The current stage is identifying stakeholders to be engaged and drafting a community survey. Read Beacon's NRI here.
- Planning a collaboration with the East Fishkill CAC for the ecological resurrection of Fishkill Creek. Based on water sampling, the goal is to make the Creek and surrounding watershed safe for people and wildlife.
- Organizing City Council support for the New York State Senate to adopt legislation on extended producer responsibility. The law would help to reduce waste by requiring companies to design their products and packaging for reuse, and take responsibility for their eventual disposal. Read the bill here.
- Selecting the priority topics for Beacon’s first sustainability plan. They will be: energy, transportation, waste, water/land/air, economic development, and climate resilience. Each priority area will also address equity, to ensure all members of our community benefit from the proposed actions.
About the CAC: The Conservation Advisory Committee’s role is to advise the City’s government on preserving and enhancing Beacon’s natural features, and to serve as Beacon’s Climate Smart Task Force.
Join us! Meetings are open to the public and take place on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 pm. (Find log-in information at the City calendar).
If you received this update from a friend, subscribe here.
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