By the Bronxville Green Committee

Dec. 6, 2023: At its November 13^th public meeting, the Trustees of the Village of Bronxville adopted a Climate Action Plan (CAP) for Municipal Operations.  This is an important and exciting step in the Village’s ongoing work to reduce emissions and promote sustainability. A full copy of the plan can be found HERE.

What is the Climate Action Plan?

The Climate Action Plan for Municipal Operations outlines action steps for the Trustees to consider that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions that come from government operations and contribute to climate change. It addresses four sectors: transportation, buildings, natural resources, and waste. It is designed to meet the goals of the 2019 New York State climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). This legislation targets a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from municipalities by 2030. 

Municipalities must first undertake a detailed analysis of their emissions.  In 2022, Bronxville completed its first Municipal GHG Inventory, an emissions analysis report based on 2018 data. The report estimates that operations in 2018 produced 765 mega tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e) emissions.* 

Why has the Village undertaken climate action planning and goal setting?

Adopting a CAP is a priority action step in the New York State Climate Smart Communities (CSC) Program.  In September 2022 Bronxville received the first level, Bronze Certification, in the CSC Program, joining 132 other communities that have received recognition for making significant progress in addressing sustainability and climate change.  The Village seeks to build on this initial success. Our goal is to reach the next level of achievement in the program—Silver Certification. Learn more about our Village’s certification HERE.

How was the CAP created and presented to the Village?

The CAP is the result of months of work by the Village’s Climate Smart Task Force.  Task Force members attended a series of webinars offered by NY State and held discussions with representatives of many local municipalities. They wrote several drafts of the 40 page report. The CAP was:

*Presented to the Trustees in a working session in June.

*A final draft was posted for public comment in August. 

*It was formally presented at the October 16 public Trustees’ Meeting; initial comments received from the public were also addressed at that time. 

*Opportunity for further public comment was held open until the November 13^th meeting.

What is Bronxville’s goal and how will we get there?

The CAP goal is to reduce Bronxville municipal emissions to 457 MT CO2e by 2030 by targeting the biggest sources of emissions from buildings, street lighting, and fleet operations, and implementing numerous smaller climate friendly actions that will contribute to the overall sustainability and climate resilience of the community.

What other actions have been proposed?

The CAP evaluates the overall operations of the Village with an eye to using energy more efficiently and preserving natural resources.  It seeks to address key climate challenges such as flooding, heat, and air pollution. Recommendations include an environmentally preferred purchasing policy, water conservation efforts, green infrastructure, tree preservation and waste reduction.

Will this cost the Village money?

The proposals in the CAP are proposals only.  Over the coming months, the Trustees will consider each proposal with the careful analysis that they bring to all projects. The public will have a chance to learn about the proposals in detail and offer their comments.  Price fluctuations, rapid technological advancements, and future climate impacts will all contribute to the Trustees’ decisions over the coming years. In situations where there may be an additional upfront cost, such as electrifying our vehicle fleet, actual costs are quickly offset by savings in maintenance and energy costs.  

What’s next?

Stay tuned for project updates as the Village begins to implement the plan. We will continue to communicate through our website and social media, Instagram @bxvgreencommittee, as well as My Hometown Bronxville.

The Bronxville Green Committee applauds the Trustees for their support of the Climate Action Plan for Municipal Operations and looks forward to working with our local government and with Bronxville residents to encourage our community to join the global transition to safe, efficient clean energy.

The Bronxville Green Committee is a volunteer organization that is part of the Village of Bronxville. We work to propose and implement environmentally sustainable programs in our community. Visit our website to learn more. Please consider joining our efforts!

*Carbon equivalent emissions: Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide all contribute to climate change.  For ease of understanding, calculations are done to include all three emissions in one “carbon equivalent” figure.