By the Bronxville Green Committee

Feb. 26, 2025: At the February 10^th Trustees’ Meeting held in Village Hall, Carole Upshur of the Green Committee presented a summary of the great strides the Village is making to improve the energy efficiency of its municipal operations.

Background

First some background: In late 2023, the Trustees passed a Climate Action Plan for Municipal Operations. This report identified 26 steps the Village could take to introduce energy efficiencies in its buildings and operations that would save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, the Village has been busy!

Steps Village Has Taken

Carole described steps the Village has already taken, which include:

-Converting all streetlights and other outdoor lights to more efficient LED bulbs.

-Reducing residential waste, and the costs associated with it, by promoting its food scrap recycling program, installing book donation drop-off bins, offering curb-side pickup of textiles through non-profit HELPLSY, and continuing to hold two TAKE BACK DAY events each year.

-Running campaigns that encourage residents to purchase electric vehicles (EVs) and electrify their homes with efficient clean energy technologies, both of which save money by being powered by renewable sources. In the last couple of years, we’ve tracked 15 heat pump installations, and between July and November 2024, 50 new EV registrations were made in Bronxville! 

-Completing a comprehensive energy audit of our municipal buildings, with recommendations for specific emissions saving improvements.

-Installing five dual port EV charging stations for public use, with more to come.

These projects, documented by the Green Committee, made the Village eligible for up to $200,000 in “green” grants through New York State’s Clean Energy Communities program (although we’re still waiting for final confirmation of $125,000 of those funds). The money must be spent on realizing still further energy efficiency improvements.

Already, the interior lights at the Public Library and Village Hall have been converted to LEDs, as has all other outdoor municipal lighting. Both buildings are transitioning from using heating oil to natural gas, which burns more efficiently; once those conversions are complete, installing a new energy management system will ensure that they run as efficiently as possible.

Finally, the Village has hired an engineering firm to design a solar installation for the roof of the Department of Public Works (DPW) building, which we expect would provide electricity for the entire DPW building and most of Village Hall.  Although final costs must still be determined, the project has the potential to save the Village thousands of dollars each year and lower its emissions significantly.

Impact of Steps Already Taken and of Projects in Progress

Recently, the Green Committee completed a revised Greenhouse Gas Inventory for Municipal Operations, comparing 2018 and 2023 data.  The new data shows that we have already lowered emissions from municipal operations by 19%, most of that reduction coming from the streetlight conversion and some from reductions associated with employee commutes. 

Once the projects now in progress are complete, we will have achieved a 35% reduction, which puts us on track for reaching, or even exceeding, our goal to reduce emissions 40% by 2030.  This goal aligns with New York State’s climate law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which seeks 40% reductions of greenhouse gas emissions for the entire state by 2030.   

Because of these efforts, the Village has made significant progress in accomplishing the goals outlined in its Climate Action Plan for Municipal Operations. 

Of 26 actions, we have completed 11 and initiated 8 more.  Only 7 actions remain to be started.  This is a tremendous accomplishment in a short time!

The Green Committee thanks the Trustees for its commitment to this work, which is both fiscally and environmentally responsible.  By becoming energy efficient, Bronxville is saving tax dollars and doing our part to create a sustainable future for our community.

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 and follow us on Instagram @bxvgreencommittee to learn more.