Local officials and citizen volunteers were invited to attend a series of three regional forums to learn how to develop a sustainability program or take the one they have to the next level. By meeting with other municipal leaders as well as environmental experts, they were able to discuss issues such as energy, waste, land use and transportation, and see how they are being handled by other communities. 

Participants were also encouraged to complete a municipal profile form which will be used to increase transparency regarding countywide sustainability efforts and facilitate the exchange of information via the county's expanding website.    

Below are program details and links to some of the informative presentations delivered at each of the forums.

Panel A:  Building a Sustainability Program in Your Municipality

June 8 presentations:

• Background & Overview of County Actions to Date by Reese Berman, Town Supervisor, Town of North Castle  
• Getting Started by Mary Beth Kass, Chair, Bedford Energy Advisory Panel

June 15 presentations:

• Getting Started by Tarrytown Mayor Drew Fixell and Dr. Carole Griffiths, Chair, Tarrytown Energy Advisory Council

September 9 presentations:

• Implementation of  the Westchester County Action Plan for Climate Change and Sustainable Development by Robert Funicello, Environmental Project Director, Westchester County
• Getting Started by Carol Casazza Herman, Chair, Village of Larchmont Committee on the Environment

Panel B:  Best Practices

June 8 presentations:

• Transportation: Carol Ryan, Regional Manager for Westchester and Rockland Counties, Metro Pool
• Building and Land Use Regulations: Anna Georgiou, Esq., Wormser, Kiely Galef & Jacobs LLP
• Energy Use: Bedford 20% by 2020 by Mark Thielking, Director of Energy Resources, Town of Bedford
• Waste Reduction: Welcome to the Town of New Castle Recycling Center by Anthony Vaccaro, PE, Commissioner of Public Works, Town of New Castle

June 15 presentations:

• Transportation: Efficient Municipal Fleet Management by Joseph "Bud" Nicoletti
• Building and Land Use Regulations: Michael Gerrard, Director, Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia University
• Energy Use: Energy-Efficient Street Lights and Energy Performance Contracting by Maribel Cruz Brown, New York Power Authority
• Storm Water Management: A Watershed Approach for Municipalities and Storm Water Funding Resources by Anne Jaffe Holmes, Greenburgh Nature Center

September 9 presentations:

• Waste Water: Impact on the Sound by Nancy Seligson, Councilwoman, Town of Mamaroneck
• Storm Water Management: Jeff Coleman, Department of Public Works Commissioner, City of New Rochelle
• Energy Efficiency: The Babylon Project: Building Green Homes, Green Jobs & Green Communities by Dorian Dale, Energy Director and Sustainability Officer, Town of Babylon, NY
• Recycling and Waste Reduction: Stephen V. Altieri, Town Administrator, Town of Mamaroneck
• Transportation: Efficient Municipal Fleet Management by Thomas M. Roach, Councilman, City of White Plains
• Creating Walkable/Bikeable Communities: Lukas Herbert, Associate Planner, Westchester County. Map of County Trail & Bike Route System
  

Panel C: Developing a Countywide Communications Network

• Presentation by Scott Fernqvist, Westchester County Executive's Office

The forums are sponsored by Westchester County and the Westchester Municipal Officials Association Green Subcommittee. For additional information, contact Jerry Faiella, New Castle Town Administrator, at (914) 238-4774 or jfaiella@town.new-castle.ny.us.