Climate Smart Communities

Welcome to the Capital District Climate Smart Communities
Regional Coordinators' Pilot Program

What is the CDCSC Pilot Program?

The purpose of the Climate Smart Communities Regional Coordinators Pilot Program (Pilot) is to provide technical support to the communities within the Capital Region that are participating in the New York State Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program. The CSC program is an interagency effort of NYSERDA, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC), the New York State Department of State (DOS), New York State Department of Transportation (NYDOT), New York State Department of Health, and the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC). The goals of the CSC program are: 1) Reduce greenhouse gas emission; 2) Prepare for the impact of climate change; 3) Save taxpayer money. Local governments initiate participation in the program by passage of a resolution to adopt the CSC pledge. The pledge describes ten areas of climate mitigation and adaptation action. Climate Smart Communities are free to develop their own specific programs within the ten action areas.

The Pilot includes a Program Execution Plan, a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, marketing and outreach, region-wide and in-person training, the development of community profiles and custom service strategies, and summaries of model anchor projects.

CDRPCs Role

The Capital District Regional Planning Commission (CDRPC), as a recipient of a three-year grant (May 2012 through May 2015) from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to manage the Climate Smart Communities Pilot Program in the Capital District, provides technical support and guidance to the communities within the six-county region that have taken the Climate Smart Communities pledge. CDRPC and its consultant team of VHB Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture, P.C., and Climate Action Associates, LLC, serve as strategic planning agents to empower local governments, connecting them with financial and technical programs, and with each other, offering training assistance and consistent tracking and reporting of successes and barriers to addressing the ten CSC pledge elements.

The CDRPC team facilitate selection, development, and implementation of local climate action programs, such as reducing municipal operational emissions, encouraging reduction of community-wide emissions through the adoption of smart-growth land use and transportation policies, and facilitating the implementation of local climate adaptation strategies.

Local governments can become Climate Smart Communities by taking the Climate Smart Communities Pledge, which consists of ten elements of voluntary climate mitigation and adaptation action (View the CSC Pledge Elements).

Status of Climate Smart Communities in the Capital Region

The Capital District Climate Smart Communities Pilot Program covers the counties of Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady, and is comprised of 126 local governments. Local governments in the Region may participate in the Pilot program by adopting the Climate Smart Communities Pledge. As of June 1, 2014, there were 18 local governments that had adopted the CSC pledge; they include the cities of Albany, Cohoes, Rensselaer, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Troy, and Watervliet; the towns of Bethlehem, Cairo, Clifton Park, Copake, East Greenbush, Hunter, Jewett, and Niskayuna; the Village of Green Island; and the counties of Albany and Schenectady.

Program Contact

Todd Fabozzi, Program Manager

Capital District Regional Planning Commission

One Park Place, Suite 102, Albany, New York 12205

Phone: 518-453-0850           Fax: 518-453-0856

http://cdrpc.org           todd@cdrpc.org