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Climate Smart Union Vale

Climate Smart Communities (CSC) is a New York State program that helps local governments take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate. The program offers free technical assistance, grants, and rebates for electric vehicles.

The Town of Union Vale has made a commitment to act by passing the CSC pledge in 2018.  In 2020 we appointed a Climate Smart Community Coordinator and developed a task force to lead us to state certification.  Certified communities are the foremost leaders in the state; they have gone beyond the CSC pledge by completing and documenting a suite of actions that mitigate and adapt to climate change at the local level.

Visit the NYS DEC’s Climate Smart Community  website for more information  

Clean Energy Communities (CEC) is a program through the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).  The CEC program helps our town implement clean energy actions, save energy costs, and protect our environment. The program provides Union Vale with tools, resources, technical assistance and grant funding to complete clean energy projects.  


Visit NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities website for more information.


Want to get involved or learn more about what Union Vale is doing?  

Contact Union Vale’s CSC coordinator, Jen Rubbo at climatesmartunionvale@gmail.com

 

Union Vale’s Climate Smart Community Task Force

Jen Rubbo , Coordinator 

Andrea Casey, Town Clerk

Jake Gosnell, Park Manager

Betsy Maas, Town Supervisor​

Rhonda Sundlof, Town Resident

Rachel Von Wettberg, CAC Member

Local Resources

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Local Farmers Markets and Farm Stands

Our local farmers are important in helping the Hudson Valley maintain its rural character.  Eating local, sustainably grown food also helps reduce emissions, by reducing the distance food travels from its source to our table. Plus it just tastes better!  


Check out these local farmers markets and farm stands to support our local farmers. If you know of farm stand or market missing from this list, please let us know at climatesmartunionvale@gmail.com

Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory:
One of the primary goals of NY State's Climate Smart Communities program is to decrease greenhouse gas emissions throughout the state.  Each community needs to do its part to accomplish this.  The first step in decreasing emissions is to know the primary sources of them at a local level.  In 2021, Vassar College students completed a Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory, that estimates the emission of greenhouse gases from heating, electricity, transportation and consumption for the Town.  They also compared emissions to carbon dioxide sequestered in the town boundaries based on land use data.  To view the full report please click here.