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North Hempstead Joins Forces with State and Local Government to Battle Climate Change

For Immediate Release                                      Contact: Collin Nash or Sid Nathan

May 8, 2009                                                                                   (516) 869 7794

 

North Hempstead Joins Forces with State and Local Government to Battle Climate Change

 

Albany, NY—Taking another major step in his efforts to fulfill an inauguration pledge to protect the environment, Supervisor Jon Kaiman recently joined others in local government in Albany to launch a statewide program to fight climate change.

 

North Hempstead, the only municipality in Nassau County, was among leaders from 30 other communities from across New York State who received awards in the State capitol for adopting a Climate Smart Communities Pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 

“Every single government body, business and citizen have a responsibility to help tackle global warming, one of the most worrisome environmental challenges of our time,” Supervisor Kaiman said.

 

In addition to North Hempstead, four other Long Island towns—Babylon, Brookhaven, Islip and Smithtown—adopted Climate Smart Communities Pledges.

 

The Climate Smart Communities program was jointly developed by the State Department of Environmental Conservation, the State Energy Research and Development Authority, the State Department of Public Service and the State Department of State.

 

The Pledge outlines a voluntary 10-point plan for reducing a communities’ carbon footprint.

 

North Hempstead passed a resolution at the April 28th, 2009 Town Board meeting to adopt its Pledge.

 

Among other things, North Hempstead’s plan will:

 

  • Establish a task force of municipal officials and community members to review the issues and create a plan of action
  • Decrease Energy Demand in Municipal Operations
  • Encourage Renewable Energy by supplying as much of the municipality’s power needs as possible from solar, wind and small hydro through direct generation or purchase
  • And continue to expand the “reduce, reuse and recycle” approach to waste management in municipal operations and the community as a whole.

To help communities beef up the technical resources required to identify cost-effective emission-reduction measures, the State is offering a guide which will provide a variety of planning steps and actions local governments can take to fight global warming.

 

For more information, please call 1 516 TOWN 311.

 

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Caption:  (L to R) Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel, Supervisor Jon Kaiman, Commissioner of the DEC Pete Grannis and Assemblyman Steve Englebright.

 

 

 

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