Saranac Lake Climate Smart Communities Program

Overview

In May 2018, the Board of Trustees adopted the New York State Climate Smart Communities pledge. The Village pledged to, among other things: inventory its emissions, set goals and make a plan for climate action; decrease energy use; shift to clean, renewable energy; implement climate-smart land use and support a green innovation economy. Trustees voted unanimously to adopt the pledge. Their resolution read, in part: “We believe that even if emissions were drastically reduced today, communities would still be required to adapt to the effects of climate change for decades to come.” Now, the Village is one of New York’s Bronze Certified Climate Smart Communities (CSC), the first in the North Country to be certified, and was the first community in Franklin and Essex Counties to enter the CSC program.

The Climate Smart Communities (CSC) Certification program provides local governments with a robust framework to guide climate action and enable communities to achieve recognition for their leadership matched with community goals. The Village of Saranac Lake has joined over 300 participating communities, within New York State, to engage their citizens and local governments on best practices for mitigating and adapting to climate change.

The goals of the CSC program are to engage and educate local governments in New York State, provide a robust framework to guide their climate action efforts, and recognize their achievements as they make progress. Participation in the program is free and voluntary; there are no fees or legal requirements. The program is designed to encourage ongoing implementation of actions that reduce greenhouse gas emission and help communities adapt to the effects of climate change.

Get Involved

The CSC Task Force meets on the first Wednesday of each month from 4:00 - 5:00pm. Check the calendar for the next meeting date and reach out to Erin Griffin at [email protected] to ask about joining a meeting. Meetings are open to the public.

Follow our progress on the climatesmartsl Instagram page.

Current Initiatives

We are working on an education campaign to help inform Saranac Lake residents and business owners on the benefits of cold climate air source and ground source heat pumps. Find out more on the HeatSmart Campaign Page!

The Task Force is also drafting a Climate Action Plan (CAP) to help guide the Village on climate smart initiatives for years to come. The Task Force hopes to have a version of the CAP ready to share with the public in time for the Village's budget season, March 2024.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory of Government Operations

The CSC Task Force conducted an inventory and analysis of Green House Gases (GHG) produced from Local Government Operations.

Read the full report here.

Saranac Lake CSC Completed Actions For Bronze Certification

Action Item	Description
PE1 Action: CSC Task Force	The Village Board Appointed a Task Force
PE1 Action: CSC Coordinator	The Village Board Appointed a Task Force Coordinator
PE1 Action: National/Regional Climate Program	The Village is part of the Clean Energy Communities Program The Village's projects associated with CEC Program
PE1 Action: Partnerships with Other Entities	The Task Force Has Established Partnerships with Area Stakeholders
PE2 Action: Government Operations GHG Inventory	Report on Green House Gases (GHG) Produced from Local Government Operations
PE3 Action: F leet Inventory	The Village Conducted a Basic Inventory of All Operational Vehicles
PE3 Action: HVAC Upgrades	The Village Made Improvements to the System at 3 Main Street
PE3 Action: Energy Benchmarking for Government Buildings	Report on Energy Performance Measures for Village Buildings
PE3 Action: Energy Code Enforcement Training	Recognized As Completing CEC Program High Impact Action
PE3 Action: Interior Lighting Upgrades	Report on Replacement of Old Lighting Fixtures with LED Lights
PE5 Action: Residential Organic Waste Program	The WWTP Hosts a Residential Organic Waste Program
PE6 Action: Complete Streets Policy	The Village Adopted and Enforces a Complete Streets Policy
PE6 Action: Implement a Safe Routes to School Program	The Village Supports the Program at Petrova Elementary School
PE6 Action: Planning and Infrastructure for Bicycling and Walking	The Village Adopted a Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail Master Plan Recent Improvements Around the Village
PE6 Action: Alternative-fuel Infrastructure	The Village Installed an Electric Vehicle Charging Station Recognized As Completing CEC Program High Impact Action
PE6 Action: Unified Solar Permit	Recognized As Completing CEC Program High Impact Action
PE6 Action: Incorporate Smart Growth Principles into Land-use Policies and Regulations	Principles Incorporated into Development Code (2016) and Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (2002)
PE6 Action: Develop a Local Forestry or Tree Planting Project or Program	Village Tree Program, Certifications, and Tree Health Events
PE8 Action: Farmers' Markets	The Village Supports a Local Farmers' Market
PE9 Action: Social Media	Climate Smart Volunteers Maintain a Social Media Page
PE9 Action: Climate-related Public Events	Earth Week 2020 Event Summary Earth Week 2020 Presentation Slides
PE9 Action: Local Climate Action Website	This Website Documents The Village's Climate Initiatives