Bronxville Green Committee

Strong & Sustainable – Protecting what we love

Big Grant Awards Through NY State’s Clean Energy Communities Program!

Goal: Take advantage of significantly higher grant money available in 2024 from NY State and NYSERDA for reducing energy consumption in municipal operations.

Accomplishments:

Through NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program, the Village was awarded $77,500 in grants to spend on energy efficiency projects in its municipal buildings.  Campaigns run by the Green Committee to promote new purchases of electric vehicles and the installation of energy efficient heat pumps in residential homes, and purchases by residents of these clean technologies, made the Village eligible for this funding. The Village also received credit for installing six EV charging stations. So far, the money has been spent on interior LED lights, and some outdoor LEDs, in the Bronxville Library and Village Hall. The Village continues to investigate spending the remaining funds on an energy management system which would make our municipal buildings even more energy efficient.

Through the same program, the Village is now eligible for an additional $125,000 in grant funding.  More EV registrations and heat pump installations, and a new ordinance promoted by the Green Committee and passed by the Trustees which requires the annual public reporting of energy consumption in municipal buildings, made the Village eligible for this grant.  If the Village’s application is accepted and the funds become available, we can invest in still more clean energy projects!

NYS Climate Smart Communities & Climate Action Plan for Municipal Operations

Goals: (1) Work within the NYS Climate Smart Communities (CSC) specified framework to maintain our Bronze status and move closer to Silver status (2) Assist the Village in implementing actions outlined in the 2023 Climate Action Plan (CAP) for Municipal Operations.   

Accomplishments:

Bronxville’s Climate Action Task Force Received Climate Award: At the 2024 New York State Hudson Valley Regional Council Annual Conference, Bronxville was recognized for achieving notable climate action milestones in a remarkably brief timeframe. 

Climate Smart Communities Status: In March 2024, the CSC program granted Bronxville points for 21 action steps —11 actions requiring recertification and 10 new actions—allowing it to retain its Bronze status. The Village has 220 points in this program; 300 are required for Silver status, which we hope to achieve by 2026.

Climate Action Plan (CAP) for Municipal Operations: In November 2023, the Trustees adopted a Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030.  With the help of the Green Committee, the Village is spending the grant money it’s been awarded on clean technologies that will make the municipal buildings as energy efficient as possible. These efforts align with the CAP’s goal. In coming years, we intend to shift our focus on making the Village’s municipal fleet energy efficient by purchasing hybrid and eventually fully electric vehicles for the Bronxville Police Department and the Department of Public Works (DPW).

Recycling & Waste Reduction

Goals: Promote existing recycling rules and local programs to reduce community waste.

Accomplishments:

• Worked with the Village to install book donation and recycling bins at the DPW for resident drop off – thousands of books have been collected in the first few months!

• Promoted the Village’s new textile home pick up service through Helpsy, an organization focused on reusing textiles to eliminate waste.  

• Continued to promote and expand the Village’s residential Food Scrap Recycling program. Since its launch in December 2021, we’ve grown to 225 participating households with more than 100 tons of food scraps collected through June of this year.  That doesn’t include the pumpkins we collected this fall!

• Compost Give Back Day: Conducted third annual Village Compost Give Back Day in April for residents to pick up free compost in recognition of resident participation in the Food Scrap Recycling program

• Helped Bronxville’s DPW facilitate TACK BACK DAY in June and November.  This past fall, more than three hundred cars passed through for paper recycling by the county shredder, proper E-waste recycling and various donations to organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Family Services of Westchester and the Tuckahoe Animal Shelter.

Healthy Yards

Goals: Create awareness about native plants and healthy yard practices, provide resources to help residents transition to sustainable landscaping practices to protect our health and local ecosystem.

Accomplishments:

• Assisted the Village in renewing our membership in Tree City USA, through the Arbor Day Foundation.

• Continued to expand and maintain our native plant garden at Alfredo Park, off Archer Place. As our garden matures, it attracts ever more local wildlife such as native bees, butterflies, iridescent wasps, and hummingbirds.  In spring, please come and enjoy this beautiful display!

• Joined and led community clean-ups of Scout Field with local resident volunteers and youth organizations.  Removed invasive plants and litter; took steps to support native plants.

Giving Garden

Goals: Help address food insecurity in our area by raising and donating vegetables to local food banks; promote the garden as a gathering and education center in our community.

Accomplishments:

• Successfully grew and donated 300 pounds of organic produce to Community Service Associates of Mount Vernon and Eastchester Community Action Program (ECAP) in Tuckahoe.

• Hosted classes from the Reformed Church Nursery School. The students were able to see the new vegetables that Farmer Dave Phillips was growing and plant sunflower seeds.

Community Engagement & Outreach

Goals: Promote Village and Green Committee programs in the community, educate and engage residents about environmental issues / best practices, and develop partnerships with local organizations.

Accomplishments:

• Conducted frequent Green Committee meetings to provide updates and solicit feedback

• Maintained bronxvillegreencommittee.org with updates on Village and Green Committee programs as well as state-wide initiatives and local events

• Increased social media presence on Instagram @bxvgreencommitee

• Published fourteen action-oriented articles in local publication, My Hometown Bronxville, and contributed to the Bronxville Bulletin

• Contributed regularly to Village “One Square Mile” monthly newsletter

• Maintained partnerships with Bronxville Chamber of Commerce, New York State Association of Conservation Commissions (NYSACC), and Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC); attended numerous industry and local conservation events, online and in person, to learn about the latest green technologies, programs, and best practices.

• Supported the Bronxville School PTA Sustainability Committee in community events and worked with the HS Earth Club on recycling efforts.

• Partnered with local merchants to promote sustainability in our business district:

  • Conducted a communication campaign to inform residents and food service establishments about the new Westchester County “Upon Request” law, requiring that cutlery and condiments NOT be included in take-out orders unless they are requested.

  • Bronxville Sprouts: Hosted a joint Earth Day educational event at the Bronxville Giving Garden

  • Soccer and Rugby: Permanent collection of gently used soccer gear for donation

  • Rain Skincare: Green Friday where 20% of sales were donated to the Bronxville Giving Garden