In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee, The New York League of Conservation Voters has released a “Blueprint for a Greener Westchester County”—a four-chapter plan to advance conservation issues at the grassroots level in Westchester, Long Island, New York City, and the Capital Region.
The organization’s latest work outlines a plan to “create sustainable and resilient communities to protect the unique history, natural resources and beauty of our region,” according to a press release. The natural disasters have refocused the organization’s attention onto the preservation of Westchester’s environmental wellbeing.
In early July, the NYLCV issued the New York State Legislature a low “B-“ for its progress on sustainability issues in the 2014 legislative session. And a June report from the Environment New York Research & Policy Center listed New York’s waterways as the 15th worst polluted in the nation.
The plan urges local leaders to take action and make decisions to support the Blueprint’s transportation, energy, natural resources and planning guidance.
“Westchester’s climate is changing and our elected leaders must act now to protect our communities, our economy and our quality of life,” said Nanette Bourne, chair of NYLCV’s Westchester Chapter. “Our Blueprint… provides city, town and county officials with a comprehensive and concrete strategy that will help the region prepare for the future while also safeguarding the natural resources that we cherish and rely on.”
The Blueprint touches five areas that local elected officials can improve on to make Westchester greener: energy, open-space preservation, sustainable & transit-oriented development, natural resource protection, and transportation. These broad areas are broken down into 40 specific actions that purport to improve the county’s environmental and economic wellbeing.
You can read the rest of NYLCV’s Blueprint for a Greener Westchester County here.
