Current Projects

A climate action plan (CAP) is a strategy document that sets goals and outlines initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. When we initiate a CAP, we are identifying the ways in which our Town can reduce carbon-based emissions. These emissions vary according to the type of energy we use in the operation of municipal buildings, the type of materials used to construct those government buildings, how our municipal vehicle fleets are powered, and how other types of government land and infrastructure are managed, such as parks and outdoor lighting.

We reported last year that in 2020 the Town conducted its first GHG inventory. This serves as the benchmark for the accounting and analysis of emissions moving forward. Using this data, the CAP establishes goals to reduce these emissions, and develops a timeline and an action plan to achieve the goals. The action plan includes a series of projects in several primary areas of municipal management – building management, the management of government vehicles and other equipment, and in waste management.

The CAP must be developed as a collaborative process in which the Town board and municipal officials endorse and commit to the goals, action plan and timeline, and it should help to facilitate coordination in meeting these goals across Town departments. In addition, the CAP establishes methods for assessing progress and methods to adjust the local strategy if GHG targets are surpassed or not fulfilled. Ultimately, the process of developing and following a CAP helps to increase the ability of the Town to operate efficiently and use taxpayer resources even more effectively than already employed.