On the heels of last year’s county and municipal elections, NYLCV’s Westchester Chapter worked closely with local advocates to develop an environmental policy agenda, The 2016-2017 Blueprint for a Greener Westchester, for government officials to help guide their work over the next two years.
The Blueprint for a Greener Westchester tackles several key issue areas facing the region and offers more than 50 specific recommendations. Topics include: sustainable & transit oriented development; sustainable transportation; open space preservation; natural resource protection; sustainable public asset management; energy; and farms and local food.
NYLCV also identified four achievable goals that it will focus its advocacy efforts on over the next two years:
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Sustainable Development – Advance modernized zoning to encourage mixed land use, compact development, downtown revitalization, open space protection, and historic preservation.
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Invasive Species – Partner with local organizations and public officials to educate the public on this problem, encourage better management of invasives, and propose a robust eradication program in Westchester.
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Cleaner Air – Push the county and localities to speed up conversions and retrofits to cleaner, more efficient heating systems, phasing out dirty No. 4 and No. 6 home heating oils.
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Expand Electric Vehicle Infrastructure – Work with state and local officials to build a larger network of charging stations, encouraging more municipalities, businesses and individuals to switch over to EVs in the coming years.
John Ravitz, Chair of the NYLCV’s Westchester Chapter said: “Extreme weather events in recent years have clearly demonstrated that Westchester’s climate is changing. It is up to our elected leaders to act to protect our communities, our economy and our quality of life. This comprehensive, bipartisan strategy for Westchester focuses on advancing sustainable growth, fighting invasive species, phasing out dirty heating oils, and expanding charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. These are common sense priorities everyone should get behind.”