Madison Honored with Sustainable CT Certification
The Town of Madison is one of the first Connecticut municipalities to achieve certification as a Sustainable CT community. The town met high standards in a broad range of sustainability accomplishments to qualify for the prestigious Bronze certification.
Sustainable CT, a statewide initiative that supports and
recognizes sustainability action by Connecticut communities, was launched last
year and announced its first group of certified towns this week. In its
application for Sustainable CT certification, the Town of Madison demonstrated
significant achievements in actions in nine sustainable impact areas ranging
from thriving local economies and vibrant arts and culture to clean
transportation and diverse housing. Madison’s successfully completed
actions included: assessing Climate Vulnerability by working with the Nature
Conservancy to hold a Community Resilience Building Workshop, installing an
Electric Vehicle Charging Station in the municipal parking lot behind the
Madison Art Cinemas and the installation of energy efficient LED street lights
throughout Town of Madison.
First Selectman Tom Banisch stated that in addition to these
examples, Madison’s adoption of a Complete Streets Policy has “created a system
to encourage non-motorized transportation throughout Town in an effort to
ensure that Madison does its part to decrease vehicle emissions and address the
very real threat of climate change.” Additionally, “Town staff and the Energy
and Efficiency Committee have worked diligently to achieve high energy
performance and recognition as Energy Star facilities for Daniel Hand High
School, Brown Middle School, and Polson Middle School.”
"Congratulations
to our 2018 certified Sustainable CT communities," said Lynn Stoddard,
Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern
Connecticut State University, which administers the program. "We are
inspired by your leadership and eager to share your accomplishments in building
efficient, thriving, and resilient communities."
With
input from municipal leaders across the state, Sustainable CT was developed
under the leadership of the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern
Connecticut State University. The program is independently funded, with
significant support from three Connecticut philanthropic foundations. The
founding funders include the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, the Hampshire
Foundation, and the Common Sense Fund.
The Town
of Madison and other certified communities will be recognized on October 30 at
the Annual Convention of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, followed
by additional local and regional recognition events in the coming months.
For more
information, visit www.sustainablect.org