Town Wants Your Ideas on Regional Sustainability

If you have ideas on regional sustainability, the Town of North Hempstead wants to hear from you as it works on a plan created through the Cleaner, Green Communities Grant. 

The town is serving as the lead agency for a planning grant to create a regional sustainability plan for Long Island. The grant will be awarded through New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA). Announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his 2011 State of the State Address, the program provides up to $90 million in funding through a competitive grant process for projects that support the regional sustainability goals identified during the planning phase. 

A meeting for Nassau residents will be held on Monday, March, 4 from 7-9 p.m. at the “Yes We Can” Community Center, at 141 Garden St. in Westbury. Meeting attendees will learn of the plan’s progress and asked to share ideas on issues they would like to see included.

According to the town, the sustainability plan aims to focus on greenhouse gas reduction and job creation in water management, waste management, community development and housing, energy and transportation, as well as land use and livable communities.

A meeting for Suffolk County residents is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5, from 7-9 p.m. at Islip Town Hall West, 401 Main Street in Islip. An East End meeting will be held March 6 from 7- 9:00 p.m. at Southampton Town Hall, 116 Hampton Rd, in Southampton.

Serving with the town on the Long Island region steering committee is a mix of professionals from the public and private sector, including Vision Long Island, the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College, the Community Development Corporation of Long Island and AECOM.

In September, North Hempstead joined other local municipalities on this initiative at the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College in Farmingdale. More than 150 people attended. The planning process is scheduled to be completed by the end of April 2013.

For more information on the Cleaner, Greener Communities Program, visit the NYSERDA website, or contact the town's call center at 311.