Climate Smart / Clean Energy Community Task Force
The Town of Dryden is proud to receive the Bronze Rating of the Climate Smart Certification from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as of October 1, 2019. This task force is working to increase that rating from Bronze to Silver.
New York State’s Climate Smart Communities certification program, launched in 2014, recognizes the leadership of local governments that have documented their accomplishments in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change.
The Town of Dryden is also a certified Clean Energy Community (CEC), a program of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). This initiative helps local governments reduce energy consumption and drive clean energy use in their communities.
The two state programs are complementary, and the Task Force coordinates sustainability actions in both.
Meetings are held on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 5:00pm (see calendar for meeting details).
To volunteer on this task force, please fill out and submit the Volunteer Application Form.
Tracking Energy Use In Municipal Buildings
Part of the work of the Climate Smart / Clean Energy Community Task Force is to make public the Town’s efforts to conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions from its own municipal buildings.
For the first time, the public can see below the results of utility bill data collected over the past five years that has been entered in the State’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager. The charts and graphs summarize trends in energy consumption in Town Hall, the Highway Barn, and the Highway/DPW Office Building.
Solar panels are installed on both the Highway Barn and Town Hall, generating electricity that accounts for part of the energy consumed in the buildings. The charts also include readings on solar panel production starting in December 2021, thanks to the work of Task Force member John Kiefer.
Town Hall is heated in winter and cooled in summer by a super-efficient geothermal heat pump system. Natural gas is still used to heat the Highway Barn and DPW Office Building. In early 2022, the town board approved purchase of 100% renewably generated electricity for all remaining municipal electricity needs.
Current Members
- Alice Green, Coordinator
- Ray Burger, Planning Director
- John Kiefer
- Joe Wilson
- Anne Clark
- Marie McRae
- Mckenna Crocker
- Katherine Lee
- Jack Wright
Town Board Liaisons
- Christina Dravis
- Spring Buck, Alternate