Understanding the Threat, Putnam County Establishes Climate Smart Task Force

By Michael Gold
Putnam County has created a climate smart task force and plans to partner with the environmental nonprofit organization Sustainable Putnam to develop “a collaborative approach to educate and engage the public on the ways to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change,” according to the parties’ Memorandum of Understanding that was signed last month.

County Executive Kevin Byrne has appointed Sustainable Putnam Executive Director Joe Montuori to the task force’s board. Montuori worked with the county to establish the task force.

The task force, part of New York State’s Climate Smart Communities program, provides “a road map for municipalities to eliminate carbon emissions in operations and infrastructure,” Montuori said in a recent interview. It has documented the county’s work installing LED lights on county roads, installing solar panels and weatherizing some county buildings, he said.

“Improving the county’s energy efficiency is saving money for the county,” Montouri explained.

The task force is applying for bronze certification from New York State, which will recognize the county’s effort in eliminating carbon emissions. If the county obtains the certification, the state will offer grant money for additional environmental projects.

“Climate Smart Communities is a New York State (NYS) program that supports local governments in leading their communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the effects of climate change, and thrive in a green economy,” the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Climate Smart website reads. “The benefits of participating include…free technical assistance, and access to grants.”

Establishment of the task force by the generally conservative-leaning Putnam County government indicates that officials understand the threat climate change poses to human health.

Three towns have signed up to become Climate Smart Communities as well – Kent, Philipstown and Putnam Valley, along with the villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville.

Brewster, Carmel, Patterson and Southeast have not yet formed climate smart task forces, Montuori pointed out.

“They’re leaving money (state funds) on the table,” he said. “They’re busy, I get it. This is a whole other layer of work. But a climate smart task force could be volunteers. All of our towns should be involved in the Climate Smart program. Philipstown has earned hundreds of thousands in Climate Smart grants from the state.”

Also, Sustainable Putnam is “looking to reduce waste and develop a drop-off composting program” in the county’s municipalities, he pointed out.

“Waste has a carbon footprint too. When we throw stuff away, it gets landfilled,” Montouri said.

“Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, is emitted from landfills…Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions from human activities in the United States,” states the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website.

To help people save money and stop more stuff from getting thrown into landfills, Sustainable Putnam organizes Repair Cafes every three months at the Mahopac Middle School cafeteria. Skilled volunteers come to the school and repair lamps, clocks, small appliances, such as table fans, wood furniture pieces, old toys and ceramic dishes.

The next Repair Café is scheduled for Saturday, June 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

“The idea is helping people save money and cutting carbon because they’re not buying anything new,” Montuori said.

Montuori, a retired high school social studies teacher, is a model for others to follow. He put solar panels on his roof in 2021.

“Sixty percent of my electricity comes from solar power,” he said.

He’s installed appliances with air-sourced heat pumps, including his hot water heater and clothes dryer. Even the air conditioners in his electric cars are heat pumps.

“We replaced our propane dryer for an efficient electric dryer with a heat pump,” Montouri said.

He’s also weatherized his home, as he advises other property owners to do. “Weatherization saves energy. I’m using less electricity today than I did 10 years ago,” Montouri explained, despite the fact that he added heat pump air conditioning and charging for his two electric vehicles.

He’s put in caulking around his windows and door sweeps, insulated his attic, sealed ceiling fixtures that adjoin the attic and sealed areas where the ceiling meets the walls, which prevents potential air leaks. He’s placed insulation in the walls, basement and ceiling, too.

“Not using energy is the easiest way to save money,” Montuori said, noting that the climate threat to Putnam is acute.

“Increasingly our winters are getting warmer and wetter,” he explained. “Rain is causing flooding. The summers are increasingly dry, with some intermittent downpours. We’re going to start having more wildfires around here. There’s a creeping northward of flora and fauna, including some harmful, invasive insects. We need greater state and local efforts.”

Sustainable Putnam serves to educate residents on developing sustainable communities and provides informational tools to reduce their energy use and carbon emissions, by installing solar panels and weatherizing homes to using more energy-efficient appliances and heat pumps and driving electric vehicles.

Michael Gold has had articles published in the New York Daily News, the Albany Times Union, the Hartford Courant and other newspapers, and The Hardy Society Journal, a British literary publication.