Climate Smart Committee

New York State established the Climate Smart Communities (CSC) Program in 2009 to provide local governments with guidance on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save taxpayer dollars, and advance community goals for health and safety, economic vitality, energy independence, and quality of life. Members of the Climate Smart Communities Program take action in two main ways to minimize the risks of climate change and reduce its long-term costs:

Reducing GHG Emissions: Reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and create permanent carbon sinks that remove GHG emissions from the atmosphere - these actions will help stabilize atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide at manageable levels and avoid severe climatic changes.

Adapting to a Changing Climate: Altering the built and natural environment in anticipation of predicted climatic changes, or in response to actual changes, will alleviate the risks associated with unavoidable changes in climate.

In March 2007, the Woodstock Town Board adopted the Carbon Neutral/Zero Carbon resolution that committed the Town to implement policies resulting in no net emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by the end of 2017. Based on a careful accounting of the Town’s carbon dioxide emissions and the consequences of carbon sequestration by the Town’s forests, Woodstock has achieved “Net Carbon Neutrality.”

In August 2011, the Ulster County Legislature established a Climate Smart Committee (CSC) for the county and invited the towns to send representatives. For a number of years, Woodstock has been attending the county CSC meetings and submitting periodic reports about the Town’s progress in meeting the goals of the Climate Smart Communities program.  Below are links to some of the more recent reports.