Green Initiatives.
By Trustee Larry Dengler
Posted by permission
“America is ready to turn the page. America is ready for a new set of challenges.”
-Senator Barack Obama
Part 1. What has been done.
—Our Village joined ICLEI, The International Conference of Local Governments on Sustainability.
Membership in this international conference is restricted to municipal governments. Our Village will benefit greatly by its participation in this movement.
ICLEI member municipalities receive access to the following products and services:
o Clean Air Climate Protection (CACP) software and training
o Tools, publications and other resources
o Guidance on performance_based contracts for supplies and services
o State, regional, national and international peer networking
o Technical, policy and communications expertise and assistance
o Annual training and leadership events
o Recognition and awards
o Representation at international meetings
We have already begun using and training in the CAPC software. This will enable us to measure our present carbon emissions and determine our actual goals for the future. We cannot measure our progress until we know our present level of carbon emissions. The benefits that will accrue to the Village include not only a nicer place to live and work but also healthier children and cleaner air and parks and other public places.
—The Village Board of Trustees has authorized and directed our Mayor to sign onto the "US Mayors Agreement on Climate Change" in the spirit of the Kyoto Protocol [Dobbs Ferry is first of the Rivertowns, except for Tarrytown, to do so]
Although the United States government did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol to reduce pollution from “greenhouse” gases, the main source of global warming, many local
governments, including Dobbs Ferry under the leadership of members of the Democratic Party, have taken the initiative. In 2005, the Mayor of Seattle, WA asked the mayors around the country to sign a document called the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The Agreement does not pledge each city or village to do the same thing. Although New York City and Dobbs Ferry have signed this same Agreement, we will not be building a 400_mile subway system like New York’s. In the Agreement, each municipality pledges that it will strive to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets of reducing global warming pollution levels to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. This will be done through a series of actions to be determined by the newly appointed Dobbs Ferry Mayors Task Force on Energy and the Environment. The Task Force will determine if any proposed actions are economically sound, will reduce costs over the short_ and long_term, and are reasonable, and will so advise the Mayor. In the Agreement, we have also promised to urge federal and state governments to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the target of the Kyoto Protocol. Signing the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement is a very positive move for the Village, and is consistent with other municipalities in Westchester.
–Enacted Leaf Blower Law
Our Village government has enacted modest restrictions on leaf blowers for public health and comfort, and to reduce noise, air pollution and carbon emissions. Gas powered leaf blowers may not be used between May 15th and September 15th, and again between December 1st and March 15th. Electric leaf blowers are exempt. The results are being studied. So far, there has been a positive public reaction.
–Energy Audit
Our Village government has commissioned an inquiry to show the Board of Trustees what a full energy audit should include for our Village. The results are just in showing us where we might start. Now our Village government must decide what
further evaluation can be done most effectively to reduce carbon emissions and save money and whether there are immediate projects that could be started immediately for these goals.
— Initiated a "Walkable Community" Program
Our Village government initiated a "Walkable Community" program by negotiating a walkway on the old Belden Avenue right of way in connection with Board of Trustees approval of the Nagel Subdivision. This is the first of what we anticipate to
be many initiatives to promote walking. We worked with the Dobbs Ferry School District to obtain a $375,000 NY State grant to rebuild the Beacon Hill stairs. This will encourage more children to walk to school at Springhurst. We have also negotiated the placement of a walking path on Clinton Avenue where an actual
sidewalk would be impractical. We will open recreational and other walking paths and trails and find safe pathways for children to walk to school so that all residents have the option of walking or driving to more destinations in the Village.
Part 2. Looking Forward
The two big aims in proposing any green initiative are sustainability and lowering carbon emissions.
–Carbon Emissions
For our own health, for the health of our children and indeed for the protection of our planet, we must strive to lower carbon emissions by Village Government; and encourage lower carbon emissions in the private sector. We have also committed to doing this under the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.
— Sustainability
A sustainable village meets its current economic, environmental and social needs without compromising the ability of future generations of the village to do the same. It’s that simple.
–Thinking Green
Many green initiatives don’t seem green at first, that is, they don’t start off with the idea, “Let’s preserve the environment.” Most often Thinking Green begins with an effort to save money or energy or reduce the tax burden or improve quality of life.
For example, parking is on everyone’s mind as the big, big problem in Dobbs Ferry. Most citizens have come to realize that there is no one solution to solve everyone’s parking concerns. New parking lots alone will certainly help to a degree; however,
they may also increase other parking problems. A fair study of our parking situation turns up some surprising solutions. With shrinking sources of fossil fuels, it makes sense to study some types of small town mass transit as an additional solution to
parking. It also makes sense to address subjects which cause parking shortages, such as shopping needs. School buses already eliminate, in general, the need for children to be individually driven to school. Could we not try a free Village transport
for shoppers to enable them to park in only one place while shopping along Main and Cedar Streets? It might be cheaper than building a new parking lot. Another
solution is favorable housing for families who promise not to own a car. We must do other things like integrate land uses, look for acceptable distances between destinations, for example, to encourage walking between stores rather than driving.
The idea of sustainability is very useful, because it involves the environment, economics, education, livability, esthetics, and even social justice as well as other issues.
–New Zoning and Land Use Code
What do we hope to accomplish in the new Zoning Law and Land Use Code? Obviously, there are some things that belong in the one or the other, but not in both. But here, for simplicities sake, let’s discuss them both together. Both codes should encourage smart growth, conservation of energy and sustainable development.
Some of the details belong in a new or revised building code. But without policy tructure in the Zoning Law, there will be little hope of improvements encouraged lsewhere. Besides the Carrot of Encouragement, local government also can use the
Stick of Penalty to get a better environment for working and living.
_Steep Slopes Law: To prevent landslides and other erosion, both locally destructive nd catastrophically widespread, and to preserve the character of our Village, we ust have a steep slopes law which encourages wise preservation of vertical terrain
and discourages leveling and destruction of steep areas.
_Green Building Codes: Model green building codes are being studied and evaluated.
_Tree Law: We have a law protecting our trees on Village land and on private land. his law can be strengthened as separately discussed.
_Other green initiatives discussed in this article are included in the new Zoning and and Use Code.
–Dark Skies
We generally think of well_lighted outdoor spaces as being safer. Public lighting egan as a way to provide some level of safety along rights of way for pedestrians nd to encourage nighttime activities and commerce. While exterior lighting is useful and generally required for commercial areas and public safety, conventional designs often result in continuously over-lighted areas. This results in glare and light pollution. Light pollution is wasted light from exterior lighting that is directed
upward or away from where it is needed. It is annoying, unhealthy and wasteful. The sky glow that we see and live in, here in Dobbs Ferry, that reduces the view of stars, is caused by wasted light and wasted energy dollars. There are well-
researched findings that excessive exterior lighting has been associated with insomnia and other sleep disorders.
A better way to approach the planning of lighting in the neighborhoods of Dobbs Ferry is a plan that uses light where it is most useful. The key uses are, to render vehicle and pedestrian traffic areas safe, to accent the facades of buildings, and to
guide us on our way. Today we can plan exterior lighting to eliminate glare, over-lighting and “light trespass”. Illuminated signs should be subject to the same cautions. In Dobbs Ferry, the level of exterior night lighting should also be based on
the type of place to be lit.
We will be proposing a dark skies ordinance in Dobbs Ferry such as has been successfully used in other places. By careful change to some of our laws and building codes, we can encourage the most beneficial exterior lighting throughout Dobbs Ferry.
–An Ever_improving Tree Law
Trees hold back water, prevent erosion, beautify, increase property values throughout a village, and turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. Trees are an important resource. It is well worth a moderate amount of effort to preserve, and encourage
the growth of, this valuable community benefit. We need to preserve our existing trees, both the remarkable ones and the ones that still need encouragement. We need to plant the right kind of trees, hardy native species, to replace the trees that have been lost in the last twenty and more years, to put new ones in better places than some of the old ones that have been lost. Local government can encourage best practices in tree culture and maintenance. Two improvements to our present Tree Law are neighbor notification of removal and an enlightened replacement policy when a tree is removed or lost.
–Waterfront Stabilization
Waterfront Park is the jewel of our Village. Protecting Waterfront Park is a combination of “sea walls” and beaches of between 2500 and 3000 linear feet. A seawall made about 60 years ago of stone riprap originally protected our waterfront’s integrity. This was imperfectly engineered by present standards and is
in need of major repair or replacement. Indeed, we are told that its deterioration began much sooner than was expected by its builders. A new seawall of stones carefully placed and fitted together would give our Waterfront Park the defense it
needs to survive for many years to come. Our Interim Village Administrator has made the protection of our Waterfront Park her goal, and our Waterfront Committee is hard at work finding funds for its protection and improvement while at the same
time developing means to implement, at long last, the objectives and decisions of our own Local Waterfront Revitalization Committee, whose plans and report have been approved by the State of New York.
–Add Open Space
Dobbs Ferry has less protected open space, proportionately, than Manhattan. We don’t have enough passive recreation space, and Village government should cooperate with the school district, which has the primary responsibility for playing fields. Our Conservation Advisory Board has identified over 400 acres in the village as unprotected open space. Some of this space is truly suitable for development while other parcels deserve protection for the public benefit. In some cases, the public benefit can be secured while the land itself remains in private use, for
example, a large stand of trees might be kept for the use of the owner, and the public still benefits from having the view and possible shade on the neighboring right of way.
_–Downtown
Continued green planning for Dobbs Ferry’s downtown is a must. Good planning for the downtown must continue to include commercial, residential and recreational opportunities in this area of higher density. Continued mixed use will be beneficial
for the downtown. Good planning will provide for reduced carbon emissions and saving energy and money; its goal is to achieve sustainable growth; promote creation of attractive places for daytime and evening gathering, and grow sustainable shopping and commercial areas.