Welcome

Our planet is experiencing more intense heat, bigger storms, longer droughts, increased flooding, raging wildfires, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels. And yes, man-made greenhouse gases are causing our climate to change.

That's why the Saugerties Town Board took the Climate Smart Communities Pledge back in 2009, the first town in Ulster County to do so. The Town Board also created a Green Energy Task Force whose work successfully resulted in energy efficiencies and greenhouse gas reductions.

In March 2018, the Town Board renewed its efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. It appointed the Saugerties Conservation Advisory Commission as a task force to help Saugerties continue to honor its pledge, and set new goals – further reduction of greenhouse gases and certification by New York State as a Climate Smart Community.

Town government, residents, business owners, all working together can become part of the solutions by taking actions to reduce greenhouse gas emmissions. Here are some suggestions:

What You Can Do

What Businesses Can Do

What Saugerties Is Doing

The Climate Crisis is an issue that cannot — and must not — be dismissed, avoided, or put on the back burner hoping that the federal government or some other entity will fix the problem for us.

There is an immediacy to this threat that requires all of us to be proactive and take responsibility for our little corner of the world as we work to further reduce our municipal greenhouse gas emissions and develop additional mitigation policies to address current and future impacts.

Our town's Climate Smart Saugerties task force is a perfect example of how volunteer efforts are bringing us closer to an energy sustainable future. The work of the task force couldn't be more important.

Supervisor Fred Costello, Jr.