Stamford Taking Proactive Steps to Continue Addressing Impacts of Climate Change
City Convenes Summit To Emphasize Importance of Environmental Conservation
STAMFORD — Being a coastal city has its benefits in stellar views and activities, but it also means that the area becomes more susceptible to climate change. City officials, environmental leaders, and concerned citizens recently gathered to discuss solutions to the growing issue.
On Thursday, January 25, Stamford’s inaugural Climate Action Summit was held downtown at UConn Stamford. During the event, community members gathered to reflect on the extensive progress made to date, as well as how these achievements can be built on in the future.
Participants included Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Quality at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Emma Cimino, Mayor Caroline Simmons, Director of Recycling & Sanitation Dan Colleluori, Senior Parks Planner Erin McKenna, Transportation Bureau Chief Frank Petise, and Land Use Bureau Chief Ralph Blessing.
“This is perhaps one of the most important moral issues of our time and the work that we do today is literally going to have implications for our children and grandchildren for generations to come,” Mayor Caroline Simmons said to attendees. “The climate crisis has repercussions on our economy, on the public safety, health, and wellness of our residents.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Cimino acknowledged how Stamford residents are all too familiar with the growing reality of climate change impacting local communities.
“Unfortunately, coastal cities like Stamford know better than many that climate change is here and that we have to take real action to mitigate its impacts,” Cimino said, touching upon the record heat and rainfall the city has experienced in the last year.
Under the leadership of Mayor Simmons and her administration, Stamford has been proactively addressing the impacts of climate change through bioswales to collect stormwater runoff, a citywide food composting program, and transportation projects emphasizing sustainability. With these measures and others, the city is quickly becoming an example for similar municipalities.
From the beginning of her tenure, Simmons has taken numerous steps to address the local effects of climate change. Furthermore, in April 2023, the Mayor signed Stamford’s first-ever Climate Executive Order which instructed action be taken to increase energy efficiency in city facilities, build electric vehicle (EV) and green infrastructure where feasible, expand the Food Scrap Recycling program, and conduct the first Greenhouse Gas Inventory to better track carbon dioxide emissions community-wide and from municipal operations.
Additionally, Simmons established the Mayor’s Climate Council, which consists of ten council members tasked with developing and identifying policy recommendations in five specific priorities. These include reducing Stamford’s carbon footprint; incorporating environmental justice, equity, and sustainability throughout City operations; making Stamford more resilient to the effects of climate change; supporting the creation of green energy jobs; and protecting Stamford’s environment with a focus on preserving clean air and water.
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