How Green is My Town
Created by Grassroots Environmental Education, this program was conducted in association with Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies.
First Annual Green Star Awards |
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In partnership with Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies and Grassroots Environmental Education, nearly 100 undergraduate and graduate students at Pace participated in the “How Green is My Town” Westchester program during the fall 2009 and spring 2010 semesters. On March 24, 2010, the first annual presentation of the “Green Star Awards” were made to the top six communities that have shown outstanding efforts to address the issues of climate change, sustainability and environmental health. They were: |
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How Green is My Town? represents the antithesis of the Kyoto Protocol – a bottom-up, grassroots effort to empower citizens and local decision makers to take action, providing a blueprint for them to take positive steps that, cumulatively, can have a profound national impact on these critical issues. Students at Pace University participated in the program and interviewed towns in Westchester County during the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 semesters. By using a series of mostly yes or no inquiries, key officials and personnel were interviewed using questions focusing on key attributes and characteristic of a sustainable and environmentally-aware community, resulting in a rating for that town. The “How Green is My Town” website provides links to hundreds of government and non-profit resources to assist local decision makers, assess the progress of individual towns across the country as measured against the criteria, and encourage and enable them to increase their scores. Not only did towns receive valuable information and new ideas, students learned about solving environmental problems, promoting policy solutions, communicating with local decision-makers, and making a difference. |
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News Release: Greenest Communities in Westchester Announced: Results of Assessments Done by Pace Students Revealed |
The issues of climate change, sustainability and environmental health are global in their impact, threatening the very survival of our species on this planet; yet the solutions to these problems are inextricably linked to choices we make as individuals, as consumers and as residents of our villages, towns and cities. The adage “Think Globally, Act Locally” has its roots in the realization that our collective power is immense, and we need not depend on (or indeed, wait for)national or state governments to address this crisis.
ABOUT GRASSROOTS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Grassroots has worked extensively with local governments and state agencies to create award-winning programs that succeed. We have already developed many of the policy solutions required for “How Green is My Town?” (i.e. school and municipal policies on pest control, turf maintenance, green cleaning, vehicle idling, etc.) and have become well known in the metropolitan New York area for bringing practical solutions to complex problems.
We firmly believe that education is the key to resolving the critical environmental issues we face as a nation, and that today’s environmental studies students can play an important role in helping to spread knowledge in their local communities even as they themselves learn. Thus, our goal is to make participation in “How Green is My Town?” not only a unique and rewarding educational experience, but a key factor in bringing about lasting and positive change.
For more information about Grassroots Environmental education visit www.grassrootsinfo.org and the program web site at www.HowGreenIsMyTown.org.
