Madison County Leads State and Nation in Being Climate Smart
New York's Department of Environmental Conservation encourages counties to be climate smart. Not only is Madison county heeding the advice, but they are even surpassing expectations.
The DEC recently bestowed the title of "Certified Climate Smart Community" on Madison County, just the tenth county in the state to receive the honor. DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos says, “The county is a model for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while bolstering economic vitality. Madison County has shown exceptional leadership, and I congratulate County Chairman John Becker and his staff.”
Among the Madison County programs highlighted by the certification:
- Creating a plan for extreme weather events and flooding
- Controlling green house gas emissions
- Using LED Lighting technology in all government buildings
But the real feather in the cap, is Madison County's recycling of landfill gasses. They are one of the first in the nation to capture methane gas from the landfill and turn it into energy. In a partnership with Johnson Brothers Lumber, the county uses the gas to power a generator that the lumber company uses to dry wood. The energy also provides heat to other county buildings on the landfill complex. All while maintaining the natural beauty of the area.
County officials aren't done, the honor also comes with a 15-thousand dollar matching grant that will be used to analyze the county's fleet of vehicles. There are more details in this DEC press release.
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