In October 2021, Westport was awarded SILVER CERTIFICATION from Sustainable CT!!  Westport was 1 of only 12 towns to receive this distinction. An amazing accomplishment Westport…

But what does “Silver Certification” even mean and why should we, as a community that cares about our environment and sustainability, care about such an award?

What is Sustainable CT?

Sustainable CT is a voluntary certification program. It is an independently funded, grassroots, municipal effort that provides a wide-ranging menu of best practices designed to help CT communities promote economic well-being and enhance equity, all while respecting the finite capacity of the natural environment.  Municipalities choose sustainable actions, implement them, and earn points toward certification.

Does Westport benefit from the certification process? 

Yes! Because Westport achieved Bronze Certification in 2018, it was eligible to apply for community matching funds from Sustainable CT. In 2020, Westport received a $7,500 matching grant from Sustainable CT to promote the Sustainable Westport Zero Food Waste Challenge.

What did Westport do to achieve Sustainable CT Silver Certification? 

Westport was awarded Bronze Certification in 2018, the inaugural year of the program. The certification is renewed every three years, so in 2021 Westport applied again. In this process,  we qualified for more action points thereby earning Silver certification, the highest level of certification available.  

There are 13 Action categories, ranging from well-stewarded natural resources to efficient and diverse housing, in which a municipality must earn points in order to receive certification (for a more comprehensive review of the Actions, go to https://sustainablect.org/actions-certifications/actions). 

Here we highlight some of Westport’s wins and some areas for improvement.

WINS

Under Action 6, Clean and Diverse Transportation Systems and Choices, Westport is leading the way, particularly in supporting zero emission vehicle deployment. Westport received maximum points for keeping up on the most recent EV-related events by partnering with the EV Club of CT and holding a ZEV promotion event and having municipal staff attend EV training. Westport leased two Chevy Bolts and has removed 2 ICE vehicles from its fleet. Westport provided a very comprehensive EV charging assessment and Sustainable CT considered us a leader in EV planning and adoption. Note, the EV landscape continues to evolve and change all the time with new incentives recently being announced by the utility companies to incentivize the installation of both residential and non-residential chargers. Please click here to learn more. 

Another win came under Action 9, Strategic Materials Management. Westport received the maximum points for collecting and recycling or processing non-required materials and organics, such as mattresses, textiles, paint and non-CED electronics and of course, composting, through our food scrap collection service at the Transfer Station. We received additional points for including our school system in composting and recycling as well. The Sustainable Westport Zero Waste Food Challenge not only garnered us points toward developing a food scraps recovery and prevention campaign, but also building civic engagement and community communications.

Westport also achieved some wins under Action 5, Dynamic and Resilient Planning relating to the town’s work being done to install bus shelters along the Post Road and its simple and efficient solar PV permitting process. Wakeman Town Farm was held up as an example of the town allowing active agricultural use of municipal land. Westport was recognized for prioritizing historic assets within the community: residences at 42 Compo Rd North, 93 and 113 Cross Highway. Sustainable Westport sponsored a talk, “Towards a Fossil Fuel Free Lifestyle:Integrating renewable distributed generation with near-zero energy housing and electric vehicles in a 100 year old home.”

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

There is a lot of work the town of Westport can do in Action 7, Renewable and Efficient Energy Infrastructure and Operations. The town is now benchmarking municipal buildings’ energy consumption by using the EPA Portfolio Manager, a free online tool. Town employees received training, at no cost, through UCONN. However, we received no points and did not submit for the following sub-actions:

• Reduce energy use across all municipal buildings
• Achieve high energy performance for individual buildings
• Increase use of renewable energy for municipal buildings
• Develop a municipal energy plan
• Implement a community energy plan
• Benchmark energy and water use for multifamily housing

Another Action in which we need to make progress is Action 10, Optimal Health and Wellness Opportunities. Sub-actions include encouraging health and sustainable food networks, conducting a health impact assessment and improving air quality in public spaces. 

As many Westporters are aware, our town struggles with diverse housing options. Action 11, Healthy, Efficient and Diverse Housing also deserves attention. We did not receive any points for designing and implementing an affordable housing plan. We must implement a policy for sustainable and diverse housing options.

Participating in the Sustainable CT certification process is a community-engaging and town wide effort. It encourages us to try to achieve goals that align with Sustainable Westport’s mission to transform Westport into a green Net Zero community that has reduced its impact across energy, water and waste so that they are sustainably managed, using approaches that are economically viable, of social benefit, and environmentally responsible. 

Sustainable CT has recently announced a Climate Leader designation for municipalities with a certain level of points in various Actions, particularly in well-stewarded land and natural resources and efficient energy infrastructure and operations. Sustainable Westport hopes to encourage and support the town of Westport to reach this designation.