BETHEL – The Town of Bethel is hosting an environmental open house forum on June 15, at the Duggan School Gym in Bethel from 12-3pm. The focus will be on giving residents and businesses information about how they can save energy, money and reduce our community’s greenhouse gas emissions and climate footprint.

The theme of the open house forum is, Each of us can make a difference –  Working together we will make a huge difference.

The open house forum is open to all residents, not just those from Bethel.

Homes and cars make up 77 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions from Bethel based on the town’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory. Additionally, residents consistently identify water quality issues as critical to their interests. 

The open house forum will concentrate on helping residents: 

• Improve the heating and cooling systems in their homes and businesses, 

•  Learn about electric and hybrid vehicles, 

•   Learn about community solar

• Provide landscaping pointers for native plants and reduce use of chemical fertilizers

• Provide information on how to maintain private septic tanks

•  Learn how to improve surface and groundwater water quality

•  Participate in composting, and other issues

Sustainable Bethel, a town board appointed committee, is sponsoring the event. Through Sustainable Bethel’s efforts Bethel has significantly reduced the town government’s greenhouse gas emissions and recently secured $150,000 of NYSERDA grant funding for heating and cooling systems for its new highway barn, an electric riding mower and other battery powered landscaping equipment.

Bethel is a twice certified Bronze Level community in the NYS Climate Smart Community program sponsored by the Department of Environmental Conservation.

For more information visit Sustainable Bethel’s page on the town’s website: https://townofbethelny.us/sustainable-bethel.