Sustainable CT has announced its latest round of awards, and West Hartford has achieved the highest level available – Gold Certification.

By Ronni Newton

The Town of West Hartford has been working to achieve the rigorous requirements of each successive level of Sustainable CT’s certifications since earning Bronze Level Certification in the inaugural year of the program, and has now achieved the highest designation available – Gold Level.

“We are inspired by your leadership, broad range of sustainability accomplishments, and strong community engagement,” said Jessica LeClair, executive director of Sustainable CT, in her notification to town leaders of the Gold Level Certification. The designation is in effect through Dec. 31, 2027.

West Hartford earned Bronze Level Certification in 2018, but didn’t stop there. Catherine Diviney, who as the energy specialist for the town spearheads the application process, said at the time she was excited to see where the program to promote sustainability would lead.

“I’m excited to see where this can lead. Hopefully, we can develop an inclusive community process, whereby residents themselves can be involved in selecting and implementing the actions that West Hartford pursues as part of this program in the future,” said Catherine Diviney, energy specialist for the Town of West Hartford and West Hartford Public Schools.

To earn certification, a municipality is examined and awarded points in categories that range from community building to support for arts and culture, clean transportation, diverse housing, and long-term resilience with a focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion when implementing sustainability actions.

Each certification lasts for three years and West Hartford reached the next level – Silver Level Certification – in 2021. At the time, it was the highest level available. “This recognition is fantastic,” Diviney said in 2021. “But, I also like to look forward at what we can do next.”

A year later, West Hartford was also one of five towns in the state included in the inaugural “Climate Leaders” cohort. The Climate Leader program supports the acceleration of municipal actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changing climate.

In 2024, West Hartford earned 1,085 action points to achieve the Gold Level Certification. At least 750 action points are required, and to be Gold-Certified a municipality must also be recognized as a Climate Leader and collaborate with other communities on sustainability actions.

“I am very proud of this designation and want to congratulate town leadership for this important recognition,” Mayor Shari Cantor said this week. “I want to give a special thank you to Catherine Diviney who was the point person on the application and has helped guide us throughout this process,” she said.

“This is a reflection of the intentional hard work, commitment, and vision to make our town an inclusive, vibrant, thriving, and resilient community. It demonstrates the investments in our community, support for our residents and business owners, arts and culture, cleaner technologies and transportation, affordable housing, and so much more,” said Cantor. “We are recognized as a leader in the state, region, and country because we continue to work to make our community better.”

Diviney is very happy about reaching Gold Level, but continues to look ahead. “While I think the recognition is amazing and very appreciated … it’s all retroactive looking,” Diviney said Tuesday. “I’m not as concerned about the past as what we’re going to do in the future.”

Certifications are good for three years, and the process of applying for the various levels of certification is a lot of work and includes identifying initiatives that fit into each of the categories and documenting them. If an initiative becomes a state mandate, it no longer counts because its something that municipalities have to do rather than something it chooses to do.

Sustainable CT isn’t looking just to reward towns for energy efficiency and other green practices.

According to Sustainable CT, “certifications are awarded based on the completion of a broad range of sustainability actions, from community building and thriving local economies to vibrant arts and culture and environmental stewardship. Municipalities must demonstrate significant achievements across thirteen impact areas to qualify for certification. The Climate Leader designation recognizes municipalities that have completed rigorous actions to address climate change and have committed to ongoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changing climate.”

The organization also provides matching grants to support community projects that promote overall economic wellbeing as well as equity.

As she continues to look ahead, Diviney thinks the town’s creation in 2023 of the Sustainable West Hartford Commission is perfect timing. Using the framework established by Sustainable CT, members of the commission will be working alongside Diviney to assess what has been done and determine what’s next.

Diviney thinks it’s important to get residents more involved, with the support of information provided by the town. As an example, she said that while she continues to review municipal energy usage and the town has achieved great efficiencies – that comprises only about 4% of the overall energy usage in West Hartford.

“The wonderful thing about this program is it’s constantly evolving and challenging towns,” Diviney said of the Sustainable CT certification process, and she said she feels “honored and humbled” that West Hartford is at the same designation level of some of the other towns, particularly New Haven and Old Saybrook.

Bristol, Fairfield, Glastonbury, and Old Saybrook are also new Gold Level Certification designees for 2024. New Haven, which received Gold Level Certification in 2023, was the state’s first municipality to receive the designation.

West Hartford also remains one of 11 Climate Leaders in the state. In 2024, a total of 43 awards were earned by municipalities across the state.

“It’s been a banner year for us, but even more so for Connecticut cities and towns,” said LeClair. “A record number of certifications and climate leadership designations exemplifies the dedication and innovative spirit that are essential for building a sustainable future. And we’re especially happy to add eight new towns to the program. Thanks to their hard work and commitment, we’re expanding our reach, and Connecticut continues to be an ever-better place to live, work, play and visit.”

West Hartford, along with the other towns that have received designations, will be recognized at Sustainable CT’s 2024 Annual Awards Celebration on Nov. 13 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center – aka “the Kate” – in Old Saybrook.

Sustainable CT is independently funded, with strong support from organizations including the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, Hampshire Foundation, Common Sense Fund, Connecticut Green Bank, and the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut.

For more information about the organization, visit sustainablect.org.

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