Sustainable Bethel Forum Highlights Local Solutions to Climate Challenges

Communities across the Catskills are working to address climate change through local action — from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency to protecting water resources and preparing for future environmental challenges.

In Bethel, a volunteer committee is helping lead those efforts.

Sustainable Bethel, a committee appointed by the Bethel Town Board, will host its second annual Sustainability Forum on Saturday, August 8, bringing together local officials, experts, businesses, and organizations to share information about practical steps residents can take to make their homes and communities more sustainable.

“We’ve been working since 2013 to help the town reduce its government greenhouse gas emissions, and we’ve done a great job at that,” said Jeffrey Allison, chair of Sustainable Bethel. “And now we’re turning our attention to the community and how individuals can improve their own greenhouse gas footprint.”

Allison said many of the issues discussed at the event — including water quality, energy use, and climate resilience — affect communities throughout Sullivan County and neighboring areas.

“The issues that face Bethel face all of the towns in Sullivan County and in Pennsylvania,” he said. “The information is really very useful to everyone.”

This year’s forum expands on last year’s event by adding a series of speakers focused on regional planning, sustainable development, and household-level solutions.

Sullivan County Planning Commissioner Heather Brown will discuss the county’s recently completed County and Municipal Water Infrastructure Assessment Report, which examines water infrastructure across the county and provides information that municipalities can use for future planning.

Allison said the report provides an important baseline for communities.

“It really is the jumping off point for towns for their planning, for their development,” he said. “It sets the baseline for where each town is in its water infrastructure.”

The Town of Bethel has also received grant funding for a drinking water source protection plan, which will provide recommendations for protecting groundwater and surface water used for drinking.

Another presentation will focus on energy-efficient housing. Architect Buck Morehead will discuss a net-zero development project in Livingston Manor, where homes are being designed to produce as much energy as they consume.

Allison said the presentation could be valuable for homeowners, builders, and developers interested in reducing energy use.

Assemblymember Paula Kay will also participate in the forum to discuss the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, a proposal aimed at reducing waste and improving recycling systems.

Cornell Cooperative Extension representative Steve Bonder will discuss heating and cooling systems and ways homeowners can improve efficiency.

Allison said reducing household energy waste can have both environmental and financial benefits.

“The studies that we’ve done indicate that your and my greenhouse gas emissions come 26% from inefficiencies in our home,” he said.

The forum will also feature local organizations sharing information about renewable energy, recycling, composting, landscaping, septic system maintenance, invasive species, and pollinator gardens.

The Town of Bethel will showcase sustainability projects supported by approximately $170,000 in grant funding, including the county’s first all-electric police vehicle, an electric utility vehicle, battery-powered landscaping equipment, and a snow blower.

Allison said the projects demonstrate how municipalities can use state sustainability programs to access funding for local improvements.

Sustainable Bethel is also contributing to the town’s updated comprehensive plan, which includes goals related to alternative transportation, land use, conservation, housing, and protecting natural resources.

The committee plans to use that work to help develop a broader community climate action plan focused on long-term sustainability efforts.

Bethel has twice been recognized as a Bronze-level Climate Smart Community, a designation that Allison said can help the town compete for state grant funding.

“It is a commitment by the town that they really are interested in sustainability,” he said.

While the forum is centered in Bethel, Allison said the challenges facing communities do not stop at municipal boundaries.

“The issues that are climate-related, water-related, don’t stop at town borders,” he said. “They really do cross town lines.”

He encouraged residents, municipal leaders, and anyone interested in sustainability to attend and learn about steps they can take locally.

“There is local action that can be taken,” Allison said. “There is personal commitment that you can take and actions that you can take fairly easily.”

Image Credit: Sustainable Bethel