New London, Connecticut

Tetteh: “New London is participating in the Sustainable Connecticut Program to inspire the community to support, sustain, and restore the natural resources that are integral to the health and resilience of the City.A Sustainability Commission, staffed by the City Planner,meets monthly to estab- lish goals and attain measurable objectives towards a sustainable New London. In the first year of the program, New London has successfully submitted an application for the bronze certification with over 300 points out of a necessary 200 after complet- ing actions in each of the eight categories.Most of those credits are derived from our local economic initiatives, health and housing diversity, dynamic and resilient planning, efficient physical infrastruc- ture and operations, sufficient and inclusive public services, our land and natural resource stewardship, and our initiatives with transportation. “The city recently took the initiative of changing all of our street light bulbs to LED (Light Emitting Diode). In 2016, PublicWorks administered the con- version of 2200 HPS (High Pressure Sodium) “Cobra Head” style streetlights, and 388 Decorative street- NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT lights, to LED fixtures.This initiative has resulted in an estimated $175,000 annual savings in cost of electricity. “The recent redesign and construction of two municipal parking lots featured innovative design and functioning elements which included center islands serving as ‘rain gardens,’ or storm-water collection basins.Also included was the use of “Silva cells” (sub-grade plastic cages) to provide a healthy growing environment for newly planted trees.A key component of the project is introducing traffic calming and pedestrian safety elements to the area. The City has two electrical vehicle charging stations and more are planned for the near future. “The city received an Urban Forestry Grant from the State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to conduct a real-time tree survey and invasive species survey for use in developing a city-wide Urban Forestry and Invasive Species Management Plan.This innovative project partners with the Connecticut College Arboretum and engages student interns in field work, data collection, and plan development.We have also partnered up with F.R.E.S.H.New London,which promotes healthy eating as well as urban farming within the city.” Bombria: “We have also partnered up with local business programs like C-PACE (Commercial Prop- ertyAssess Clean Energy). C-PACE is an innovative financing solution to make green energy upgrades accessible.The Connecticut Green Bank is funded through the state; it offers 100 percent financing for energy improvements, so building owners can modernize their buildings and lower energy costs. The payment is tied up to their property tax,which makes it a secure payment system. Low interest capital can be raised from the private sector with no government financing required.This arrangement spreads the cost of clean energy improvements –such as energy efficient boilers, upgraded insula-