Introduction to Certification Assessment
In this session we lay out how cohort members will work individually with staff from Cornell Cooperative Extensions. CCE , through their Climate Resilience Partnership with the Hudson River Estuary Program, provide a service they call “certification assessment”. The process combs through which actions a municipality has already undertaken, for which they can earn Climate Smart Communities points towards certification. The process also recommends relevant future actions for consideration.
Cornell Cooperative Extensions of Dutchess, Ulster, and Columbia-Greene have been one of the main mechanisms through which State programs, like CSC and NYSERDA, are able to engage with local communities. CCE has locations in counties (some are combined like Columbia-Greene), and staff that are dedicated to serving that local population. They’ve become the main resource municipalities have for getting training and support when engaging with CSC.
In designing Local Champions, we knew that working with CCE and the Climate Resilience Partnership would be one of the most valuable aspects of the program. So, the Local Champions pilot funded CCE so they can do Certification Assessments with our cohort members.
Speakers: Michelle Gluck of Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County
Recorded on February 4, 2021
Michelle Gluck
Environmental and Energy Resource Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County
Michelle Gluck holds a M.S. in Urban Environmental Systems Management from Pratt Institute’s Graduate Program in Sustainable Planning and Design (PSPD) and a B.S in Environmental Policy, Planning and Law from SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry.
In her capacity at CCEDC, Michelle is dedicated to ensuring that valuable educational resources reach target audiences to bolster environmental improvements locally and regionally. Her areas of focus include supporting municipalities with the NYS CSC Program, providing technical assistance to local watershed groups, researching organics recycling potential, and coordinating a countywide single-use plastics pollution prevention Campaign (Dutchess S.U.P.P.P.).
Resource #1
CCE developed this spreadsheet as a handy tool to use during your Certification Assessment.
Copy the Workfile as a Google Sheet
Rename your copy with the name of your town
Keep in mind this resource was last updated in November 2022.
Resource #2
Brainstorm who might be your municipal stakeholders.