Greenwich, CT – On Tuesday, December 20, the Town of Greenwich Conservation Commission convened its annual conservation caboodle. It was a much anticipated and well attended in-person event held at the Greenwich Audubon Center. The goal of the caboodle is to facilitate gathering, communication and interaction between organizations and town commissions with conservation related interests.
The event started with Conservation Commission Chairman Bill Rutherford welcoming the attendees and introducing Sarah Coccaro as the newly appointed Assistant Director of Environmental Affairs. This was followed with a round of introductions from the attendees. More than 30 organizations were represented, of which a majority were Greenwich-based environmental organizations, including the Conservation Commission and Sustainability Committee.
Select-person and Chair of Sustainability Committee Janet Stone McGuigan introduced ‘Climate Change’ as the theme of this meeting and mentioned the recently passed resolution by the board of selectmen on ‘Advancing Sustainability and Climate Resiliency’ which calls for the development of a Sustainability and Climate Resiliency Plan by December 2023. Bill Rutherford added that the recently published Coastal Resiliency Report and Adaptation Strategies will be an important part of this Climate Resiliency Plan.
Members of Waste Free Greenwich, the Foodshed Network, Green Schools, Greenwich Recycling Advisory Board, Greenwich Community Gardens, and Greenwich Green & Clean listed reducing single use waste and food waste along with composting as a part of their ongoing/future priority projects to combat climate change. Ali Ghiorse, founder of the Foodshed Network spoke about the impact of commercial food production on land use and loss of biodiversity, and the need to have shorter food supply chain and local food production. The Waste Free Greenwich Newsletter has plethora of information on waste reduction and recycling.
Pollinator Pathways, Greenwich Tree Conservancy, Greenwich Botanical Center, Friends of Greenwich Point, and the Friends of Pomerance, Pinetum, & Tuchman highlighted their commitments on conserving, enhancing, and restoring ecosystems with native vegetation.
Nikki Barret of the Greenwich Country Day School and Peter Schweinfurth of the Energy Management Advisory Committee stressed on the importance of educating children on climate change, sustainability and involve them in building climate resiliency.
Trout Unlimited reiterated the need to update the watershed management plan for Byram river and highlighted the need to conserve water and reduce water footprint of the town.
Greenwich Audubon Center will be hosting a climate summit organized by a network of youth leaders from across New York and CT Audubon centers. The Greenwich Audubon will also continue with its summer camps and projects that help further conservation.
The meeting ended with a short thank you address, and the group will convene in late 2023 to review the “Sustainability and Climate Resiliency Plan” and to continue the expanded collaboration.
For further information, please contact Sarah Coccaro, Assistant Director of Environmental Affairs, at 203-622-7736 or sarah.coccaro@greenwichct.org
https://www.greenwichct.gov/1558/Conservation-Caboodle
