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January 4, 2023 - v. 3, number 1 |
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Join Our Team:
New Opportunities
for a New Year
We're hiring for multiple positions
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Sustainable CT is seeking talented and creative professionals who share a passion for our mission, dedication to equity and inclusion, and a commitment to creating new models to address civic engagement and the climate crisis. We are currently seeking candidates for Program Assistant, our 2023 cohort of Sustainable CT Fellows, and multiple Equity Coaching positions. Visit our Employment page for complete job listings and information. Come join us in taking local actions that have a statewide impact!
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U.S. EPA Climate & Air Quality Recruitment Webinar
The EPA is hiring soon-to-be and recent graduates in the science and engineering fields. The agency is filling positions to build a team of highly motivated, collaborative individuals to reduce greenhouse gases and improve air quality. Positions available involve primarily implementing Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) programs, which tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, and advance environmental justice. Contact Amy Bhesania with questions, or join the Teams meeting on January 12, 1-2 p.m. EST.
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Join Celeste Frye, co-founder & CEO of Public Works Partners, for insights on maximizing the impact of communal spaces to meet the needs of the entire community. Learn strategies your municipality can employ to reimagine existing spaces. January 19, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
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Managing Your Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is a challenging venture with many variables. Join this webinar to learn about an Eversource program that supports municipalities in developing a holistic approach to managing energy and emissions over the long term. January 25, 12 - 1 p.m.
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First Workshop in our Winter 2023 Virtual Equity Training Series is January 31
Equity 101: This workshop provides an understanding for how racial equity increases the prosperity, health, and safety of the entire community. To transform structures, organizations, communities, and systems, today’s leaders need to be able to lead with an anti-racism/racial equity lens. We will discuss how leading with a racial equity lens is an essential component of a strategy for structural transformation to create equity for all.
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This free, three-part, virtual equity workshop series provides a comprehensive framework of racial equity, diversity, and inclusion (REDI). Attendance at all three sessions is required. Sessions run from 10 am to 12 pm on January 31, February 22, and March 14. Content will be geared to help Sustainability Teams integrate equity considerations into their Sustainable CT initiatives. Attendance is capped at 35. This will be a live training and will not be recorded. Please sign up only if you intend to participate in all three sessions.
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New Partners for Places Grant Opportunities
The Funders Network (TFN), in partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), has announced the opening of the latest round of the Partners for Places grant program. The Partners for Places matching grant program improves communities by supporting equitable sustainability projects that build partnerships between local government leaders, frontline community groups and place-based funders in the U.S. and Canada. The deadline to submit proposals is February 27. Visit the Partners for Places webpage for more information.
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Governor Lamont and Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno announced that the Connecticut Department of Housing is releasing $13.4 million in grants to seven municipalities for infrastructure upgrades that will modernize and rehabilitate housing for low and moderate-income individuals.
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Is Wilton’s Sustainable CT Silver Certification Getting Enough Attention?
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See Your Neighborhood’s Climate Impact with the Times' Interactive Map
The New York Times has a very cool - and interesting - map with which you can view your town's carbon footprint. As The Times puts it, "Your household’s contribution to climate change is linked to where you live — down to the specific block." Subscription required.
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This month: we speak with former Sustainable CT Fellows about their COP27 experience.
The IMPACT is available January 15 at sustainablect.org and wherever you get your podcasts.
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In the News: The West Hartford Tree Project
Ronni Newton writes about the West Hartford Tree Project for we-ha.com: The primary goal of the West Hartford Tree Project is “to protect and preserve the West Hartford tree canopy which has been severely battered in recent years by drought, ice, wind, disease, old age, invasive pests, and cutting,” said [Ted] Goerner. The town’s canopy trees have been the victim of recent major storms – most visibly the Halloween storm in 2011 – as well as successive years of drought, and disease like Dutch Elm disease.
The West Hartford Tree Project is raising funds now, using Patronicity, and their goal is to raise $2,000 which will then be matched by a Sustainable CT grant, for a total budget of $4,000. Thus far $825 has been raised, and the campaign runs through Jan. 15, 2023.
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The Next Sustainable CT Coffee Hour:
January 20 at 10 a.m.
Using the Mini Liquor Bottle Fund to Reduce Waste in your Community
Join us to learn from other towns and exchange ideas on effective use of the Mini Liquor Bottle Fund. This Coffee Hour will include: an overview of the law and the funds that have flowed to towns in 2022, examples shared by communities that have used the funds to impact waste reduction, and, as always, a lively discussion.
Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal, discussions on the third Friday of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.
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For more fun and informative January events,
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We can do this
Okay, so there's a little trepidation heading into the New Year, yes? Because so many of 2022's thornier issues seem unresolved - inflation is still too high, COVID remains a stubborn threat, Russia and Ukraine are no closer to the negotiating table, COP27 was only a partial victory, at best, and we're counting the days before another presidential race begins anew (and if that doesn't cause a shiver up the spine, nothing will). But we take heart: the level of commitment we've seen from hundreds - thousands - of good people doing good things around our state this past year will surely carry us, as if on broad shoulders, into 2023. It brings us good cheer and great hope to know that whatever challenges we face, we will face them together. Happy New Year, everyone.
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