Mayor Bassett and the Village Board formed this task force in 2019, and have appointed Trustee Vanessa Bertozzi to serve as the coordinator. We are working to encourage, implement, and quantify the village's efforts to address the climate crisis. We are doing so by coordinating our participation in NY State's Climate Smart Communities Program (CSC), a municipal framework that provides helpful tools and opens us up to the potential for greater State funding around our sustainability efforts.

The goal of the Climate Smart Community Task Force is to meaningfully assist in building a more just, resilient, and livable future in Rhinebeck Village.

Currently, the CSC Task Force meets quarterly at Village Hall, with subcommittees working on projects and meeting more frequently. Core task force members are expected to manage projects which contribute specifically to the CSC framework and help us build a more sustainable future for Rhinebeck Village.

The Task Force focuses on the Village, because the NY State program works on a municipal level.

If you’d like to join the Climate Smart Task Force, please contact Village Trustee Vanessa Bertozzi.