Opinion: The community should seriously consider committing to become a New York State Climate Smart Community

Dear Editor,

I am a PhD student at Cornell studying Atmospheric Science. I am also a 2008 graduate of OFA and my family has a long history of living here in Owego. I care about this community a lot. I want to see it grow and prosper, but I am worried that we are not doing enough to help the environment. 

I was here for the 2006 and 2011 floods. My family directly felt the impacts of them. The recent report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the National Climate Assessment report released by our government are alarming. We need to act on every level. There are things we can do as individuals, as a village, as a county, as a state, and as a nation that can help us mitigate the potential environmental disasters that are in store if we do not stop emitting greenhouse gases at their current level.

Many of us do great things already to decrease our individual carbon footprint, but some really easy things to do (which will also save you money) are to change your light bulbs to LEDs. The cost of LED light bulbs has drastically decreased in the last few years and it is not nearly the expense it once was to convert. 

Another great thing to do is to get a drying rack and air dry some of your laundry. This has the benefit of making your clothes or towels last longer, and saves you the expense of running a dryer. We need to recycle as much as we can and we need to drive less when possible. Also, shop local and eat less meat.

I believe there are many things that the village could do to help as well. Firstly, the Mayor and the Board should seriously consider committing to become a New York State Climate Smart Community – which is a pledge to build a resilient, low-emission community. There are already over 240 other New York communities that have taken this pledge, none in Tioga County, though. 

Additionally, as a resident of the Village, I often notice that the Public Works trucks are left running all day at job sites. I know many will argue that it is healthier for the diesel engines to run idle for hours rather than shut them off. But a really simple Internet search will prove that this is false and no longer true of new diesel engines.

Additionally, this practice is also done with Village vehicles that are gasoline engines. This behavior needs to stop right away. It is totally unnecessary and just emits pollution for no reason. This will also be a huge cost saving measure for the Village. Imagine what we could do with all of the money we waste on purchasing fuel.

I think it is great that we have so many trashcans around the Village – it really keeps our community clean. However, we should also definitely make recycling bins available. The amount of recyclable trash that I see in the garbage cans is disappointing. 

My final suggestion is that I believe the Village should ban all stores from offering single-use plastic bags. The average American uses almost 300 plastic bags a year. You can replace those with just a few reusable cloth tote bags. I have attempted to discuss these issues with the Mayor, but he has yet to return my emails.

This is something I am very passionate about. I know there will be those that disagree with me and those that maybe even think that the IPCC report and the NCA report are not something to be worried about. They are indeed worth worrying about. I would be happy to discuss the reports with anyone, regardless of what you think about it, and answer questions you may have. 

Sincerely,

Colin Evans

Owego, N.Y.