Climate & Environment
Welcome to Climate Smart Rhinebeck, a task force of the Village Government.
We are Silver-certified in NY State's Climate Smart Communities Program (CSC), representing the Rhinebeck Village government in collaboration with volunteers. Village Trustee Vanessa Bertozzi is the task force coordinator. We are also a NYSERDA-designated Clean Energy Community.
Get Involved
Explore Initiatives
Explore what we are doing to reduce pollution and make our community safer and healthier in the face of climate change.
Climate Smart Rhinebeck Task Force works with the Village Board on policy and public engagement programs. The goal of the task force is to meaningfully assist in building a more just, resilient, and livable future in Rhinebeck Village, and to be a leader in our region.
Meeting Our Goals Takes Planning
And we’ve done a lot of it! The buttons here link you to the critical planning documents that lay out a roadmap to 2030.
Climate & Environment Announcements
NYS’s CSC Certification Program
New York State runs a nation-leading program for municipalities to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. You can also visit NY State’s CSC website to browse through the over 100 actions and explore what other municipalities are doing across the state. After earning our Bronze-certification in 2020, we continued to work towards Silver, which we achieved in 2025. (CSC has no Gold certification FYI because it’s hard enough getting to Silver!) The public can view the Village’s CSC filing to dig into detailed documentation of our work.
As our village certifies at higher levels of the CSC program (as we prove we’ve undertaken more and more of the actions), we receive higher rankings for our applications for NY State grants which will further fund our sustainability projects. The Rhinebeck Village Board, under Mayor Reardon, took the first steps by passing a resolution to become a Climate Smart Community in 2010.
The CSR Task Force
In 2019 Mayor Bassett and the Village Board formed a task force to run point on all things environment and climate, and Trustee Vanessa Bertozzi is serving as the coordinator.
The CSR Task Force is currently meeting quarterly, with the Compost Subcommittee meeting every other week. 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. We’d love to hear from you! Contact trusteebertozzi@villageofrhinebeckny.gov.
Members
Trustee Vanessa Bertozzi, Coordinator
Scout Pronto Breslin
Jennifer Breslin
Mary Burns
Angela Basile
Corinna Borden
Michael Forlenza
Carli Fraccarolli
Ashley Gamell
Katherine Killeffer
Liz Roth
Dorna Schroeter
Aurore Stanek
Kerri Karvetski
Chantal Collins
Lawrence Miller
Steph Gunning
Carol Urban
Mimi Joh-Carnella
Tom McKibbin-Vaughan
Task Force Members and special guests, Feb 12, 2020: (from left to right) Nan Jackson, Chantal Collins, Jennifer Breslin, Vanessa Bertozzi, Carli Fraccarolli, Dorna Schoeter, Ashley Gamell, Michael Forlenza, Sue Sie, Corinna Borden, Kathy Dobson (and babe).
We Are Not Alone:
Climate Websites of Hudson Valley Towns
Albany: albanyny.gov/263/Sustainability
Ancram: ancramny.org/climate-smart-community-task-force
Austerlitz: austerlitzclimateaction.org
Chatham: chathamnewyork.us/government/committees/climate_smart_committee.php
Clinton: townofclinton.com/government/climate-smart-program-new
Dutchess County: dutchessny.gov/Departments/Planning/Climate-Smart-Communities.htm
Hurley: climatesmarthurley.org
Hyde Park: climatesmarthydepark.org and hydeparkny.us/626/Climate-Smart-Communities-Task-Force
Kinderhook: villageofkinderhook.org/climate.html
Germantown: sustainablegermantown.org
Marbletown (High Falls): marbletown.net/ecc
North East/Millerton: climatesmartmillerton.org
Philipstown: climatesmartphilipstown.org
Red Hook: redhookchallenge.org, Red Hook’s Climate Action Committee’s FB page
Saugerties: climatesmartsaugerties.org
Ulster County: ulstercountyny.gov/environment/climate-smart