Sustainable CT Certification Assistance
Contacts
Jessica LeClair, Program Manager, Community Engagement & Outreach
leclairj@easternct.edu | (860) 465-0258
Re:source:ful, Growing Sustainable Communities (CPTV)
Community Garden, Stonington
Pollinator Pathway, East Lyme
Sheets Family Forest, North Stonington
What is Sustainable CT?
Sustainable CT is a voluntary certification program to recognize thriving and resilient Connecticut municipalities. An independently funded, grassroots, municipal effort, Sustainable CT provides a wide-ranging menu of best practices. Municipalities identify Sustainable CT creditable actions, implement and document them, and earn points toward certification. Across Connecticut, 123 municipalities participate in Sustainable CT, with 64 municipalities achieving certification.
Mission
To foster inclusive, resilient, and vibrant Connecticut municipalities that provide opportunities for all to thrive by: providing a menu of sustainability actions that build local economies, support equity, and respect the finite capacity of the environment; offering technical assistance to help advance sustainability initiatives; and recognizing and certifying municipalities for their achievements.
Sustainable CT in Southeastern Connecticut
In southeastern Connecticut, 12 towns total are enrolled in Sustainable CT. The Town of Windham has achieved “Silver” certification and seven towns have achieved “Bronze” certification.
Registered Municipalities: Colchester, Ledyard, Montville, Preston.
Bronze Certified Municipalities: East Lyme (2019), Groton (2019), New London (2019), North Stonington (2020), Norwich (2019), Stonington (2020), Waterford (2019).
Silver Certified Municipalities: Windham (2019).
Sustainable CT Fellows
Sustainable CT hires student fellows, college students that attend school or reside in Connecticut, to work on assignment in one of the nine regional Councils of Governments. The student fellows work through the summer months assisting municipalities with enrollment and documentation of creditable programs and actions under Sustainable CT. Sustainable CT also partners with the nine COGs to facilitate regional planning and implementation of sustainability initiatives, and provides towns with a broad set of actions to achieve sustainability. By working with the COGs, this helps grow the network of stakeholders involved, which makes environmental planning at the local and state level of government more successful.
Community Match Fund
Sustainable CT’s Community Match Fund is an innovative program that provides fast, flexible funding on wide-ranging sustainability projects. Eligible projects receive dollar-for-dollar matching funds from Sustainable CT. Watch highlights of inspiring Community Match Fund projects on CPTV’s “Re:source:ful – Growing Sustainable Communities.”
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include Sustainable CT registered municipalities, as well as non-profit organizations, community groups, schools, libraries, and residents of those municipalities.
The Community Match Fund may be used to fundraise for projects that align with Sustainable CT actions, which in turn help a municipality earn points toward certification. Sustainable CT has partnered with Patronicity, a crowdfunding platform that assists with project coaching, grant program management, and placemaking consulting.
Do you have an idea to make your community more sustainable, equitable, and vibrant? Contact Abe Hilding-Salorio, Community Outreach Coordinator.
Community Match Fund Projects in Southeastern Connecticut
To-date the Community Match Fund has been used to partially fund projects in East Lyme, Groton, New London, North Stonington, and Stonington: