Legislation
Green Homes Initiative
The average home is leaking large amounts of energy on a daily basis which means that homeowners are wasting money. With energy costs at all time highs, especially on Long Island, homeowners can not afford to waste energy. Under the Green Homes Initiative the average resident will reduce their energy costs by $1,160 a year.
One of the innovative approaches to this program used in the Town of Babylon is a new definition of solid waste to include carbon, allowing the Town to use their solid waste reserve fund to economically fund this innovative program.
How it works: Town certified building performance specialists are sent to the homes of residents who are interested in participating in the program. They conduct a home performance evaluation and provide the homeowner with a report which evaluates each sector of the house, such as the boiler, windows and attic. Finally the homeowner choses from a menu of options. The Town provides the homeowner with a benefit assessment of up to $12,000 to increase the energy efficiency of their homes and decrease their costs. The repayment for upgrades is structured so that the payment is slightly less than the projected energy savings.
This program helps save strapped homeowners money. It creates green collar jobs, helping the economy, it helps the environment by reducing carbon by 130,000 tons a year, and it is a revolving fund, which will cost the taxpayer nothing.
In my view it would be morally wrong not to move this program forward. It is time to act. It is time to put aside political philosophy, particularly the failed political philosophy that got us into this mess, and realize that it is time to use the power of government to improve the lives of the people of Brookhaven.
SMART: Save Money As You Reduce Trash
Communities with SMART programs incorporate the cost of processing garbage within the cost of each garbage bag. These programs are simple and fair. The less individuals throw away, the fewer bags they will need, and the less they pay. Recycling is free, so SMART encourages residents to toss less into the garbage and recycle more.
The SMART Program incorporates a number of advantages:
Environmental Sustainability - Communities with programs in place have reported significant increases in recycling and reductions in waste, due primarily to the waste reduction incentive created by SMART. Less waste and more recycling mean that fewer natural resources need to be extracted. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacture, distribution, use, and subsequent disposal of products are reduced as a result of the increased recycling and waste reduction SMART encourages. In this way, SMART helps slow the buildup of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere which leads to global climate change.
Economic Sustainability - SMART is an effective tool for communities struggling to cope with soaring municipal solid waste management expenses. Well-designed programs generate the revenues communities need to cover their solid waste costs, including the costs of such complementary programs as recycling and composting. Residents benefit, too, because they have the opportunity to take control of their trash bills.
Equity - One of the most important advantages of SMART programs are their inherent fairness. When the cost of managing trash is hidden in taxes or charged at a flat rate, residents who recycle and prevent waste subsidize their neighbors' wastefulness. Under SMART residents pay only for what they throw away.
It is time for Brookhaven to adopt creative programs which help the environment, are inherently fair, and give residents a choice on how much they spend or save on the disposal of their waste.
