Sustainable Stonington

In April 2020, in recognition of the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day, the Stonington Board of Selectman announced the launch of a new initiative- Sustainable Stonington. The focus is to ensure the Town is embarking on projects that enhance our ability to be a resilient, collaborative, and forward-looking community.

This builds on the work of past Boards. In 2018, the Board of Selectmen passed a resolution to become a registered town in the Sustainable CT program (see resolution here). To further advance this effort, the Town embarked upon becoming a certified community in 2020. In addition to the benefits the specific actions outlined as part of the Sustainable CT program have for the community, these efforts can also open up additional funding and resources for the community’s sustainability focused efforts.

The Director of Economic and Community Development, working closely with the First Selectman, as well as other Town Departments and boards and commissions, conducted a deep review of past and existing efforts. Thanks to this work, Stonington was honored to achieve Sustainable CT Bronze certification in November 2020 and again in November 2022.

Building off the success of the Community Garden at Human Services, we created a second Community Garden at Town Hall. This project was supported by many community residents, including local Boy Scout Troop 9, and a fundraising effort with Sustainable CT.  Read more here. 

During the Spring of 2021 the University of Connecticut, in coordination with the Town of Stonington, had a group of undergraduate students conduct an independent study tasked with presenting potential options the municipality could prioritize to reduce its environmental impact.The report focuses on reducing carbon emissions in Stonington both directly through renewable technologies and indirectly through municipality sponsored programs, with a focus on solar and geothermal. The report can be found here.

We continue to work on a range of activities to enhance our sustainability as a community and region. As part of our regional efforts, thanks to a collaboration among 22 Towns and Cities that are part of the Southeastern CT Council of Governments (COG), in 2021 we passed a Climate Emergency Declaration resolution (see attached below). This resolution lays the foundation for continuing and meaningful climate change actions. On September 28, 2022, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve a Resolution of Commitment to Address Climate Change, Resiliency and Sustainability as a Central Management Principle to allow  town departments to further enhance our sustainability efforts (see attached below). The Board of Selectmen voted to approve a Resolution for the Protection and Enhancement of Pollinator Habitats on August 9, 2023 (see attached below). In addition, ongoing work ranges from preserving open space to reducing solid waste to proactively addressing stormwater management.

We continue to work to advance our efforts, and are encourage residents, businesses and organizations to help us enhance our sustainability of our community.

Below are a few simple ways you get get more involved:

• All community members are invited to participate in the Pollinator Pathway Project.  

• Consider renting a plot in one of our two Community Gardens. 

• Be a Stormwater champion. Learn more about what you can do here. 

• The Town of Stonington, has partnered with PACE, to offer HeatSmart Stonington, which is designed to help residents enhance energy efficiency when it comes to heating and cooling their home.

• As this work continues, we are looking to our community for ideas on how to make Stonington more sustainable. First, read our 2020 Sustainble CT report to see where we are working, then share new ideas here.