Yorktown100 joins CURE100!
By: Mary Ann Kelly
Yorktown100 is excited to announce that we have become one of four charter chapters of CURE100. What does that mean for Yorktown100? We are now part of an impressive team of environmental leaders in Westchester.
CURE100 (Communities United to Reduce Emissions 100%) has a carbon reduction mission to educate and advocate for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reductions through a collective community. CURE100 believes in individual responsibility and community action to make progress- thinking globally and acting locally. As a carbon-reduction organization, CURE100 is seeking a world for ourselves and future generations that is cleaner, healthier, safer and economically more vibrant.
By joining forces with Croton100 (the founding chapter), Ossining100, and even an international chapter, Bengaluru/Bangalore, India, Yorktown100 is part of the plan to work at the community level to meet global goals of reducing GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2040.
In support of our mission, we have a license to use Croton100’s Carbon Tracker application. This advanced tool, developed by Croton100, allows individual households to evaluate their own carbon emissions and track their reductions over time. An easy step-down method can be used to reduce emissions by 5% per year, each year, over the next 20 years to reach net zero by 2040. The Carbon Tracker app can be found on Yorktown100’s website, Yorktown100.org.
At the virtual launch event in November 2020, CURE100 received support from leaders on the state, county, and local levels. CURE100 President Leo Wiegman observed that the creation of this organization has been a true team effort. He explained that now there is an opportunity for all kinds of groups (municipalities, Sustainable Committees, Conservation Advisory Councils and not-for-profits) to be part of the overall mission. There is a path for licensing the Carbon Tracker and getting it into an organization’s web portal for free.
Yorktown100 Chair Bob DeAngelis commented that Yorktown100 is interested in working with Yorktown schools to educate young people about carbon emissions in their households and sustainability. DeAngelis noted that Yorktown100 joined CURE100 because the “methodology makes sense… people should be responsible for their carbon footprint and understand it and having a team to help them is a wonderful way to do this.”
Yorktown’s Town Supervisor, Matt Slater, has commented that Yorktown100 is a
”great organization here in Yorktown” and Yorktown is excited to be an active participant combating climate change.
Yorktown100 recognizes the importance of collaboration among cities, towns, and villages in Westchester County to accomplish our goals. We have adopted the CURE100 pledge (CURE100.org) to educate and advocate for GHG reductions, and to recruit other chapters to do the same. We have a lot to accomplish but we now have resources from a collective community of CURE100!
Yorktown100 is a 100% volunteer group of neighbors working to reduce our carbon footprint by 5% a year through various programs. Contact us if you would like to learn more or would like to join. We welcome new members! Visit us at https://yorktown100.org/ and help make a difference.
Our next Community Meeting is Monday, Feb. 8th at 7 PM. Our topic is Home Heating choices. Learn how to save money and make sustainable choices for home heating, air conditioning, and hot water systems.
Check our website for Zoom information, yorktown100.org/events
Mary Ann Kelly is a retired Science teacher with a background in Environmental Science.