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© 2024 Sustainable CT
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A Sustainable CT podcast. The Impact shares workshops, conversations and interviews covering a wide range of topics that are central to Connecticut communities, including civic engagement, climate resilience, affordable housing, transportation, equity and social justice.
26 Episodes
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Weston High School teacher Michael Aitkenhead and a few of his industrious students joined us to discuss their pollinator garden project - an interactive ecosystem where students can get hands-on experience with wildlife and problem-solving. Good things happen in the spring at Weston HS, so join us to hear the buzz. A Community Match Fund project!
Nicole Chevalier - philanthropist, activist, writer, member of the Sustainable CT Board of Directors, and chair of our search committee for a brand new Executive Director - talks about the ED's role, how finding the right person is so important, and what the future holds for Sustainable CT.
A recent addition to the Sustainable CT Board of Directors, Mike Purcaro has been working with the Town of Vernon in one capacity or another for almost 20 years and as town administrator for the last seven years. Vernon is truly a Sustainable CT "success story" - over-achieving in nearly every action area since their registration in 2018. Join us to discover how they did it and what lies ahead for the Silver certified Town of Vernon.
We had the good-good fortune to be joined by Ted Shafer, currently serving as the director of economic development for the towns of Winchester (a recently Bronze certified town) and Barkhamsted. Ted served for 10 years as first selectman of Burlington, from 2011 until 2021, overseeing much of Burlington’s evolution into a climate and sustainability-conscious municipality and guiding the town to Bronze certification in 2019. In addition, Ted has been involved with Sustainable CT from the very beginning – helping us to organize and to launch back in the dear dark days of our founding in 2017. He’s been a member of the Sustainable CT Board of Directors and has served as treasurer of that august body as well. But more than that, Ted shows up – we can always count on his good counsel, his positive energy, his willingness to attend, to participate, to support. And that is a rare and wonderful thing.
We gain some important insight about the value of the Sustainable CT Fellowship Program from the people who know it best and have seen it in action. We're joined by Adrian Huq, a 2023 Fellow with the Capitol Region Council of Governments; Dylan Steer, a 2023 Fellow with the Metropolitan Council of Governments; Michael Towle, deputy director of the Western Connecticut Council of Governments; and Ben Lovejoy, director of regional planning and municipal services at the South Central Regional Council of Governments.
We catch up with Steve Winter, New Haven's Executive Director of Climate & Sustainability, along with his compatriots, climate activist Amelia Fortgang, and Giovanni Zinn, New Haven’s City Engineer, to talk about all that glitters in the Elm City... well, all things sustainable anyway. New Haven is the first municipality in Connecticut to achieve Sustainable CT's Gold level certification. We talk about how they did it, what it means, and how the City's efforts can help the whole state shine.
It was my great pleasure to have a conversation with Joshua Steele Kelly, Town Manager and CEO of the beautiful Town of Winchester, Connecticut. He’s held that post since April of 2021, and, prior to that, Josh served as the Town Administrator of Bolton, Connecticut and as Conservation Commissioner in Waterford. And Sustainable CT will be having its 2023 Awards Celebration in Winchester – in October – at the site of the American Mural Project, so it was timely and appropriate to talk about all things Winchester with their dynamic and engaging Town Manager.
We had an opportunity to sit down with Fionnuala Darby-Hudgens, director of data strategic planning with CT Data Collaborative. "Finn," as we affectionately know her, was joined by our own Lynn Stoddard to discuss some of the greatest challenges facing the non-profit community when it comes to data management.
It's Old Home Week at the IMPACT, as we've invited three - yes, three! - alumni of the Sustainable CT fellowship program to join us to ask the "Where are they now?" question and find out how their participation in our fellowship program may - or may not - have impacted their career paths. But we also wanted to get their perspectives on some major issues of the day because they've all done very well since their respective fellowships with Sustainable CT, and their opinions are definitely worth hearing and sharing.
We have two – yes, two! – delightful guests – Inez Ortiz and Dorothy Piszczek. They’ve both just recently joined Sustainable CT as program assistants, and this was a great opportunity to get to know them a little better, and to discover what their aspirations are at Sustainable CT and in the wider world. We discussed carbon pricing, campus sustainability efforts, the generational differences of perspective when it comes to climate change, and a good deal more.
This month's show is a little late, but for good reason: we're bringing you a special crossover episode in conjunction with the Sustainable CT Coffee Hour, Earth Day Edition, featuring Eric Fine of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Eric joined us to discuss the YPCCC’s research on climate change public opinion and messaging. Our special Earth Day Coffee Hour covered how you can most effectively communicate with your community members, local elected officials, and municipal staff about sustainability. Happy Earth Day, everyone!
I was joined by John Elsesser, Town Manager of Coventry since 1988. Now, 1988 was a long time ago... that's 1988 BC (Before Cellphones)... but John is nothing if not up-to-date and innovative in his approach to municipal governance. In energy, waste management, housing, farm and open space preservation - he's by no means stuck in the past. John has guided Coventry through Bronze certification in 2018, and Silver in 2019 and 2022. He's left the town well-positioned to go for Gold, too, which is a very good thing, because he'll be retiring this summer. We didn't want to miss the opportunity to benefit from both his experience and unique perspective.
Sam Gold, Executive Director of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments, was kind enough to put up with my Covid voice (and brain) for a wide-ranging discussion about Connecticut's demographic challenges, housing, regional planning, energy and some trash talk, too. Sam's been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planning since 2006; he served as chair of the Connecticut Association of Councils of Governments for four years; he’s a member of the state Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations; and he’s a member of the Sustainable CT Board of Directors. We recorded our conversation via Zoom on February 8.
We begin our second season of The IMPACT with three fabulous guests. Monet Paredes and Lilly Adamo are both attending the University of Connecticut and they, along with a cohort of UConn students, attended the 27th United Nations Conference of Parties (or COP27) that took place in November of last year in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. We were joined as well by Dr. Anji Seth, a professor of Climate, Weather, and Physical Geography at the University of Connecticut, who was one of the lead faculty directors on the trip. We recorded our conversation on January 10.
I had the opportunity to chat with Emily Basham, Senior Manager of Partnership Development at the Connecticut Green Bank. Emily manages the community campaigns for the Solar for All and the Solar Municipal Assistance programs supporting Connecticut’s towns and cities. She’s led the Green Bank’s participation in the SolSmart program, offering technical assistance to streamline local solar permitting processes in the state. Prior to joining the Green Bank, Emily’s work focused on member and voter engagement through non-profits such as the League of Conservation Voters and various political campaigns. We recorded this conversation, via Zoom, on November 29, 2022.
We recorded live at the 2022 Connecticut Power & Energy Society's Fall Conference for a panel discussion entitled “Read All About It: A Journalist’s View of Effective Energy Reporting.” Joining was a group of some of the most distinguished energy reporters in our region: Sam Mintz with RTO Insider, Jan Ellen Spiegel with the Connecticut Mirror, Ethan Howland of Utility Dive, and Sabrina Shankman of the Boston Globe. We discussed not only what it takes to report on some very complex topics, but also some of the major issues facing the Connecticut and New England energy scene.
Today we have the good fortune to chat with Catherine Diviney, Energy Specialist with the Town of West Hartford and doyen of all things sustainable in municipal government. Catherine was present at the creation of Sustainable CT – lending her guidance at the inception of our mission – and she’s been a steadfast supporter ever since. She’s someone to whom we often turn for comment, critique and an important hands-on perspective when it comes to affecting sustainability at the local level. The Town of West Hartford was Bronze certified in 2018 and gained Silver certification in 2021 with flying colors. This year, they’re in the running to be one of only a handful for Connecticut towns to receive our first-ever Climate Leader designation – that’s a pretty big deal. And it’s all due in large part to the tireless and committed work of Catherine Diviney.
I had the good fortune to have TWO of Connecticut’s best natural resources on the same Zoom call: our executive director, Lynn Stoddard AND Senator Christine Cohen, representing the 12th state senate district and chair of the Environment Committee.Lynn is the founder of Sustainable CT. She has over 25 years of experience in developing public policy and managing a broad range of environmental programs. She is a person of boundless energy and infinite wisdom when it comes to supporting our mission.Christine Cohen is currently serving her first term in the Connecticut State Senate. A resident of Guildford (a recently Bronze-certified town), Senator Cohen chairs the important Environment Committee, and was a driving force behind the Connecticut Clean Air Act.
I had the chance to chat with our very own Mary Dickerson, certification program manager extraordinaire AND the manager of the Sustainable CT Fellowship Program. Mary's a veritable font of practical knowledge and experience, unmatched administrative prowess and truly a delight to work with. We covered a lot of ground in our conversation - certification, of course, but we also took a deep dive into the topic of affordable housing and all the work Sustainable CT Fellows have been doing to help Connecticut cities and towns grapple with the issue. And "What's an insult you've taken as a compliment?" - we went there, too. Enjoy.
We were grateful to be joined by Dr. Jonathan Foley, director of Project Drawdown, for Earth Day in April. Jonathan is a world-renowned environmental scientist, sustainability expert, author, and public speaker. His work is focused on understanding our changing planet, and finding new solutions to sustain the climate, ecosystems, and natural resources on which we all depend. Dr. Foley provided an in-depth appraisal of where we stand with respect to climate change and global warming. And he made the point that there is yet room – indeed, a necessity – for optimism.
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