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DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. Commonly referred to as going green, the effort to make homes and the town overall a more energy efficient place is something that drives Nina Orville, the chair of the energy task force in Dobbs Ferry.
There was clearly interest on the part of the community in seeing these issues addressed, Orville said.
The task force was created in May 2008 and it has several goals set including improving energy efficiency, increasing recycling, creating renewable energy sources and also reducing greenhouse gases in the area.
That target is reducing municipal greenhouse gas emission 20 percent by 2015, Orville said.
Initiatives such as the installation of solar panels on the library or LED lights around the village have oftentimes been led by the energy task force. Having done studies that convinced the village to purchase and install LED streetlights benefits more than just Dobbs Ferry, he said.
One of the things thats most exciting about this project is Dobbs Ferry is purchasing 300 LED lights units, but wrote the contract for up to 1000 units to enable neighboring municipalities to benefit from that same contract, Orville said.
Task force member Rob Baron said battling energy consumption can benefit the village in more ways than people realize.
One of the things weve focused on is the idea of making sure that our streets are safer so people can walk instead of driving, he said.
Energy workshops around town and in the schools have been huge in getting people more involved, according to Baron.
When your kids are saying, Maybe we should be walking to school instead of driving to school, it really hits home, he said.
While the task force is continually looking for ways to become more energy efficient, it doesnt plan to do so at the expense of the village.
Weve tried to keep our focus pretty tightly on opportunities where there both are environmental benefits and financial benefits, Orville said.
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