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Town of Oyster Bay first to Go Green in Nassau In a message to the world posted on the Town of Oyster Bay's website, Supervisor John Venditto calls the town "one of the finest communities in the nation, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean on the south to the Long Island Sound on the north. Now, the Supervisor is trying to make Oyster Bay even better. In June, the Town became the first Town in Nassau County to sign on to the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement, in which Venditto promises will help paint the town green, in part, by cutting down on fuel consumption, adding new building codes and planting more trees. "By signing this, we are making a commitment to reduce greenhouse emissions in the Town to seven percent below 1990 levels by 2012," said Venditto. The U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement began in June 2005 when several mayors joined other cities across the country to take proactive steps towards reducing global warming pollution. As of July 19, 620 municipalities have signed on, including Oyster Bay and the Town of Babylon which has one of the most comprehensive green building codes in the country. "The Town of Oyster Bay has already made strides in reducing greenhouse emissions through a host of programs such as open space preservation, clean alternative energy technologies, antiidling rules for Town vehicles, Energy Star requirements in the Town's Building Code, biodiesel fuel in Town cars and a comprehensive tree planting program," added the Supervisor. Other ways that the Town is practicing its new found greenness is in its ride-share initiative, offering free public parking and beach passes to those who drive a hybrid vehicle. In 2004, Venditto formed a Green Energy Task Force to assess their use of green energy sources and how they could incorporate additional energy into the Town's daily operations, such as more efficient street lighting and using green energy to partially power a community center. All these small steps are expected to lead to a big, positive change according to the Neighborhood Network, an environmental watchdog group based in East Farmingdale. "The Town of Oyster Bay is on the right track. There's no one thing that can be done to combat global warming, however, all of these steps will add to real changes," said Neal Lewis, Executive Director of Neighborhood Network, who was on hand when the Climate Protection Agreement was signed. "By signing the agreement, the Town is providing leadership on a community level that will hopefully lead to a national level." "Most scientists now agree that global warming, or climate disruption, is a reality and that human activities are the primary cause. Given what we know about the accelerating pace of global warming, I can think of no better place to start than on a local level," said Venditto. "By signing the Agreement, my fellow Town Board members and I are simply reinforcing our commitment to continue to meet the challenge of reducing global warming head-on."
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