Clearwater’s Green Cities Initiative assists Hudson River cities in incorporating principles of sustainability into all phases of municipal and community planning. The results create a healthier, greener, and more supportable and equitable Hudson Valley — one that does not simply consider environmental stewardship, but makes it a priority.
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Clearwater continues the legacy of its founder, Pete Seeger, by bringing environmental education, watershed awareness, and stewardship training to under-resourced communities, thereby using community power to create green power.
Clearwater has forged relationships with many partners including Hudson Valley environmental organizations, such as the Hudson River Watershed Alliance, the Hudson Valley Regional Council, the Hudson River Estuary Program, as well as municipalities, school districts, and community stakeholders with the goal of facilitating change by promoting community organization at the grassroots.
Aspects of Clearwater’s Green Cities Initiative:
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Mid-Hudson Sustainability Planning Consortium developed the Mid-Hudson Regional Sustainability Plan as part of the Cleaner, Greener Communities Program that was announced in Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s 2011 State of the State address. Clearwater, in its leadership role, helped to create a plan to guide the development of integrated, sustainable solutions from statewide investments to regional decision-making on land use, housing, transportation, infrastructure, energy, and environmental practices—to improve our quality of life.
- Watershed Protection: Clearwater works closely with civic leaders, citizenry, and state and federal regulatory agencies to help protect and manage the Hudson River Watershed by addressing both the point and nonpoint sources of pollution. Healthy streams and rivers require a healthy landscape, and a watershed encompasses the area that drains to a common outlet, such as a stream, wetland, lake, or estuary.
Read more about Clearwater’s Watershed Protection programs:
The Fall Kill Creek Planning Project
Rondout Creek Watershed Council
- Sustainable Development
Clearwater calls upon civic and political leaders to consider long-term policy decisions and infrastructure that might impact the health of Hudson River and as a consequence the long-term economic vitality of the region. For development to be truly sustainable, it must allow humans to live in harmony with wildlife, maintain intact ecosystems, and respect the development constraints imposed by existing conditions. Clearwater works with other organizations to promote green jobs and green cities as a founding member of the Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance.
Reading Room
“Recommendations for Incorporating High Performance Building Criteria Into Project Development” Public Comment on AVR Proposal, The Landing at Kingston and Ulster, January 2006
“Clearwater’s Green Cities Initiative”
Clearwater Navigator, Spring 2010, page 13
“Promoting Green Infrastructure in the Hudson River Watershed”
Clearwater Navigator, Spring 2009, page 19
“Environmental Justice in the Hudson Valley”
Clearwater Navigator, Winter 2008, page 16, 17
“Annual Gathering Focuses on Green Cities Green Jobs”
Clearwater Navigator, Winter 2008, page 5