Contact:
Jim Marren/SFTF
203-257-1701/jmarren@aol.com

Want a More Sustainable Lifestyle – and a Healthier Environment Too?

Sustainability “Roadmap” Shows How to Take Action At Home, Around Town, With Planet- and Money-Savings Tips on Getting Started

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Fairfield CT, December 1, 2020 – Are you concerned about the sustainability of your lifestyle, the environment of our Town, or even the health of the planet – but not sure what you can do on your own that really helps make a difference?  The latest edition of the Town of Fairfield’s Sustainability Plan can get you started.

The Plan – which can be viewed here at the Sustainable Fairfield site – is a newly updated version of a sustainability “roadmap” for the Town first created by the Sustainable Fairfield Task Force (SFTF) in 2018.  It lays out a sweeping array of activities, both ongoing and planned, designed to strengthen the environmental sustainability and quality of the Fairfield community, covering such important issues as air and water quality, energy efficiency, renewable energy, recycling, transportation and many others.

A Wealth of Suggestions for Sustainability

But the Plan isn’t only guidance for Town leadership.  It also serves up a wealth of suggested steps of many kinds that individuals and families can take to help make their lives, homes, neighborhoods and Fairfield generally much more environmentally friendly and healthy.  The Plan also provides extensive links to additional information and education resources, in Connecticut and elsewhere, that can help residents turn the Plan’s ideas into action.

“Our Sustainability Plan demonstrates how dedicated we are to safeguarding Fairfield’s environment – and also shows how much we want to help our residents achieve all the advantages of living more sustainably,” said Brenda Kupchick, Fairfield First Selectwoman.  “Among lots of other benefits, sustainability can be a pathway to personal health, more pleasing neighborhoods, a stronger local economy – and it can save people money too.

“We’ve built our Plan to help point residents in the right direction and we encourage everyone to see what it has to offer,” she said.

Among many other ideas, the Sustainability Plan provides tips on how to:

• Learn more about how walking and biking can reduce energy use, parking needs and traffic; improve air quality; build your personal health and fitness, and give a boost to our local businesses and tourism (see Biking and Walking)
• Learn how a “smart energy home” can help reduce harmful emissions while also reducing your energy bills both immediately and over the long-term (see Energy Efficiency and Conservation)
• Use water at home with an eye toward better protecting this precious resource – and saving money on your water bill (see Drinking Water Supply and Quality)
• “Green” your ride, by reducing your emissions if you drive a gas-powered vehicle and or going totally gas-free with the purchase or lease of an electric vehicle (see Sustainable Transportation)
• Tap the benefits of locally produced and grown food, including growing your own (see Food)
• Start drawing on the power of the sun to meet your household energy needs – and, in the process, reduce emissions and save money (see Renewable Energy)
• Take care of your yard, lawn, and gardens with less harm to the environment, including cutting down on the use of chemicals and emissions-producing lawn and yard care tools (see Sustainable Landscaping)
• Get close to nature in the many open spaces preserved by the Town; learn what you can do to help keep these spaces healthy and vibrant, and get started on making your own yard a healthier, more welcoming environment for birds and beneficial insects (see Parks and Open Spaces)
• Get better informed about the households items that you can and can’t recycle – and even see how to become a “zero waste” home (see Solid Waste and Recycling)
• Learn how your house can be renovated to maximize comfort, health and energy efficiency (see Sustainable Homes)
• Take advantage of a Town tree-planting program that can help you enhance the beauty of yourproperty and help create shaded streets that improve air quality (program temporarily on hold but due to re-start in spring 2021 -- see Air Quality)
• Explore the many ways the Town and the SFTF are communicating with residents on the many opportunities to support sustainability initiatives (see Community Outreach & Education)

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The Sustainable Fairfield Task Force provides support for Town practices and projects that can help Fairfield manage its growth to safeguard the health of its environment, ensure the reliability and economical use of its natural resources, and preserve the quality of life of its residents – today and for the future.  For more information, please visit www.fairfieldct.org/sftf