Philmont Climate Smart Community Mission Statement
The mission of the Philmont Climate Smart Task Force is to take the actions designated by New York State to help Philmont reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to reduce climate change and help New York State meet its climate goals.
Educational & Financial Resources
- 2024 Philmont Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan plus Appendix A
- 35 Easy Ways to Save Energy and Money
- Finance Your Energy Efficiency Project with a Loan from NYSERDA
- EmPower New York | EmPower New York provides no-cost energy efficiency solutions to income-eligible New Yorkers.
- Energy Audits for All New York State Homeowners
- Save Money, Save Energy with Heat Pumps
Monthly Minutes
- 2026
- Jan
Newsletters
Members of the Climate Smart Task Force:
- Tom Paino, CSC Chair *
- Debra Gitterman, Village Board Liaison
- Brian Johnson, Village Board Liaison
- Sarah Barton-King
- Arthur King
- Susan Michie
- Michael Seserman
- Sebastian Schinkel
- Erin Aliperti
- Alton Earnhart
* Tom Paino has a career background in sustainable architecture. He was sustainability director for NYC’s Department of Design and Construction, responsible for meeting the city’s goals to reduce building generated carbon emissions through policy protocols & implementation. He also attended the 2015 Paris Climate Accord participating in the eight-day symposium on reducing climate emissions in buildings and infrastructure.
Email philmontclimatesmart@gmail.com to join the Philmont Climate Smart Task Force.
Two Programs | Clean Energy Community & Climate Smart Community
As a contributor to the global effort to address greenhouse gas emissions as well as reduce municipal energy costs, since 2016 the Village of Philmont has participated in two overlapping New York State programs that mitigate climate change disruptions:
- Clean Energy Community (CEC), administered by Capitol District Regional Planning Commission and funded through New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. This program offers a framework to implement energy saving measures, funds specifically defined initiatives, and provides technical assistance.
- Climate Smart Community (CSC) administered by Capitol District Regional Planning Commission and supported through mixed funding sources. Once a municipality “pledges” to participate in the mission, the program offers guidance to develop a framework for actions and measures, provides funding through a credit and point system as well as measure-specific grants, and gives technical assistance. Philmont took the Climate Smart Communities pledge in March 2018. View the Certification Assessment | Actions to achieve Certification and Bronze Status in the Climate Smart Community Program.
Online Resources
- NYS’s Path to Net Zero
- The New York State Climate Smart Communities Program
- NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities
News & Events
The Claverack Podcast Interviews Anya Bonanno about Philmont & Claverack’s Project SCAPE
On January 27, 2026, The Claverack Podcast interviewed Funding Futures Fellow, Anya Bonanno, about the SCAPE Project, which is hosting ...
Feb. 12 | Free Brunch & Community Gathering
Gather with neighbors to share FREE food, a local trivia challenge (with prizes!), and ideas about Claverack and Philmont's natural ...
Feb. 5 | Free Chili Dinner & Community Gathering
Gather with neighbors to share FREE food, a local trivia challenge (with prizes!), and ideas about Claverack and Philmont's natural ...
Philmont Achieves Two Climate Milestones
October 19, 2024 | Climate Smart Community press release Two climate milestones achieved by Philmont The Village of Philmont announces ...
Philmont Annual Energy Benchmarking Report
Below is the Village of Philmont's Annual Energy Benchmarking Report. This annual report is used to track the energy performance ...
“Governor Hochul Announces 31 Newest Certified Climate Smart Communities” | Philmont Achieves Bronze Status!
Read the Full Press Release September 10, 2024. Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the latest round of communities to achieve ...
Village of Philmont Receives $5,000 Grant for Clean Energy Communities Project and Completes Community Campaign
Philmont, NY – July 8, 2024 The Village of Philmont is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a ...
Philmont Becomes a Green Purchasing Community
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — June 5, 2024 PHILMONT, N.Y. — Philmont’s Climate Smart Task Force Chair, Thomas Paino, announced that ...
Philmont Climate Action Plan | Public Hearing June 10 @7pm
Introduction Given the overwhelming consensus that greenhouse gas emissions are causing the climate to change from long-established and expected patterns, ...
Philmont Completes a GHG Inventory | Advances Climate Smart Actions
May 15, 2024 – The Philmont Climate Smart Task Force has completed a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory for the Village ...
FINAL REPORT | 2024 Philmont Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan
April 12, 2024 — As many of you know, over the past year Philmont has participated in the Columbia County ...
Philmont Community Solar Campaign
March 12, 2024 What is community solar? Community solar provides you with the benefits of clean energy without the hassle ...
Columbia County Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan Survey
November 30, 2023 — Philmont and all Columbia County residents, you’re invited to take a PUBLIC SURVEY! Columbia County is ...
Philmont Clean Heating & Cooling Campaign | What is a heat pump?
June 18, 2023 Did you speak to members of the Philmont Climate Smart Task Force about Heat Pumps on Community ...
Tom Paino Presents on behalf of Philmont for the Local Champions Program | April 27, 2023
Thank you, Tom Paino, for your time and dedication to this program and to Philmont! Watch all the presentations from ...
Energy Study of Philmont Village Hall & Community Center Completed
April 12, 2023 READ THE REPORTS Village Hall & Office Energy Report Community Center Report Read more about the program ...
Philmont Receives $10k to Conduct Energy Study of Municipal Buildings| Climate Smart Task Force
November 2, 2022 | Climate Smart Task Force $10,000 grant application has been awarded. In response to the Philmont Climate ...
Philmont is a Regional Leader in NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Community Program
July 14, 2022 — Having received credit for our LED streetlight conversion and EV charging station, Philmont recently surpassed 3000 ...
Tom Paino Wins 2022 Local Champions Grant
July 7, 2022 — CONGRATULATIONS to Philmont's Climate Smart Task Force Coordinator, Tom Paino, and to Philmont for Tom's acceptance ...
Save 10% on Your Electric Bill
April 25, 2022 — You can save up to 10% on your electric bill and receive a signup bonus by enrolling ...
EARTH DAY: Philmont Climate Smart Light Bulb Exchange Program
April 22, 2022 — FREE LED LIGHT BULB EXCHANGE FOR PHILMONT RESIDENTS. EARTH DAY—FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 1-4:00 PM OUTSIDE THE PHILMONT ...
Future Climate Smart Actions
December 3, 2021 electric vehicle demonstration events, energy efficient building construction training, solar installation for both individuals and community, agricultural ...
History of the Philmont Climate Smart Community Program—Updated Dec 2021
December 3, 2021 — Following is a chronology of Philmont’s participation in both programs (dates are approximate): March 2019 – Designated ...
Philmont Switches to LED Streetlights!
SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 To save the village money and reduce our carbon footprint, on September 15, 2021, Philmont's streetlights were ...
Philmont Adopts the New York State Stretch Energy Code
AUGUST 9, 2021 Learn about the NYS StretchEnergy Code here ...
Philmont Installs an Electric Car Charging Station at the Philmont Library
JULY 29, 2021 Did you know that we have an electric car charging station in the Village of Philmont? Our ...
Philmont Forms a Climate Smart Task Force and Appoints Tom Paino Chair | March 8, 2021
At the March 8, 2021 board meeting, the Village of Philmont passed a resolution to form the Philmont Climate Smart ...
Philmont Completes 4 High-Impact Actions to Become a Clean Energy Community | June 26, 2018
On June 26, 2018, the Village of Philmont became an officially a designated Clean Energy Community. Learn more about the ...
Philmont Takes the Climate Smart Community Pledge | February 12, 2018
On February 12, 2018, the Village of Philmont passed Resolution #1 of the year to become a Climate Smart Community ...