[ballcorn]

Just out of curiosity what do you guys think are arguably the most environmentally conscious towns in Conn?

(by environmentally conscious I mean recycling, solar energy, hybrid cars, ect.)

[whome224]

Westport recently placed a ban on plastic bags. Don't know how else to identify environmentally conscious towns easily???

[MikefromCT]

I was actually going to mention Westport and their recent decision to ban the plastic bag. They're definitely on the list. Banning plastic bags isn't going to solve all the environmental ills, but it's a start.

Other towns that come to mind would be New Haven, which is extremely walkable and well-known for being so. It's also a very left-wing city, no surprise considering the presence of Yale. And Stamford also comes to mind, reason being is they're also a fairly liberal town that's proposing a light-rail system. They already have a huge Metro North station (like NH), and since it's only 45 minutes from New York City, alot of people commute into the city and use this train line all the time.

As for towns, Simsbury comes to mind. Any town with as much of an anti-sprawl mentality as theirs deserves to be mentioned. Every year, one item on the budget agenda is whether the town should acquire available swaths of land that's available - and they always buy it up before developers turn it into lawns. Thousands of acres have been bought up by the town. Most of the other towns in Farmington Valley (Canton, Avon, Farmington) take recycling seriously, even though they've been more lenient in terms of give approvals to contractors for new subdivisions. These towns have also acquired some open space, but Simsbury still leads the pack.

In West Hartford (where I live), the Hartford Courant ran a story a few months ago saying how this town had the highest % of people who signed up for energy saving measures through CL&P in exchange for a small additional cost. There's also tons of houses with solar panels on the roof. And it's very walkable and bicycle friendly. I also came across this website: Sustainable West Hartford

I haven't seen a whole lot of hybrid cars out there yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if that changes in the next few years - especially with gas pushing $4 a gallon and climbing. For me, the only place I really drive to is work. If I can get a job with my company in downtown Hartford, I'll be taking the bus to work. I'm sick of always having to rely on my car.

[ctcoldplay11]

Colchester has the only "Green Subdivision" in New England, which is to say that all 100 planned homes at White Oak Farm are sustainably green (solar, wind, geothermal power, etc.) All in all, Connecticut is a pretty green state!

[ballcorn]

Thanks all, very helpful. I will do my research and see what else I can come up with!

[kidyankee764]

Kent, hands down. I was thinking Westport, but then two words came to mind: conspicuous consumption.

[seymourct]

Just wondering, what is the Wesport Stop & shop doing now? Are they back to using brown paper bags?

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by seymourct

Just wondering, what is the Wesport Stop & shop doing now? Are they back to using brown paper bags?

Yes they use brown paper bags. I don't think they even use the S&S reusable plastic bags.

[Silli]

Bridgeport is working on a comprehensive sustainability plan similar to New York's PlaNYC that will seek to improve transit, recycling, open space, etc, and reduce the city's already low (per capita) carbon footprint. It should be interesting and replicable in other CT towns. Stamford also has a sustainability initiative, but is working at a much smaller scale, only focusing on a few items rather than getting every department involved.
I wouldn't call Bport the "most environmentally conscious" now but hopefully that will be true in a few years once some of the BGreen 2020 programs are up and running.

[ryeguy1979]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Kent, hands down. I was thinking Westport, but then two words came to mind: conspicuous consumption.

Yeah, I know what you're saying. Especially Fairfield County and Hartford. Though I think CT is understated in wealth, and a place like CA and WPB overstated. Those with money here (and there are a lot of them) are not as showy as other wealthy areas, but that's not saying you won't see that Masarati or Lambo zip by on the highway.