The Impact

This summer's cohort of Sustainable CT Fellows analyzed data from all 169 Connecticut municipalities to build the first of its kind database of tree ordinances and zoning laws. Guiding them through the process was Dr. Danica Doroski, urban forestry coordinator with the CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection and Drew Goldsman, urban conservation director with The Nature Conservancy. Doroski and Goldsman join guest ho...

This fun and interesting show features two of our fabulous 2026 Fellows - Grace DiTunno and Natalie Crowley. We learn how they came to the program, what they hope to accomplish, what they think - about sustainability, about politics, about life - and how they see the future. They'll be joined by our equally fabulous Fellows Program Coordinator, and guest producer of this episode, Lilly Adamo. And, just to make things really excitin...

Since its creation in 2019, the Sustainable CT Community Match Fund has invested in over $5 million in more than 400 community-led projects in 88 Connecticut municipalities. We hear from our founder, Lynn Stoddard, about the origins of the CMF, and from project leaders Annie Geitner and Tom Martin who have done remarkable things with the support of this program. Listen, learn, get inspired, and start a Community Match Fund project ...

We catch up with Jayson Velazquez at 'the nation's first green bank' to hear how they're supporting Connecticut towns and cities. A green bank accelerates the green economy using limited public dollars to attract multiples of private capital investment, making clean energy more affordable and accessible to consumers. Established by the Connecticut General Assembly in July 2011, the Connecticut Green Bank supports the Governor&rsquo...

Lori Brown and the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters work to protect our state’s environment by making environmental issues a priority for our elected leaders and holding lawmakers accountable with an “Environmental Scorecard” that they publish each year. Lori is a registered lobbyist at the Connecticut General Assembly, working with all of Connecticut’s statewide environmental advocacy groups to pus...

Dr. Adam Whelchel has spent the better part of two decades at The Nature Conservancy, currently serving as TNC's Director of Science. His forte is Community Resilience Building - "a unique, 'anywhere at any scale', community-driven process to improve community resilience for all hazards today, and in the future." Adam has been a faithful partner of Sustainable CT since we administered our very first certification process in 2018, p...

We catch up with Adrian Huq – a new, and decidedly accomplished, member of our Board of Directors. Adrian has done – is doing – so many wonderful things that it’s hard to keep track: they are currently a grad student at the Yale School of the Environment; they are a cohort member of the Nonprofit Management Program for Emerging Leaders of Color under the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven; they serve...

Brian Hess is a Wildlife Biologist with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), where he specializes in non-game wildlife, particularly large raptors, reptiles, amphibians, and various other herpetofauna (and, yes, we had to look that word up). He is a leading authority on Connecticut's growing bald eagle population and the public face for many related outreach efforts. He shares his public face - ...

Joanna Wozniak-Brown joins us to discuss Sustainability and Resiliency Week - the second annual week of events that celebrate work across Connecticut that protects our economy, natural resources, and our communities taking place from September 28 through October 4. Joanna serves as the Climate & Infrastructure Policy Development Coordinator at the Connecticut Office of Policy & Management, a role in which she leads the deve...

John-Henry Burke, Sustainable CT Fellow Extraordinaire, takes over the Big Microphone this month to make some noise about noise pollution in Connecticut. His guests include acoustician Amy Ziffer, along with our WestCOG friend Mike Towle. Our Fellows have been working hard this summer on, among many other things, assessing which communities have noise ordinances on the books, and developing a database of their respective details. T...

Bill McKibben, author, educator, and tireless advocate for the earth and our environment joins us to discuss his latest initiative: Sun Day - a nationwide tribute to the sun, solar energy, and other renewable energy to take place on the autumnal equinox, September 21. Also joining us for this episode are Third Act Connecticut organizers Davida Foy Crabtree and Lynn Stoddard, Sustainable CT's founder and former executive director. T...

The June episode of our podcast will introduce some of our newest Sustainable CT Fellows: Maya Aviles, Thomas Busemeyer and Anna Hilary. We place highly qualified college students across the state’s Councils of Governments (COGs) to help cities and towns become registered, certified, or recertified with Sustainable CT during the summer. Fellows are directly engaged in supporting cutting-edge sustainability initiatives, local ...

Mallory Howard is the Assistant Curator at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford - which just so happens to be where we'll be having our 2025 Spring into Summer Celebration on June 4. Mallory knows more about the Twain House and Sam Clemens' time in Hartford than any one human should legally be allowed to know. Please join our May podcast for a delightful conversation about historical preservation, the Gilded Age, and all t...

We catch up with David Dickson, Director of the University of Connecticut Center for Land Use Education and Research - a/k/a UConn CLEAR. UConn CLEAR provides indispensable resources to land use decision makers in support of better land use decisions, healthier natural resources, and more resilient communities. Dave also happens to be a member of the Sustainable CT Board of Directors. It's a fun and informative conversation about s...

Danielle Chesebrough knows a thing or two about responsible investments. She's the First Selectman of Stonington and a member of Sustainable CT's Board of Directors. And before holding these notable positions, Danielle spent eight years as a Senior Analyst of Investor Relations with the United Nations Global Compact. We ask her (among many other interesting and important questions) why she thinks a state investment in Sustainable C...