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Providing a Great Example

Three cheers for the East Shore District Health Department (ESDHD) and Director of Health Michael Pascucilla on the recent launch of the district’s new solar-powered pump out boat! Now boaters visiting Branford waters can have their holding tanks pumped out, keeping Long Island Sound clean, while lowering their carbon footprint and reducing their impact on climate change and sea level rise. Seventy five percent of the $200,000 cost was provided by funds from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; ESDHD has raised more than 80 percent of the remaining $50,000. People who want to support this great project can contribute to ESDHD’s GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com/solar-power-pump-out-boat).

The solar-powered pump out boat is not ESDHD’s only action to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. One of the department’s vehicles is a fully electric Ford Focus and the rest are hybrids. It also has one of the few free electric vehicle charging stations (six L2 chargers) within the health district, supporting people who have moved up to an emission-free electric car. Connecticut has set a target of reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 45 [ercent below 2001 levels by 2030 and 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050. The health district is providing a great example of acting quickly to meet these targets that we should all follow.

Bill Horne

Branford