Walden residents and visitors with electric vehicles can charge up with ease after the village installed an EV-charging station a few weeks ago in the Orchard Street parking lot. This project was courtesy of Walden’s Climate Smart Community Task Force, which is dedicated to minimizing the village’s impact on the environment through various efforts like this charging station.

Climate Smart Communities, launched in 2009, is a New York State initiative that incentivizes municipalities to make decisions and implement projects that reduce carbon emissions and promote a greener environment. Walden, one of over 270 Climate Smart Communities in the state, became certified in 2020 after the board approved the pledge and assembled a task force. Since then, the task force’s members have worked tirelessly to research and implement the best action items possible for the village.

“There are hundreds of action items, and you pick and choose what you would like to accomplish for your individual community. And then you start chipping away at them one by one,” said Lynn Thompson, the coordinator of Walden’s task force.

Some of the task force’s previous projects include incorporating hybrid vehicles into the Walden Police Department, adding pollinator pockets to the village’s parks, and creating a wildflower meadow with the Montgomery CAC. One of the force’s most important actions was completing the village’s energy audit, which gauges energy efficiency for the village’s buildings.

“We’ve done the energy audit, which is big. That has to be done in conjunction with your utility company’s usage, your municipal buildings, and billing with the treasurer,” Thompson said. “It’s a lot, John and I did the data entry for that and it took us a while.”

The EV-charging station, the task force’s latest project, took three years to complete and required the village to apply twice for a $40,000 grant after failing to secure it the first time. EV drivers must pay a fee before using the station, giving them a two-hour charging limit. Thompson speculated that the charging station will be great not only for the residents who drive EVs but also for passersby who need to stop and charge up, giving them the chance to explore Walden.

“Hopefully if people know that there is a charging station in Walden, they’ll make this a part of their travels,” she said. “They’ll stop and spend a few hours here, maybe browse through our little shops on Main Street, have a little cup of coffee, grab a snack, and walk to one of our parks.”

Village Manager John Revella noted that Walden will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the charging station at an unconfirmed, future date. Regardless, anyone with an EV can still use the station as needed.