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Orange and Rockland Utilities Awards Largest Grant in Company History to Support Climate Justice and Resiliency in Local Communities

  • Orange & Rockland Media Relations

  • Pearl River – December 11, 2024 -- 11:00 AM

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) has announced that Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County (CCE) is the recipient of O&R’s 2024 Climate Justice for Resilient Communities grant.

The grant will provide CCE $360,000 over the next three years to support their Master Community Builder and Climate Steward programs, which empower community members in Middletown and Port Jervis with the tools and educational skills needed to tackle climate-related challenges and build community resilience. The grant is the largest ever provided by O&R.

Over the next three years, the grant will allow CCE to partner with Middletown and Port Jervis school districts and local organizations in both cities to recruit families for leadership development opportunities through both available programs.

Upon completing each program, community leaders will become advocates and provide vital resources to address and mitigate climate injustice, particularly towards members in the community who are vulnerable to the impact of climate events. The Master Community Builder program is nine months long and participants can earn a certificate from Cornell University that grants five continuing education credits. The Climate Steward program is a 12-week training course.

“The most exciting part about this climate justice grant award is the enthusiasm from community partners to empower marginalized voices by investing in skill building for climate leaders, particularly those in Potential Environmental Justice Area (PEJA) communities,” said Michele O’Connell, O&R president and CEO. “We commend CCE for their remarkable grassroots efforts to ensure that residents in their communities are educated about the impacts of climate change. Their success is our success, and this historic grant ensures they will have the resources to expand upon their already extraordinary environmental sustainability efforts in Orange County.”

“The communities we serve have experienced more severe weather events, such as increases in rainfall, extreme temperatures and wind events. This has impacted our local infrastructure, as well the health of many individuals due to heat-related illnesses,” said Julika von Stackelberg, CCE community resilience educator. “For years, O&R has been an incredible partner for our community. This generous grant will now allow us to provide stipends to vulnerable populations in our communities to attend these programs and learn about the frameworks that build climate resilience, and help our community adapt to climate-related weather events.”

CCE is one of seven organizations awarded a total of more than $4 million in grants by Con Edison and O&R as part of the company’s Climate Justice for Resilient Communities program. The program was designed to help local organizations combat the effects of extreme heat and other climate-related extreme weather events on disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities across the Con Edison and O&R service territories.

O&R’s Climate Change Resiliency Plan details the kinds of weather events that disproportionately impact disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities.

In April, O&R issued a request for proposals (RFP) for nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and community partners throughout the O&R service territory to apply for funding under this grant. The RFP reflected O&R’s community giving strategy to invest in nonprofits that share the company’s vision to combat the effects of climate change, advance social justice, environmental stewardship, and create green jobs in the communities it serves throughout Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties in New York, and Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex counties in New Jersey.

About O&R

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies. O&R is a regulated utility that provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State (where its franchise name is Orange and Rockland Utilities) and northern New Jersey (where it’s Rockland Electric Company), and natural gas service to approximately 140,000 customers in New York.

About Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and its partnerships provide programs for Orange County residents on youth and family development; nutrition, health, and food safety; community and economic vitality; and agricultural sustainability through Cornell based research. Committed to Orange County, we design programs to meet local needs to enable people to improve their lives and communities. For more information, call Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County at 845-344-1234, or visit our website at www.cceorangecounty.org. Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

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