Certification Overview
2023 Bronze Certification Requirements
Complete 1 Equity Toolkit in Action 1.1, Optimize for Equity.
Complete at least 1 action in each of the Categories 1-12.
Successfully complete actions totaling 200 or more points.
2023 Silver Certification Requirements
Complete 3 Equity Toolkits in Action 1.1, Optimize for Equity.
Complete at least 1 action in each of the Categories 1-12.
Successfully complete actions totaling 500 or more points.
2023 Gold Certification Requirements
Complete all actions in Category 1, Inclusive and Equitable Communities, including 4 Equity Toolkits in Action 1.1, Optimize for Equity.
Complete at least 1 action in each of the Categories 2-12.
Achieve the Climate Leader Designation.
Complete Action 8.6, Collaborate with Other Municipalities on Sustainability Actions.
Successfully complete actions totaling 750 or more points.
Note: Actions, points, and certification point thresholds are for 2023 and may change for future certification cycles.
Certifying Your Municipality
- Register your community for Sustainable CT and work at your own pace toward certification.
- Opportunities to apply for certification are offered twice annually (spring and fall). If certification is not achieved, feedback on actions completed can be used to make revisions for submission for a future certification cycle.
- Certification lasts for 3 years. For example, for communities certified in spring or fall 2022, certification lasts until December 31, 2025.
- Already certified? To recertify, give your whole a application a refresh. Actions approved in previous years must be revised every year to align with current certification requirements, including completing new worksheets, meeting new action requirements, and falling within the timeframe for credit. To see which actions have changed, click here.
- Many Sustainable CT actions have variable points, which means there are several ways to complete the action. All you need to do is achieve one of the designated point levels listed for that action to consider it complete. Of course, the more you do, the more points you earn.
- Municipalities whose application is not yet complete may still submit partially completed materials to receive feedback.
Climate Leader Designation
Any town certified, or that successfully applies for (re)certification in 2023, is eligible to apply for the Climate Leader Designation. To become a Climate Leader a municipality must achieve at least 150 points from a list of high-impact actions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help prepare for climate change. If your community is interested in applying for the Climate Leader Designation you can apply through your municipal dashboard. The deadline to apply is the same as the 2023 certification deadlines, and you can apply in the Spring or Fall. Earning the Climate Leader Designation is optional for Bronze and Silver certified communities, and required for Gold certification. Have feedback and/or questions? Let us know at [email protected].
Key Dates
April 4, 2023 (by noon): Spring certification deadline (including the Climate Leader Designation)
August 15, 2023 (by noon): Fall certification deadline (including the Climate Leader Designation)
Submitting Your Application
- Set any action you want reviewed to “completed.” For these actions, please put text in every required field, even if it’s “none” or “not applicable.” Then, click the blue “submit” button.
- If your application is partially complete or you get an error message when trying to submit, then e-mail [email protected]. That e-mail will serve as documentation of your intent to submit, and we will then manually submit your application.
- If ready, we encourage you to submit your application before the deadline.