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The Mark Twain House & Museum
Join us on Wednesday, June 4, 4-7 p.m.
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Our 2025 Spring into Summer Celebration will be held at the Mark Twain House & Museum, on Wednesday, June 4, from 4 to 7 p.m.
The Twain House measures 11‚500 square feet‚ and has 25 rooms distributed through three floors. It included the latest in modern innovations when it was built in 1874. Sam and Livy Clemens spent $40‚000 to $45‚000 building the home‚ or the equivalent of $1.1 to $1.3 million in today’s dollars. Twain was reportedly quite unhappy with construction delays and the ever-increasing costs of building, but he and his family enjoyed what the author would later describe as the happiest and most productive years of his life in their Hartford home.
As the Mark Twain House & Museum puts it, “From this house, Mark Twain changed the way the world sees America and the way Americans see themselves.”
Into this atmosphere of cultural and historical significance we bring our 2025 Spring into Summer Celebration. We aspire to closely identify with Twain’s persona and legacy – his humor, his wry wit, his love of nature, and his enlightened regard for the environment, too (“It is your human environment that makes climate” – Pudd’nhead Wilson and Following the Equator).
Some of our favorite partners will be tabling (a complete list is here), we'll honor our spring certified communities, we'll introduce our newest cohort of Sustainable CT Fellows, and tours of the Twain House will be available, too. We'll have music and light fare, of course, and all of your Sustainable CT friends will be there. "To get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with," Twain said. We hope you will come divide it with us.
Space is limited for this event, so please register today!
| | Our 2025 Spring into Summer Celebration is generously sponsored by: | | Sponsorship opportunities are available! Join us in working for a better Connecticut. Don't wait: contact Jessica LeClair, 860-259-4767, to discuss options and details. | | | | |
The Next Sustainable CT Coffee Hour:
Thursday, May 15 at 10 a.m.
Historic Preservation and Sustainability
Speakers from Preservation Connecticut will be joining our May Coffee Hour to discuss the intersection of sustainability and preservation, how to pursue historic preservation initiatives in your community, and resources to support completion of Action 5.5 Inventory and Assess Historic Resources.
REGISTER for MAY 15>
Join Sustainable CT for virtual, informal discussions most third THURSDAYS of each month. We share program updates and resources, explore your questions, and strengthen the network of Sustainable CT champions. These sessions are free and open to all.
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May's IMPACT: Something Really Good
Trust us - you'll like it!
This month's episode of the IMPACT will be---well, we're not sure just yet. At press time, we hadn't quite pinned down a topic or a guest. But it will be something edifying, enlightening, and entertaining - we promise!
This month's episode of the IMPACT will be available on May 15 on the Sustainable CT website, and wherever you get your podcasts.
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The Community Match Fund
The New Guilford Community Garden
Community gardens foster health and wellness for greater public good. After 12 years of successful garden programs, Guilford Community Garden (GCG) needed to relocate. They were offered an exciting opportunity to put down roots at Nut Plains Park and are raising funds to transform this vacant field into a lush public garden for the community. C'mon, help that garden grow!
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Thank You!
Our participation in the special fundraising event, Give Local, on April 29-30 was a great success. We are very appreciative of the support we've received from all across the state. Your help makes it possible for us to foster inclusive, sustainable, and resilient Connecticut municipalities that provide opportunities for all to thrive. Thank you!
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CT Insider: the DOGE dodge in New Haven
Jordan Nathaniel Fenster at CT Insider has done some great writing about the effect of federal funding cuts on Connecticut schools, towns and organizations. In this piece he focuses on New Haven and the DOGE cut of $1 million for a program that helped residents currently relying on heating oil to transition to high-efficiency heat pumps.
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Connecticut Green Bank presents 2024 awards
The Connecticut Green Bank has announced the honorees of its annual awards which highlight the key partnerships and projects from 2024. This is the tenth year in which the Green Bank has recognized the dedicated network of contractors, developers, lenders, community leaders, home and building owners, and community members.
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State of Connecticut OPM: federal impact reporting site
The Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM) has launched a site to collect information regarding the impact of federal policy and funding changes on nonprofits, municipalities, and businesses. Report any federal impacts – including funding reductions, pauses and delays in accessing funds – as well as employment reductions or impacts from tariffs.
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Lamont announces $7.5M available to support municipalities with sustainable waste reduction
Governor Lamont announced that $7.5 million in state funding is now available to support Connecticut’s municipalities in their efforts to increase recycling and diversion and augment their self-sufficiency in managing municipal solid waste disposal.
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The Nature Conservancy's Marine Mapping Tool
The Nature Conservancy has created a Marine Mapping Tool to make it easy to review publicly available information about Atlantic Ocean habitats and species, so decisions can be supported by the best science and data available.
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Time for The Great Give!
Just when you thought we were done asking for money, we're participating in another exciting fundraising event: The Great Give on May 7-8. Please consider making a gift to Sustainable CT during this special event so we can better serve local communities. Your gift fights climate change, protects the environment, supports sustainable transportation, champions affordable housing, strengthens local economies, celebrates the arts, and embraces equity. Please take advantage of this limited opportunity on May 7-8 to drive meaningful change in your community and across the state. And thank you!
SAVE this LINK for MAY 7-8>
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CT League of Conservation Voters: 2025 mid-session legislative update
Get the latest on what's happening at the Capitol. Join the CTLCV Team and Executive Director Lori Brown for key updates on priority legislation and how you can take action. Don't miss this opportunity to stay informed, get involved, and help drive real change for Connecticut's environment. May 8, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
REGISTER>
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Green Step Summer Certification Program - paid summer training
The Green Sustainability Technical Education Program (Green STEP) is a “green” workforce development program offered by Energize Connecticut Sponsors Eversource and AVANGRID, Inc. subsidiaries United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas. The Summer Program bridges concepts of building performance, green building, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. The program will conclude with a career exposition to introduce students to green industry professionals with available job opportunities. Students will have the opportunity to choose from three educational tracks: (A) Weatherization & Existing Building Upgrades, (B) Decarbonization & Efficient Building Systems, and (C) Green Building & New Construction. Applications close May 9.
APPLY TODAY>
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Trash to treasured fashion: Recycled Runway dazzles at the American Mural Project
The American Mural Project (AMP) will host its third Recycled Runway event. This playful celebration brings wearable art made from repurposed materials to the catwalk. Following sold-out shows in 2019 and 2023, Recycled Runway 2025 returns on Saturday, May 10, at 7 p.m., at AMP's renovated mill gallery in Winsted. A paid, in-person event.
INFO and TICKETS>
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UConn TAB: CRCOG brownfields roundtable
Coordinated with the UConn TAB program to provide networking and information dissemination on brownfield support for the Capitol Region Council of Governments. This is a free in-person event taking place on May 16, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., at Goodwin University, 1 Riverside Drive, East Hartford.
REGISTER>
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Paul Hawken - author talk and book signing
Celebrated author, speaker and consultant on climatic, economic and ecological regeneration, Paul Hawken, will be speaking and signing copies of his latest book, Carbon, at the American Mural Project, 90 Whiting Street, Winstead, on May 31 at 6 p.m. This is a free in-person event.
REGISTER to ATTEND>
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Good things happen in the spring
Eleven municipalities submit actions for spring certification review
Our spring certification cycle is a great time for towns to get ahead of the fall rush, or to submit actions for partial certification review. Thank you and congratulations to all the towns that met our April 8th deadline for submission! We hope to be able to share unofficial certification results by the end of May. All 2025 certified towns will be recognized together at our Annual Awards Celebration in November, but watch for an invitation to our Spring into Summer event at the Mark Twain House & Museum on June 4 when we'll be making a special acknowledgement of spring-certified towns - coming soon!
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