Montauk - The Group for the East End and Concerned Citizens Of Montauk (CCOM) have banded together to assist East Hampton in running a greener government. The two environmental groups each contributed $300 towards joining the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a consortium of local governments pooling their resources toward environmental preservation and sustainable development.

The $600 annual registration fee entitles the town to assistance and training seminars on how to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption, additional access to stimulus funds and other federal grants and the Clean Air and Climate Protection (CACP) software to inventory the municipality's carbon footprint and predict the effects of local initiatives. The registration fee is based on population, ranging from $600 for municipalities under 50,000 to $8,000 for areas over four million.

The CACP software is a joint venture between ICLEI, the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), later joined by California Clean Air and the California Climate Action Registry, that enables local governments to enter a wide variety of information about their operations and manage their carbon output and reduction efforts over time. Along with localized recommendations, the software will also link East Hampton to similar municipalities across the country, with more than 500 U.S. cities and 1,079 local governments worldwide through ICLEI International.

Councilwoman Julia Prince, board liaison to the Energy and Light Committee, presented the idea of joining ICLEI to the Town Board several months ago, however with the town expected to run a deficit again in 2009, the $600 registration was not in the budget.

Environmental Advocate for the Group for the East End and member of CCOM Jeremy Samuelson addressed the Town Board at their June 2 work session in Montauk to present the donation. Samuelson encouraged the board to join ICLEI for the dual returns of better environmental awareness and reduced energy costs. "You're approving cost savings that immediately pay for themselves," he asserted.

"This is a great opportunity to not only do right by the planet, but by taxpayers wallets at the same time," Samuelson reasoned in an email the next day, "It is really a no-brainer."

Environmental Advocate for the Group for the East End and member of CCOM Jeremy Samuelson addressed the Town Board at their June 2 work session in Montauk to present the donation. Samuelson encouraged the board to join ICLEI for the dual returns of better environmental awareness and reduced energy costs.

The CACP software will allow the town to analyze "everything that we have," Councilwoman Prince explained, from light bulbs to heating to cars and other equipment, and provide "legitimate options to reduce our carbon footprint. It will tell us what to do and the cost savings" that should come as a result.

The Town Board will have to pass a resolution officially joining ICLEI after submitting the fee, then they can begin with phase one: a full inventory of East Hampton's energy use.