The villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck have much in common, but their rankings in the "How Green is My Town" survey released this spring showed wide disparities, with Mamaroneck trailing far behind Larchmont's third-highest status countywide.

The differences are not as drastic as first appeared, however, and may have been the result of inconsistencies in how answers were recorded by the 100 students who participated in the project.

The survey, conducted by Grassroots Environmental Education and the Pace University Academy for Applied Environmental Studies, used a "How Green is My Town" checklist of environmental issues. Topics included energy and water conservation, purchasing and land use policies, the use of "green" products for cleaning and pest control and other environmental issues.

Larchmont's score was 526.5, while the Village of Mamaroneck came in at 370.5. Scores for surrounding towns include Harrison at 327.5, Pelham at 399, New Rochelle at 391.5, Rye at 333, Rye Brook at 454.5  and Scarsdale at 457.5.

When Patch asked Mamaroneck Village Manager Rich Slingerland about the disparity, he admitted he'd not yet had a chance to review the results. After looking at the report, he found many errors in the way Mamaroneck was rated, resulting in a new score of 406.5.

The review process is part of Grassroot's procedures, which states in its report that "the evaluation scores for local towns are dynamic, and towns that adopt policies or take other steps to address the issues contained in the program should contact Grassroots to have their scores updated."

"Nevertheless, it's a good guide to what we need to do," Slingerland told Patch, noting that just this week the Village's Committee on the Environment added four members, which will enable the village to tackle more of the environmental issues noted in the survey.

Issues raised in the report, and the village's response, include:

• Energy: 72 percent of towns surveyed have completed an energy audit of town-owned facilities; the Village expects to complete its audit within the next few months, but it has already taken steps to conserve electricity in its buildings.
  
  Slingerland said the Village received a grant to convert all traffic lights to LED lights, which will result in a 90 percent saving in energy costs. It is also investigating the cost of retrofitting street lights.
• Pesticides: While 64 percent of towns have outlawed the use of pesticides on town land and parks, Mamaroneck still uses them, particularly to control mosquitos in standing water.
• Water conservation: Slinglerland said the village is working on ways to encourage the use of graywater (water from showers, dishwashers and laundry) and is beginning a program to encourage residents to use rain barrels to capture runoff that can be used to irrigate plants.
• Green cleaning: Mamaroneck is not alone in prohibiting the use of anti-bacterial products containing the chemical triclosan and artificial air fresheners. The Village uses a contractor to clean its buildings and will add these requirements when the contract is rebid.
• Green purchasing: While the village purchases recycled paper, recycles printer toner cartridges and considers the recyclability of all products, its purchasing policy is not explicit on these issues. Slingerland said they will be incorporated into the policy when it is up for review by the Board of Trustees in December.

Mamaroneck Trustee Toni Ryan, who chairs the Committee on the Environment, noted that the village is working to enforce the anti-idling law and the leaf blower ban, is installing bicycle racks, and recently oversaw a cleanup of the river in which more than eight tons of garbage were collected. Additionally, last month it adopted a resolution to work with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to develop a comprehensive plan to be a "climate smart community."

Implementing some of the measures that are recommended, however, will be costly, and the village must balance the benefits of stricter policies with the cost to taxpayers.