Courant.com

The town is moving forward with becoming as "green" as it can be by hosting a series of forums dedicated to enacting environmentally friendly initiatives.

The green series comes after the town held a "green summit" last month that drew more than 75 residents to talk about how the town can be more eco-friendly.

The new series is called "Gifford's Green Conversations" and is named after Simsbury native Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

"There's a personal connection between this initiative and the town's history. This is a town that has played a unique role in history in the environmental area," First Selectwoman Mary Glassman said.

The first forum is Wednesday at 7 p.m. at 88 Hopmeadow St., and it will address recycling.

The next forum is June 4 at the library and will feature Tom Zetterstrom, an acclaimed photographer and advocate for the restoration of American elm trees and forests. He will give a lecture called "Community Forestry and the Historic Streetscape."

Zetterstrom was in Simsbury recently, touring Hopmeadow Street and taking an inventory of the area's trees, Glassman said. She also said the town is considering a program that would encourage tree planting.

"It's a great opportunity for us," she said of the forums. "A lot of residents want to be involved in having Simsbury move in the direction of being more environmentally friendly."

Other forums may address solar energy and alternative fuels, Deputy First Selectman John Hampton said.

Hampton said the green forums are just one step among many that Simsbury will take to move ahead in an environmentally friendly way. He said there will be an audit of the town's products and fertilizers. He also said town officials have been considering the creation of a permanent green commission that would encourage residents to sign up for clean and renewable energy.

Also, Hampton said, officials are considering creating a town ordinance addressing self-sustainability.

"A lot of towns are making sure that they're equipped in case of a food shortage. We want to look more critically at what we have in our own backyard to make sure we can sustain ourselves," Hampton said, referring to local farmland.

He said the town will look for public and private grants to fund its green initiatives.

"We're excited to move it forward," Hampton said.

The forums are free and open to the public. For more information, visit the town website at www.townofsimsbury.com or call the first selectman's office at 860-658-3230.

Contact Régine Labossière at rlabossiere@courant.com.