1. Invest in Reusable Foodware For Plastic-Free, Zero-Waste Snacks and Lunches
2. Buy In Bulk, Bring Your Own Containers and Shop Local
3. Check Your Office, Shelves, Desk, and Closet for School Supplies Before You Buy
4. Get New (To You) Clothes By Buying Secondhand
5. Use This As An Opportunity To Educate Your Child

For detail information on each of the Tips follow the link to Beyond Plastics

We put ourselves, our families, and our pets at risk when we use herbicides, pesticides, highly corrosive products like drain cleaners, and toxins like ammonia and bleach. Sewage treatment plants don’t eliminate these chemicals, and many find their way into our air, water and ecosystems.

Fortunately, there are safer alternatives that work just as well. By choosing a non-toxic option or the least toxic product, you can protect yourself and the environment. Click on the following link for more information, DEC

Submitted by Candice Merrill

The trail is to be built on the old Railroad ROW that was used to transfer trains from the Hudson Line to the former Maybrook Line (WRSDRT, Walkway over the Hudson and now Empire State Trail).  It will start by the Sewage Treatment plant, just south of Marist, run up into the Former Hudson River Psychiatric Center and then back south past the Hospital to connect up with the DRT and Walkway.  The survey is looking for input on how people will use the trail as a basis for its design.  Please check it out and provide input.

Brad Barclay, Senior Planner

DC Department of Planning and Development

This online class is open to all high school and college students who may want to arrange to take it for academic credit. It is also open to people of all ages who love to learn and don’t need school credit.

I think you would learn a lot and I love having different perspectives and viewpoints in the class. Last semester, my students were asked if they would recommend this class to others and 99 out of 100 said, “Yes.”

Below are comments from two students who took my class last fall:

“One of the best parts was joining a community of like minded people and learning from them. I no longer feel alone fighting this shocking problem of plastic pollution.”

“I loved this class. I now feel equipped to be a better activist and I am truly informed with a comprehensive understanding of the issue of plastic, beyond just the pollution it causes. More importantly, I now know how and where to stay informed.”

There will be seven consecutive classes held via Zoom on Wednesday evenings from 7-9 PM ET beginning on September 1st and ending October 13th.

If you do not need to receive academic credit, the fee to audit the class is just $100, if you do wish to receive official credit, the cost is $400.

You will receive a syllabus in advance. Even if you audit the class, there will be some homework assignments. All will be interesting and, dare I say, even fun at times.

If you’d like to join the class, you can register now here. I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Judith Enck
President, Beyond Plastics & Visiting Professor, Bennington College

Recently, my family gave me a wonderful birthday gift of a zero waste meal. At least it was zero waste for us. There was certainly some waste from the processing of the food before it got to us. But, we deposited nothing into the trash from the meal, which was a great feeling.

There was a time when I thought the world would be saved because we could send plastic, metal, glass and paper off to be recycled. It felt good to take these items to a recycling center as opposed to the landfill. But it turns out that there is an enormous cost to recycling. Let’s consider plastic. So much of our products come packaged in plastic, which varies greatly in its chemical makeup. For that reason, recycling it is complicated. It must be sorted, packed into big cubes and shipped to a country that wants it. It then must be melted, a process that produces noxious fumes, and formed into pellets for resale to manufacturers. Oil companies, which produce the chemicals for making plastic, make it difficult to recycle plastic. They don’t make money if we recycle plastic, they make money selling us the raw material to make new plastic. So only a small proportion of the plastic produced can be recycled. And it can only be recycled once. Sadly, plastic production has skyrocketed and ends up in our oceans, rivers, streams and even our drinking water. It never breaks down entirely, it just gets smaller. But is it possible to live without plastic? The answer brings me back to the topic of this blog post. Continue reading →

Each year, nearly 40 million tons of food is discarded by Americans. Equating to more than $161 billion, food waste accounts for approximately 30-40% of the U.S. food supply.

While cutting down on food waste reduces methane emissions from landfills and conserves energy – preventing pollution involved in the growing, manufacturing, transporting, and selling food – it can also save you money by buying less food.

Here are a few ways to reduce wasted food, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Click Here

The first in Sustainable Hudson Valley’s fall series of climate conversations looks clearly at the quickening pace of climate change and growing risks faced by our communities, combined with the just-as-fast acceleration of movements taking direct, positive action to transform the way we live and work.  Every other Friday from noon – 1:15 PM starting October 9, 2020 with this event.

Dave Conover, SHV’s Program Coordinator, is a lifelong educator who was recently trained by Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project.  He will summarize the realities from science and personal experience.  From teaching environmental science to non-scientists at Marist College to running the Clearwater’s educational programs, Dave has developed a unique overview of the Hudson Valley environment and honed his climate storytelling skills in the process.

Melissa Everett, SHV’s Executive Director, is a social scientist and skilled facilitator who is working with dozens of groups to convene a Regional Climate Action Planning process. She has been collecting data on regional climate action in renewable energy, transportation, materials and water management, agriculture, as well as documenting the emerging green economy in the region, climate justice issues, and the work underway to create resilient communities and educate the region for action. 

The Hudson Valley was a birthplace of the first environmental movement to protect land, air and water.  SHV is a leader in “the next environmental movement” to support new ways of living and working that restore economy, environment and the fabric of community.   The Climate Conversations series brings people together for informative, inspiring discussions that shine the light on action opportunities for today. Free.  Register here (required).

Next featured programs:

10/23/20  Juice: Electrification as Climate Strategy

A conversation on Marbletown’s plan to shift to 100% renewable energy, electrification as an underpinning of efficiency, the role of electric vehicles, storage and more.  With Tom Konrad, Ph.D., Chair, Marbletown Environmental Conservation Commission and Seth Leitman, MPA, Program Manager, Drive Electric Hudson Valley. Register here (required).

11/6/20 Resilient Places: A Systems Approach

A conversation about placemaking for resilience and equity with Cynthia Nikitin, SHV Resilient Places Fellow. Register here (required). 

11/20/20  The Repair Revolution

A conversation about taking control of your “stuff” and the emerging circular economy, with John Wackman and Elizabeth Knight, coauthors, Repair Revolution (2020, New World Library). Register here (required).

12/4 /20  Prospects for 2021

A round-up of strategies and predictions, special guests to be announced. Register here (required).

Join us!

Victoria Kelly

Manager of Environmental Monitoring Programs

Cary Institute of Eco System Studies