Date: 9/27/2023
Time: 6:00 – 8:00pm
Event Description: Mt Pleasant Conservation Advisory Council and Pleasantville Climate Smart CommunityTask Force host solar experts Chris Hale from SunBlue and Leo Wiegman from Sustainable Westchester to give residential homeowners the latest information on solar energy incentives and benefits.
Registration Link: Mt Pleasant Public Library, 350 Bedford Road, Pleasantville NY
Date:10/12/23
Time: 7:00 – 8:00pm
Location: Somers Library
Event Description: Join the Somers Energy Environment Committee for an EnergySmart Homes Workshop at the Somers Library. Learn about the benefits of heat pumps for your home heating and cooling. Find out about state, utility and federal incentives for weatherization and electrification. Hear from Sustainable Westchester’s EnergySmart Homes Contractor Partners. In-person at the Somers Library on Thursday, October 12th from 7:00-8:00pm. To register visit bit.ly/SomersLibrary or call the library (914) 232-5717
Authored By: Molly Levitt
Nothing embodies reduce, reuse, recycle more than a Repair Cafe!
On Saturday May 20th, three of our high school senior interns (including yours truly) went to the Ossining event to promote Sustainable Westchester programs that directly help local residents. The interns met wonderful people from all over the local community and had the chance to provide valuable information about our Grid Rewards, Energy Smart Homes, and Community Solar programs to homeowners, interested citizens, and people doing work for local sustainable businesses.
For the uninitiated, a Repair Cafe is an event where anyone with a broken item can come and take advantage of the expertise of other members of their community to get it fixed. Not only is this a great way to reduce waste by extending the life of items instead of just throwing them away, it also brings the community together in a very unique way. Repair Cafe Hudson Valley has facilitated and hosted repair cafes across the region for ten years and was even recently featured in the Earth Day segment on the Today Show. You can watch that segment here.
The organizer of this Repair Cafe, Michele Stone, explains how she came to get involved in this work: “After the 2016 election, I wanted to use my energy for something positive, practical, and community building.The election brought about much activism and mine was the Green Ossining Repair Cafe. I saw a promotion for a Repair Cafe in New Paltz and visited at the first opportunity. I was so inspired by all the volunteers with the leadership of John Wackman, a legend among the Hudson Valley Repair Cafes!”
Ms. Stone went to Green Ossining, a dedicated volunteer committee. They were happy to sponsor the first Repair Cafe in June of 2017, and there have been over 20 well-attended events since. Michele tells us, “It is gratifying to see community members leave not only with their items repaired, but with a sense of community and the feeling that there is still so much neighborly goodness in our world.”
Personally, this intern loved to talk to people one-on-one and not just give them information, but listen to their stories and learn from them. I will definitely be coming back to more Repair Cafes in the future.
Now, let’s hear directly from our other two interns in attendance about their experience!
From our intern Talia: “Repair Cafe is an incredible way to conserve resources and learn about daily sustainable practices. It is great that people are helping others repair things with their varying areas of expertise. The Cafe’s strong sense of community is truly inspiring, as we cannot make systemic improvements without working together and teaching each other. Personally, I learned a lot throughout the Cafe, whether that be how to change a watch battery, how to use a sewing machine, or how to tune a guitar– all of which I am excited to incorporate into my daily life. “
From our intern Jada: “The Ossining Repair Cafe was an awesome community event that emphasized the overlap between sustainability and community. People gathered for repairs of all kinds, for example, Virginia, an Ossining resident, helped and taught me how to mend the sleeve of one of my favorite sweatshirts.”
Do you want to check out a repair cafe or even organize one in your town? Head over to http://www.repaircafehv.org/ to check when and where your next local repair cafe is and to learn more!
Talk to a Home Energy Advisor from the NYSERDA Mid-Hudson Clean Energy Hub. During the free drop-in sessions you can get answers to questions about insulation, heat pumps and the programs and rebates that are available to you. Find out how to lower your energy bills or apply for assistance from NY State home energy upgrade programs.Upon joining the zoom session, you’ll be assigned a personal meeting room with an energy advisor.
Residents of all seven counties of the Mid-Hudson Region are welcome to attend, including: Sullivan, Putnam, Ulster, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange and Westchester.
The Con Edison Weatherization Program promotion that allows customers to receive up to $5,000 towards the completion of insulation and air sealing work in homes using fossil fuels has been extended. Qualifying projects must be installed and submitted for processing by 12/1/23.
Date: Thursday, September 28th 2023
Description: Calling all trivia buffs, New Rochelle residents and party people!
Join Sustainable Westchester for a Trivia Night! Test your knowledge and compete against friends in a general trivia competition. Prizes include: $100 Visa gift card, $50 and $25 gift cards.
Bring a friend. Doors open at 6:30, game starts at 7:00
Sustainable Westchester’s Interim Executive Director Jim Kuster is fundraising for Sustainable Westchester with Climate Ride! He will be riding from Burlington VT to Bar Harbor ME, covering 410 miles in 5 days.
Consider sponsoring the ride! Your donation will be matched 4x, so a $10 donation becomes $40! Funds will be used to expand Environmental Justice initiatives at Sustainable Westchester and support our programming.
Read on for a note from Jim on why he Climate Rides!
“My motivation to get on my bike and ride beyond my comfort zone for a purpose beyond myself – addressing climate change – started in 2006, when I noticed the national conversation around sustainability and environmental protection becoming highly politicized. As a result, I started to look for ways to raise awareness to benefit local communities without a partisan objective. I began participating regularly in charity cycling events to connect directly with organizations that put resources to work for locally based climate action. This combined my love for outdoor travel and physical fitness, and opened the door to new relationships, communities and opportunities.
In 2016, I found my way to Climate Ride, a nonprofit organization that arranges amazing events on behalf of other environmentally focused nonprofits and have ridden in more than a dozen fundraising events since then. Sustainable Westchester is now a designated beneficiary of Climate Ride.
Currently I am fundraising for a Climate Ride in September from Burlington VT to Bar Harbor ME, 410 miles. Each dollar donated to my ride will be matched by a foundation associated with Climate Ride, then donated to Sustainable Westchester. In turn, Sustainable Westchester has a matching grant in place, so donations to the event will be multiplied four-fold!
Efforts to combat climate change should be truly non-partisan, but as I have learned since, it’s complicated. Genuine interest in protecting human health, community health and environmental health can lead to difficult policy choices and resource allocation. That is why Sustainable Westchester is ideally positioned to assist its municipal members and their constituents. Our consortium reflects the power of local communities to decide what programs are best suited to them and best effectuate change.
Please donate here to Sustainable Westchester through my Climate Ride event. Thank you!” -Jim
About Climate Ride
Climate Ride is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that organizes life-changing charitable cycling, hiking, running, and other outdoor adventures to raise awareness and support sustainability, active transportation, and environmental causes. Since 2008, their biking, hiking, and running events have raised over $10 million to support climate, clean energy, conservation, and bicycle/pedestrian advocacy grantees. Over 6,000 people have participated in Climate Ride events since 2008. You can find more information https://www.climateride.org/.
Many local municipalities and sustainability committees tuned into the Clean Energy Communities (CEC) 2023 Program Update Meeting. If you missed the meeting or would like to review the content, this blog post is for you.
During the webinar on August 10th, the Hudson Valley Regional Council provided an overview of the CEC Campaign Guidelines and Sustainable Westchester explained how our EnergySmart Homes and Solar Programs can support your municipality’s Clean Heating and Cooling (Heat Pump) and Community Solar campaign efforts. Municipal representatives also shared their experiences and best practices learned during their CEC Campaigns.
Funding for the Clean Energy Communities program has been expanded. With the new Achievement Levels, communities can earn up to 3,800 points and $97,500 and $290,000 for small and large communities, respectively. Municipalities that have previously completed campaigns are eligible for new funding opportunities. Please refer to the image provided for a breakdown of each campaign type and tier.
Sustainable Westchester can be your municipality’s partner in offering CEC Community Campaigns. To learn more about these campaign review the materials below:
Quick Link for CEC resources:
September 16th-24th, 2023
Hudson Valley Climate Solutions Week is an effort to focus attention on the climate emergency we are all facing with a series of events throughout the region. Over 50 awesome events happening across the Hudson Valley, click this link for more information about all the fantastic events!
Why is this important?
The last UN IPCC climate report has added yet more urgency to implement solutions to our climate crisis. New York State’s landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act along with many local efforts are moving towards actionable solutions. Our window of opportunity to act is closing. HV Climate Solutions Week gives the public opportunities to learn more, connect with other concerned citizens, and engage on a deeper level.
Sunday, September 17, 2023 from 4:00pm – 5:30pm
Mamaroneck Courtroom, 169 Mount Pleasant Avenue
To kick off Climate Solutions Week in Westchester, Sustainable Westchester and the Village of Mamaroneck Committee for the Environment are inviting residents to join us in-person to learn about all the ways to go green at home! If you’re thinking about getting a home energy assessment, insulation, heat pumps, or other energy-efficiency upgrades, this is the event for you. We’ll be covering the different technology options, ways to get connected to local contractors, rebates to lower project costs, and more. Speakers will include local energy advisors, contractors, and homeowners who will share their experiences with these projects. Attendees will also be able to submit their questions ahead of time and ask them in-person at the event. Register for the event at bit.ly/GoGreenMamaroneck – we hope to see you there!
