Calendar
Events Calendar
GreenYorktown--
Meetings- 2nd Monday each Month at Panera's in Yorktown Heights (Triangle Shopping Center) 7:30 pm. All are welcome!
Local
GreenYorktown Presents: Yorktown Candidates Talk Green
A free, public forum on Sunday Oct. 16 7:30 at Temple Beth Am in Yorktown Hghts NY. Join us to hear our candidates speak about their environmental policies and their vision for our community. Bring your questions and be an informed voter this November 8th!
We only have one earth, come see how we will treat it!
The date is Sunday evening October 16, 2011 at Temple Beth Am, 203 Church Place Yorktown Heights NY. 10598, beginning at 7:30 pm. GreenYorktown is a bi-partisan organization advocating for the environment and interested in helping to inform the public on the candidates' environmental positions. County legislator candidates for Districts 1 and 4, Yorktown Town Supervisor candidates, and Yorktown Town Board candidates have been invited.
The agenda will be as follows:
Sarah Wilson will be the moderator and will ask each candidate in turn the questions or some portion of the question that we have sent. They will each have 2 minutes to reply. After this part of the forum, the audience may write their question on cards and may indicate to which candidate their question should be directed. Olivia Buehl and Sarah will read the questions. GreenYorktown will only ask the questions relating to environmental issues. There will be a 1-minute limit response time.
There are a lot of candidates this year and with this format we hope to give each one a chance to share their environmental positions. There will be coffee and refreshments.
To View the questions sent to the candidates, click on the "Downloads" page on this website.
Looking forward to seeing you! Questions should be directed to greenyorktown@aol.com orspinorbit@hotmail.com
Thanks for you activism and interest. Don't forget to vote November 8th!
YORKTOWN GREEN ENERGY FAIR
May 14, 2011 12:00 - 5:00 pm
The first annual Yorktown GreenEnergy Fair, held side by side with Yorktown Community Day at Mildred Strang Middle School, invites you to come and visit our energetic Yorktown. See the Chevy Volt with its Sunshine Fuel Power Station! Take a close up look at the Nissan Leaf and brand new Hybrids. Realize new ways to power your life and experience “green” living choices at our green and sustainable vendor booths. Browse through the nearby farms and discover local environmental groups and clubs. Empower yourself with solutions to Climate Change at 1:00 pm with Ms. Jayni Chase, Chair of Senator Gillibrand’s Green Schools Working Group and Climate Presenter from Al Gore’s Repower America. Learn more at 2:30 when Elyssa Rothe of Energy Smart Communities will speak about the local solutions and programs that NYSERDA offers to our community including GreenJobs/GreenNY.
There is still time to be a vendor! Email us at greenyorktown@aol.com for a vendor application and information
APRIL 22
GreenYorktown presents Indian Point: Now or Never.
Please come and learn more about the nuclear facility next door. With the recent tragedies in Japan, it is time we learn as much as possible about Indian Point so that we can balance the risks and the benefits. This informational meeting hosts experts on Indian Point Nuclear Facility with a Q&A after. County Legislator Mike Kaplowitz, Chair of the Environment and Energy Committee, Marilyn Elie of Westchester Citizen’s Awareness Network, and Philip Musegaas, Hudson River Program Director, Riverkeeper will be our panelists. Please come to our free, public event Friday 4/22 7:30 pm at Yorktown Town Hall 363 Underhill Ave, Yorktown Hghts NY.
MARCH 25 GreenYorktown Presents an evening of “We Have the Power -Two Topics” at YorktownTown Hall 7:30 pm.. Elyssa Rothe of EnergySmart Communities will explain the exciting new NYSERDA program “NYGreenNYGreenJobs” and we will also show the film “Bag It”. This film speaks to the everpresent and growing issue of plastics and plastic bags in our communities. Judith Myers, County Legislator will discuss the proposed legislation and how we can advocate for it. Susan Goodwin PhD will talk about her activism around plastic bags. There will be a Q &A after and opportunity for everyone to have a discussion on these issues that we can do something about. This is a free public event- bring your friends and neighbors!
MAY 14TH YORKTOWN GREEN ENERGY FAIR-- sharing Community Day at Mildred Strang Middle School 12- 5 pm. All vendors interested, please contact Patty or Jerry at greenyorktown@gmail.com
EVENTS 2011
FEBRUARY 25 TH: YORKTOWN TOWN HALL 7:15 pm Free and Open to the Public
363 Underhill Ave. Yorktown Hghts. NY 10598
GreenYorktown Presents: "Gasland" a film and discussion
You are invited to a free screening of "Gasland," the Sundance award-winning documentary depicting the dangers of extracting natural gas by horizontal hydrofracking. This issue is of unparalleled environmental, economic and political importance. The threat to our NYS water is real and now. Please come and bring your friends and neighbors!
EVENTS 2010
June 8
Evening news: As I was about to step into the Town Hall this evening, armed with comments from GY (thank you!), I was told that the resolution in support of Hilltop Hanover was off the calendar- but for good reason. Apparently, there was a vote at County level last night and it was one vote short of unanimous in favor of keeping the farm. Hurray!
Oil Spill Protest : Today was the 50th day of the oil spill in the Gulf and GY joined 350.org, MoveOn, HuffingtonPostGreen with other protests across the nation to raise awareness, to show outrage, to stand with solidarity with the people in the Gulf, to recognise the disaster.
Brandishing signs and chanting, our small but vigorous group of protesters stood on the southwest corner of 35 and 118 from 7:00 pm to 8:20 pm. The pictures attached are from the start --but we added people as it went on. Ron and Olivia Buehl, Paul Moskowitz, Patty Peckham, Brendan Tully, Colby Kelly (from Chappaqua), Ann Mamsick (from Mahopac-hope the spelling is right) were the core group. Then two women (Babette's daughter Rebecca and friend Taylor ) saw us, joined us with their signs. Another of their friends and GY supporter, Patty, parked her bike and joined in. Then a musician,Arthur Jones, stopped to ask us questions and then picked up a sign and joined too! The Yorktown Examiner, and North County News took pictures. Someone shot some video with audio and is planning on putting it up on youtube! Apologies if I have not mentioned anyone!
We got a great response from the passing cars--Honk to show Solidarity with people in the Gulf--Honk to save the ocean--Honk if you're Outraged--Let'm hear you in Louisiana--Honk to stop the Oil and so on. The demographics of the people who "thumbs up" 'd us or honked in support were wide--- older men in pick up trucks, suburban moms in SUV's , business men in small sporty cars, young women, teenagers in any car-----all honked and smiled and showed support. A bee-line bus driver, a UPS man, a man with "Fisherman" on a T-shirt, all ages, all races. all economic brackets (if one judges by vehicle). Some drivers refused to look at us, however and one person showed us a rude gesture (not to be stereotypical, but he did have a confederate flag sticker on his car), but all in all the majority of the cars--and there were a lot of them---showed support and plenty of enthusiasm. We even had one group of passengers applaud us!
Thanks to all who came and participated.
Evening news: As I was about to step into the Town Hall this evening, armed with comments from GY (thank you!), I was told that the resolution in support of Hilltop Hanover was off the calendar- but for good reason. Apparently, there was a vote at County level last night and it was one vote short of unanimous in favor of keeping the farm. Hurray!
Oil Spill Protest : Today was the 50th day of the oil spill in the Gulf and GY joined 350.org, MoveOn, HuffingtonPostGreen with other protests across the nation to raise awareness, to show outrage, to stand with solidarity with the people in the Gulf, to recognise the disaster.
Brandishing signs and chanting, our small but vigorous group of protesters stood on the southwest corner of 35 and 118 from 7:00 pm to 8:20 pm. The pictures attached are from the start --but we added people as it went on. Ron and Olivia Buehl, Paul Moskowitz, Patty Peckham, Brendan Tully, Colby Kelly (from Chappaqua), Ann Mamsick (from Mahopac-hope the spelling is right) were the core group. Then two women (Babette's daughter Rebecca and friend Taylor ) saw us, joined us with their signs. Another of their friends and GY supporter, Patty, parked her bike and joined in. Then a musician,Arthur Jones, stopped to ask us questions and then picked up a sign and joined too! The Yorktown Examiner, and North County News took pictures. Someone shot some video with audio and is planning on putting it up on youtube! Apologies if I have not mentioned anyone!
We got a great response from the passing cars--Honk to show Solidarity with people in the Gulf--Honk to save the ocean--Honk if you're Outraged--Let'm hear you in Louisiana--Honk to stop the Oil and so on. The demographics of the people who "thumbs up" 'd us or honked in support were wide--- older men in pick up trucks, suburban moms in SUV's , business men in small sporty cars, young women, teenagers in any car-----all honked and smiled and showed support. A bee-line bus driver, a UPS man, a man with "Fisherman" on a T-shirt, all ages, all races. all economic brackets (if one judges by vehicle). Some drivers refused to look at us, however and one person showed us a rude gesture (not to be stereotypical, but he did have a confederate flag sticker on his car), but all in all the majority of the cars--and there were a lot of them---showed support and plenty of enthusiasm. We even had one group of passengers applaud us!
Thanks to all who came and participated.
March 10th GreenYorktown Café’ Presents
Water Security: Local and Global Threats to Our Water
Climate destabilization, economic development pressures, natural gas drilling all serve to threaten our essential resource- clean water, without which we cannot survive.
Three experts take a global and local look at the state of our water today. Join GreenYorktown at Yorktown Town Hall March 10th 7:30 pm for a fascinating, informative evening.
Andrew Hudson, Cluster Leader, UNDP Water Governance Programme, will speak on the state of water throughout the world. He is an expert on global water issues including the impact of diminishing clean water supplies on health, development, and education. He will also talk about what the United Nations is doing to solve these problems.
Susan Leifer, the conservation co-chair of the Sierra Club Lower Hudson Group, has been an activist for NYS water issues for eight years. She will speak about the threats to NYS water supply, particularly the threat from the proposed natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. With natural gas becoming an important fuel source, the pressure to drill is increasing—but so is the impact on our natural resources. “Water is so much more than just to drink,” states Ms. Leifer, “ and the long term threat to our water supply is not balanced by the short term gain of natural gas. Water is essential to the life of our community.”
Jim Nordgren of the Bedford Audoban is our third panelist on water. He will explain the need for strong local regulation as development pressures threaten our water. He will also speak about how protecting our natural buffers maintain clean water and save our communities millions of dollars.
Please come join us and learn more about this topic!
February 11 2010 7:30 Yorktown Town Hall
EVENT POSTPONED DUE TO SNOW-WILL be THURSDAY FEBRUARY 11TH 7:30
(SALLY ODLAND SPEAKING; JOHN BELL IS A"SNOWDATE")
GreenYorktown Cafe invites the public to “Planning Ahead: Oil Supply and Climate Change” Feb 11 7:30 Yorktown Town Hall. Speakers Sally Odland, a geologist and an expert in global oil supply and John Bell, of TransitionWestchester. Join the discussion on depletion of fossil fuel supplies and how our society can prepare. The Transition approach empowers communities to squarely face the challenges of peak oil and climate change, and to unleash the collective genius of their own people to find the answers to this momentous question:
For all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how are we going to drastically reduce carbon emissions (in response to climate change), significantly rebuild resilience (in response to peak oil), and greatly strengthen our local economy (in response to economic instability)?
We will have a letter writing half hour for anyone who wants to stay and advocate for the climate!
January 13th 2010: GreenYorktown Cafe: "Green Investing: Why You Should and How You Can Save Money and the Planet". We are proud to present a panel of financial experts with experience in green and socially responsible investing. This forum is targeted to the small investor/working person who wants to learn more about their choices in investments. Marc Sussman, host of The Money Message and presentor for The Climate Project will moderate. Jason Lipka and Paul Ellis will round out our panel with their expertise in both individual investing and through the workplace. Please come join us at Yorktown Town Hall 7:30 pm January 13th Wednesday.
EVENTS 2009
September 23, 2009: GreenYorktown hosts Patti Wood of Grassroots Environmental. 7:30 pm Town Hall. She will be speaking on the interconnections of health and climate change.
September 22: The documentary "FLOW: For the Love of Water" ou are invited to join Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies and Pace University’s student group, The Wave of Green, on the evening of September 22nd to examine the world water crisis and discuss the issues and actions needed to reverse the trend. The acclaimed award-winning documentary FLOW: For the Love Of Water will be shown, and after the film, a panel discussion will be led by John Cronin (Senior Fellow in Environmental Affairs at Pace Academy and Director of the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries).
The event is free and open to the public. Please share this invitation with colleagues. Details are on the attached flier and in the following website, RSVP required: http://www.pace.edu/flowthefilm
June 19- GreenYorktown is hosting a special event this Friday June 19th at Yorktown Town Hall 7:30 pm. Award winning Yorktown High School students will present their science research with questions and discussion to follow. We are excited to have the opportunity to showcase these young talented science students and their work. Please join us for an informative evening and find out about this great science opportunity in our schools.All are welcome!
May 16-Yorktown Community Day at Mildred Strang Middle School; Crompond Rd 12:00 noon-5:00 pm. Learn more about GreenYorktown-visit our table; Calculate your Carbon Footprint
May 29- Film Night at Yorktown Town Hall 7:30 pm "Cars of the Future" film with Car Talk's Click and Clack. Join us for coffee and conversation
January 31- Bedford Expo at Fox Lane High School. This all day event offers speakers, seminars, and local vendors -, all concerned with climate change. for more info go to www.sustainablebedford.org
February 5 - 7:30 pm at Yorktown Town Hall "Greening Your Home with the Low Carbon Diet- Simple Ways to Save Money and Energy" GreenYorktown Cafe presents a free film and discussion on how to reduce your energy use at home, working with friends and neighbors in "Eco Teams". Join us for an informative, fun evening! for more information, email at greenyorktown@gmail.com
February 26 Working session on the Low Carbon Diet for a new Eco Team. please email Stephanie at svonhirschberg@gmail.com
- February 27- 7:30 pm Yorktown Town Hall GreenYorktown Cafe presents the free presentation
“Vanishing Wildlife and Habitat:
The Impact of Global Climate Change”
by Jo Anne Gorski, Ph.D.,Wildlife Chair,Sierra Club, Lower Hudson Group for more information, email at greenyorktown@gmail.com - March 3- Town of Yorktown Public Hearing on Tree Ordinanc; Town Hall 7:00 pm
- March 11- TBA
- EVENTS FROM 2008
- September 18- GreenYorktown Cafe - "Home Energy Forum II: Choose Energy Efficiency" Learn how to save money and fuel with NYSERDA programs. Panelists include Elyssa Rothde (chair), of Energy Smart Communities, a NYSERDA contractor, a homeowner who has utilized the program, and a Energy Smart Loan Fund Participating Lender. See you at 7:30 pm Yorktown Town Hall
- October 14 - Town of Yorktown Work Session. 8:30 pm Possible heating oil savings for Yorktown homeowners. Contact person is Supervisor Don Peters
- October 22- PUBLIC HEARING on Town of Yorktown's reduction by 50% of building permit fees for solar panels and solar hot water. Please come and show your support for our town's green initiatives.
- October 27 Town Work Session: Town Hall: Tree Ordinance at 7:50 pm ; and Oil Co-op 10:00. Please come and support these programs.
- November 4- Election Day. Vote for the Environment. Go to www.nylcv.org for both state and federal candidates' positions on environmental issues. Advocate for the environment with an informed vote.
- November 14- First Annual GreenYorktown Party! 8:00 pm at Sparkle Lake Club House
Granite Springs Road, Yorktown Heights, NY View Map Potluck-bring your favorite food. Be Green- bring your own plates, cloth napkin,utensils, cups/mugs. Interested in an invitation? contact Jerry or Patty at greenyorktown@gmail.com - November 15- Saturday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Information Session at Yorktown Town Hall on Heating Oil Co op. Vendors will be there to answer questions. Registration begins. Open to Yorktown residents.
- December 9, 2008- 6:30- 8:00pm at the John C Hart Memorial Library, Shrub Oak "Voice Your Choice- How to choose your Electricity Supplier" December is the month to choose your electricity supplier, whether you have NYSEG or ConEd. We will try to answer questions and unravel the maze of looking at ESCO., default, REG's- how to find an economical supplier and also a "green" supplier- whose electrons are they anyway and where do they come from?
- December 18- 7:30pm at Yorktown Town Hall. GreenYorktown Cafe presents a Movie Night.Join us for popcorn and entertainment! 20 minute Cartoon- Futurama:"Some Like it Hot" and Feature film- "Who Killed the Electric Car?"? The story of a early 1990's electric car experiment and why it failed.
Regional
- Cool Communities / Living Economies: Ten Years to a Green Economy
September 19 – 20, 2008, at the Seven21 Media Center, 721 Broadway, Kingston, NY
With green opportunities bursting into view, and the need greater than ever, this spirited annual gathering brings together business, government, educational and civic leaders to strategize for an accelerated transition for our region. Welcoming remarks by Assemblymember Kevin Cahill, chair of the NYS Assembly Energy Committee. Special walking tour on urban visions and strategies with Jennifer Schwartz, Deputy Director of the Ulster County Planning Board. The Green Map System will be here to set up a Hudson Valley Green Map using its new web-based real-time system, with the participation of conference-goers. See "Melissa's Blog" for grist on green jobs that are possible now. Generously sponsored by Prism Solar Technologies, the Estuary Training Program, Ulster County Development Corporation, the Ellenbogen Group and Chronogram. - Thursday, November 13, 2008: 8:00 - 9:30 am
HRWA Watershed Omelette Series: Monitoring the Invasive Chinese Mitten Crab Sarah Fernald, Research Coordinator at the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, NYS Dept. of Env. Conservation, will give a presentation on the invasive crab and its habitation in the Hudson River Estuary. The first Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) documented in the Hudson River Estuary was found on June 3, 2007, when an adult male mitten crab was caught near Nyack NY, followed later that summer by an adult female. These crabs are labeled injurious because, at high densities, burrowing behavior may increase erosion, compromise shoreline structures, and impact aquatic vegetation. In 2008, the evidence of a mitten crab invasion greatly increased, with 17 live crabs found throughout the estuary, as well as over 150 shed exoskeletons of juvenile crabs. Most of these were discovered in conjunction within the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve on the Saw Kill. The documentation of juveniles suggests but does not definitively demonstrate mitten crab reproduction in the estuary. The Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve has begun to monitor for the presence of larval stages of mitten crabs has begun and to document the downstream migration of reproductive adults. By documenting the occurrence and life cycle of this harmful invasive, the Research Reserve hopes to aid in the formation of a management plan. Participants are responsible for purchasing their own breakfast from the menu; please note that there is a $4 minimum. If you plan to attend, please contact Katy Dunlap, Coordinator of the Hudson River Watershed Alliance, at (845) 454-7673 x116 or katy@hudsonwatershed.org. See attached Announcement.
Location: The Plaza Diner, New Paltz, NY - Thursday, November 13, 2008: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (optional networking until 6:30pm)
4th Annual Conference on Green Buildings and Energy for Mid-Hudson Region
The 4th annual conference on green buildings and energy for the mid-Hudson region will be on November 13, 2008. This conference will feature energy efficiency technologies, concepts and resources that can provide significant near-term cost savings in existing and new buildings. The program will focus largely on residential buildings, yet the concepts and information presented will be relevant to municipal, commercial and other buildings. It's aimed at community leaders and decision makers in local government, business, environmental, planning, design, contracting and development, lending, property management, education, and other sectors. This program is being hosted by the Orange County Rural Development Advisory Corp., Hudson Valley Regional Council, Orange County Citizens Foundation, Orange County Department of Planning, NY State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, Builders Association of the Hudson Valley, and Mid-Hudson Energy $mart Communities. Major sponsors include the Environmental Finance Center at Syracuse University, NY House Magazine, and others (list in formation.) Several scholarships are available to nonprofits, local government and students based on need. A networking reception from 5-6:30 pm, sponsored by the US Green Building Council NY Upstate Chapter, Hudson Valley Branch. If you are not able to attend the conference, you are welcome to attend the reception at no charge. For more information or to register or download the flyer, visit http://www.occf-ny.org/webpages/Calendar/index.aspx or call the Orange County Citizens Foundation at 845-469-9459. The registration fee, $40, includes continental breakfast and lunch. Location: Inn at Central Valley in Central Valley (206 Smith Clove Rd, Central Valley, NY 10917) - Monday-Wednesday, November 17-19, 2008
The Water-Energy Nexus: A Necessary Synergy for the 21st Century
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Water Resources Research Institutes (WRRI's) of West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York will be hosting the 2008 Mid- Atlantic Regional Water Resources Research Institutes Regional Water Conference, "The Water-Energy Nexus: A Necessary Synergy for the 21st Century." This event will be held November 17-19, 2008 at the National Conservation Training Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Shepherdstown, WV. (See the attached for more information.) For questions and assistance, please contact: Terry Polce, Conference Coordinator, Telephone: 304-293-2867 x5450 (E-mail: 2008waterconferenceinfo@mail.wvu.edu )
Website: http://wvwri.nrcce.wvu.edu/conferences/2008/WRRI - Thursday, November 19, 2008: 7:30 PM
Rockland Farm Alliance Meeting
The Rockland Farm Alliance will be holding a community wide event at the Rockland Fire Training Center. This meeting will be our opportunity to share the results of the last several months' work, and will provide some depth to our mission of Saving and Creating Farms in Rockland. For more details, please see http://www.rocklandfarmalliance.org
Location: Rockland Co. Fire Training Center, Pomona, NY - Friday, November 21, 2008: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Meeting the Climate Challenge: Taking Action in the Hudson Valley
The Hudson River Watershed Alliance and Mohonk Consultations are hosting our sixth annual conference at the Mohonk Mountain House. This year's conference will explore the state-of-the-art regional and local climate change science, the social implications of climate change in the Hudson Valley, and current federal, state and regional climate change policy. Experts on our afternoon Panel Discussion will demonstrate effective responses to climate change and provide tools for local communities to adapt to climate change. See the attached announcement/registration form for more information or register online at see:
http://www.hudsonwatershed.org/conference08/index.html or contact Katy Dunlap, HRWA Coordinator, at katy@hudsonwatershed.org . Registration deadline: Nov. 14
Location: Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz
Katy Dunlap, Coordinator
Hudson River Watershed Alliance
(845) 454-7673 x116
katy@hudsonwatershed.org
www.hudsonwatershed.org
112 Little Market Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
- AltWheels Festival Boston Sept 26-27 2008: a two day fair with something for everyone
- http://www.altwheels.org/festival.html