July 2021
Meeting chair: Michael Helme
The meeting followed a potluck dinner to congratulate Payton Bethmann and Cara Peddle, who just graduated from WVHS this spring. They have both been members of SW and Green Future for the last year.
Committee Updates
Triple Win Campaign - The Warwick Triple Win Community Solar campaign will continue to the end of this month. As of July 22nd, at least 34 homes and businesses had signed up for community solar. Each account gets up to 10% off their electricity bills and a $100 signup bonus; moreover, they can pick one of six Warwick nonprofits to receive a $100 donation. Up to now, the nonprofits have earned at least $3,500 in these donations. The Warwick Valley Historical Society and the Warwick Community Center in particular are rolling out efforts to encourage their participants and supporters to take advantage of this opportunity. Just about everyone who has an electric bill but doesn’t have their own solar panels is eligible to subscribe for community solar. Contact our Climate and Energy Committee if you have questions about community solar or would like to help with the Triple Win campaign. (CleanEnergy@sustainablewarwick.org)
Book Club - The Sustainable World Book Club meets via Zoom the second Tuesday of every month at 3 PM. For the July meeting, we read The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, by Dan Egan. For the August 10th meeting we’ll discuss New York 2140, by Kim Stanley Robinson, a novel that imagines parts of NYC underwater. (BookClub@sustainablewarwick.org)
Zoom Garden Plot - Chad Pilieri reported our Zoom Garden Plot has been meeting online the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 8 PM. Local beginning gardeners interact with local experienced gardeners to discuss local gardening issues -- it’s both fun and informative. Email us to get a Zoom invite. (growlocalGWL@gmail.com)
The Repair Cafe met last Saturday at the Senior Center and is scheduled to meet again in September. SW helped launch the Repair Cafe and continues to support the Repair Cafe, but they now have a new fiscal sponsor related to their participation in the Repair Cafe of the Hudson Valley.
New Business
Climate Smart Community Task Force - Mayor Michael Newhard is looking to initiate a Village of Warwick Climate Smart Community Task Force. New York’s Climate Smart Community program encourages villages, towns, cities and counties to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate. We hope all Sustainable Warwick members will consider participating in this task force.
Sustainable World Podcast Club - Our Green Future group for students is planning to launch a podcast club. The proposed club would be open to podcast listeners of all ages and focus on podcasts concerning sustainability. As with our Book Club, club members would discuss and decide which podcasts to listen to and discuss. If you are interested in participating or learning more, please email greenfuture@sustainablewarwick.org.
Terracycle - Sustainable Warwick is discussing with staff of Albert Wisner Public Library about teaming up to promote recycling through Terracycle, a nonprofit company that collects typically non-recyclable items through its nationwide recycling platforms. If you are interested in supporting this effort, contact Emma Glasse. (GreenFuture@sustainablewarwick.org)
It can be overwhelming to stop to think about the many costly and tragic climate events that have occurred in just the last year, such as:
Temps well below freezing for a full week in Texas
Temps more than 20 degrees above normal in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia
Excessive rains leading to flooding in Europe and China
Drought and forest fires throughout the western states, both this year and last
Does anyone seriously believe events like these won’t become increasingly common as the climate warms? What can we do?
From October 17th to 24th, Sustainable Hudson Valley will be sponsoring a Hudson Valley Climate Solutions Festival. Groups around the Hudson Valley will hold webinars and in-person events to discuss the solutions they are trying to implement, and Sustainable Warwick has been invited to participate. We are looking for themes to present and are encouraging everyone to set aside time during that week to learn about this important topic.
In lieu of the August meeting - Sustainable Warwick will hold its annual zero-waste potluck picnic the evening of August 18th in Warwick Town Park on Union Corners Road. Everyone is invited to bring a dish and join us!