November 2020
Still Zooming — Making a difference from right there in your easy chair!
Wednesday November 18, 2020
The Zoom Garden Plot held a composting webinar on Monday, 11/16; there were 58 attendees. Check out our webpage to watch a recording of the webinar and to view or download a copy of “Do the Rot Thing” -- a teacher's guide and coloring book on composting for children.
The Green Screen interviewed candidates for State Senate and Assembly; their report was sent to SW members, but none of the local papers published the report. The committee is reevaluating whether to continue with the countywide and statewide elections, after lots of success working on local elections.
Green Future is doing a survey to get information on levels of knowledge and attitudes about climate change among students at WVHS. (Here’s a link to the survey if you want to see what’s in it, but please don’t fill in the survey.) Also, Christina Thomas is working with Green Future about doing a river cleanup project in Veteran’s Park. You can contact Green Future at GreenFuture@sustainablewarwick.org.
Post-Election To-Do List:
Political Activism (Mary Makofske) We’ve done a lot to encourage individuals to take climate actions, but to see things really get done, we need individuals to get involved in politics, on national, state and local levels.
National: President-elect Biden has good climate plans, but we need to push him to be sure he follows through.
We need letters to the editors on all environmental issues.
How can we help the Senate races in Georgia?
New York: Our state has the CLCPA, but we have to make sure elected officials follow through.
Office of Renewable Energy needs ongoing support.
Town and/or Villages: Suggestions?
Could someone put out a weekly or bi-weekly list of suggested actions that members can take? Contact Mary Makofske at makofske@warwick.net to get involved.
“Repair Revolution: How Fixers are Transforming our Throwaway Culture,” by Elizabeth Knight and John Wackman. Interested in getting a copy of Repair Revolution? Please email BookClub@sustainablewarwick.org to sign up for a copy of the book at a discount. The Sustainable World Book Club will be discussing this volume in February and we are happy to announce that author, Elizabeth Knight, will be our guest.
Repair Cafe: Until it is safe and sensible to hold an in-person Repair Cafe in the Senior Center, please contact Elizabeth Knight, (eknightmoss@gmail.com or 845-544-1056) if you need something repaired. Five repair coaches have offered their skills - knife sharpening, lamps, and other small electrics, small scale wooden items, and textiles - on a drop-off basis. Safety protocols will be provided once we have a coach available.
Michael Helme explained how Cornell Cooperative Extension has full-time staff helping homeowners with home energy efficiency, heat pumps, and going solar. After the current HeatSmart Orange campaign ends later this year, we will be working with Sean Welsh to help citizens of Warwick access New York state programs that are available to them.
Michael also described how the way New York State has set up community solar opportunities, it has incentivized private companies to develop the grid we need to reach net zero goals, while at the same time giving consumers a way to save money on their electric bills. And part of the community solar arrays are dedicated to low-income New Yorkers through Solar for All. Supporting community solar will be a big project for SW in 2021.
In lieu of our usual annual zero-waste pot luck dinner, on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, we’ll hold a zero-waste Zoom session to view and discuss a few inspiring and informative videos on sustainable living. If you have suggestions for what we should watch, please let us know. SteeringCommittee@sustainablewarwick.org
In the holiday season ahead, there are many thoughtful gifts you can share with family and friends. Some of us ask others to do donations in lieu of physical items (which we all tend to have too much of). Others suggested giving memberships in museums or zoos as a gift, or subscriptions to digital magazines, like National Geographic. Sustainable Warwick canvas shopping bags and re-usable produce bags are also available. Please check with us at SteeringCommittee@sustainablewarwick.org for details.
The Steering Committee has openings for 2021. If you are interested in learning more about serving on the Steering Committee, please contact us. SteeringCommittee@sustainablewarwick.org