Starting Wednesday, April 21, the Sanctuary for Independent Media presents the North Troy Environmental Justice Film Festival celebrating grassroots activism! From April 21st through May 5th, there will be online screenings and workshops highlighting struggles of people from Cohoes, NY to Arica, Chile!
Here’s some opportunities to plug in in the Finger Lakes region (and virtually!)…
Tonight at 7pm – Join Tom Snyder, Director of Programming and Conservation Action of the Seneca Park Zoo Society (of Rochester), as he explains the benefits of planting native on your property and around your town. Learn how native species are more robust, improve human health, and make for healthier lawns.
A series of studies on some of the most studied toxic chemicals have found that the risk of death and disease is proportionately greater at lower exposures. That’s why we need to achieve near-zero exposures to protect public health. Join Bruce Lanphear, MD, MPH for a free webinar on April 20th at 12:00pm.
WATKINS GLEN, Apr. 16, 2021 — “Bitcoin mining interests have called Watkins Glen officials in recent weeks to explore the possibility of setting up a cryptocurrency processing operation within the village to take advantage of its cheap electric rates.
Celebrate Earth Day (Thursday, April 22nd) with a virtual trivia event hosted by Kenneth McLaurin and SingTrece from 7:00-8:30pm. Join various Tompkins County organizations in testing our collective climate knowledge while celebrating local connection, solidarity, and action. Between trivia questions, we’ll share information about local efforts to strengthen human and environmental health and liberation, and how you can get involved. Prizes will be provided by your favorite local businesses. Register here!
As you may know, the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance (FLTA) is working to secure a National Heritage Area designation for the Finger Lakes. Here’s why it’s important and how you can help.
We learned over the weekend that the Torrey Town Board, despite what they said at their last meeting (about holding a special meeting for Greenidge later in the month), has rather quietly MOVED THE MEETING UP TO APRIL 19TH.
From fertilizer runoff to road salt, what happens to our roadside ditches ultimately happens to our precious Finger Lakes. As we further explore and combat harmful algae blooms in our area, it’s important that we take into consideration EVERYTHING going into the lake.
As Earth Day approaches, Religious leaders representing over 400,000 people of faith across upper NY state signed on to a statement calling for a transition away from fossil fuels. Join dozens of places of worship in the CNY region for a press conference via Zoom, called “Religious Leaders Support Transition Off of Fossil Fuels” on Monday, April 19th at 2:00pm.
Next Thursday, April 15th at 1:00pm, join the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) via Zoom for “Tackling the Lead Dilemma in Small Municipalities: A Closer Look into Lead Service Line Replacement Programs, Funding, and Inventorying in Small Municipalities.” The speakers will share lessons learned and best practices on lead service line replacement in smaller municipalities (with populations of roughly 5,000-35,000). During this webinar, EPIC will also share information about a new incentive program, the Lead-Free Water Challenge, that will assist small municipalities with lead service line replacement.
While we need to use road salt to keep roadways safe in the ice and snow, the accumulation of salt that washes into waterways has unintended consequences on aquatic life. It also largely contributes to Harmful Algal Blooms, which have been a major problem in the Finger Lakes Region for years. Using this much imported salt is also expensive in terms of both money and carbon emissions. Fortunately, practical alternatives are starting to emerge; namely, salt brine and live-blade plows (which you can learn more about in the article below). Over the course of 2 years testing these alternatives, communities around Lake George cut their salt usage in half, “a drop that maintenance officials say can’t be explained by weather variations”.
Residents living along streams and other waterbodies are encouraged to participate in the DEC’s “Buffer in a Bag” program. The goal of the Buffer in a Bag program is to increase forested riparian buffers across the state by encouraging landowners to undertake small-scale plantings. Streamside plantings help decrease erosion, slow floodwaters, and protect fish and wildlife habitat.
The gas-powered leaf blower is responsible for a significant amount of fossil fuel use, as well as noise and air pollution. Our cars and trucks require strict emissions testing and regulation. The 2-stroke engines in gas leaf blowers (GLBs) lacks emission control components, releasing 300 times the levels of hydrocarbons as vehicles on the road. According to the California Air Resources Board, running one for 1 hour is equivalent to the pollutants released by driving a car 1100 miles.
Around the country, businesses with a social mission are turning reuse, repair, and deconstruction into engines of job creation and job training for hard-to-employ populations, while also achieving meaningful environmental goals. Some of these businesses have been credited with reducing the recidivism of formerly incarcerated employees to practically zero. Come learn about deconstruction/salvaging, which creates jobs, reduces waste, and saves money!