The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

New Castle Releases

New Castle’s Food Scrap Recycling Program Launches May 29th

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May 29 is National Learn About Composting Day!

Food waste is one of the largest components of trash sent to landfills and incinerators and composting provides a beneficial alternative. What exactly is compost? It’s science! Compost is the nutrient rich result of the natural decomposition of organic matter. Compost can be made from kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, newspapers, lawn clippings, leaves…almost any food or plant product. The high nutrient content in compost improves soil quality and stability and reduces soil disease-–some of the many reasons compost is also known as “black gold”.

On March 12, 2018, the New Castle Town Board unanimously authorized a food scrap recycling program that will enable more residents to participate in the composting process. Residents can reduce garbage waste and air pollution as well as recycle food waste not suitable for backyard composting (like bones, shells, meat, napkins, paper towels). The Town’s “scraps” are brought to a compost facility and turned into soil. New Castle is launching its food scrap recycling program on Tuesday May 29, in honor of National Learn About Composting Day! Recycling kits (required for participation in the program) will be available for purchase outside Starbucks in downtown Chappaqua and outside DeCicco & Son’s in Millwood between 9am-1pm. The Kit price is $25 and includes a kitchen collection bin, a locking transportation bin (to transport scraps to the New Castle Recycling Center), and compostable bags. After May 29th, kits will be available at the New Castle Recycling Center and at announced town events like the Chappaqua Farmers Market, Town Board Meetings, etc. For more information about the program, see the New Castle Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB) website:  newcastlesab.org/food-scrap-recycling

We all want to do our part to conserve natural resources and reduce our carbon footprint. Composting supports the three R’s of waste prevention: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Compost is an environmentally safe fertilizer and an effective alternative to using commercial chemical fertilizers and mulch that are expensive and add toxins to our ground water. Compost helps make your garden safe and hospital for pollinators and other wildlife vital to protecting our ecosystem. New Castle is proud to join the growing number of nearby towns including Bedford, Greenburgh, and Scarsdale, in implementing a food scrap recycling program. For questions about New Castle’s food scrap recycling program, please e-mail Composting@MyNewCastle.org

2nd Annual ‘Northwell Health Walk at Westchester’ on Sunday May 20th

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Proceeds Benefit the Bruce and Andrea Yablon Cancer Health and Wellness Program at Northern Westchester Hospital

Mt. Kisco, NY– Northwell Health’s 2nd annual Health Walk at Westchester takes place on Sunday, May 20 at Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Yorktown Heights. Funds raised by the walk will benefit the Bruce and Andrea Yablon Cancer Health and Wellness Program, at Northern Westchester Hospital, which provides thousands of patients with free access to health coaches, registered dieticians, exercise programs, individual and group counseling as well as integrative medicine, including acupuncture and reflexology.

          The event is a day to come together with family, friends and colleagues to celebrate and support the health and wellness of our entire community. Activities include: Health and wellness exhibits, Sponsor row, Kids’ zone, Musical entertainment, Food and beverages, Photo booth, Giveaways and Pre‐walk warm‐ups. 

          Registration begins at 8:30 am and the walk kicks off at 10 am.  To register, visit www.northwellhealthwalk.com/event/westchester

          For more information, contact Whitney Wasserman at (914) 242‐8382 or wwasserman2@northwell.edu.

 

About Northern Westchester Hospital:

Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a member of Northwell Health, provides quality, patient-centered care that is close to home through a unique combination of medical expertise, leading-edge technology, and a commitment to humanity. Over 650 highly-skilled physicians, state-of-the-art technology and professional staff of caregivers are all in place to ensure that you and your family receive treatment in a caring, respectful and nurturing environment. NWH has established extensive internal quality measurements that surpass the standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) National Hospital Quality Measures. Our high-quality standards help to ensure that the treatment you receive at NWH is among the best in the nation. For more information, please visit www.nwhc.net and connect with us on Facebook.

 

 

About Northwell Health:
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, more than 600 outpatient facilities and nearly 15,000 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 63,500 employees – 15,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.

 

 

3rd Annual Bedford 2020 Greenlight Award Finals

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Will Showcase Students’ Big Green Accomplishments

The third annual Bedford 2020 Greenlight Award Finals on May 1st will feature high school contestants with big green ideas at the newly restored Bedford Playhouse in Bedford Village. “This is an exciting opportunity to see our future environmental leaders in action,” said Midge Iorio, Executive Director of Bedford 2020.

The theme of the Greenlight Award contest this year, Changemaker, challenged participants to not only come up with a big green idea, but also to prove that it could change behavior. “Behavior change is an important theme because causing people to do things differently is critical to the success of many environmental challenges,” Iorio explained. “The Finalists have caused people to change their behavior to address a variety of environmental problems – from greenhouse gas emissions to water pollution and waste.”

Several teams from Horace Greeley High School have advanced to the Finals and will present their projects before the judges and audience. The Greeley STOP Club worked on an anti-idling campaign, another student installed a kiosk where people can take or leave reusable bags, and a third team tapped into people’s interest in donating to charity to improve recycling habits.

Community members are encouraged to attend. “Our hope for the future will be elevated by these students who have taken on this challenge,” said Sarah Douglis, Bedford 2020 Board member and Pound Ridge resident. “I bring my kids, who are in elementary school, to the Greenlight  Finals so that they are inspired first hand by these high school role models and become part of this important movement of their generation of environmental leaders”

The eight teams of Finalists were selected from 19 initial teams from Fox Lane, Horace Greeley, Somers, Harvey, John Jay, and Rye Country Day high schools. Finalists received up to $1000 in seed funding and worked with community experts to develop and carry out their big green ideas. At the Finals, the teams will show how they worked with stakeholders, created and carried out a strategy, catalyzed behavior change, and measured their results. The most impactful project will win the Greenlight Award and a $500 cash prize.

The presentations will be scored by judges Kitley Covill, Westchester County Legislator, Dale Akinla of Morgan Stanley, and Caela Murphy of the Endeavor Foundation.

The 2017-2018 Greenlight Award is sponsored by PepsiCo.

The Greenlight Award Finals will take place on Tuesday, May 1st at 6:30pm at the Bedford Playhouse, 633 Old Post Rd, Bedford, NY.

For more information about the Greenlight Award visit www.bedford2020.org/greenlight

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Bedford 2020 is a non-profit organization leading a community-wide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to create a sustainable community that conserves natural resources. More information is available at www.Bedford2020.org.

“Before The Flood” – Community Screening

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A call to action on climate change! Thursday, May 3 @ 7:00 – 9:00pm, Chappaqua Performing Arts Center (480 Bedford Road, Chappaqua). Community screening and discussion of the internationally acclaimed eco-documentary Before The Flood. The film, presented by National Geographic and filmmaker Fisher Stevens, follows Leonardo DiCaprio as he explores the effects of climate change around the globe with world leaders, and provides an in-depth look at the complex issues from all sides. Learn how individuals, communities, and countries can combat climate change through sustainable measures like waste reduction, renewable energy, and conservation. The screening and discussion are free and open to the public with seating on a first come basis. This event is being hosted by:  the New Castle Sustainability Advisory Board, t​he Horace Greeley High School Environmental Club S.T.O.P., Friends of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, the New Castle Arts & Culture Committee, and the Chappaqua Central School District. For more information, please contact: sab@mynewcastle.org #BeforeTheFlood