The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

conservation

Local Conservation Leaders: Making a Difference Toward Protecting our Natural Environment

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The Conservation Advisory Council of Pleasantville (CAC) is a local committee dedicated to the preservation and improvement of our village’s beautiful natural environment. Made up of knowledgeable members with a variety of strengths and skill sets, council members pool their collective talent, make recommendations, jumpstart projects or otherwise help to assist the Village Board with matters regarding the preservation and protection of the town’s natural resources.

This may sound daunting, but by tackling specific challenges, real progress is made. Individual members share their knowledge and skills on everything from wetlands mapping to clean-ups and sustainability efforts–all of which help maintain the beauty and integrity of our village’s natural surroundings.

As chairperson Helen Meurer puts it, the CAC exists to “protect natural habitats and water quality” and is made up of “members [who] are enthusiastic about the wonders of nature.”

Minding the Landscape

Many in the community embrace the Conservation Advisory Council and recognize its work as a very valuable asset to the town. This ensures that Pleasantville’s natural environment is always being considered when making town decisions. Essentially, their job is to advise the Village Board how potential upcoming projects and initiatives may affect the landscape.

Meurer explains that its function “offers checks and balances with regard to building proposals to ensure that our environment will still support wildlife and allow proper filtration of rainwater.”

New ideas and projects are constantly being brought up by and executed by the council.  In just the past three years, the CAC has mapped and submitted an open space inventory to the Village Board, created a new wetlands map, hosted Saw Mill River clean ups, and introduced a 50/50 tree planting program to help residents get a tree planted in their yard for half the wholesale price- just to name a few.

‘Tree Walk’ in the Works

Currently, the council is working on a tree walk at Nannahagen Park as well as a tree photography competition in which the winning pieces will be shown in a gallery to celebrate the diverse, beautiful trees all over the town.

According to Meurer, the hope of these two projects is to not just tell people what they shouldn’t be doing and what they’re doing “wrong,” but to instead help them appreciate and celebrate the environment around them. She says the projects’ aims are “to help people appreciate and love their trees,” as well as to “celebrate our local trees both for their beauty and the health of our environment.”

Getting Involved

Council meetings are open to all community members which presents a great opportunity to get involved. It is a great committee to invest time and interest in. They are held on the third Thursday of each month at the Village Hall.

The council’s efforts to preserve and protect our local environment range from educating the community with fun activities like “guess the tree” on Pleasantville Day to getting composting bins and rain barrels placed throughout the town.

They also strongly encourage local tree planting and maintenance through their 50/50 program, in which the Village will share the wholesale cost of a tree and help to plant it too! The CAC is currently encouraging residents to participate in their photography competition as an easy way to get involved and get outdoors!

To enter, follow @pleasantville_village on Instagram and tag them in your tree photo with the caption “I love #mypleasantvilletree because…” Entries are accepted until September 1st!

How New Castle Is Leading the Way To a Sustainable Westchester

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BY KATHY SCHREIBER AND TRACY STEIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACY STEIN

The Town of New Castle is leading the way in promoting a sustainable Westchester. Galvanized by the United States withdrawal from the UN Paris Climate Agreement, the Town joined hundreds of cities and states pledging to uphold the Paris Climate Accord’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions, an important step in the fight against the consequences of climate change. The Town of New Castle is working to define and implement measurable goals to reduce emissions 26% by 2025 (based on 2005 levels) as part of its action plan.

Guiding the Town’s initiative is the New Castle Sustainability Advisory Board (“SAB”). This group, comprised of eleven dedicated Town appointed members and many additional volunteers, works behind the scenes to advise the Town on best practices for leading local environmental and conservation efforts, all with an eye on cost savings measures. While broad emission reductions require Federal and State leadership, SAB has promoted and been the driving force behind implementing a number of actions, empowering a local commitment to reducing New Castle’s carbon footprint.

Composting Pilot Program

The SAB is currently spearheading a voluntary recycling program to reduce food waste, one of the largest components of our trash. A win-win as the town’s food scraps are turned into compost at a commercial facility becoming something useful, rather than a contributor to waste and pollution. The Town’s food scrap recycling program provides an alternative to those residents who don’t compost at home. Participants in the pilot program purchase kits (comprised of two collection bins and compostable liners) for $25. These kits are available at the New Castle Recycling center where the food scraps, stored in approved compostable liners, can be dropped off during regular business hours.

Barbara Cardone, a Chappaqua resident recently purchased a compost kit for her four-generation household. She is glad she did because her garbage disposal now will hardly be used so the impact on her septic tank will be less. She keeps both the small container and the large container in her kitchen. “There is absolutely no odor with either of them. Disposing of the food waste at the recycle center is quick and easy,” Cardone said.

The program also provides an opportunity for residents who compost to recycle food waste like bones, shells, meat, napkins and even junk food that are unsuitable for home composting. As commercial composting becomes more widespread and efficient, New Castle may ultimately be able to offer curbside pick up. The Town’s food scrap recycling program will pay for itself and is predicted to even save New Castle money through reduced waste and hauling fees, which is becoming increasingly important as rules on recycling plastic and metals become more restrictive.

Possible Ordinance on Leaf Blowers

The Town is also considering a measure that would have a large impact on emissions reductions – restrictions on leaf blowers. A SAB-recommended leaf blower reduction ordinance would be similar to laws already in effect in 17 other Westchester towns and counting. Most people are unaware that in addition to creating noxious noise and blowing hazardous dust particles and other pollutants into the air, gas leaf blowers emit large amounts of carbon emissions. One study estimates that a single half-hour use is equal to driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck from New York to Alaska.

Using leaf blowers to clean grass clippings is a relatively recent phenomenon while leaving grass clippings where they fall instead offers beneficial composting nutrients to yards and grasses, something that homeowners may not realize. The restriction under consideration would prohibit the use of gas and electric leaf blowers during the summer when air quality is at its poorest levels, but would not impact fall seasonal cleanup.

One SAB initiative helped to cement New Castle as a leader in sustainability. As the first town in New York State to pass a comprehensive bag law, the Town eliminated hundreds-of-thousands of single-use bags and is now a model for multiple Westchester towns. The SAB regularly consults with other towns and the efforts were rewarded when Pleasantville and Lewisboro recently passed bag laws modeled after New Castle’s.

The SAB’s website, newcastlesab.org includes additional information about these initiatives and ways for residents to lower their carbon footprint. The SAB welcomes volunteers. For additional information, email sab@mynewcastle.org.