The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

environment

If our Neighbor Becomes President: The Impact on the Earth

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chappaqua-summer-writing-program-for-girls-photo-three

By Reilly

I’ve never been one for politics. I don’t like the divisions it instills, the animosity it provokes, or the assertive natures of the politically-savvy. However, I find myself wanting to care more and more about politicians’ stances as the years pass by, if only for my deep concern for the deteriorating state of the environment.

Humankind has been steadily destroying the earth for hundreds of years, and I’ve been realizing just how influential politicians are in determining the future of the natural world (which seems to be growing less and less natural by the day) that surrounds us. For example, the economy can only thrive and the government can only operate so much in a languishing environment such as the one we inhabit today.

According to nasa.gov, arctic sea ice now has a 13.4% rate of depreciation, due to the ever-rising global temperatures (an average of 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit higher than in 1880). A major cause of climate change is deforestation, which has a rate that is equal to losing 20 football fields every minute.

The United States’ rate of deforestation is one that, if continued, will ensure that only a quarter of the forests standing today will be there in 70 years. So, someone arguing that climate change is a myth is quite possibly the most severe form of ignorance one could claim.

Donald Trump has seemed to make it his goal to hasten the downfall of the natural world. Trump has been quoted saying climate change (commonly referred to as “global warming”) is “nonsense” and an “expensive hoax”, and said that the EPA’s attempt to preserve the earth “is a disgrace”. His total disregard for the environment and his pledge to defund the EPA’s role in government is blasphemous, and unacceptable. Therefore, if a reader is even in the slightest bit leaning towards Trump, remember the environment, and think of the Earth that your children will be struggling to survive in and will be scrambling to save as it approaches the brink.

Our neighbor, Hillary Clinton, has vowed to keep the environment as one of her primary concerns: “As President, I’ll say no to drilling in the Arctic. I’ll stop the tax giveaways to big oil and gas companies. And I’ll make significant investments in clean energy. Our children’s health and future depend on it.” Could she have said it better? Hillary, unlike Mr. Trump, is the only hope for the preservation of the environment, and for us.

If my age didn’t inhibit me from voting in the 2016 election, I would vote Hillary if only for my concern about the environment. After acquainting myself more with the political scene for the past year, I’ve learned that Hillary has much more to offer than her pledges for the natural world. But we all know about healthcare, and immigration, and abortion rights. We, as citizens not of the United States but of the world, need to start educating ourselves about the current state of the natural world- need to step up, face the problems, and conquer them- and I believe that voting Hillary is one of the first steps in that equation.

Reilly is a junior at John Jay High School, who hates discussing politics and loves the environment and crossword puzzles.

Buchwald Scores a “Perfect” Environmental Record for a 4th Time

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Assemblyman Buchwald Receives 4th Consecutive Perfect Score for His Strong Environmental Record

Assemblyman David Buckwald outside his office in Mt. Kisco, New York Photo by Todd Shapera
Assemblyman David Buchwald outside his office in Mount Kisco, New York Photo by Todd Shapera

For the fourth year in a row, Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-Mount Kisco) has received a perfect legislative score from the Environmental Advocates of New York, a leading environmental watchdog group in the state. Assemblyman Buchwald has had an unbroken perfect score for the entirety of his time in the New York State Assembly.

“Being recognized for four straight years as having a perfect environmental voting record means a lot to me,” said Assemblyman Buchwald. “Westchester residents sent me to the State Assembly to deliver the message that we have to protect clean air and water, keep toxic chemicals away from our children and emergency responders, and take on the challenges of climate change. I fight for those principles and at the same time seek to grow our economy through environmental innovation and energy efficiency.”

Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of EPL/Environmental Advocates said, “New Yorkers can be thankful to have people like Assemblyman Buchwald representing their interests in the state Legislature. Year after year, and on vote after vote, Assemblyman Buchwald has proven himself a steadfast champion of our environment and public health. EPL/Environmental Advocates thanks the Assemblyman for his leadership, and applauds him for once again earning the high score amongst his colleagues.”

Every year, Environmental Advocates grades New York State lawmakers according to their votes on bills that could help or harm our air, land, water, wildlife and health. Based in Albany, the group monitors state government, evaluates proposed laws and champions policies and practices that ensure the responsible stewardship of our shared environment.

Earlier this year, Assemblyman Buchwald co-sponsored environmentally responsible legislation that classifies hydrofracking waste as hazardous material and keeps harmful chemicals out of children’s products.

The Environmental Advocates 2016 Environmental Scorecard can be read in greater detail on their website at http://eplvotersguide.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/2016-Environmental-Scorecard.pdf

 

This information is via a news release from David Buchwald’s office.

Say No to Plastic, YES to Reusable

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It will be the law soon in New Castle anyway!

Photo from cawrecycle.org
Photo from cawrecycle.org
By Matt Smith

“One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”

These, of course, were the famous words spoken by astronaut Neil Armstrong to mark the momentous occasion of the first moon landing–no doubt, also a personal feat for Armstrong himself. While New Castle residents have yet to journey beyond our planet (if you have, please step forward), a landmark May 31 passing of the New Castle Reusable Bag Initiative–which officially identified our town as the first municipality in the state to pass such a law–constitutes a giant leap too, at least at the local level.

The ordinance, which will officially go into effect on January 1, 2017, will limit the number of single-use plastic shopping bags in a variety of local businesses, encouraging patrons to instead bring their own reusable bag when shopping.

The greenlight comes after an in-depth, two-year study of bag laws in towns across the country, and an equally-lengthy deliberation process, in which Sustainability Advisory Board members worked hard to devise a law that aimed to maximize protection of the environment, while still benefitting local businesses.

Following an additional deliberation period, which included reviewing the law with merchants and residents, getting petitions signed, answering questions, and responding to overall feedback, the final law written by SAB member and RBI initiative leader Jennifer Mebes Flagg, and then, of course, ultimately passed. Needless to say, it’s a decision with which the Town Board is incredibly proud.

“I ran for this position to make a difference,” says Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein, on the subject, “and I feel that by passing this initiative, we have done just that.” In addition, Chairman of New Castle’s Sustainability Advisory Board Steven Wolk praises both the “incredibly supportive” residents of New Castle and the “tireless commitment” of the Town Board, stating that, in passing the law, “[Our] message is clear: [The well-being] of our environment, and ultimately the health of our children, is worth giving up a small amount of convenience.”

Free Bags at First

But any big transition comes with a period of adjustment, and the Board is prepared to handle such circumstances. To ease customers into the change, “We’ll distribute free reusable bags at first,” explains Greenstein, “but the goal is that hopefully, there will be a shift and shoppers will either bring bags on their own, or recognize that a bag may not even be needed.”

As a convenient alternative, stores will offer up paper bags…but in keeping with the effort to be environmentally-friendly and encourage reusable bag use, since paper bags are also highly polluting, they’ll come with a 10-cent charge (kept by the stores to offset the cost of acquiring such bags).

Greenstein, who adds that the change will most impact “the biggest providers of plastic bags” in the area, including Rite Aid, Walgreens, Chappaqua Village Market, and both the incoming DeCicco & Sons (Millwood) and Whole Foods Market (Chappaqua), notes that this ten-cent bag fee will be waived for businesses that mayoffer decorative paper bags for branding purposes.

“I understand the importance for small businesses like gift shops and jewelry stores to have nice paper bags with their name and their logo on it, [and] a design,” he explains. “We tried to respect their right to continue to do that, without having to [charge a fee].”

Additionally, due to the nature of the product and the necessity of the plastic bag, the ordinance would neither affect nor apply to bags for meat and produce, newspapers, or dry cleaning.

No Plastic Bags at All

But for all businesses, plastic shopping bags will be banned entirely. And while some New Castle residents are quick to express dismay, Greenstein urges those opposed to see the positive effects of the decision: “The evidence is overwhelming that this will have a positive impact on the environment.”

Indeed, it’s true. Plastic bags “contribute to climate change, harm our health, and pollute our streets and waterways,” says Wolk. “The problems translate into a giant tax on all residents.” Prohibiting plastic bags would tremendously decrease all these negative impacts.

Furthermore, in the economic sense, “Most people are not going to want to go to Walgreens and pay ten cents every time,” notes Greenstein. “[With this initiative], not only are our residents preserving the environment, but they’re also saving money.”

Here Comes the Sun: Solar Power in New Castle

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A first commercial solar installation on Greeley Avenue in Chap- paqua, which won Sunrise Solar an award from the Town of New Castle’s Sustainability Committee.
A first commercial solar installation on Greeley Avenue in Chappaqua, which won Sunrise Solar an award
from the Town of New Castle’s Sustainability Committee.

By Eileen Gallagher

Looking to lower your electric bills? Longing to go green? Interested in protecting the environment? Curious about the Solarize signage that was appearing throughout town? Going solar might be the perfect fit for you!

Why did we see all those”Solarize” signs around town?

New Castle Sustainability Advisory Board chairperson Steve Wolk and Alicia Molloy (the initiative manager) described how Solarize came about in town:

New Castle and other towns were looking into Solarize Westchester, a program started by NY Sun (a NYS government program). Per their website, http://ny-sun.ny.gov/About/NY-Sun-FAQ, this program “is part of the Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s commitment to “protect the environment and lower energy costs for all New Yorkers by improving the efficiency and reliability of the electric grid.”

Wolk described how the program can help towns to adopt a high amount of solar on residential homes and small commercial buildings by using the program to reduce risk and reduce the cost of solar.

New Castle was able to link with Somers because, as Wolk explained, the towns needed to be contiguous, and their colleagues were “great partners and people they could collaborate with and potentially share marketing materials and ideas.” The feeling was that there would be a higher probability of getting to be one of the “chosen towns” by working with Somers.

New Castle and Somers filled out an application in which they described what they would do as part of this initiative, and were selected for the program.

Why go solar now?

Molloy explained that there has really never been a better time to convert to solar in terms of pricing and incentives. “Energy costs are always going to keep going up.” Costs aside, she stressed the need for a greener future, leading the way to “get off of fossil fuels and think in renewable energy.”

Can solar panels really power a home?

If your house has a proper amount of sunlight, as a solar installer will assess, you could potentially power your entire home using solar energy.

Any power generated and unused by your home goes back into the grid, and you are credited for that portion.

Is your home a good fit for solar?

The ideal candidates for solar installation would be homes facing south, south-east or south-west, with little to no shade, and a clear roof of less than 15 years with no obstructions.  If the roof is shaded, trees might need to be trimmed. Ground-mounting is possible, but cost would be higher due to the need for a structure to place the panels on. Westchester and particularly New Castle is challenged by the large amount of trees.

Which provider to use?

Residents are always free to choose their own solar provider. For example, Sunrise Solar Solutions of Briarcliff Manor is a company whose CEO is a resident of Chappaqua. Rand Manasse, along with Sunrise Solar’s president, Doug Hertz, described their attractive solar installations as setting them apart from other installers. As a seven year subsidiary of Sunrise Building and Remodeling, they recognize the importance and value placed on the quality as well as appearance of the equipment on one’s home.

How long will it take to recover expenses?

According to Manasse, the average return on investment is five to six years for purchased systems and Day One for financed systems. And this is for a system that has a warrantied life of 25 years and will most likely produce energy for well over 30.

The savings on a solar system for the typical home in Westchester is $60,000  over the life of the system.

Selling your home in the near future?

Purchasing equipment rather than leasing might be a better fit for you. Per Hertz, “In a recent study by the Department of Energy it was shown that for every dollar invested in a solar system you add 3 dollars to the value of your home at resale.  Reporting from the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have shown issues with selling homes with leased systems. Not only does ownership create more value, but it removes the legal impediments to a sale that a lease entails.”

Peter Martin and Kendal Sandlin in New Castle
Peter Martin and Kendal Sandlin in New Castle

Tips from Sunrise Solar Solutions

  • Shop local. Not every Solarize partner is equally invested in the community. Once the campaign is over, a national firm with spread out interests may be far less responsive than a reputable local installer with longstanding ties to the community.
  • Look for long-term value, not bargains. The saying goes, it’s penny-wise and pound-foolish. When making a significant investment in your home, pricing is important, but it’s just one of many factors to consider. Invest in a system that can offer you significant savings for many years to come, not just today. It’s very important to note that a higher quality installation can actually save you more money in the long-term.

For more information, solarizewestchester.com/solarize-somers-new-castle/ and sunrisesolarllc.com