Print
Share page with AddThis

Mayor’s Message: Special Issue: Earth Day Actions 2020

Posted on: April 22, 2020 - 3:36pm
Mayor
Hi everyone,
 
Last year, the list of ideas residents sent in to share out on Earth Day was fantastic - many of the contributions came from our then 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders, so special thanks to them and to everyone else who contributed! This year there are many, many more ideas that are captured below. Hopefully you and your family can find some inspiration for things to do today and everyday as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day (see HERE for a brief history of this very special day).
 
At Home
  • Eat less meat and more vegetables!
  • Get a food scrap recycling kit and start recycling your food waste.
  • Buy products in bulk and try to reduce use of packaging material  – you can start right now by supporting the Refill Room, a new business devoted to solving this problem right here in Hastings-on-Hudson, it will formally open when the pandemic is over but has already launched curbside pick up so get in touch!
  • Learn how to recycle properly by downloading “Recyclopedia” the Recycle Right Westchester App (for Apple HERE android HERE).
  • Use aluminum or glass bottles/containers instead of plastic (aluminum containers are the easiest to recycle) and rinse everything out before recycling!
  • Recycle corks (save them up and drop them at Whole Foods when you have a bunch of them).
  • Buy beeswax paper instead of plastic wrap.
  • Use less paper towels and go the old-fashioned route – try a classic British “tea towel” instead.
  • Use less paper or cardboard and read things online.
  • Cut down junk mail (see ways to do that HERE) and cancel subscription to all those catalogues you are signed up for (try THIS).
  • Conserve water – don’t take long showers, don’t let the tap run while you’re brushing your teeth and only do the laundry when you have a full load.
  • Don’t use the dryer - dry your clothes on a line outside like your great-grandmothers!
  • Use less power – switch to LED lights, turn the lights off and unplug electronics you aren’t using.
  • Reduce the amount of energy you use for heating and cooling  – use energy efficient appliances.
  • Get an electricity meter for your appliances so you really know how much energy you’re using.
  • Recycle electronics.
  • Use rechargeable batteries.
  • Buy a hybrid or electric car.
  • Install solar on your roof or reduce your bills by signing up for community solar.
  • Install better insulation in your house and check out HeatSmart.
  • Recycle textiles.
  • Donate gently used clothes and toys to someone who needs them or take them to a consignment shop.
  • Use reusable bags when you go shopping (don’t use plastic bags they are now illegal in New York State but we banned them in Hastings ages ago!).
  • Tune up your bike and/or buy a new one and use a bike instead of a car when ever you can.
  • On a rainy day, make art from old plastic bottles, soda cans and other stuff you would normally throw away and give it to someone you love.
  • Make a point of watching films that highlight eco issues (including Earth Day Film Festival, the Beyond Plastics Virtual Film Series, and this super list of sustainability-themed digital resources recommended by our Conservation Commission).
  • Learn about Drawdown and chose a solution you can adopt yourself to reduce greenhouse gases.
 
In the Garden
  • Plant a seed and see what grows.
  • Plant flowers that attract the butterflies and bees and create a pollinator garden.
  • Create a vegetable garden and eat what you grow!
  • Choose native plants and trees for your garden.
  • Cut the vines that are strangling your trees and let them breathe!
  • Give your friends seedlings and cuttings to beautify their gardens.
  • Compost in your garden and use the rich soil you create to help your plants grow.
  • Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em (mow your leaves into the lawn – it turns into compost very quickly).
  • Avoid leaf blowers  – people who suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases will appreciate it.
  • Use electric power tools in your garden instead of gas powered ones.
  • Visit our local plant shop Mossy Fern online to get ideas and purchase plants – they deliver!
 
In the Neighborhood
  • Pick up trash everywhere!
  • Clear the storm drains around your home/garden so the storm drains don’t get clogged.
  • Clear paths and passageways by trimming away the overgrowth to make sure they are walkable.
  • Daylight sidewalks by removing the dirt and muck on them so kids can walk to school and everyone can walk around the neighborhood (if you have a sidewalk near your house that needs daylighting but the task seems too daunting, let me know and we will rally people to help you).
  • Have a “green block party” and share information about composting, recycling, carpooling etc. – you can swap plants, have a lemonade stand (with no straws!) and get to know people you don’t know.
  • Walk, don’t drive – it is good exercise and you’ll meet people who live near by.
  • Have a neighborhood camp out and watch the stars instead of watching TV.
 
At School
  • Walk to school.
  • Take lunch to school in a reusable container.
  • Use a water bottle.
  • Start a “fun clean up” project for kids and teachers to do together.
  • Make a pact with everyone in your class to reduce the trash.
  • Recycle paper and plastic.
  • Use biodegradable cups.
  • Start a “No straws!” campaign.
  • Join the Environmental Club and plan Earth Day actions for next year.
  • If you are a teenager, “leave no trace” in the woods (you know where!).
  • Hillside Elementary School has created a video to celebrate Earth Week. (Click HERE to view)
 
In the Community
  • Walk, walk, walk everywhere and/or bike, bike, bike everywhere!
  • Enjoy our virtual Earth Day celebration and tune into one of the webinars featuring smart and inspiring Hastings residents (see HERE for details) – last year someone suggested we have an Earth Day themed Friday Night Live, which we had planned, this is our creative solution since we are unable to meet in person!
  • Experience the virtual Drive Electric Earth Day Event.
  • Participate in the Hastings at Home Garden Challenge and the Hastings at Home Upcycle Challenge – plant some flowers and/or repurpose stuff at home and send in pictures (see HERE for details).
  • Participate in the second (virtual) Sakura Matsuri, or Cherry Blossom Festival, at the pocket park at the corner of Villard Avenue and Broadway by sending in a Haiku or message (see HERE for details). 
  • Celebrate our Arbor Day tree planting which will happen on April 24 at Draper Park – 6 baby fir trees from the holiday tree lighting will be planted.
  • Discover our woods – visit parks you don’t already know or parts of the woods/parks you’ve never been to (do you know where the magic school bus is for example?)
  • Participate in the HoH Bioblitz in National Geographic's free iNaturalist app – take pictures on your smartphone of living things you come across and the iNaturalist app will automatically log your discovery in our Bioblitz (see HERE for a short video about the project).
  • Respond to our Climate Vulnerability Survey to help us understand public perceptions of climate change and extreme climate events here in the Village and please reply by May 1st, 2020.
  • Review the great work of our Conservation Commission and Climate Smart Communities Task Force and learn about the ways we are addressing climate change in the Village HERE.
  • Join the Vine Squad in the fall.
  • Join a “Friends of ….” group to take care of a special park near you – there are  friends of groups for Quarry Park, Riverview Park, Zinsser Park, Hillside Park, Rowley’s Bridge Trail and Lefurgy Park to name a few …
  • Help to clean up our parks and public places everyday, and participate in the Village Wide Clean-Up when it ends up happing (for now it’s postponed).
  • Volunteer for an organization that promotes sustainability locally and/or participate in the Great Saw Mill River Cleanup or the Riverkeeper Sweep Waterfront Cleanup when they are rescheduled.
  • Participate in an upcoming Repair Café and learn from fellow residents about how to fix things at home.
  • Make a community garden.
  • Add shade structures, including lots of trees, to the new Waterfront Park and all our parks!
  • Refuse straws if you’re given one in a restaurant or take your own.
  • Commute to work using a bike (the Village will be expanding bike parking this summer!).
  • Carpool to the train and use the WAZE Carpool App to find other people who want to participate (the Village will be initiating a WAZE Carpool program once New York is no longer “on PAUSE”!).
  • Lobby local shops to install bulk purchasing for cereal, nuts, trail mix, etc. and to sell beeswax paper instead of plastic wrap.
  • Please remember to support the Hastings Farmer’s Market
  • Shop at antique, thrift and consignment stores where you can pick up unique second hand items of clothing or furniture – right here in Hastings check out Suburban Renewal which is a local pioneer of his perennially trendy idea!
  • Most importantly now and always support our local shops and “Buy Local!” – see HERE for order-in options and HERE for order-online options – shopping local means you’ll use less gas, reduce CO2 and support our local economy which is more important now than ever!
 
Thanks to everyone who sent in ideas – as one person reminded us “every day should be Earth Day,” and as another pointed out “reduce, reuse and recycle every day!”
 
Sincerely,
 
Nicola Armacost
Mayor