Message from the Mayor: Composting, Thanks Meg, Moon and Art, Diapers, HEF
Posted on: April 13, 2017 - 7:54pm
Fellow Residents,
A new initiative, a thank you to Meg, art and the moon, and a couple of opportunities to contribute to our community.
Composting Initiative
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As noted in my last email about garbage trends, our DPW collected 3,293 tons of non-recyclable trash last year. (HOH DPW STATS) Of this, up to 1,000 tons was organic waste, including vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells and the like. You can convert much of this into rich, fertile compost with little effort.
While there’s a growing trend among municipalities to collect organic waste and haul it off to composting centers, an even more ecological (and cost-saving) alternative is to simply compost food scraps on our own properties or with neighbors. (I’ve been doing this for six years now with my neighbor, and it isn’t particularly challenging.) It reduces the tons of garbage our households produce, creates (free) compost that is a great amendment for yards, gardens, and indoor plants and reduces our collective footprint - a classic win-win-win situation.
A local group is creating a campaign to help Hastings residents compost by explaining the how-tos, providing support along the way and access to composting equipment at reduced prices. Composting takes about fifteen minutes to learn everything you need to know to do get started. There will be a table at the Farmer’s Market this Saturday from 9AM to 1PM with all the information you need.
If you'd like help starting home composting or stepping up your current compost system, please email hastingscompost@gmail.com. Meanwhile, please visit this excellent resource on composting:HERE
Meg Walker
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I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the departure of Trustee Meg Walker, who decided to step from the Board of Trustees. Meg and I ran together eight years ago (along with Bruce Jennings who left two years ago when he retired). Meg exemplifies the spirit of public service that makes a community successful. She was endlessly energetic, positive and thoughtful, a proponent of public participation and the impact of public spaces on the community. A nationally renown expert on public spaces, she tackled one of our more intractable problems – reviving the downtown - with patient experimentation, trying and discarding ideas until she found things that worked, often in the face of jaded skepticism that anything could make a difference. She created the popular Friday Night Live series of events, cycling through various formats until she found those that drew a mix of people downtown. (A generation of kids now think that FNL is something all villages *do*, which, of course, most do not.) She pushed for the creation, funding and ongoing support of a Downtown Advocate position – and the Advocate has, in turn, helped promote the opening of a spate of new stores and restaurants, transforming our downtown. She pushed for downtown architectural standards, and also for new zoning for the large properties at the gateways of the Village, working to ensure that the Village maintains its character of a leafy enclave. In short, Meg believes that public service matters and then went ahead and proved it does. Meg was promptly appointed to a Village Committee (literally) fifteen minutes after she stepped down and also will continue her work on designing the future shoreline of Hastings. She may step down, but she will not step away. For her countless hours, indeed, for the countless hours so many volunteers spend on the boards, committees, Little League, volunteer Fire Department – thank you for making this village what it is: a special place to live.
Hastings and the Moon
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Hastings Village Arts Commission Call To Artists: How High The Moon
The Village Arts Commission is collaborating with the Hastings Historical Society to celebrate Hastings' unique place in lunar history with an art exhibition called “How High the Moon". Hastings own, Dr. Henry Draper, pioneered photographic astronomy, and is best known for taking the first photographs of the moon with a telescope at his observatory in Draper Park.
This original juried art exhibit will combine historical highlights about the doctor and his wife, Mary Anna Palmer Draper’s contributions to science and the public's fascination with the moon. The Arts Commission is calling all artists to explore the magic, mystery and meaning of the moon through art. From mythology to madness, from magnetism to man’s race to space, we ask you to respond to the question, “What does the moon conjure for you?”
Visit the Hastings-On-Hudson Arts Commission Facebook page for Call To Artists details and how to apply; deadline for entries is June 1, 2017:HERE
Diaper Drive
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The Moms Club of Hastings is sponsoring a Diaper Drive, where residents can drop off packages of new diapers at boxes in the Community Center, Hastings Yoga, Greenleaf Pharmacy, Goddard School and Temple Beth Shalom until April 21st. The Moms Club is coordinating with the Westchester County Diaper Bank, which provides diapers to local mothers who cannot afford an ample supply of diapers.
HEF Annual Fundraiser
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The Hastings Education Foundation (“HEF”) provides support to our fine school system, and raises money in part through their annual party fundraiser. This twelfth iteration is entitled “The Taste of Hastings “ and will be held Saturday, May 6th at the Captain Lawrence brewery not far away in Elmsford. I did this last year, and besides being fun, the brewery itself is an impressive artifact and, like most working breweries, interesting to visit. For more information, visit HERE
As always, any questions or concerns, reach out and we will do our best to answer you promptly.
Sincerely,
Peter Swiderski
Mayor