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NEWS OF THE MONTH FROM THE TARRYTOWN ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
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APRIL 2020: LET'S MAKE IT AN EARTH MONTH!
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
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We’ve made some changes to this year’s Earth Day Celebration and we hope you join us -- not physically, of course, but on your own, while you're practicing safe social distancing and getting fresh air in our parks and on our trails.
This month, we’ll celebrate Earth Day by regularly posting, to our website, Facebook and Instagram accounts, events and tips, including:
- Do-it-Yourself Earth day clean-up suggestions that you can do alone or with a safely-distanced friend;
- Bird watching with help from a local ornithologist;
- A map of local walks (and tips for some further-afield, lesser-known trails) .
#earthdayttown
#earthdaytarrytown
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CLEAN-UPS IN TARRYTOWN
YOU CAN STILL DO A CLEAN-UP FOR EARTH DAY
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IT'S OFFICIAL: Large-group clean-ups are cancelled for Earth Day because of the 'rona. But you can still grab a bag, some gloves, and some solid boots and pick up the garbage that's been accumulating in our neighborhoods since last Earth Day.
The Village of Tarrytown will collect whatever trash you've picked up. Just send an email to administrator@tarrytowngov.com, along with the location of your trash bag and a picture (so they know what to look for).
So here are our suggestions for places to tidy up a bit. And remember:
- DON'T go out without gloves;
- DON'T drop your gloves on the ground and leave them (!)
- WEAR a mask if at all possible;
- STAY CLEAR of other people -- at least six feet away at all times;
- WASH UP thoroughly afterwards;
- POST your clean-up pictures on Instagram, using the hashtag, #EARTHDAYTTOWN
- LET THE VILLAGE KNOW your garbage is ready for collection.
You can clean up anywhere in Tarrytown! Your neighborhood, the trails, the parks, the train station. There are reports of large amounts of trash being left on the ground, as well as used rubber gloves.
#earthdayttown
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TAKE A HIKE
HERE'S THE TARRYTOWN TRAIL MAP!
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Walk them or bike them, Tarrytown's got a whole bunch of trails for you to try. Take a "red-line challenge" and do all the trails -- and don't forget to post your pictures to Instagram, using the hashtag, #EARTHDAYTTOWN.
Use the link to download a much larger version of the map from our website, so you can zoom in on a particular location.
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VICTORY!
BUILD YOUR OWN VICTORY GARDEN
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Victory gardens (also called war gardens or food gardens for defense) were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States and all over the world.
Want to start a Victory Garden of your own? Check out this link.
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SPEAKING OF GARDENS....
CLAIM A SPOT IN TARRYTOWN'S COMMUNITY GARDEN
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We have a few 4'x8' beds available in the community garden for this season. If you are interested in having a spot, please complete this form. Please note that space is very limited, so if interest exceeds demand there will be a lottery system. Those who do not get in this year will be put on a waiting list for next year. Please note that there will be social distancing procedures in place.
We also need these supplies, if you can help:
We are looking for untreated, 2”x8” boards, either 4 or 8 feet long (none shorter than 4 feet), to rebuild some of the garden beds. If you have any wood to donate please contact us at tarrytownenviro@gmail.com.
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LOVE YOUR VILLAGE
TEAC MEETINGS ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
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TEAC relies on volunteers to keep things moving. But our monthly meetings will be suspended for now, until it's deemed safe to gather in person again.
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GROSS.
RUBBER GLOVES ALL OVER THE PLACE.
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PLEASE: Get used rubber gloves into trash cans. They're being disposed of all over Tarrytown -- in our parks and on our sidewalks. If you see them on the ground, pick them up with a stick or some other method, without using your bare hands.
You can also sanitize your used rubber gloves. Soak them in a solution of 50% water, 50% bleach, and then rinse and dry.
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FOOD SCRAPS PROGRAM UPDATE
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Food Scrap Program Participants: Compostable bag replacement liners are now available for sale at Grass Roots Kitchen from 12 noon to 8 PM M-F and 9am-8PM Saturday and Sunday. There is a self serve/honor system table set up on the right side of the restaurant. There is a small cash box or you can Venmo $2 per roll to Tarrytownenviro@gmail.com. While you are there please support our hard working friends and pick up lunch or dinner! You can order in advance at http://ordr.us/grassroots or call 914-909-5588.
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LET THE EARTH BREATH
A MEAT-FREE MONDAY RECIPE
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While celebrating Earth Month, participating in Meat Free Mondays is something easy you can do at home to help protect our environment.
A lot of us are already making a big difference by thinking about our consumption choices and how they impact the environment by using natural cleaning products and striving for zero-waste. Something important we often forget about is the food we eat.
The small change of skipping meat one day a week can make a big impact to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water usage & fuel dependence. Producing food from plants uses much less land space, fossil fuels and water than it takes for meat production.
Need meal ideas? A quick internet search will produce more recipes than you can imagine. You will find that meatless meals can be both delicious & satisfying. You can also search recipe ideas on Pinterest, YouTube, blogs and support groups on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeDoMeatFreeMondays/). The library is a good resource for information, plant based cookbooks and environmental programs. Until we can visit the library again, explore their vast selection of Ebooks & Audiobooks.
Here is a tasty comfort food recipe to try:
Chickpea Noodle Soup
Ingredients
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp black pepper
10 cups vegetable broth (I prefer to use the “Not-Chick’n” brand bouillon cubes for this recipe)
2 cups cooked chickpeas (both dried or canned work here)
8 oz pasta of your choice (I usually use small/tiny pasta)
Directions
- Preheat a soup pot over medium heat.
- Add oil and sauté the onions, carrots & celery for 10 minutes.
- Add garlic, thyme, black pepper sauté for 5 more minutes.
- Deglaze the pot with a splash of water.
- Add vegetable broth & Chickpeas. Bring to Boil.
- Lower heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, separately cook pasta according to package instructions. Al dente is preferred. (Tip: Toss the cooked pasta in a little olive oil and store separate, so it doesn’t get mushy in the soup if you have any leftovers. Just add a scoop to each bowl when serving.
Serves 6-8**
** I usually like to keep this soup simple, though depending on your mood for food, feel free to add other ingredients you may have on hand. Some of my favorite additions are: chopped kale or spinach, shallots or tofu cubes.
HAVE A MEAT-FREE RECIPE WE CAN INCLUDE IN OUR NEXT NEWSLETTER? SEND IT TO SUZY@ALLMANENVIRONMENTAL.COM, AND WE'LL RUN IT THROUGH OUR TEST KITCHEN!
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PADDLES UP!
NEW KAYAK RACKS, REGISTRATION OPEN AT LOSEE PARK
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Here's a solitary pastime that won't put you at risk for infection: kayaking the river. There are now three kayak racks for Tarrytown residents' use and they're open for you to register your kayak and store it near the Hudson River.
The racks, installed at Losee Park (on the river side of the railroad tracks, just north of the Washington Irving Boat Club), enable Hudson River kayakers (and Tarrytown residents) to store their kayaks on racks, river-side.
REMEMBER: DON'T kayak on the river without a full wet or dry suit until the water is at least 60°.
Interested in renting a space in the racks for 2020? Each kayak permit, entitling you to a spot on the rack, costs $170 annually and can be reserved at the Recreation Center. The registration covers your kayak from April 1 to March 31.
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MOVIE NIGHT
OUR MOVIE SERIES IS CANCELED (BUT YOU CAN STILL WATCH THE TRUE COST)
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No surprise: our movie series at Warner Library has been cancelled for now. But you can still watch The True Cost, a film about "fast fashion" and the real price we pay for cheap clothing.
Here's how:
- You can watch for free on Tubi. (If you Google the movie title you will see it as an option to "watch now".)
- If you have a Prime membership on Amazon Prime Video, it's free to watch. It's $3.99 if you don't have a membership.
- And you can find it on YouTube for $3.99 for SD, $4.99 for HD. It may be free if you pay for the YouTube premium subscription.
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