Meet Us at the Market!

TEAC'S ANNUAL ECO-FAIR

OCTOBER 14
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

By Dean Gallea, TEAC Co-Chair

Culminating many months of work by staff, officials, and TEAC Volunteers, the Village of Tarrytown has finally achieved our certification as a Climate Smart Community, at the Bronze level.

This distinction acknowledges the many actions the Village has taken over the last few years towards reducing our carbon footprint and increasing climate resilience. A few of those are:

• Switching to LED streetlighting (which has saved the Village hundreds of thousands annually)
• Installing solar generation on Village buildings
• Including many environmental sustainability provisions in our Comprehensive Plan
• Adopting a Unified Solar Permit to streamline households' solarization
• Installing EV chargers on Village property
• Holding a Community Campaign to promote clean Heating and Cooling options

A ceremony earlier this week at the Hastings-on-Hudson Village Hall brought Village, County and State elected officials together to celebrate new awards to Tarrytown, New Rochelle and Peekskill, along with 20 other communities statewide. (Hastings is one of only two municipalities in the State to gain Silver status in the program.)

Here is a NYS press release and an article in The Hudson Independent on the award event.



Our Village continues work on further actions in the Climate Smart Communities program, we have received grants for achieving Clean Energy Community status earlier this year, and are progressing on a Climate Action Plan. Thanks to all involved!

By Rohit Sareen, TEAC Volunteer

The days are rapidly getting shorter, the winterberry bushes are sporting their signature red berries and some trees have started shedding their leaves. The monarchs have already started migrating and the bees are desperate to get the last bit of nectar from the flowers in my garden. 

Although it’s October and snow could be here in a few weeks, you wouldn’t know that by looking at the multiple species of goldenrod, asters, anise hyssop, ironweed and other late season flowers that are lighting up the landscape with purple and yellow flowers.

Beyond providing much needed color during the late season, these mostly perennial plants are very important for our pollinators. The flowers are an important source of nectar for late season pollinators, especially monarch butterflies as they stock up for their fall migration to Mexico.

In addition to butterflies, the plants are completely full of many different kinds of bees – in my garden I can easily count about a dozen different species of native bees as well as honey bees.  


 Whether it's monarchs about to migrate, hummingbirds heading south to the tropics for the winter, or bumblebees and honeybees gathering food reserves for winter, all of these species depend on flowers to keep them fed. This is the role late-blooming plants provide in nature.

In ornamental gardens, however, it's something that we gardeners need to make a conscious decision to provide. 

The abundance of chrysanthemums in gardens around this time of year might make us think that the butterflies, birds, and bees will be taken care of. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Most mums are bred to have extra petals but have little to no pollen or nectar, thus have no benefit for bees or other pollinators.

It’s important that pollinator gardens include late season flowers like goldenrod, anise hyssop, ironweed and aster varieties, because collectively, our gardens can make a significant difference in replacing the native flowering plants that are lost when habitats are destroyed and supporting our insect populations.

The end of the season brings many emotions – I am sad that my pollinator garden is about to go dormant, but also excited for all the spring flowers that will be here in a few months (ok, it’s going to be a while but I like to stay positive). Although there is a tinge of sorrow to the end of a growing season, fall can also be a time of reflection, an opportunity to appreciate what nature and your hard work provided. 


I am always glad to take out the jungle that are my cucumber and tomato plants at the end of the season and take a break from the physical labor of watering, weeding, tying, pruning, etc.

The break from the garden also provides an opportunity to plan for the next growing season.  It’s a chance to miss our gardens and return to them with renewed energy in the spring.

In the meantime, remember to leave the seed heads and enjoy watching the yellow finches snack on them all winter long.

Pictured in my late season garden: Vernonia ‘Southern cross’ Ironweed, New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae), Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)

By Mason Lee, Hackley student and TEAC Volunteer

On Sept 16th, we picked up 8 bags of trash and had 16 people come, including alumni, faculty, and students. We probably would have picked up a lot more trash had we been able to go alongside the road. Here are some photos.






On behalf of the Village, TEAC thanks toe Lake Keepers for their great efforts keeping our lakes trash-free!

By Annie Kravet, TEAC Mamber

As you start planning for the Halloween festivities, keep the environment in mind! Here are some easy ways to make your Halloween less wasteful: 

If you plan on carving a pumpkin this year, keep it out of the landfill! Once in the landfill, pumpkins release a ton of water and this contributes to groundwater contamination. They also release the greenhouse gas methane as they rot and break down. Once Halloween is over or your Jack-O-Lantern starts to rot, bring it down to the compost bins in the train station parking lot. 

Here are some great ideas for what to do with the pumpkin insides you scoop out before carving: 

1. Separate out the seeds, salt them, and roast them in the oven. Healthy and delicious!

2. Save seeds and plant them in the spring 

3. Save the pulp for cooking (puree it and use for baking, or sauté it with onions and other vegetables like celery and garlic, then add water and let it simmer for around 45 minutes to make a flavorful vegetable broth, etc.) 

Costumes 

Skip the one-time use store bought costume. These usually end up in the landfill after one or two uses. Instead consider a DIY costume made with easily recycled materials or things you already have at home. Or search around at local thrift stores for clothes and accessories. Not feeling creative or don’t have time to put something together? Try looking online for a second hand costume. Try going to swap.com and searching “costumes” for second hand costumes. You can also try Facebook Marketplace and eBay. 

If you plan on decorating your house, use what you already have or try to find second-hand decor. You can make ghosts out of old pillow cases, or set out natural decor like pumpkins and gourds that can be composted instead of tossed in the trash. There are tons of eco friendly ideas out there for Halloween decorations - try searching pinterest for “eco friendly Halloween” if you would like more inspiration. 

Escorted by the Tarrytown Fire Department and Auxiliary Coast Guard, TEAC members and other paddlers cross the Hudson River channel on the way to Nyack.

This year, TEAC leaders orchestrated a unique event to celebrate the end of summer: a five-mile paddle across the Hudson, from Tarrytown to Nyack and back.

The adventure was added to the Hudson River Valley Ramble's schedule, taking its place on the annual calendar of hikes, paddles, historic tours and other events that celebrate the river valley. 

The idea: to strengthen TEAC's connection and commitment to the river that has cradled our community for generations. And to have a lot of fun.



The new floating kayak launch at Losee Park.

TEAC took it from there. Rachel Tieger rounded up help from the Coast Guard auxiliary, Tarrytown Fire Department, Westchester Police boat, and other volunteers. The Village of Tarrytown supplied a floating dock -- now a permanent amenity -- at Losee Park. 

The event was free and drew experienced kayakers from across the county. All brought their own kayaks and life jackets, and were supplied with radios for communicating out on the water.

And under a perfectly clear, blue sky, they launched from the new floating dock. With the steadfast presence of the Tappan Zee Bridge as a backdrop, they crossed calm waters to the other side, caught their breath at a (minimal-waste) lunch break at Nyack's Memorial Park, then set out once again for home.


Kayakers crossed paths with the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

TEAC is grateful to 

• Village Administrator Richard Slingerland, who really pushed to get the dock in place for this event;
• Rock star Alissa Fasman, who articulated our needs and concerns to Rich and board and researched and sourced the dock; 
• Village of Tarrytown Board of Trustees
• Paul Scoca of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, who was in charge of monitoring water traffic and conditions;
• Tarrytown Harbor Master Kevin Lustyik, who coordinated with the Coast Guard Auxiliary and fire chief;
•  Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit
•  Tarrytown Fire Department and their fire boat crew;
•  Westchester Police Boat Crew;
•  Lighthouse Swim Organizers (specifically Terry McGlynn) who lent/provided radios;
• and the Hudson River Valley Ramble organizers.