Celebrating Earth Month!!
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Rachel Tieger, TEAC Co Chair

We will be hosting community events all month long, and into May,  in honor of Earth Day (April 22). There will be opportunities for people of all ages to get involved, explore our villages and help our local environment.

Join us for our Native Seeds Giveaway, Trail-Blaze, first Repair Cafe, Village-wide Clean Up, Garden Work, Invasive Plant Identification Hike, Local story time, Movie Night, Clothing and Housewares Swap, Bird Walk, and MORE. See our website for more information or sign up here. Mom’s Organic Market from Dobbs Ferry will be providing fresh organic fruit for volunteers at some of the events.

The Swap events and Repair Cafe are part of our “Zero Waste” efforts to reduce how much stuff goes into the waste stream and to try to reverse the throw-away mentality, one beloved item at a time. The Household and Clothing Swap is a huge “give and take”, where people donate usable items in good shape and then “shop” for new treasures to bring home. 

Other ways to celebrate Earth Month:

• Take the plastic free challenge for the month of April and tag #plasticfreechallenge. 

• Shop locally! Check out the downtown areas of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow for lots of new cool shops, and visit the TaSH farmers market on the 2nd and 4th Saturday

• Carry a trash bag and disposable gloves  to pick up litter on your daily walks

• Reduce animal products, enjoy Meatless Mondays or adopt a Plant Based diet. See our easy monthly recipe below.

• Homeowners can join Gridrewards and/or schedule a free energy audit to reduce energy 

• Walk, ride your bike or take public transportation more often

• Encourage others to incorporate more sustainable practices in their lifestyle

Repair Cafes are community events where volunteer repair coaches from your town help fix your beloved but broken items for free.

The concept of a repair café was dreamed up by Martine Postma of Amsterdam in 2009. New Paltz resident John Wackman saw a NYT articleabout the repair cafes in the Netherlands and was so intrigued by them he flew to Amsterdam to see how they worked. The first New Paltz Repair Café was held in 2013, exactly 10 years ago, and with it was born Repair Café Hudson Valley (RCHV), a consortium of repair cafes now over 40 strong throughout the Hudson Valley, Catskills and Capital Region.

I first heard of a repair café back in 2019 when I saw a post on Facebook for volunteers to help at a newly founded Hastings Repair Café. The concept grabbed me, so I reached out from Irvington. Lindsey Taylor and Ariella Gastel were happy to have me join their café as a jewelry repair coach and told me that they hoped to one day grow into a Rivertowns Repair Café.



Since then, we’ve held several busy cafes in Hastings, one in Dobbs, one in Irvington and now we are thrilled to be adding a ‘TarryHollow’ joint TT/SH café to our list of cafes.

In fact, I too fell so in love with the repair café concept, that I ended up taking a job as the coordinator for all the RCHV cafes. Now, I travel almost every Saturday to a different area to meet the many café organizers and repair coaches, where I repair jewelry for so many grateful people. It truly is the best job in the world--everyone is so happy to be at a café.

There is so much joy in the process of putting on an event that not only helps save things from the wastestream, but also brings communities together—something that has become crucially important as we figure out how to be together again post-pandemic.

But we’re also doing something more—we’re creating a culture shift.

We are learning to not just throw things away and then get on Amazon to buy new ones. Instead, we’re putting them aside until the next repair café or even looking up a video on Youtube to see if we can fix them ourselves. Together, we are transforming our throwaway society into one that prioritizes buying less and recycling, reusing, reducing and repairing more.

If you would like to learn more about RCHV or repair cafes or get something fixed, please stop by the TarryHollow Repair Café coming up on Saturday, April 15th, 10am–2pm at the Neighborhood House in Tarrytown or email us at tarryhollowrepaircafe@gmail.com, fromer@sustainhv.org or visit www.repaircafehv.org.

Earth Month got off to a great start this year when Tarrytown Mayor Karen Brown took action to save monarch butterflies and other pollinators by signing the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors Monarch Pledge in late March.


Monarch butterflies on Joe Pyeweed

Monarch populations have declined by 90% in the eastern US and 99% in the west in recent years. The Mayors Monarch Pledge asks community leaders to commit to taking concrete actions that will create habitat  for these endangered butterflies and educate residents about how they can make a difference for monarchs and other pollinators.

When asked what motivated her to take the lead on saving monarchs, Mayor Brown stated, "It was the right thing to do and I wanted to do it mindfully and share it with the community.

"I would urge everyone to consider planting pollinator gardens and native plants and trees which save resources and help repopulate our natives. They’re better for the environment and our community.

"Please be mindful of what you plant, we have a huge problem with invasive species, another important reason to plant natives."

Backing her words with action, the Mayor will be transforming a portion of her lawn to a pollinator garden this spring.

Additionally, the Village has committed to eight action items on the NWF list that include planting new public native plant gardens, creating educational signage for gardens and habitat areas, adding milkweed to existing landscaping, removing invasive plants, distributing milkweed and other native seeds to the community and launching a public communications effort to encourage residents to plant native plants and trees.

So what can we as individuals do this Earth Month to save monarchs? 

1. Plant native plants, shrubs and trees 

A new book by Doug Tallamy argues that if homeowners converted just half their land to native plantings, it would collectively create an area larger than all national parks in the lower 48 states combined.

Lawns comprise over 40 million acres in the US and are the nation’s largest crop requiring irrigation and fostering the use of harmful chemicals. By repurposing a portion of our lawn as native low maintenance habitat we can rejuvenite our ecosystems, conserve vital resources such as water, reduce CO2, save time and money and help endangered wildlife survive.

April is the perfect month for preparing a garden space. Here is a simple guide and timeline for planting a quick prep spring pollinator garden. Step by Step Soil Prep and Planting Guide.pdf 

Here is a link for a list of native plants and where to obtain them locally. https://tarrytownenvironmental.org/plant-lists-sources/

April is early for planting many native plants but it’s a great time to plant seeds. Here’s a list of native seeds that require no special prep and can be planted  now. https://www.prairiemoon.com/blog/resources-and-information/species-requiring-no-pre-treatment-code-a

TEAC and Little Gardens of Tarrytown will be distributing pollinator friendly annual seeds at 3 events this month to help you get those gardens going.

• Saturday 4/8: The TASH Market at Paulding School - Visit the TEAC table for free spring seeds and gardening advice 9am -noon.

• Saturday 4/22: Neperan Park - Little Gardens and TEAC will be hosting a seed giveaway and preview of a brand new 1400 sq ft Milkweed Garden that will create new pollinator habitat in Neperan Park. Join us for refreshments and sign up to be a garden volunteer! Neperan Park 10am -12pm

• Saturday 4/22: TEAC will have a table at Rockefeller Preserve distributing pollinator friendly annual seeds and planting advice. Numerous local environmental organizations will be there with lots of information to share. Rockefeller Preserve Rt 117, 10am -2pm   

2. Plant a low maintenance native shrub or tree.

Did you know that native trees support the most pollinators of all and are the keystones supporting our ecosystems?

This year, celebrating both Arbor Day and Earth Month, the Tarrytown Tree Commission will be giving away 200+ tree seedlings at the Duck Derby in Patriots Park on Saturday 4/29. Please plant a native tree if you have space. Did you know that one mature tree absorbs 48 lbs of CO2 from the atmosphere and releases oxygen, the very air we breathe?

3. Remove invasive plants from your yard, neighborhood or public area

This year TEAC created the Vine Squad and volunteers have been clearing invasive vines that are strangling trees at the Tarrytown Lakes.

Look around your own yard and do the same. English ivy, porcelain berry and other invasives will weaken and smother your trees resulting in their death. Act now and remove these invaders.

Don’t be overwhelmed; even if you save one tree, you are making a meaningful difference.

Here is a list with photos of the local “Dirty Dozen” invasives along with advice on how to get rid of them. We thank Ardsley Pollinators for sharing this great info! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ImMT9zmXCI0moRRXbfPMQMLNtMD_NJTimJqtn1LdKGM/edit

If you have questions on planting or invasives removal or would like to volunteer please reach out to  http://tarrytownenviro.org/

The 2023 Rivertowns Earth Day Mayors Challenge officially began March 23!

The Mayors from Hastings to Sleepy Hollow will engage in a friendly competition: encouraging residents to sign up for GridRewards, a program that pays you to reduce energy at peak usage during the summer. The challenge takes place now through April 28, 2023.

Help Tarrytown win the challenge. Sign up and earn real money: https://gridrewards.com/

So how does it work? There are a few times during the summer when you can earn cash back by taking simple actions, like raising your AC set points for a couple of hours. GridRewards will notify you when these events occur. While it’s good to save electricity year-round, GridRewards events are so important that your utility company is willing to pay you real money to reduce at peak times.

Why? When your utility company needs to meet your region’s peak electricity demand, they spin up older, less-efficient power plants that cost more money to maintain and release more carbon into the air per unit of electricity.

Where does the money come from? Con Edison wants to pay you to reduce electricity at peak demand times to reduce stress on the grid and avoid running the most polluting, carbon intense, power plants.

Who’s excluded? Participants enrolled in Smart Usage Rewards with Honeywell, Nest or Emerson Smart thermostats are ineligible.

Get more information from Sustainable Westchester.

BY KEVIN LUSTIK, Tarrytown Harbor Master
 

To all that are about to venture out on our majestic Hudson, winter has ended, and it is time to prepare your boat after the long layup period. I recommend you go to the Boat US Spring commissioning list  for guidance.  It may seem like overkill to some, but if you travel any distance on the water it is the proper thing to do  to avoid a mechanical problem due to poor maintenance. If you kayak, your survival equipment should  be fresh and serviceable. If there are any doubts as to your vessel’s carriage requirements, you may  request a free Vessel Safety Check from the local CG (Coast Guard) Auxiliary unit. This request can be made online, or  by contacting the local Auxiliary unit at the WI Boat Club on the weekends.  

Boaters should know how to get help on the water. In NY State we have many agencies that patrol the  water and can be called by marine radio on channel 16 in an emergency. This list includes the NY State  Police, County Sheriffs all the way up the Hudson, The Westchester Co, PD (locally), DEC, NY State Park  Police, The US Coast Guard, US Coast Guard Aux. Sea Tow, Tow Boat US, just to mention a few.  

All boaters should be aware of the Federal, State, and local boating laws. The Hudson River, being a  Fed/State waterway, falls under both sets of laws. The State agencies enforce the under 12yr old life vest (worn underway law) whereas the CG enforces under 13 yr old law. Other differences pertain to fire  extinguisher requirements for personal watercraft (i.e. jet ski). The CG requires that any craft with an enclosed motor will have a fire extinguisher aboard, whereas the State does not have such regulations for personal watercrafts. 

Of recent interest, NY State has changed the Marijuana laws, although the Federal Gov’t has not, so the CG will enforce the Federal law on the Hudson River.  This means that you should keep your Cannabis out of your boat. “It remains a violation of federal law. If we encounter it in the course of our operations, we will enforce those laws,” says Lt. Cmdr. Devon Brennan, who oversees the U.S. Coast Guard’s counter-narcotics enforcement programs and policies. Read more at BoatUS.

For more information on boating laws and boating safety, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary will be offering  the “Boat America” course at the Tarrytown Senior Center on April 15th 8:30am-4:30pm. Contact Bob  Delia at 201.715.7801 to sign up. 

I love interactive, “make-you-own” dinner parties like salad bars and taco nights. Last week I hosted some friends for Ramen bowls and asked them to bring their favorite toppings or sauces. The prep time was longer than I expected (as always!), but everyone loved it and were able to get exactly what they wanted. I prepared cooked ramen, cooked soba noodles, seasoned tofu, steamed broccoli, fresh cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, cooked mushrooms, lightly blanched julienned carrots, roasted sweet potatoes, chopped green onions, cut limes and a big pot of simmering veggie broth. I also had a nice selection of hot sauces. People brought chopped peanuts, extra herbs, chopped avocados and other sauces.

You can use your favorite broth, but mine included:

• about 12 cups water
• 2-3 tbsp low sodium Better Than Bouillon vegetable paste
• 2 tbsp white miso
• 1 to 2 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp tamari
• ½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
• juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tsps sesame oil

We all spooned the boiling liquid into our bowls, added noodles, toppings, sauces and garnish and voila...instant masterpiece. The meal was healthy, vegan, gluten free, and fun -- a perfect crowd pleaser!

Correction on Last Month’s Newsletter 

We would like to correct a couple of points in Annie Kravet’s article 10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Compost. There are considerations about dryer lint and pet fur: dryer lint will contain microplastics unless you are washing 100% natural fabrics and pet fur often contains residue from tick or flea guards or other synthetic coat treatments, so we generally recommend disposing of both in the trash. But a couple of compostable items that we failed to mention, are wine corks and wax paper. Thanks for composting!

The Community Garden at John Paulding school returns in 2023!

Please read the GARDEN RULES for this year:

ENGLISH: GARDEN RULES 

Lea las REGLAS DEL JARDÍN para este año:

ESPANOL: REGLAS DE JARDIN

Complete the form at this site to apply for a garden spot.