ENERGY NOTES:
SENDING AND SAVING ENERGY
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By Dean Gallea, TEAC Co-Chair
 

Data Mining Drives Energy Demand

We’ve previously written about the new electric utility lines being built to bring upstate NY renewable-generated energy to the Metro area.

That’s well and good for New York, but there are other places in the country that are struggling with the demand for electric power - ever increasing as our economy grows and carbon-fueled industries move towards electrification - outpaces the ability to move energy from generators to users.

One thing that’s driving this demand increase is computing data centers that serve our Internet needs, from streaming video to social media service to cybercurrency (Bitcoin, etc.) mining.

That last one is an unnecessary burden, in this writer’s opinion: an unintended consequence of fiscal greed that the designers of blockchain-based virtual currencies did not consider decades ago. Coin mining based on “proof of work” wastes a huge amount of energy just to authorize and record transactions.

New York State, as have some other states, has wisely banned the re-use of old fossil-fuel-based power plants to power coin-mining operations, but in many places, it’s still allowed. This graph from a March 7th Washington Post Report illustrates this problem in the state of Virginia:

The exponential growth is almost entirely driven by the commercial and data sector, even as many industries have adopted more-efficient technologies. We can hope that the biggest energy wasters adopt a better approach to processing cybercurrency and alleviate this issue. And that utilities are able to build out grid capacity so renewable electrification can continue to supplant carbon-fueled processes and transportation to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, without straining energy delivery systems.

Here in Tarrytown

We are continuing to develop our Village Climate Action Plan, which will include recommendations like solarizing buildings, replacing carbon-fueled heating systems with electric heat pumps, and adopting more hybrids and EVs into the fleet. Going forward, we will be reaching out to residents to gather ideas for municipal upgrades and to reinvigorate efforts like solarization of homes and electrification of heat-producing appliances.

As a continuing part of encouraging the move towards reducing our energy footprints, governments have funded public incentives - administered through utility rebates, tax credits, and loans - to help pay for new and upgraded home products.

Cornell Cooperative Extension has a web page with incentive information for our area you can use to plan your own.

If you plan to solarize your home - a “no-brainer” if your home qualifies - take a look at Google’s Project Sunroof.

As an example, the page for my own home shows that I could cover almost all of my electrical needs with 4.5 kW of solar capacity costing me $7,000 (after incentives), and saving $16,000 over 20 years. I actually do have solar panels now, but it’s an older, smaller system that covers less than half my needs, so time for an upgrade since it’s already paid for itself!

While you're on the site, look at the huge amount of untapped rooftop sunlight - all that orange glow - that we could put to work saving money and helping our environment!

Wondering what the Tarrytown Environmental Advisory Council (TEAC) does? For insight, here's our 2023 Year-End Report to the Village.

TEAC is a volunteer, citizen-led organization established by the Village in 1974 under NY State Law (Article 12-f), to serve as a Conservation Advisory Council (CAC), one of hundreds throughout the State of NY.

TEAC advises the Tarrytown Mayor, the Board of Trustees and other Village Boards and Committees on environmental matters that may come before the Village.

TEAC researches, reports and makes recommendations on land use, built environment, ecological integrity, environmental consequences, quality of life and public health and safety.

The Council also promotes ecological sustainability in Tarrytown through public education, and is committed to working with area businesses, community leaders and neighbors to create a cleaner, greener and safer place to live and work.

TEAC has 9 appointed voting members, a Village Trustee Liaison, an associate member and additional volunteers. We hot a public monthly meeting the second Monday at 7:30pm at Village Hall and on Zoom.
 

2023 Activities and Accomplishments

• Achieved Bronze-level Climate Smart Community certification and Clean Energy Community recognition, leading to NYSERDA grant opportunities
• Completed a full Greenhouse Gas Survey for Municipal Operations, in cooperation with Village staff; formed a Task Force and worked in earnest towards a Climate Action Plan (MO-CAP)
• Formed the TEAC Vine Squad to remove invasive vines around the lakes between January-April which engaged hundreds of volunteers over the season
• Co-hosted Tarrytown’s first “TarryHollow Repair Cafe” in collaboration with Rivertowns Repair Cafe and SHEAC at The Neighborhood House
• Hosted a Hudson River Valley Ramble event on the Hudson River - “Kayak to Nyack” 
• Replanted the large pollinator barrel planters up and down Main Street in efforts with DPW
• April Earth Month - Hosted multiple public events which included: an invasive vine cleanup at the Lakes, a family friendly hike around the Tarrytown Lakes, an arborist led tree walk, repair cafe, household and clothing swap, neighborhood clean ups, and community garden prep. 
• Tabling at the TaSH Farmers Market to promote the food scraps program, talk about Pollinator Pathways, give away reusable produce bags, and promote sustainable energy
• Continued our Waste Warrior campaign to help educate shoppers and families how to properly dispose of waste at the market
• Co-hosted Clean-ups at Lakes in April, Sep and Nov with Hackley “Lake Keepers” 
• Riverkeeper Sweep - cleaned the riverfront area from Losee Park to Pierson Park and joined forces with Friends of the Riverwalk in May
• Co-hosted the FCWC Annual Meeting at the Tarrytown Senior Center
• Hosted our annual Eco Fair at Patriots Park in October in collaboration with the TaSH Market where environmental organizations and businesses came together to engage with and help our community reduce our carbon footprint
• Co-sponsored a number of Swaps (organized by TEAC volunteer Cari Newton), to help keep items out of the waste stream and find good homes for unwanted items. Truckloads of clothing, toys, household items, baby items, furniture were donated and “swapped” and multiple textile recycling bins were filled
• Participated in Repair Cafes hosted by neighboring Rivertown villages to help extend the life of usable items, including mechanical, electrical, textile, and jewelry
• Helped the Tree Commission to wrap hundreds of tree seedlings for an annual tree giveaway at the Eco Fair 
• Collaborated with Tarrytown Parks and DPW to install five native gardens in our public spaces creating over 3000 square ft of new pollinator habitat: MNR Tarrytown Station, Sarah Michaels Park (extension of existing garden), Gracemere Garden (Broadway/ Rt. 9), Tarrytown Rec. and Senior Center, and Neperan Park*
• Held multiple seed giveaway events, distributing native seeds/ seedlings to the public between Earth Month and November along with information on sustainable gardening
• Promoted sustainable landscaping at the TaSH TEAC booth throughout the summer and at Warner Library.
• Conducted 14 complimentary onsite garden consults with Tarrytown residents and helped them to start their own pollinator gardens*
• Continued TEAC’s Green Landscaping Champion (GLC) Program 
• Installed 5 pollinator planters at the entry of the Community Opportunity Center*
• Promoted National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge to raise awareness about endangered monarch butterflies

TEAC Initiatives and Ongoing Efforts

• Increase Village and community participation in the Pollinator Pathways Campaign

• “No Mow May” Campaign to help raise awareness of feeding early Spring pollinators, encouraging homeowner and municipal employees to delay mowing and to plant clover.

• Manage the small Community Garden at John Paulding School and tried to cultivate an inclusive collaborative atmosphere with group work days to overhaul garden beds, plant a pollinator garden, and a garden education workshop by a resident farmer

• Send a monthly TEAC e-newsletter to nearly 1100 mailboxes, with an open rate around 60 percent. Topics include pollinator gardening, renewable energy, recycling and food waste, zero waste ideas, vegan cooking, hiking/outdoors and more

• Maintain TarrytownEnvironmental.org with news, events, photos and information related to our projects, along with advice to residents on a variety of environmental topics, such as energy savings, planting pollinator-friendly gardens, zero waste lifestyles and moving away from gas-powered landscaping equipment

• TEAC provides liaisons to the Village Tree Commission and Placemaking Committee - attends meetings and participates in events 

• Community Coalition (C2 - Kids Club)
• BASF
• EF school
• Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance (ELLA) member
• Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC)
• Friends of Neperan Park
• Friends of the Riverwalk
• Hackley School
• Hudson Compost Services
• JCC of Tarrytown
• Mothers Out Front
• Neighborhood House
• NYSACC 
• NYSERDA
• Riverkeeper
• Tarrytown Village: Board of Trustees, Planning Board, DPW, Parks, Recreation 
• Hudson Valley Regional Council (HVRC)
• Sleepy Hollow Environmental Advisory Committee (SHEAC)
• Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce
• Sustainable Westchester
• The TaSH Farmers Market
• Warner Library 
• Tarrytown Tree Commission
• Tarrytown Placemaking Committee
• TUFSD school district
• Rivertowns Intervillage Sustainability Network (RISN) - a coalition of Irvington, Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Tarrytown

NEXT STEPS:
A DEDICATED, SHARED-USE PATH ALONG RTE. 119
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Excerpted from Paul Feiner's Newsletter (Edited by Dean Gallea)
 

A shared-use path from Route 119 in Greenburgh would connect the Tappan Zee Bridge to the North/South County Trailway, giving pedestrians and cyclists from Tarrytown a smooth route to places like the Croton Reservoir Bridge, above, on the North County Trailway.

One of the reasons that make the Town of Greenburgh a great place to live is the Town’s park system, which comprises over 630 acres of land providing active and passive recreational opportunities.

Some of the larger parks in the Town have walking and hiking trails within them.

Residents of the Town of Greenburgh also have direct access to major regional trailways.

Two examples are the North/South Country Trailway and the Bronx River Pathway. Both are multi-use paths and are great for walking, biking, jogging, etc., and run north-south making connections beyond the Town. The North/South County trailway is actually part of the larger NYS Empire State Trail (750 miles connecting NYC to Canada and Buffalo NY). 

The Town of Greenburgh has applied for a federal Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant. If awarded, the Town, in partnership with the Villages of Elmsford and Tarrytown will have the resources ($2,000,000) necessary to obtain the services of a Transportation Engineering Consultant. This consultant  will prepare surveys, environmental studies, and design drawings associated with future dedicated bike/pedestrian improvements and complete street construction for the portion of NYS Rt. 119 connecting the Empire State Trail to the Cuomo Bridge Path.

If the RAISE Planning Grant is received, the funds would be used to get the project “construction-ready” and position the Town and its partners to apply for subsequent RAISE or other USDOT grants for actual construction funding.

FROM THE HARBORMASTER:
SAFE BOATING UNDER NEW RULES
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By Kevin Lustyik, Harbormaster

As a new boating season approaches, be sure to note the changes in NYS law that affect the operation of power-driven vessels in NY state.



At the conclusion of this year, all operators must have taken and passed a National Association of Safe Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approved Boating Safety Course. As the law stands now, if you were born on or after Jan 1, 1978 (you are 45 or younger) you must now possess proof of passing the course while operating on any waters of the State.

This includes the Hudson River, as it is a Joint State and Federal waterway.

The Hudson is trafficked with lots of large commercial traffic which must be steered well clear of in order to remain safe. The traffic includes freighters, bulk carriers, 700 ft+ tankers, barges and high-speed sightseeing ferries.

Approximately 20 loaded barges of oil and gasoline head north every day to the ports of Newburgh and Albany. Multiple loaded barges of trap rock and crushed stone come up and down on a continuous basis from Clinton Point and Haverstraw, heading for the Greenville anchorage right next to Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne.



Early kayakers and canoeists in the Hudson should be aware of the extremely cold-water temperatures that linger here for a few months, and travel in groups rather than go it alone.

Follow this link for safety videos of who we share the water with, as well as some cold-water information. In addition, here you'll find a life-saving guide to cold-water boating and what to do in the event of cold-water immersion.

A boating course is scheduled for March 23rd at the Washington Firehouse, 157 White Plains Rd, Tarrytown, from 0830-4:30pm. Sign up by contacting Bob Delia (201) 715-7801.

A safe boating season to all!

Bring your clean, good-condition, quality items to swap for something new! The swap is this Saturday, March 16, 2024.

Item drop off: 9am - Noon

“Shopping”: 10am – 2pm 

Located indoors at The Neighborhood House, 43 Wildey St, Tarrytown, NY 10591. You'll find us at the NW corner of Wildey St & Washington St.

Please be sure that your swap items are in good shape! We are looking for CLEAN items in good condition. Please only bring items that someone else would really love! For Clothing, nothing too faded, no rips, tears, holes, or stains. No underwear or lingerie please. For housewares, bring only CLEAN working items in good condition. Nothing in need of repair please. 

 We are doing a textile recycling collection so feel free to bring those "unswappable" clothing, shoes, and linen items in a SEPARATE bag for quick sorting at the event.

How can I volunteer to help on the day of the event?  Come help for an hour or stay all day. Volunteer hours are from 8:00am-4:00pm. Lunch and snacks will be provided for volunteers, but please bring a refillable water bottle. Sign up to volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C45A9AC2FABFF2-48386963-volunteer

REPAIR CAFES IN THE AREA
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TOWN OF CORTLANDT REPAIR CAFE, March 16, 10 am – 2 pm, Muriel H. Morabito Center, 29 Westbrook Drive, Cortlandt, NY

POUND RIDGE REPAIR CAFE, March 16, 11am - 3pm, Pound Ridge Elementary School, 7 Pound Ridge Road, Pound Ridge, NY

TARRYTOWN/SLEEPY HOLLOW REPAIR CAFE, April 28, 10am-2pm, Sleepy Hollow Senior Center, 55 Elm St, Sleepy Hollow, NY

SERVES 6 | YIELDS ABOUT 4 CUPS | TIME: 35 MINUTES

Kale with Sweet Potatoes

This super healthful, colorful side dish combines two of our favorite nutrient-rich vegetables.
 

• 4 CUPS DICED PEELED SWEET POTATOES (½-INCH CUBES)
• 2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
• 1 TEASPOON BLACK MUSTARD SEEDS
• 2 GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED OR PRESSED (can add or substitute 1-1/2 tbsp minced ginger here) 
• ¼ TEASPOON RED PEPPER FLAKES
• 1 TEASPOON CURRY POWDER
• 8 CUPS CHOPPED KALE (SEE NOTE)
• ½ TEASPOON SALT
• 2 TABLESPOON WATER
• 1 TABLESPOON SOY SAUCE
• GROUND BLACK PEPPER

Steam the sweet potatoes until tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Warm the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, and when they start to pop, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir for a few seconds. Add the curry powder, kale, and salt. Stir constantly until the kale wilts, about 2 minutes. Add the water, cover, and cook on low heat until the kale is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the sweet potatoes and soy sauce and add black pepper to taste. 

Tropical Lime Tofu

SERVES 4 | TIME: 25 MINUTES

This tangy and flavorful tofu goes well with dishes from the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
 

• 1 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
• 2 GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED OR PRESSED ½ TEASPOON CUMIN SEEDS (OPTIONAL)
• 1 CAKE OF FIRM TOFU (ABOUT 16 OUNCES), CUT INTO 1-INCH CUBES ½ TEASPOON GROUND CUMIN ⅓ CUP LIME JUICE
• 2 TABLESPOONS SOY SAUCE (can substitute ume plum vinegar)
• ¼ TEASPOON GROUND BLACK PEPPER OR
• RED PEPPER FLAKES

In a large skillet on medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cumin seeds, if using, and cook for a minute. Add the tofu cubes and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the ground cumin, lime juice, soy sauce, and pepper. When the tofu is golden, pour the lime juice mixture over it and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed, about 6 minutes. 

Can serve with brown basmati rice or warm naan…or just enjoy as is!

The Most Effective Things We Can Do to Reduce Greenhouse Gas

By Cathy Ruhland, TEAC Member, Lakes Committee

Last week I attended a Community Forum on Climate Change at Pace University in White Plains. Among the presentations was one that sought to teach carbon literacy to the “regular person”. The presenter was Dr. Chandu Visweswariah, Vice President of CURE 100, a Croton-based not-for-profit consortium of communities that aim to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040, or 5% per year. They seek to do this through a combination of advocacy, education and campaigns at the local and global levels. Both local and global communities can help each other take the urgent climate actions necessary to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

Initially Dr. V. explained that there are many different greenhouse gasses: Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide and others. If Carbon Dioxide is the gas of comparison, then one metric ton [MT, 2205 pounds] of Methane is 81.2 times as destructive as one MT of Carbon Dioxide, and one MT of Nitrous Oxide is 273 times as destructive!

As a consequence certain reductions have a greater impact than others. Using this information, communities can start to work at reducing their greenhouse gas footprint with items that have the greatest impact. The following actions(calculated for Westchester County) all result in the equivalent of a 10 MT reduction in carbon dioxide:

• Replace one half of a gasoline school bus with an electric equivalent
• Replace 1.2 gas-fueled SUVs with EV SUVs
• Convert 1.6 gas, oil or propane furnaces to heat pumps
• Replace 2.1 gas-fueled sedans with EV sedans
• Convert 5 households to renewably-sourced electricity.