GREENING UP THE SHORELINE:
TREES FOR TRIBS PROJECT IMPRESSES!
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By Rachel Tieger, TEAC Co-Chair

Have you been wondering what was going on with the tree tubes on Neperan Road across from the water pump station? You’re in luck: we have an update! 

Last week we met with representatives from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to assess the site where we planted with native trees and shrubs in October 2022.

The intention of our Trees for Tribs project was to replace the invasive plants with pollinator friendly alternatives and to help stabilize the shoreline.

Dylan DiLuccio, from the Hudson River Estuary Program assigned to our region, was very pleased with the progress and said the trees and shrubs are growing well within the tubes and even exceeding expectations.

He said the plants have obviously been loving the direct sunlight and the tree tubes have been acting like mini greenhouses. Yet he informed us that the young plants need to remain in their tree tubes until the branches are appropriately 2” in diameter to help protect them from deer foraging. 

During our assessment, we saw many native plants and wildflowers including: Milkweed, Yarrow, Yellow sweet clover, Early Goldenrod, Cypress Spurge, native Geranium and Poison Ivy. 

We also saw a number of invasive non-natives like Porcelain Berry, Wineberry, Ailanthus trees and mugwort. 

We will be scheduling some workdays in the near future to weed and help maintain the area to supplement the notable efforts of the DPW. If you are interested in volunteering, please email us at Tarrytownenviro@gmail.com .

Overall, the project has been a great success to date, and the Village will be looking for new sites for future plantings through the Trees for Tribs program.


Pictured above: A Virginia rose, native to North America,
blooming above its tube in the Trees for Tribs site.

ENERGY NOTES:
CLEAN ENERGY GENERATION
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By Dean Gallea, TEAC Energy Committee

On Thursday 5/30, I attended the first of the Hudson Valley Regional Council’s fine webinar series on the new NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities (CEC) 3.0 Program. This one focused on how municipalities can complete some important Renewable Energy High-Impact Actions:  

• Own or host a Clean Energy Generation installation
• Community Distributed Generation subscription (opt-out CDG)
• Community Solar Campaigns

This webinar featured communities that have successfully developed community solar projects on municipal land at no cost to them.  We heard from the Towns of Bethel and Red Hook and the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson on the process of getting solar built on their site and lessons learned.  The webinar also covered Scenic Hudson's How to Solar Now Mapping Tool that informs renewable energy siting decisions. 

TEAC hopes to help the Village find other locations for additional Community Solar projects, like the one currently fully subscribed (on the roof of the self-storage facility next to the H-bridge at the foot of Wildey St.) It could be on Village property, or on private property - suggestions welcome! Here’s what Croton-on-Hudson is doing with their commuter parking.

Renewable Power for All – At their Wednesday 5/29 Worksession, Tarrytown’s Board of Trustees heard from Dan of Sustainable Westchester regarding their planning for the next 2-year contract for Westchester Power’s Community Choice Aggregation program. They are working hard to arrange a lower-cost, fixed rate for 100% renewable (non-carbon-fueled) electric power for our Village. Westchester Power is well aware of the dissatisfaction many people have expressed in comparing their rates to the default ConEd rate.

It must be stressed that ConEd’s default supply is NOT a renewable energy source, nor does ConEd offer one. There are other energy suppliers (“ESCOs”) that DO offer 100% renewable energy, but their comparable multi-year fixed rate is not significantly lower than Westchester Power’s rate. TEAC believes that residents who want to be part of the solution - opting for green energy production - should consider this proper comparison before opting out of the Westchester Power CCA. Also remember that the delivery cost charged by ConEd is the major part of your electric bill, and is the same regardless of the energy supplier.

We’re also hoping (expecting, actually) that the cost of renewable energy will drop once the two dedicated power lines - called the CHPE and CleanPath - begin operation in a couple years, bringing more renewable power from upstate NY into the NY Metro area.

EVs are, too, ”tired” – Think your EV doesn’t have any carbon emissions while driving? Nope. As with all cars, its tires are loaded with “carbon black”, basically petroleum soot, that provides low-rolling resistance, quiet and longevity to the tire tread. The carbon black pollutes our environment as a fine, black, toxic powder as the tires wear. But that’s slowly changing for the better, as companies compete to make tires more sustainable through recycling of their materials, and new tire designs that use less carbon black and more sustainable materials. There are even strides being made in tires that don’t need to be inflated, so they won’t leak or go flat. This article from Green Car Reports illustrates these innovations.

In some parts of the world new tires - especially large ones for trucks - are so costly that cottage industries have developed to re-manufacture worn tires by attaching a new ribbon of tread to the outside of the main part of the tire, called a carcass. It is not a simple process, and requires an amazing amount of skilled hand work, so it’s unlikely to catch on in countries with high labor costs unless robotics are used. But in places like Pakistan, it’s not uncommon, as this fascinating video shows.

Hydrogen, Again – We’ve written about the fossil-fuel industry’s fair-haired, green-skinned child, hydrogen, touted as the emissions-free future of transportation. Never mind that almost all commercial hydrogen is still made from fracked natural gas, and that there are many issues with what constitutes “green hydrogen”, both in production and transport. Not much has changed since this article from the Sierra Club outlined the problems with hydrogen as a fuel. And, fortunately, the Federal Government’s Infrastructure Act has some strict requirements for which new hydrogen-production programs qualify for funding. And Congress is scrutinizing the development of Federally-funded “hydrogen hubs”, demanding that they track lifecycle emissions, not just the greenhouse-gas reductions afforded by hydrogen use.

Hydrogen has a role in our clean-energy future, just not yet and not where other options make more sense. We have to look past the carbon-fuel industry's greenwashing.

UNWELCOME BACKYARD GUESTS:
DETER MOSQUITOS WITH TESTED AND TRUE SOLUTIONS
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By Mai Mai Margules, TEAC Landscape Committee Chair

Summer is here and the joy of being outdoors will soon be tested by the presence of buzzing (female) mosquitoes looking for a meal.


There are a multitude of mosquito control products on the market for mosquito control but unfortunately many methods don't eliminate mosquitos and instead kill numerous beneficial insects, harming pollinators, birds and aquatic life.

So what are some tested and true ways to deter mosquitoes without harming the environment?

Electric Fans:  Wind power is an amazing deterrent at outdoor events. Set up a couple of fans, one at ground level and one a little higher. Wind interferes with mosquitos ability to fly and also dilutes the CO2 that our bodies expel. Carbon dioxide is what attracts mosquitoes to us and fans scramble the signal. We have found this to be a very effective and low cost way to reclaim our outdoor space even on the muggiest of days.

Eliminate or Treat Standing Water Standing water provides the breeding ground for mosquitoes who go from egg to adult in eight days.. Become a backyard detective and search for items that hold water in your yard. Common culprits are flower pot saucers, gutters, buckets, toys, tarps, open garbage cans (drill holes in the bottom to let water out), rain barrels (screen off openings) . These can all harbor mosquito eggs. Birdbaths should have the water changed every 3-4 days. Fountains and other water features should have pumps to keep the water running. 

In situations where you cannot eliminate standing water such as low lying muddy areas of your yard, treat with BTI (Bacillus Thuringiensis) a naturally occurring bacterium found in the soil that is toxic only to mosquito and black fly larvae. Studies have not found any detrimental effects on bees or other pollinators  associated with BTI. This product is sold in granule form or in mosquito baits.

Invite Natural Predators: Plant a Native Rain Garden  Native plants with their deep roots soak up water from flood prone areas of your property. In addition to decreasing the standing water in your yard these plants invite beneficial pollinators and animals that feed on mosquitoes. Birds, frogs, dragonflies and bats are nature's best mosquito control. With global warming we are seeing extreme spring rains in our area. Here is a simple planting guide for starting a rain garden on your property. https://ulstercountyny.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Rain%20Garden%20Plant%20List.pdf
O’Hare Nature Center in Irvington has two beautiful demo rain gardens to explore. https://www.theirvingtonwoods.org/wp-content/uploads/Lower_Rain_Garden_Cover_11_by_17-1.pdf

What Not to Do

There is no insecticide that will kill adult mosquitos/ ticks and not harm pollinators. Read this article for a good rundown of various control methods and what they actually do. https://mgnv.org/resources/mosquito-control/

Spraying for mosquitos kills every insect (butterflies, bees, beneficial insects) that come into contact with the spray and only lasts for a short duration. Typically large numbers of threatened pollinators, aquatic life and birds are killed or harmed in proportion to the mosquitos that are killed. Companies typically downplay the adverse effects of sprays. Bifenthrin, deltamethrin, and permethrin—all of which are commonly found in mosquito sprays—can kill bees on contact. Fewer pollinators means fewer flowers which leads to less food for birds and small mammals. https://www.buddhabeeapiary.com/blog/how-to-control-mosquitoes-without-harming-bees

Bug Zappers: Bug zappers kill insects, just the wrong insects. As noted in a recent New York Times article mosquitos aren’t attracted to light like other insects so the zappers kill beneficial insects that don’t bother us and support our ecosystems. A Univ. of Delaware study found that zappers killed nearly 14,000 insects over a 10 week period, but only 31 were biting insects. The Times article also points out that citronella candles are ineffective. One of our TEAC Councilmembers is trying out a recommended vaporizing repeller and will report on its effectiveness.

Let’s enjoy our summer outdoors and please choose responsible and effective ways for dealing with unwelcome insects, there are plenty of good choices! 

CONSERVATION CORPS:
A SUMMER JOB IN THE OUTDOORS
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Do you have teenagers moaning about not having anything to do in the summer? Maybe they can’t bear the idea of being inside? Maybe they just want to be somewhere else? Maybe they want to move their bodies, get strong. 

Have your children considered trail work? All hiking trails in America need to be maintained. Many heavily used trails—think Grand Canyon, other National Parks, State Parks, the Adirondacks—need maintenance, repairs, renovation. And of course there are never enough funds to keep them maintained. As a result many hiking clubs have volunteer programs in the summers. The Adirondack Mountain Club out of Lake Placid will train youth as young as 14. The Appalachian Mountain Club has summer-long teen trail crew programs which aim to build diverse skills in participants. Closer to home, the NY-NJ Trail Conference also has programs for teens. They have trail maintenance programs which require fewer skills, as well as training programs that build skills. They even have projects suitable for Scout groups. 

And then there is the Student Conservation Association (SCA) which seeks to build the next generation of conservation leaders and environmental stewards. They have hands-on service projects throughout the US, often partnering with AmeriCorps (which has service activities beyond the environmental arena). Their projects can be over several months or longer and include trail building, forest fire prevention and critical habitat restoration.

For many years one of my daughters worked as a trail crew member. She helped repair, maintain and even build trails. She made lifelong friends, camping in cabins or in tents. She had wild experiences, once watching a bear try to open a bear proof food container. She became strong, brave, self-confident, and competent in many learned skills.

10 SEASONS OF SUSTAINABILITY:
THE TaSH FARMERS MARKET IS BACK!
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By Rachel Tieger, TEAC Co-Chair

Depending on how long you have lived in the area,  you may be shocked to hear that the TaSH is celebrating its 10th Season; but for others, it may feel like it has always been part of the Community. Or, perhaps both are true for you.

The Summer season opened with a bang!! in Patriots Park on Memorial Day weekend, welcoming thousands of visitors and almost 60 vendors. The weather could not have been better, and there was almost palpable glee in the air. That day, The TaSH gave away over 200 prizes and launched its 10 Anniversary Crowdfunding Campaign to help fund its many community programs and support the organization’s “North Star” initiatives.



Rivertowns Village Green Inc. (the 501c3 not-for-profit org that operates The TaSH Farmers Market) is proud to share the impact The TaSH has had on the local community in 2023:

• 3,465lbs of food generously donated to the Sleepy Hollow High School Food Pantry from TaSH vendors, equaling 3,037 meals

• More than 11k SNAP dollars spent at the market, leveraging our Double Bucks program where $40 in SNAP = $80 in food

• More than $5k Community Food Pantry Tokens spent at the market

• All our farmers and producers come from New York State or within 100 miles from the market

• All food and drink sold to be consumed on site comes in compostable packaging 

• Estimated approximately 45lbs of compost collected per week, or about 1,215lbs for the season

• Co-hosted the TEAC Annual Eco Fair to promote environmental education and other local environmental nonprofits/community organizations

• 16,032lbs of textiles recycled thanks to our partnership with Green Tree Textiles

• Textile donations also contributed to 18 metric tons of CO2 saved, the equivalent of planting 305 trees. 

• 120+ local artists that performed on The TaSH stage.

• Partnered with local performing arts organizations to host performances

• Celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting renowned artists and performers

• 20 nonprofit partners who hosted activities for kids and adults
  
  

  The TaSH is currently hiring day staff (“TaSH hands”) for Saturdays, and is always looking for active volunteers, sponsors and community partners to keep the momentum going. You may contact info@tashfarmersmarket.org for more info.
  
  Excited to have the TaSH in town? Consider Contributing to the Crowdfunding!