• Monday, March 10
• Monday, April 14
• Monday, May 12

Last week, TEAC members presented their Year in Review to the Village at the public Board of Trustees meeting. You can see the full slideshow (PDF) HERE.

Some highlights:

• TEAC helped complete the Village Climate Action Plan to mitigate the effects of climate change on our residents
• Maintained our Pollinator Gardens around the Village, and built new ones with Volunteer help
• Held Earth Month events in April and May and hosted an Eco Fair in October
• Facilitated Vine Squad outings to remove invasive vines on our trees
• Held a Repair Cafe (and assisted with others), and hosted a Housewares and Clothing Swap
• Held Community Outreach events, ran the Waste Warriors at the TaSH market, and facilitated trash clean-ups

Some plans for 2025:

• Continue our annual events and volunteer actions - stay tuned for a full roster of Earth Month events in April!
• Grow the Adopt-a-Spot program to establish resident-led gardens in public spaces
• Follow through on Climate Action initiatives such as solarizing Village facilities
• Gain Silver-level Climate-Smart Community status, and work towards tighter leaf-blower restrictions

A WIN-WIN IDEA
Adopt a Spot — Make a Difference Today!
______________________

by Mai Mai Margules - Landscape Committee

Have you always wanted a garden but just don’t have the space?  Want to escape the computer and get outdoors?  Do you have a shady yard but have always wanted to plant sun loving plants or vice versa? Is there an area of the Village that you know could use a little TLC? Want to join with neighbors/ friends to beautify your neighborhood and help nature? How about liberating a tree from strangling vines on one of your favorite Village walking trails? Does your organization need a community service project? How about getting the kids outside?

We have just the program for you!

Tarrytown’s new Adopt-a-Spot program provides the opportunity for all of us to make a positive change where we live, see immediate results and make connections with our community. Rolled out in January, the Program provides an opportunity for residents to make our Village a better place and have fun in the process.

The mission of the Village of Tarrytown’s Adopt-a-Spot program is to promote the involvement of the community in the upkeep and beautification of designated public spaces in the Village including road and parking lot-adjacent green spaces, and sections of parks within the Village. In so doing, the program aims to improve quality of life, build community relationships and enhance local ecological well-being.

 All adopters of spots will be recognized by name with a sign located in or near the space that they are caring for as well as acknowledgement on the Village’s website. Complete program information and a list of suggested spots up for adoption are found on the DPW website. Participants are also free to suggest their own spots The application form for this year must be submitted by March 1, 2025 and is found on the link above.

Example at the Metro North Station:
   


Why participate?  My story is this — a few years ago I started hearing lots of bad news stories about the steep decline of butterflies, bees and birds. But unlike other dire environmental situations that seemed to be beyond an individual's control, this report offered a simple solution for turning things around -- plant native and pollinator friendly plants and trees. I tried it and within a few weeks my heretofore tiny and barren front yard was filled with colorful flowers (rose milkweed, anise hyssop, sunflowers, asters) and visited by bumblebees and butterflies, including migrating monarchs that fall! Needless to say, I soon ran out of real estate and began volunteering in Village public gardens to create spots of beauty and biodiversity around town, learning and connecting with others along the way and having a lot of fun in the process. 

There are many reasons for participating in this program, all of them good. We welcome you, your family, your group or organization, and look forward to making our community a better and more beautiful place, one spot at a time in the year ahead!

by Dean Gallea, TEAC Co-Chair

On Friday, Feb 7th, I attended a roundtable by the Federated Conservationists for Westchester County (FCWC) at Pace University’s Haub Law School. It was attended by representatives from many municipal environmental councils like TEAC, as well as from other groups with environmental missions, like Riverkeeper and Westchester Alliance for Sustainable Solutions (WASS). 

The roundtable featured State and County legislators, who heard from constituents on their communities’ needs in four environmental areas. The officials then informed the group as to what programs were in place or were proposed to alleviate the concerns mentioned.






















Topics covered included:

• Clean Water
• Clean Air
• Environmental Justice
• Land Use (briefly)

by Dean Gallea, TEAC Co-Chair

Here’s a Reuse/Recycle idea you ought to consider, with value for both the environment and yourself: Sell your unneeded metals to a recycler for cash! I recently walked away from the local recycler with an extra $56 in my wallet in exchange for a few small boxes of cords, wires and plumbing parts. Here’s how it works:

1. Gather anything made primarily of non-ferrous metal (copper, brass, aluminum) that is taking up space and would otherwise get trashed. (Note: Aluminum beverage cans are returnable to stores for much more $ than the recyclers offer.) Examples:
   1. House wiring, cables and power cords - Cut off plugs or connectors and discard them; any electronic parts should be recycled at the H-MRF. If you have a large amount of wire that’s more than half copper by weight, that’s more valuable.
   2. Computer ethernet cables, USB cables, thermostat wire and the like - Again, cut off ends so you only have the wire itself left. (Note: No TV coax cable, it uses steel instead of copper.)
   3. Copper or brass pipe, couplings, fittings and valves – It’s OK if they have soldered joints, just remove steel or chrome parts.
   4. Aluminum extrusions, like storm door and window frames, aluminum picture frames and architectural panels. Remove screens and glass, and be sure they are aluminum by checking that a magnet does not stick.
2. Place the materials in separate containers by type. Take them to Brookfield Scrap at 100 Lamont St. in Elmsford: https://www.brookfieldscrap.com, on a weekday until 4:30 or Saturday before 1pm. You should go by car, since it’s in a somewhat industrial section of the Village and is a bit iffy for pedestrians or cyclists.
3. Pull into one of the designated spots in front of the drop-off area, and show the staff what you are offering. The first time you go, they will set up an account under your name and phone number.
4. The staff will weigh each type of material and print out a slip listing the weight and the amount they are paying for each.
5. Take the slip across the street to the office lobby and scan the barcode on an ATM-like screen, which will spit out cash (rounded to the nearest dollar.) That’s it!

Invasive vines are climbing up and strangling many of our precious native trees, which are already being attacked by deer and stressed by increasing temperatures in the summer months. Although the vines may look dead now, they are just dormant and if left alone, will leaf out and send up new shoots in the Spring. Eventually, the weight of all the vines can pull down entire trees, so we try to cut invasive vines as close to the root as possible. 

• February 22
• March 8
• March 22
• April 5

The Vine Squad had a very productive meet-up on Saturday, February 8th, saving about 20-25 native trees from certain death by the choking non-native vines (especially Porcelain Berry and Bittersweet). It wasn’t too cold for the 7 participants who were ready with warm hats and gloves and sturdy boots. 

We are looking for individuals or families that are interested in becoming "Waste Warriors!" at the TaSH Market Saturday mornings from May through November to educate mark-goers about food-scrap recycling, recycling and proper waste disposable. Time slots are broken down into 2 hour shifts from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. If interested, please email Cathy Ruhland at cruhland@aol.com.

The former Biden administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program calls for 500,000 charging stations nationwide, and was funded under the 2021 infrastructure law to make that happen. That total was split into $5 billion for a highway-based program, and $2.5 billion for rural and underserved communities, with states submitting proposals for use of the available funds.

But on Thursday (2/6), the Trump Department of Transportation (DOT) said it was rescinding all previous guidance, and no new obligations may occur until an updated guidance is issued and new state plans are submitted and approved. Payments will still be made for projects already in progress, though.

Lawsuits will likely follow to free up the rest of the money, which the DOT is legally obligated to release. While the DOT can issue guidance to clarify specifics, it can't contradict the law itself or withhold funds in perpetuity.

(Excerpted and edited from Green Car Reports)

Quick Links

Food Waste is Not Garbage!

If you are throwing food waste into the garbage, read on... Every day, over 1.13 million pounds of food goes to waste Westchester County (55% commercial, 45% residential), and is sent to the “waste-to-energy” incinerator plant in Peekskill NY. This trash could solve many local problems if, instead of incineration, it was composted.

You can purchase a foodscraps kit at the library or Village Hall and bring your foodscraps to the drop-off point on Green Street anytime for free, or Hudson Compost Services (HCS) can pick up your food scraps on a weekly basis for a small fee. Either way, see how easy food scraps recycling can be!