4/2//11 – Earth Day in NYC was fabulous this year, as always. There were celebrations in Times Square and at Grand Central Station. I’ll let the pictures tell the story! For more info see EarthDayNY.org.
There is also a “Re-green the World” campaign where by you text the word TREE to 85944 and you’ll be donating $5 for the planting of trees around the world.
The Long Island Small Farm Summit, run by a coalition including NOFA, North Shore Land Alliance, and Slow Food Huntington was held at SUNY Old Westbury on Friday. The best part was its surprisingly great success with over 400 attendees! The keynote speaker was Joel Salatin, the self-described “environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer” of Food Inc. and Omnivore’s Dilemma fame. He delivered an inspiring and humorous talk on 10 urban myths about farming, that had the full auditorium in stitches. The goal of the event was to raise awareness about local food efforts such as community gardens, farmers’ markets, and school gardens and to promote action toward sustainable food policies. Exhibitors included local farms, Sustainable Long Island, tables with books about farming and gardening, and of course yours truly (Sustainability Institute at Molloy College). It was a very inspiring event and clearly showed that the empowerment of having access to local, healthy food is an issue that has struck a chord on Long Island and beyond. See: www.longislandsmallfarmcentral.com.
Thank you to the LI Progressive Coalition for honoring me and many other worthy folks, including Huntington Councilwoman Glenda Jackson, Congressman Tim Bishop, and immigrant activist Dr. Luis Valenzuela, at their annual luncheon yesterday! I got a beautiful plaque in the category of “Environmental Vision in Sustainable Development” and a lovely introduction by Jonathan Grindell, fellow vegetarian and prius-driver. : ) Thanks to all my colleagues and family who came out to support me, at the beautiful Timber Point Country Club in Great River, NY.
I wore my beautiful black organic cotton, “Jacquie O” dress by Fin, which many people commented on. 🙂
Tonight I was honored by the Town of Oyster Bay, NY as a Woman of Distinction! Eight women are selected each year for this honor for their efforts in various areas such as volunteerism, health care, business, and the arts. My category was government, for my work through the Sustainability Institute on our Clean Energy Leadership Task Force and various energy policies. It was a great ceremony and each winner was very worthy of the title. We each got an introduction by a Town Council member and proclamation. Our names will be engraved on a plaque that will hang in Oyster Bay Town Hall forever-more!
Today I filmed an interview on organic lawn care with Elizabeth Hashagen of News 12! Thank you to Elizabeth for her terrific “Go Green with 12” segments each week that help keep Long Islanders informed of what they can do to protect the environment. It will air the week of April 11th, so when it does, I’ll add the link!
I had the privilege of meeting Stephanie March through my consulting business, Green Inside and Out, after she and her husband, Bobby Flay, built a new green home in Amagansett. I visited their lovely, traditional-style home when construction was nearly complete, and helped advise the landscaper on how to establish and maintain an organic lawn. Low VOC paints and low-flow water fixtures were used in the home, and cisterns will capture rainwater for irrigation. The house is very energy efficient and utilizes solar power and a geothermal heat pump. They hope to achieve a LEED Gold status from the US Green Building Council.
In addition to the environmental features of the home, we met in NYC this week, at Bar Americain, to discuss the health benefits of using greener materials in the home. E.g. the importance of using green cleaners, minimizing use of carpets where possible, and asking for safer, natural pest control products at the local nursery.
This is an exciting project, one of very few like it on Long Island. I hope Ms. March and Mr. Flay will “live happily ever after” in their new green home, …and that maybe Mr. Flay will invite me over for a vegetarian meal some day! : ) A girl can dream, right?
