Supervisor’s Update – April 22, 2022
Happy Earth Day! April 22 is the official date for Earth Day every year, and it’s a special time to reflect on how we can all take better care of our home, Planet Earth. Regular readers of the Update know that the Town of Ossining is an especially environmentally-conscious place all year round, and so we get particularly excited for Earth Day and the Green Ossining Earth Day Festival, this year scheduled for tomorrow, April 23!
This year’s festival will also be our first in-person festival since 2019, and should be spectacular. What better way to spend a beautiful spring day than down by the Hudson River, celebrating Mother Earth and learning how to reduce your impact on the environment, while having a lot of fun! There will be delicious food, hands-on activities for all ages, eco-demonstrations, and all sorts of vendors – artists and artisans, vegetarian and vegan fare, craft beer, food foraging, textile recycling, an e-waste drive, drum and ukulele circles, a kids’ activity zone, live music all day, and much much more!
There will be limited parking at the waterfront on Saturday so event attendees are encouraged to take advantage of the free shuttle that will be bringing people to and from free municipal parking in the heart of Ossining’s downtown. Parking on site will be limited to those who require handicap accessible parking and for the vendors. Below are parking guides you should save to your phone or print to help you navigate - special thanks to Village Trustee Manny Quezada for creating these beautiful and informative guides.
The extra bonus of using the free shuttle is that you get to start and end your Earth Day adventure on Main Street! Why not grab a second lunch at Good Choice Kitchen, or a new book or fun toy from Hudson Valley Books for Humanity or Penny and Ting or a gift from Melita’s? Make an Ossining day of it!
The Town and Village of Ossining will have a double booth showcasing a few exciting initiatives including the Ossining Shoreline Revitalization Project (which is phase 2 of the Ossining Climate-adaptive Design Studio) and our Food Scraps Recycling Program. You will be able to purchase a composting kit (or pre-order one now for pick-up at the festival at ossiningcomposts.org) and sign up for our second annual Compost Give Back Day, which will be held on Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7 at Cedar Lane Park. We will also share information about our draft legislation prohibiting balloon releases and a quick guide to the Town’s Environmental Regulations that was prepared by our Environmental Advisory Committee. The Village will also have information about Project MOVER, which aims to bring e-bikes to Ossining, and the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. We hear there may be a chance to take a spin on an ebike yourself. Please stop by and say hi on Saturday!
We will be set up right next to our friends at 511NY Rideshare who will have information about how to choose a sustainable mode of transportation for commuting this Earth Day. Get a head start on your Earth Day pledge by visiting the Ossining Community Center this week through Wednesday, April 27 to visit the 511NY Rideshare Kiosk and become a 511NY Rideshare member to green your commute.
Also in what we are going to call the “municipal corner” at Earth Day: Sustainable Westchester will be set up to talk about all the wonderful initiatives they have helped launch here. By now you have probably received a postcard in the mail inviting you to join the Westchester Earth Month Challenge by signing up for GridRewards! GridRewards is an easy and fun way to actually earn money for your smart energy behavior. It is literally as easy as flipping a switch. Learn more at sustainablewestchester.org/gridrewards, or plan on making a stop to their booth on Earth Day!
If you’re not able to join us in person tomorrow, be sure to stop by our virtual booth by clicking here! And keep caring for Mother Earth by signing up for the Riverkeeper Sweep and I Love My Parks clean up day - more details in the Green Living section of the update.
Lastly, we invite you to attend our two public hearings next Tuesday, April 26 at 7:30 PM, on both the Comprehensive Plan and proposed legislation to protect wildlife and waterways from released balloons and lanterns. Zoom details are below. This will likely be the last public hearing on the Comp Plan as it has been over a month since we opened it. You may still send comments via the Town Clerk at .
Please click the link below to join the webinar
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86887549599
Or One tap mobile :
US: +19292056099,,86887549599# or +13126266799,,86887549599#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 929 205 6099 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833
Webinar ID: 868 8754 9599
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kyLe2n5bQ
And make sure to plant something or hug a tree this weekend! Victoria Cafarelli and I planted a window garden of herbs in the office today.
I look forward to seeing you out and about celebrating our Earth.
--Dana
If your business, non-profit, or community group has an event that you would like to submit to be a part of the Supervisor's Update, please email a flier and brief description to . We are happy to pass along events that provide a benefit to the community and support our local economy. Thank you for helping us to highlight all the best Ossining has to offer!
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