April 30, 2022 – There was not a cloud in the sky on Saturday as more than 160 volunteers came together to add 53 more large-growing shade trees to the urban forest in Saratoga Springs, bringing the total to 338 trees since 2014. The event was organized by our Urban Forestry Project and in partnership with the City of Saratoga Springs.

Volunteers assembled at Pitney Meadows Community Farm for camaraderie and a planting tutorial from retired DEC Forester and our longtime volunteer Rick Fenton before dispersing around town to plant the trees. “We want to thank Pitney Meadows Community Farm for being gracious hosts of the event this year, Allerdice for donating the tree stakes, The Bread Basket Bakery for donating refreshments, and Harvey’s Restaurant and Bar for donating a portion of their proceeds on Saturday afternoon,” said Caroline Rothaug, chair of Sustainable Saratoga’s Urban Forestry Project. In addition to planting in front of many homes, this year’s planting sites also included Vanderbilt Terrace, Jefferson Terrace, the Wilton YMCA and Pitney Meadows Community Farm.

Volunteers, including students from Youth Squared, planted trees at Pitney Meadows Community Farm. 

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the climate mitigation role of urban trees – improving air quality, decreasing stormwater runoff, and reducing air temperatures on hot summer days. Large-growing trees provide greater benefits than their smaller counterparts, and when planted along streets, they help to reduce the amount of water entering our stormwater drains and extend the life of city streets. Some of the trees planted this year include Kentucky Coffeetree, Tulip Tree, Basswood, Sweetgum, and Hackberry. These newly planted trees will be nurtured and cared for by the homeowners for all to enjoy for generations to come.

We urge you to consider planting a tree in your yard this year. Spring is a great time to plant a tree. “Trees provide many benefits to a homeowner – they can increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, and provide inviting shade on those hot summer days,” says Wendy Mahaney, Executive Director of Sustainable Saratoga. Our Urban Forestry group recommends planting a variety of trees that are adapted to our area and that provide food and shelter for a variety of pollinators, birds and other wildlife. You can find a wealth of practical information on selecting, planting, and caring for trees on our website.

Head over to our Facebook page to see even more Tree Toga photos.

The planting crew on Horseshoe Drive.

Two trees were planted at both Jefferson and Vanderbilt Terraces, continuing a long partnership with the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority.

Sustainable Saratoga promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action. We provide educational resources that people can use to make informed decisions that affect everyday life, advocate for sustainable policies and programs, and empower our community to take action. 

Please consider making a donation today. Your gift supports community events like Tree Toga, Repair Café, and Saratoga Recycles Day, educational events like our composting resources, and supports our advocacy to protect open spaces and address the climate crisis. You can help make our community a more sustainable place for current and future generations to enjoy. Leave a lasting legacy for future generations by donating today.

No Mow May: Give Bees a Chance!

Put your lawnmower aside for the month of May and give bees a chance!

This year, with the support of Sustainable Saratoga, property owners and caretakers in the city of Saratoga Springs are invited to join a national movement for No Mow May, where they avoid mowing their lawns for one month in order to help provide more food sources for bees and other pollinators emerging from winter hibernation.

Appleton, Wisconsin was the first U.S. community to try No Mow May, in 2020, and it was so successful it has spread throughout that state and to Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Montana, according to a recent article in the New York Times.

No Mow May lawns had five times as many bees and three times as many bee species as lawns that were mown, according to scientists in Wisconsin. Lawns that remain un-mowed during the month of May allow more species to grow, including some that flower early in the year, and provide essential food for pollinators, which in turn support a wide variety of plant species. Sustainable Saratoga is excited to join the effort.

“No Mow May is a simple but very effective way that we can help pollinators, which are facing catastrophic declines in numbers due to climate change, pesticides, and habitat loss,” says Wendy Mahaney, executive director of Sustainable Saratoga. “We are excited to support this new effort in the Saratoga region to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators and how everyone can do something to help.”

No Mow May does not violate any laws in the City of Saratoga Springs; the City requires property owners to mow their lawns in June, July, and August, but not in May. If you live outside of Saratoga Springs, you may want to check your local ordinances regarding lawn care requirements.

We have signage that property owners can put on their un-mowed lawns to explain No Mow May and to help spread the movement. For more information: pollinators@sustainablesaratoga.org

Interested in learning more about sustainable lawn care? Click here.

For more information about the importance of pollinators, visit our Pollinator pages.

Sustainable Saratoga promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action. We provide educational resources that people can use to make informed decisions that affect everyday life, advocate for sustainable policies and programs, and empower our community to take action. 

Please consider making a donation today. Your gift supports community events like Tree Toga, Repair Café, and Saratoga Recycles Day, educational events like our composting resources, and supports our advocacy to protect open spaces and address the climate crisis. You can help make our community a more sustainable place for current and future generations to enjoy. Leave a lasting legacy for future generations by donating today.

The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA, or the Climate Act) was signed into law in 2019 as one of the most ambitious climate laws to date, requiring reductions in statewide GHG emissions of 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050 (compared to 1990 baseline levels of GHG emissions). The final 15% of emissions will be offset through carbon sequestration practices such as planting trees, forest and wetland preservation, and land management, many of which are currently underway here in Saratoga Springs. The end result will be net zero emissions.

The law also created the Climate Action Council, which is tasked with developing a draft scoping plan for how the State will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net-zero emissions, increase renewable energy usage, and ensure climate justice.

On December 20, 2021, their Draft Scoping Plan was released, and January 1, 2022 marks the beginning of a public comment period to receive feedback from the public. The comment period is open until June 10, 2022. The overarching goal of the Council is to have a final draft scoping plan by the end of 2022. It is also important to note that the CLCPA is a product of years of advocacy work from a plethora of environmentally focused community organizations.

*Public comment period is open, including ten statewide hearings.

Comments can be submitted through June 10, 2022 online here.

Climate Act Goals – Fast Facts & Numbers:

• 6,000 MW of distributed solar by 2025
• 40% reduction in emissions by 2030
• 70% renewable electricity by 2030
• 3,000 MW of energy storage by 2030
• 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035
• 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2040
• Net Zero emissions by 2050

Image: https://www.freeingenergy.com/what-is-a-megawatt-hour-of-electricity-and-what-can-you-do-with-it/

How will the NY CLCPA be successfully executed?

The New York State Climate Action Council, along with the Climate Justice Working Group and other consultants, are preparing the Final Scoping Plan, a plan which lays out how we will achieve the State’s targets in regard to the Climate Act.

The New York State Climate Action Council is a 22-member committee that is preparing the Scoping Plan (the Draft Scoping Plan is available here). The Council is working in consultation with seven sector-specific advisory panels and two justice-focused working groups to prepare specific recommendations to the Council regarding the State’s sustainability, resiliency, and equity goals. (NYC Office of Climate and Sustainability). The Climate Action Council must complete the Final Scoping Plan by January 1, 2023, which will then be updated every five years.

The Climate Justice Working Group

The Climate Justice Working Group is comprised of people from various environmental justice communities within New York State, including members from New York City, rural communities, and upstate New York, as well as representatives from the State Departments of Environmental Conservation, Health, Labor, and NYSERDA.

The Climate Justice Working Group has an important advisory role in the Climate Action Council process, providing strategic advice for incorporating the needs of disadvantaged communities in the Scoping Plan. The Working Group will ensure that while the state moves towards a carbon neutral economy, all New Yorkers will experience equitable benefits.

All groups involved in the creation of the Draft Scoping Plan are crucial to ensure the impacts of the CLCPA are equitable and fair, along with being realistic and including the public in an extremely important piece of legislation. For more context to both groups and their roles, click here or visit the CLCPA webpage.

Goals of the Draft Scoping Plan

• Consider climate justice, job creation, cost reductions, public health benefits, and minimizing emission leakage (a concept which refers to the movement of businesses and industry out of state to locations without similar GHG emissions reductions laws, thus undermining the effort to address climate due to moving the point of emissions to other places).
• Address upstream emissions associated with fossil fuels from out-of-state
• Undertake comprehensive benefit-cost analysis
• Seek public feedback on the mix of strategies and level of ambition
• Inform New Yorkers about the NYS Climate Act

Goals of the CLCPA

• Specific emission targets by sector
• By 2030, New York aims to get 70% its electricity from renewable sources
• By 2040 the goal is to have all the state’s electricity come from carbon-free sources
• This will involve changes to heating systems, transportation, and other types of infrastructure
• Climate Justice provisions
• No less than 35% of the plan’s benefits should be directed towards historically disadvantaged communities (Climate.ny.gov)
• “Community air monitoring program” to monitor air pollution on a community level
• Focus on equality of impact and ensuring all New Yorkers benefit from more sustainable laws and practices

Image: https://climate.ny.gov/Our-Climate-Act/Draft-Scoping-Plan

Existing progress and changes to expect by sector

ENERGY: There will be nearly 100 new solar and wind projects by 2030 which will add approximately 11,000 megawatts to the NY power grid, enough to power over 5 million homes in New York State. The goal is to reach 70% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% zero emissions electricity by 2040 (Climate.ny.gov). These goals will be reached through a combination of currently operating renewable energy sources, contracted renewables, and expected future contributions and projects.

Image: https://climate.ny.gov/Our-Progress

TRANSMISSION: Transmission lines carry energy from its point of generation into homes and businesses. Traditionally, these lines are connected to fossil fuel sources, but renewable energy from solar and wind can also be transported by transmission lines (click here for more info). New York State is currently in the process of building new green transmission lines, with 250 miles already under construction (Climate.ny.gov). This will aide in the transition to renewables as New York’s primary energy source.

BUILDING ELECTRIFICATION: New York State is also investing approximately $6.8 billion in energy efficient buildings and clean heating through 2025. Building decarbonization is also an important aid in increasing efficiency of our structures, which you can read more about on our Green Building webpage. Programs increasing energy efficiency and training workers in the energy sector will eventually lead to a reduction of 3 million metric tons of carbon pollution, which is equivalent to 600,000 cars being removed from the road (Climate.ny.gov). Additionally, there is the New York State Clean Heating Program, which provides a variety of new heating pump technologies, workforce training, community engagement, and a roadmap to how New Yorkers can more efficiently heat their homes and learn about new renewable energy sources (Climate.ny.gov). HeatSmart Capital Region is also a fantastic resource; HeatSmart “helps Capital Region residents explore ways to improve how they heat and cool their buildings” with the help of funding from New York state.

TRANSPORTATION: New York state has invested $1 billion in New York’s transportation sector, with the hope of making electric vehicles both more available and more accessible. There is also the goal of reducing carbon emissions and increasing clean transit in low income and disadvantaged areas (Climate.ny.gov). The state has an EV-Make Ready program, which provides over $701 million through 2025 to incentivize charging station developers to create more charging stations. Approximately a third of this funding will be allocated to ensuring disadvantaged communities have equal access. There are a plethora of existing projects, including NYSERDA’s ChargeNY program, which are working towards multiplying the number of EV charging stations in New York State. Additionally, more than 37,000 Drive Clean Rebates have been used by New Yorkers to aid in their purchase of electric vehicles (Climate.ny.gov). According to NYSERDA, the rebate works by giving a discount on electric vehicles purchased after June 30th, 2021.

Image: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Drive-Clean-Rebate/How-it-Works

For more resources on why owning an electric vehicle is important and how to utilize the Drive Clean Rebates program NYS is offering, see here:

• https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Drive-Clean-Rebate/About-Electric-Cars
• https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Drive-Clean-Rebate/How-it-Works
• https://nyserda.wattplan.com/EV/

What to expect moving forward:

The CLCPA’s impact on your life as a New York State resident:

In the coming decades, there will be a great deal of change in New York. Our energy sources will change, our communities will look different, and we will be moving towards a greener and more responsible future. In regards to changes on an individual scale, your energy sources will switch to renewable if they are not already. There will be a greater focus on sustainability, and conscientiousness in relation to the future. There are many things you can do to aid this transition and get started now, such as looking into purchasing an electric vehicle, changing your energy sourcing, and many other small changes. Sustainable Saratoga’s website has some resources to help you manage this transition.

Summary

To conclude, the goals outlined within both the Draft Scoping Plan and the CLCPA are concise, responsible, and a definite step in the right direction for both New York and the precedent it will set. The Act has great potential to inspire action by other states, emphasizes the importance of uplifting marginalized groups, and provides a clear and feasible timeline of what is to come in the near future. As we move into our future, our health and safety will be better protected as New York works towards a greener future through the CLCPA.

Sustainable Saratoga promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action. We provide educational resources that people can use to make informed decisions that affect everyday life, advocate for sustainable policies and programs, and empower our community to take action. 

Please consider making a donation today. Your gift supports community events like Tree Toga, Repair Café, and Saratoga Recycles Day, educational events like our composting resources, and supports our advocacy to protect open spaces and address the climate crisis. You can help make our community a more sustainable place for current and future generations to enjoy. Leave a lasting legacy for future generations by donating today.

A lush green lawn is the standard in communities across the country. Unfortunately, those perfect lawns come at a high price for the natural world. People lay down heavy doses of fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides to maintain a “perfect” manicured lawn. Synthetic fertilizers, especially nitrogen, require lots of energy to create and pesticides can deplete beneficial microorganisms in the soil. And water, an increasingly limited resource, is often misapplied and wasted.

American homeowners use ten times more chemical pesticides on their lawns than farmers use on all the crops grown in this country. Insect populations are plummeting across the globe, in large part because of the use of pesticides. Declining insect populations are followed by declining bird populations, since many birds depend on insects for food. The pesticides we use on our lawns do not distinguish between “good” and “bad” insects, so what kills Japanese beetles also kills butterflies and bumblebees.

From a pollinator protection point of view, the worst culprit among the pesticides used on lawns is the class of insecticides known as neonicotinoids (including imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam), commonly used to control grubs in grass. These insecticides can stay inside the plant body for years, killing all insects that come into contact with them (learn more here).

A perfect lawn is not worth the environmental toll it takes.

There are steps you can take to make your lawn more sustainable and less toxic to the environment. A healthy lawn does not need regular applications of pesticides or other synthetic chemicals. Whether you take care of your lawn yourself or hire a lawn care company, you can make some simple changes that will have a big environmental impact.

1) JUST SAY NO TO TOXIC CHEMICALS

Cancel any contracts for lawn care that include insecticide, herbicide, fungicide or non-organic fertilizer applications. If you hire a lawn care company, make sure it only uses organic treatments and tell them not to use any kind of pesticide, fungicide or herbicide on your lawn.

2) FERTILIZE SPARINGLY AND USE ONLY ORGANIC FERTILIZERS

Test your soil first! There are NYS regulations regarding the use of phosphorus, which pollutes our waterways. If necessary, use a slow-release, granular, organic fertilizer. If you hire a lawn care company, find one that uses organic fertilizer. It is most important to fertilize in the fall, but you can also fertilize in mid-May to give your lawn an extra boost. Do not apply more fertilizer throughout the season. Compost is an organic fertilizer, as is composted manure, but there are other organic fertilizers in your local garden centers. Stay away from inorganic fertilizers that come with a heavy carbon footprint.

3) MOW SMARTER

Mow high and leave your clippings. Ask your lawn care company to leave the grass clippings instead of bagging them up. Grass clippings contain a lot of nutrients, so don’t take them off your lawn! Taller grass will be less stressed, and the clippings will help reduce the need for fertilizer treatments. (Note: thick matts of grass should not be left lying on the lawn but otherwise it is safe to leave and will disappear quickly.)   

4) WATER PROPERLY

Water deeply during dry spells. Lawns need about an inch of water a week. Frequent, light sprinklings encourage the roots to stay at the surface and form thatch instead of growing deeper into the ground. Tip: Go high-tech and get a programmable timer that pays attention to the weather or go simple and use a bucket to estimate when you have collected about an inch of water. 

5) EMBRACE DIVERSITY

If your lawn contains some clover or other flowering plants, learn to think of them as a food source for the butterflies. A healthy green lawn does not have to be a monoculture or an ecological desert. 

• • If you have a weed you just can’t stand, remove it by hand. If you stay on top of it, you can reduce weed populations significantly in the first year.
  • Use ecological methods to remove damaging insects. There is a wealth of information on environmentally safe pest management on the web. See, for example, https://www.tenthacrefarm.com/preventing-garden-pests/ and https://www.life.ca/naturallife/0806/pesticide-free-lawn-care.htm.

For more information about pollinators, visit our Pollinator page, which has links to lots of additional information.

Sustainable Saratoga promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action. We provide educational resources that people can use to make informed decisions that affect everyday life, advocate for sustainable policies and programs, and empower our community to take action. 

Please consider making a donation today. Your gift supports community events like Tree Toga, Repair Café, and Saratoga Recycles Day, educational events like our composting resources, and supports our advocacy to protect open spaces and address the climate crisis. You can help make our community a more sustainable place for current and future generations to enjoy. Leave a lasting legacy for future generations by donating today.

We have opportunities for everyone to do something good for the Earth in April. While Earth Day is a single day dedicated to environmental action, we work every day to promote sustainable practices and environmental protection through education and advocacy efforts, which empower people to take consequential action to protect our planet for current and future generations.

Composting Workshops

In partnership with Pitney Meadows Community Farm, some of our enthusiastic composters will share their tips and tricks to get started with food and yard waste composting during three workshops in April. “Reducing food waste is a great step to reducing your carbon footprint, but composting food waste also plays a role in fighting climate change by reducing the methane produced by food decomposing in a landfill,” explains Whitney Davis, avid composter and chair of our Zero Waste committee.

Click the links for additional information on each workshop: April 13, April 28, and April 30.

Plastic Pollution

On April 20 at 7 pm, Skidmore’s Anne Ernst will discuss the growing environmental problems caused by plastic pollution. “Plastic – Miracle Molecule or Environmental Scourge?” is co-hosted by the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County and Sustainable Saratoga. Click here to register. 

After learning about the problems of plastic pollution, join the Team Up to Clean Up litter collection event on April 23. The goal of this clean-up event is to raise awareness about the chronic issue of litter pollution — especially cans and plastic single-use items — and to make a tangible difference by removing lots of litter from our trails and neighborhoods. Click here to register.

Pollinators & Native Plants

Our new Pollinator Committee will be hard at work throughout the month of April growing plants for our upcoming Pollinator Palooza native plant sale on June 5. On April 26, committee member and passionate native gardener Johanna Garrison will give a Zoom presentation about the importance of native plants and pollinators. Click here to register.

Tree Toga

The month of April culminates with a perennial favorite – Tree Toga tree planting throughout the City of Saratoga Springs on April 30. “We focus on large-growing shade trees because they provide far greater benefits than small ornamentals, cooling our homes and yards, fighting climate change, and providing habitat,” says Tom Denny, founding member and 10-year veteran of Sustainable Saratoga’s Urban Forestry Project. You can sign up to plant trees with us at Tree Toga by clicking here.

Sustainable Saratoga promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action. We provide educational resources that people can use to make informed decisions that affect everyday life, advocate for sustainable policies and programs, and empower our community to take action. 

Please consider making a donation today, in honor of Earth Day. Your gift supports community events like Tree Toga, Repair Café, and Saratoga Recycles Day, educational events like our composting resources, and supports our advocacy to protect open spaces and address the climate crisis. You can help make our community a more sustainable place for current and future generations to enjoy. Leave a lasting legacy for future generations by donating today.

In honor of Black History Month, we are recognizing influential Black environmental leaders focused on addressing equity and environmental justice issues in the United States. The environmental movement has historically ignored and excluded people of color even though communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by climate change, air pollution, water pollution and many other environmental problems. We at Sustainable Saratoga believe that all people have a right to a safe, clean, healthy environment. And we recognize that there is hard work to be done to make this a reality for all people. 

We hope you will learn more about the leaders we are highlighting and also share your heroes from the climate justice movement with us on social media.

Raya Salter

Raya Salter is a member of New York State’s Climate Action Council, the body that is responsible for creating the roadmap for the implementation of the 2019 Climate Leadership & community Protection Act (CLCPA).

Raya calls herself “an environmental advocate and policy storyteller,” working to translate data into policy change that results in “transformative and equitable clean energy transitions.” She has more than 20 years of experience as a lawyer and environmental advocate and has worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

She recently joined WE ACT for Environmental Justice as a Senior Advisor for its Justice40 Initiative. In early 2021, the White House announced an executive order that “creates a government-wide Justice40 Initiative with the goal of delivering 40 percent of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments to disadvantaged communities and tracks performance toward that goal through the establishment of an Environmental Justice Scorecard.”

(Photo: from rayasalter.com)

Tykee James

Tykee James is the government affairs coordinator for the National Audubon Society. A birder since his teens, Tykee was part of the group that organized Black Birders Week after a racist incident in New York’s Central Park a few years ago. Tykee now leads congressmembers and staff on bird walks – that must be an interesting job!

Tykee is an environmental educator and has worked as a policy advisor on the interconnectedness of environment and public health issues. He is Co-founder and Board Chair of Amplify the Future, a not-for-profit working to amplify opportunities in conservation and make conservation fields in higher education more equitable and inclusive.

(Photo: from Audubon.org)

Jerome Foster II

Jerome Foster II is a youth climate justice activist and a White House Climate Advisor to President Biden (the youngest ever!).

On Fridays in 2019-2020, Jerome could be found standing in front of the White House holding a sign protesting the lack of US action on climate change. “Sometimes, just holding it makes me feel better,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to shift that anxiety into a symbol of resistance, however small.” Click here for an interview with Jerome.

Jerome was an intern for Congressman John Lewis, working on voting issues and motivating the youth vote. He is the Executive Director and Founder of OneMillionOfUs, an organization working to educate and empower a movement of young voters, as well as the Founder and Editor-in-chief of the international online publication, The Climate Reporter.

(Photo: from climatehub.nytimes.com)

Peggy Shepard

Peggy Shepard is the co-founder and executive director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice. WE ACT’s mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of fair environmental health and protection policies and practices.

Peggy is a grassroots organizer and environmental advocate with a long history of working for environmental justice in urban communities. She was named co-chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council and was the first female chair of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

(Photo: from WEACT.org; photo credit: Allie Holloway)

Michael Regan

In 2021, Michael Regan became the first Black man and second person of color to be named as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Michael gained his reputation as a fierce environmental protector as a regulator in the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, where he pursued environmental cleanups and helped vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by pollution. Michael led negotiations for the PFAS cleanup of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina and negotiated the largest coal ash cleanup agreement (with Duke Energy) in US history. He also established North Carolina’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory board.

(Photo: from EPA.gov)

Rue Mapp

Rue Mapp is the Founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro, a national not-for-profit organization on a mission to address the ongoing need for greater diversity in the outdoors by inspiring “Black connections and leadership in nature.” Rue is an author, inspirational speaker, and public lands champion who has been featured in many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Backpacker Magazine, and Outside Magazine. She currently serves on the Wilderness Society’s governing council.

(Photo: from OutdoorAfro.com)

Want to learn more? Check out our highlighted leaders from last year: https://sustainablesaratoga.org/celebrating-influential-black-environmentalists/

Sustainable Saratoga promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action. We are a leader in promoting awareness of environmental issues and what we as a local community can do to minimize our ecological impact while maintaining a high quality of life.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today to help us create a more sustainable future. Thank you!