WHEN: Wednesday, June 10, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm
WHERE: Whitman Brewing Company, 20 Lake Ave, Saratoga Springs
DETAILS: Food, alcoholic, and non-alcoholic drinks are available for purchase.
Green Drinks – Saratoga Springs is held monthly.
While this is a networking event, solicitation is not allowed.

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The next Science on Tap is Wednesday, April 29 @ 7:00 pm.

Admission is free and all ages are welcome. Come early to get a bite to eat. The talk will start promptly at 7:00pm.

Title: Could that Star Already be Dead? Why Relativity Says You Can’t Ask.

Description: The theory of Special Relativity is now over 120 years old. Its conclusions about how time slows down in GPS satellites and about how many particles reach Earth’s surface have been confirmed countless times. But what relativity says about the nature of space and time is still so deeply counterintuitive that our lack of intuition can make us wrong even about things that seem obvious. In this talk, I’ll first introduce the basic ideas of Special Relativity. I’ll then discuss the often repeated story that some of the starlight we see might be from long-dead stars, and explain why that story is asking a question that doesn’t actually have an answer.

Bio: Jesse Ernst is an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Physics at U Albany. He conducts research in the area of elementary particle physics. Jesse and his family reside in Saratoga Springs.

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Sustainable Saratoga and Skidmore College invite you to join us for the Saratoga Sustainability Fair on Saturday, April 11, from 10am – 2pm at Skidmore’s Dance Center/ Intramural Gym. This is a FREE community event celebrating sustainability awareness and opportunities.

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Participate in the Sustainability Initiative on Phila Street. Sustainable Saratoga will offer clean, free, reusable cups at Bailey’s, Fillies, Hattie’s, and Sushi Thai Garden – bring your own spoon or use one of our bamboo spoons!

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WHEN: Wednesday, February 11, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm
WHERE: Whitman Brewing Company, 20 Lake Ave, Saratoga Springs
DETAILS: Food, alcoholic, and non-alcoholic drinks are available for purchase.
Green Drinks – Saratoga Springs is held monthly.
While this is a networking event, solicitation is not allowed.

The post Green Drinks appeared first on Sustainable Saratoga.

For more than three decades, Saratoga Springs has embraced a unique vision: our community is the “City in the Country.” This is more than a slogan—it is the foundation of an intentional and forward-thinking Comprehensive Plan that recognizes the importance of both our vibrant downtown and the natural areas that surround it.

Saratoga Springs’ urban core and its large Greenbelt area of “rural character” are complementary pieces of a larger whole: the compact city center provides energy, interest, and economic vitality, while the outer Greenbelt delivers ecological resilience, scenic beauty, open spaces, and a sense of place treasured by visitors and residents alike. This “City in the Country” identity is embodied in the city’s 2015 Comprehensive Plan, a document that articulates the city’s land use vision, and upon which our land use and development regulations are based.

This hard-earned balance has always required vigilance. Sometimes developments are proposed that would push against the standards the community has long agreed upon. Instead of reinforcing the values etched into our Comprehensive Plan, some proposals would erode them by wanting the city to bend or reinterpret its standards.

There are calls for creating a new Comprehensive Plan review process. While this is not unreasonable, a Comprehensive Plan review is typically a protracted process that could open the door to an undesirable model of development in the city.

The risks of abandoning our “City in the Country” model are both immediate and long-term:
• Environmental degradation: Large or inappropriate developments in the Greenbelt stand to harm wetlands, wildlife habitats, and ecological systems that protect against flooding and improve our water quality. Once compromised, these resources are nearly impossible to restore.
• Loss of rural character: Saratoga Springs’ appeal is not only its downtown but the striking contrast between a lively city center and the rural landscapes that surround it. Unmitigated sprawl across the Greenbelt would blur this distinction and diminish the city’s defining charm.
• Economic consequences: Tourists are drawn to Saratoga Springs not only for the racetrack or
Broadway but because Saratoga offers something rare: a small vibrant city infused with nature and history. We risk undermining one of our strongest economic drivers if we allow sprawl, sold to the city as “progress,” to replace the community’s Greenbelt. It also detracts from the downtown as our economic center.
• Cumulative impacts: A single inappropriate project might be defended as “not too harmful,” but taken together, each exception sets a precedent. Before long, the protections that have safeguarded our community’s unique identity for over 30 years will unravel.

Saratoga Springs can embrace growth without abandoning the vision that has guided it for decades. Our Comprehensive Plan is more than a suggestion—it is a community blueprint for how to balance vitality and conservation. Let’s keep that vision intact, with citizens actively shaping its direction. Saratoga Springs must continue to be a place where economic vitality thrives alongside nature’s abundance, not at its expense.

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PRESS RELEASE – For immediate release 4/4/24

Sustainable Saratoga and Skidmore College team up for the Saratoga Sustainability Fair on Saturday, April 13

Media Contact: Beth Plummer; beth@sustainablesaratoga.org

Sustainable Saratoga and Skidmore College are partnering once again to host the Saratoga Sustainability Fair on Saturday April 13th, 2024, from 10am-3pm at the Skidmore Case Center. This FREE family friendly event will allow attendees to explore the latest in eco-friendly topics and innovations and gives kids the opportunity to dive into fun and learning all day.

Highlights of the 2024 Saratoga Sustainability Fair include:

• Pre-fair Campus Bike Ride from 9-10am hosted by Adirondack Ultra Cycling.
• Riders can bring their own bikes or grab a CDPHP pedal or e-bike share on campus.
• Electric car and e-bike show as part of the City of Saratoga Springs’ NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities Campaign
• Kids zone with fun activities for kids of all ages from 10am-12pm
• Workshops and panel discussions on important sustainability topics including regenerative agriculture and the impact of plastics
• Food vendors
• Exhibit Hall featuring businesses and nonprofits in energy, climate, equity, environmental education, and more

Kelsey Trudell, Executive Director of Sustainable Saratoga says about the ongoing partnership, “We are so excited to co-host the Sustainability Fair again with Skidmore College. It’s going to be a great event to build community around local sustainability initiatives!”

Attendees are encouraged to be climate smart and ride a bike or take public transportation to the event. The 452 CDTA bus runs from Wilton Mall, through Saratoga Springs, and stops right at the Fair. Car parking will also be available. For more about the event and activity schedule, visit https://sustainablesaratoga.org/2024-saratoga-sustainability-fair/

About Skidmore College

Founded in 1903, Skidmore College is a highly selective private, coeducational liberal arts college of about 2,600 students. Skidmore is consistently named one of the “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” by U.S. News and World Report and has recently been recognized as one of “America’s Most Entrepreneurial Colleges” by Forbes, a “Top College Value” by Kiplinger and one of “The Best 388 Colleges” by The Princeton Review. Travel and Leisure has also called Saratoga Springs, home to Skidmore’s campus, one of “America’s Best College Towns.

About Sustainable Saratoga

Sustainable Saratoga is a not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainable practices and the protection of natural resources through education, advocacy and action, for the benefit of current and future generations in the Saratoga Springs area. Since 2008, Sustainable Saratoga has been 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. To learn more about Sustainable Saratoga, visit: https://sustainablesaratoga.org/

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