Featured Archives - Page 14 of 24 - NEW YORK LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS

Our Report Shows Gaps in Lead Poisoning Prevention

Lead is a dangerous environmental toxin and exposure to it can cause irreparable neurological and behavioral health consequences, especially in children. Before New York City’s ban on lead paint in 1960, this type of paint was commonly used and it can still be found in old buildings. The City has continued to tackle this public health issue and enacted Local Law 1 of 2004 to hold landlords accountable for addressing lead hazards in their buildings, which helped bring about a decline in childhood lead exposure.

According to the NYC Department of Health, the most commonly identified source of lead poisoning for children in New York City is lead paint and its dust, which significant exposure to can cause elevated blood lead levels in children. The most common pathway is from peeling lead paint and by inhaling lead dust. Other potential exposures include eating or drinking lead-contaminated food or drinks, playing with toys that contain lead paint, or using dishes that contain lead.

There has been a considerable amount of recent news regarding the enforcement of lead poisoning prevention laws in NYC. Over 900 classrooms for the City’s youngest students were recently found to have been contaminated with peeling lead paint, which the Department of Education worked to remediate and a recent report by Comptroller Scott Stringer found that the City did not conduct lead testing in thousands of old residential buildings, where they knew lead paint to be present in other units.

Since removing toxins from our environment is one of NYLCV/EF’s top priorities and was included in our 2019-2020 NYC Policy Agenda, we teamed up with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, Cooper Square Committee, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice to publish a report on inadequate enforcement of the lead dust standards in LL1. This report follows our 2018 report showing inadequate enforcement of the primary prevention measures in Local Law 1, which are intended to ensure lead hazards are identified and abated before children are exposed. These primary prevention measures are mandates that every child occupied dwelling in buildings built before 1960, 1) landlords annually inspect the units for signs of peeling paint and 2) landlords fully abate the lead paint on friction surfaces when there is a turnover between tenants.

These two reports highlight how the under-enforcement of Local Law 1 continues to put New York children’s health at risk.

The new report, titled Collecting Dust, shows that there are gaps in the enforcement of Local Law 1’s safe work practice regulations that protect against lead dust exposure. We found that the City is collecting penalties for lead-safe work practices violations at a significantly lower rate than other health areas it enforces.

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is the primary agency that enforces Local Law 1 and is responsible for ensuring safe work practices during construction and renovation in buildings with the presumption of lead paint- buildings that were built before 1960. DOHMH is also responsible for investigating complaints and assessing penalties.

The report looked at publicly available data from the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) for violations of safe work practices for construction in buildings with lead paint. If not properly controlled, construction in buildings with lead paint can leave residents and workers exposed to lead dust.

In the 15 years since LL1 went into effect, just under $2 million penalties have been assessed for failure to use Safe Work Practices to protect tenants from lead dust. Of that $2 million, the City collected only 0.5% of the total amount of penalties assessed– a shockingly low rate of enforcement. Since Local Law 1 was enacted, just 12 penalties have been collected.

In contrast, DOHMH imposed 21 times the amount of penalties for mobile food vending violations than it did for lead-related violations, collecting $5 million from street vendors for violations such as “cart touching or leaning against a building.” over the same time period.

At a recent City Council oversight hearing on lead poisoning prevention, the de Blasio Administration testified that there may be modestly more enforcement. We look forward to working with them to ensure improved enforcement of these laws.

The report provided detailed recommendations for improving accountability: fully enforce the existing law and vigorously seek and collect penalties; break down government silos; and increase transparency to create more public accountability. By implementing our recommendations, the City would be able to proactively eliminate lead poisoning.

We believe with meaningful enforcement of Local Law 1, the city will be able to protect the health and safety of all New Yorkers, especially children. We will keep advocating for policies that prevent lead poisoning and protect our children’s health.

Green Tips: How College Students Can Go Green

Being at college is a great time to learn about ways you can go green and incorporate eco-friendly behaviors into your daily routine. Here are some of our Green Tips to help you get started.

Transportation:
Transportation is the leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and accounts for 35% of total emissions in New York State. Adjusting your commute to campus by biking or walking more, will help reduce your environmental impact. If you’re attending a college in a city, use public transportation or see if there is a bike-share program you can participate in, like CitiBike in NYC, Lime bikes in Ithaca, and Bethpage Ride in Suffolk County.

As the end of the semester approaches, think about setting up a carpool for students heading home to the same city for the holidays. This can be a great way to save time and money while making some new friends. A great way to look for a carpool or advertise one is through student groups on Facebook.
Clothing:
It is estimated that Americans throw out 70 pounds of clothing per year with a majority of it ending up in landfills. If you need to save space in your dorm room and want to get rid of some clothes, consider donating them to an organization like Goodwill or Salvation Army. Look up your area’s closest donation center or ask for a pick up anywhere in NY through PickupPlease. You could even make some cash off the clothes you give away, using the ThredUp site. If you live in NYC and have large donation loads, you can apply to get a reFashionNYC clothing donation bin for your apartment or dorm building and call for pick up when it is full.

Goodwill, Salvation Army, and ThredUp are also good places to shop for discounted clothing and home goods. Thrift shopping helps to reduce waste and give perfectly good, slightly-used products second and third lives.
Food:
Each year, Americans generate an estimated 3.9 billion tons of food waste. Students living on-campus produce approximately 104,000 lbs of food waste per year nationwide. See if there’s a food scrap drop off site near campus, or talk to one of your professors about starting a composting program.

Earlier this year, New York passed the Food Donation and Food Scrap Recycling Act which requires the state’s largest food producers to donate or recycle all their usable food waste. The excess food that would otherwise be sent to landfills will now go to the 2.5 million hungry New Yorkers, effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The passage of this law is a big win for New York, but there is always more we can do to minimize food waste. Do your part by only putting the food you need on your plate and only buying what you will eat. If you have extra nonperishables laying around, donate them at a holiday food drive, or give it to a dorm neighbor.
BYO (Bring Your Own bottle, straw, or bag):
There are endless reasons to recycle. Not only does recycling save energy in manufacturing, but it also reduces pollution, keeps wildlife safe and creates thousands of jobs.

One of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of plastic entering the waste stream is to invest in a reusable water bottle. You’ll save money on water in the long run. For hot drinks, use a reusable mug, thermos, or tumbler. Starbucks, some Dunkin locations, and other coffee shops are offering small discounts for customers who bring their own mug.

Cut down on other unnecessary plastic by investing in your own set of reusable straws and shopping bags. Single-use plastics pollute our environment and can take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills. The degraded material breaks down into microplastics that further contaminate our environment and end up in our food systems. Reusable straws and bags can be purchased for a few dollars at most food and home goods stores. To recycle your plastic bags, search for a drop off location at participating retail stores near you.

Learn how to properly recycle on campus by looking up your city’s recycling website or ask someone in your dorm. To learn more about the general do’s and don’ts of recycling check out our recent Green Tips.
Stay Informed & Get Involved:
Paying attention to current events is always beneficial, as there are updates on local, national, and global environmental issues. As an informed environmental advocate, you will be better equipped when discussing these issues with friends and family. Spreading environmental awareness is a key step in moving towards climate change solutions. Every Monday NYLCV shares articles to keep you up to date!

Another easy way to stay informed and involved is to join an environmental or climate action club on campus. This could be a great opportunity to make a more substantial impact within your college community and the local environment. Here are just a few examples of what environmental college groups are working on around NY.
- At Manhattan College, the Green Club hosts discussions about current environmental threats and volunteers in related campus events.
- The Environmental Cooperative at Vassar College is dedicated to bringing students out to help in Hudson Valley conservation efforts and instill a sense of environmental stewardship.
- The Binghamton University Food Co-op provides organic, locally sourced food options for students and community members.

A growing number of colleges across the country and in New York State are developing plans to cut their carbon emissions, CUNY, Hamilton College, and Syracuse University are among them. Commitments include installing more energy-efficient HVAC systems, building LEED-certified buildings, and increasing green space on campus. Look on your school’s website to see if they have any sustainability goals or a climate action plan. If they don’t, try working with environmental clubs and faculty to see how you can help propose ideas to the administration.

Green Tips: How to Conserve Energy in the Winter

Here in New York, the end of Daylight Savings Time means shortened daylight hours and colder temperatures. Stay warm while saving energy and money this winter by following some of this week’s Green Tips.

Lighting

In order to reduce a household’s carbon footprint, it’s important to be cognizant of how much electricity is used. Turning off household lights and unplugging idle electronics will help to minimize environmental impacts and electric bill costs.

You can also use energy-efficient light bulbs like LED bulbs. They use less energy and last longer than conventional lights. They can fit into most light fixtures and are easy to install.

If you’re able to, consider replacing your light fixture with an LED fixture. These have light sources built into the fixture. They use even less energy than LED bulbs in conventional fixtures, last even longer, and offer a higher quality of light.

As the holiday season approaches, decorative lights are strung around homes and buildings creating beautiful, yet energy-consuming displays. To stay festive while keeping energy emissions in check, be sure to moderate usage of your holiday light decorations. Consider using LED holiday lights, which use less energy than conventional lights. If you are able to use a timer system, allowing holiday lights to be on for a few hours at night and then shut off, you could help keep electricity usage to a minimum.

Heating

Heating is the largest use of energy in the average New Yorker’s home. This winter, try to conserve as much heat as possible. You can still stay warm and toasty by keeping your thermostat at a lower temperature while you’re out during the day and while you’re sleeping.

You can also reduce heating consumption by using a programmable thermostat. Check to see if your thermostat allows you to set automatic temperature adjustments during a certain daily schedule. For renters, if you are not in control of your thermostat, talk with your landlord about lowering the heat.

If you’re able to, try to clean your furnace on a regular basis so that it works efficiently. Replace the air filters and have a furnace servicing contractor clear dirt and corrosion annually to maintain heating levels and improve indoor air quality. More information on cleaning your furnace is available here.

Other easy ways to trap heat and therefore use less of it at home include leaving blinds open for sunlight to naturally warm the rooms in your home, putting rugs over bare floors for better heat insulation, and using small space heaters in rooms that you spend the most time in while leaving other areas cooler.

Improving Home Insulation

Uninsulated attics, gaps in the fireplace, and small openings under doors are some of the ways homes fail to be airtight. Cold air leaks, no matter how big or small, can cause significant losses to home heating, making heating systems work harder. This can be prevented by inspecting your insulation at home or hiring a professional energy auditor and seeing if improvements need to be made.

A quick way to check if all the walls in your home are insulated is to unscrew an outlet cover and use a flashlight to look at the inside. Using the U.S Department of Energy insulation fact sheet, you can identify what insulation you have, its effectivity, and what they advise for your home.

More information on the importance of insulation and how to inspect for leaks and deterioration can be found on the U.S Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website. Also, if you’re looking to add or change insulation, there are many eco-friendly options to choose from.

Switching to Green Energy

New York State currently uses a combination of renewable and non-renewable sources for energy production. Though New York made substantial efforts to increase the use of hydro, solar, biofuel and wind sources, the U.S Energy Information Administration estimates 70% of New York’s energy still comes from non-renewable, greenhouse gas-emitting sources like oil.

For those looking to make a more substantial change towards reducing their carbon footprint, the emerging renewable energy market has made it possible for New Yorkers to switch to green energy suppliers. Moving to solar or wind energy can be a simple, hassle-free process, with multiple suppliers to choose from.

New Yorker’s energy service is comprised of two entities – the supplier and the distributor. The supplier is the source of your energy, and a distributor, your utility, delivers the selected energy.

Explore your green energy supplier options here, and see if there’s a plan and a price that fits your needs. Contact the supplier directly to sign up for their service. Once you have signed up with a new supplier, the adjustment is made to your utility account and the only thing that changes is the source of the energy delivered to your house.

To learn more about New York State renewable energy use go to the NY Green Power Program Page.

Energy Audits

For those looking to take a more complete account of the energy efficiency of their home or apartment space, you can do an at-home energy audit. With a simple walk-through of your home, you can identify leaks, drafty windows, deteriorating insulation, inefficient lighting and more. Accounting for these issues can help you get a better understanding of ways you can make your home more energy- and cost-efficient.

If you are interested in a more extensive and precise home energy assessment, you can request a professional energy auditor. Information on what to expect and where to find a professional energy auditor can be found on the U.S Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website.

If you own your home and have the budget, you can also look into upgrading appliances to ENERGY STAR products. The Environmental Protection Agency strongly promotes purchasing ENERGY STAR certified products, which guarantees energy efficiency and reduced emissions. Upgrading to more efficient appliances and heating systems are a good way to increase property value and cut energy costs.

For more information on how you can upgrade your home with ENERGY STAR, visit their page to explore all their services.

Green Tips: America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day is coming up! According to an EPA study, each American generates 4.4 pounds of waste every day. New Yorkers generate over 4.5 pounds of trash per day. While recycling can help reduce waste, recycling levels in the U.S. were reportedly at 34.7% in 2015. Since 1994, New York’s Environmental Protection Fund invested $155 million through 2017 to help municipalities develop recycling infrastructure, hire recycling coordinators, and establish household hazardous waste management programs.

To make sure you’re doing it right, here’s what you need to know about recycling and how to do it properly:

Why do we recycle?

Recycling conserves resources and energy. When we recycle, used products are converted into new products. Using recycled materials saves natural resources, such as timber, metals, water, and minerals. The energy needed to process raw materials is more than the energy used to recycle.

Recycling protects the environment. Since recycling became mandatory in 1992, New York State has diverted over 320 million tons of material from disposal, leading to an estimated reduction of 1 billion metric tons of carbon emissions, the equivalent of taking 211 million cars off the road for one year.

Recycling reduces the burden on landfills. Recycling leads to less trash in landfills. Landfills produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is 30 times more potent than carbon. In fact, municipal landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the U.S., contributing roughly 14% of methane emissions to the atmosphere.

Recycling creates jobs. An EPA study in 2016 analyzed the economic benefits of the recycling industry. The study showed that recycling creates 757,000 jobs, $36.6 billion in wages and $6.7 billion in tax revenues in the U.S. Click here for the full EPA report.

Are We Recycling Right?

Unfortunately, if you fail to recycle properly, it will do more harm than good. Recycling costs in the U.S. are increasing while recycling rates are decreasing, in part due to the improper recycling habits that contaminate the recycling stream. For example, cardboard can end up in a plastic collection bin or people may attempt to recycle items containing oil or food residues – called “Wishful Recycling” or “Aspirational Recycling.”

Contaminated recyclables slow down the manual sorting process, may potentially break machinery, degrade the quality and market price of recycled materials, and could even cause recycling service providers to reject an entire load of materials, which would result in the waste being sent to landfill. About a quarter of single-stream recycling ends up in a landfill due to contamination issues.

That’s why it’s important to learn how to recycle properly.

How to Recycle Properly

New York’s Recycle Right campaign provides general resources to reduce contamination in residential recycling.

We provide some specific advice below on how to properly recycle certain materials.

Plastic: Most recyclable plastics have the numbers on them, often on the bottom. The numbers indicate the type of plastic.

Plastic bottle caps are usually recyclable along with the bottles. Keep the caps on plastic bottles so they can be recycled. Otherwise, they’ll likely end up in landfills.
Rinse the plastic item before tossing it into the blue bin.
You can also return many plastic beverage bottles – along with certain glass bottles and aluminum cans – for 5 cents each at certain stores and redemption centers. Check here for more details.
Most municipalities in New York don’t accept disposable utensils.
Plastic bags are not accepted by most curbside municipal recycling programs, but your local retailer or mall may collect them. Check here for plastic bag drop off locations and here for what types of plastic bags can be recycled. To avoid plastic bag waste entirely, use a reusable bag instead.

Paper and Cardboard: Paper and cardboard are both recyclable. Corrugated cardboard is used in 90% of shipping boxes in the U.S. In 2018, about 68.1% of paper products and 70% of the corrugated cardboard was recycled in the U.S.

Pizza boxes must be clean and free of food or oil in order to be recycled. Cut off any tape used to seal the box, then collapse the box to make it flat and to save space.
While some recycling programs don’t accept paper cups because of their waxy lining, New York City does, as long as it’s empty and clean. Don’t forget to recycle the cardboard sleeve.
Remove plastic liners before recycling cereal, pasta or other food boxes.

Electronic Waste: E-waste recycling helps to keep toxins such as lead, mercury, and cadmium from contaminating our air, water, and soil. In New York, this type of waste is recycled separately from regular municipal recycling. You can either recycle it yourself or through a manufacturer’s takeback program.

To recycle your e-waste yourself, check here for a list of collection sites in New York State. Call ahead before using the collection site as they may not accept a particular type of brand or equipment. Click here for collection sites in New York City. You can also bring your e-waste to a SAFE disposal event or request an e-waste pickup.
To recycle through a manufacturer’s takeback program, check here for a list of designated manufactures’ e-waste acceptance programs in New York. Follow the instructions listed on their websites. Check here for details.

Glass: most glass containers can be recycled.

Rinse glass containers before placing them in the recycling bin and avoid breaking them. They can’t be recycled if the glass shatters.
Metal caps on glass jars and bottles are recyclable. Since bottle caps are very small, they may damage machinery and may slow down production. You can help avoid this by placing the caps in an aluminum can until it’s half full. Then, crimp the top of the can by hand so that the caps are trapped. Toss the crimped can in the recycling bin, so the machine will sort out the bigger size metal can for recycling.

Green Tips: Going Green on a Budget

Going green doesn’t require a big budget or a lot of expensive products. There are small ways you can help the environment by conserving energy and consuming less water. Here are some green tips for a small budget!

Conserving Energy

Smart Thermostats

According to Energy Star, half of Americans’ annual energy bill goes to heating and cooling, which can cost over $900/year. Heating and cooling account for up to 57% of a New Yorker’s energy use, higher than the U.S. average of 47%.

Being smart about how you control your temperature helps save money and conserve energy. A smart thermostat can help.

Smart thermostats are wifi connected devices that automatically adjust heating and cooling temperatures for the most energy-efficient performance. They also allow owners to program temperature settings based on their schedules while taking weather conditions into account.

According to a 2010 study, 89% of regular thermostat users never program their thermostats for a weekday or weekend program. When using a smart thermostat, the sensor on the device is able to detect human activity to activate the cooling and heating system while learning your shifting schedule. With the help of smart thermostats, you can save 10-23% on heating or cooling costs without worrying about programming your device.

Start your purchasing research with the Energy Star certified smart thermostats list.

Light Bulbs

LED bulbs are one of the most energy-efficient lighting technologies. They last longer and offer better light quality than other types of bulbs. These bulbs can be 6 to 7 times more efficient than traditional incandescent light bulbs and reduce 75% of your energy use. They can last more than 25,000 hours, almost 25 times longer than traditional light bulbs.

LED bulbs can also save money. Based on NRDC’s estimation, New Yorkers would save $100 each year per household if using LED bulbs. The electric bills will thus drop over $1 billion annually.

Start your purchasing research with the Energy Star certified LED light bulb list.

Conserving Water

Saving Water Indoors

Water plays an essential role in our lives and it’s important to conserve water when possible. You can read more about why water is so important in our previous Green Tip.

Not only is water a vital environmental resource, but saving water can also save you money. New Yorkers use about 79 gallons of water every day at home.

The largest use of household water is the toilet and the shower. The average U.S. family can waste 180 gallons of water per week simply from common leaks. You can check whether your toilet is leaking by adding food coloring into the tank. If the color shows in the bowl after an hour, your toilet is leaking.

You can also save water by taking shorter showers and replacing the showerhead with a more efficient one, such as an EPA WaterSense product. Water-efficient showerheads can reduce the average American household’s electricity costs by $70 per year and save 2,700 gallons of water per year.

Another household appliance that consumes water is the dishwasher. By running the dishwasher only when it’s full, you can eliminate one load of dishes per week and save almost 320 gallons of water annually. Modern dishwashers are also more water-efficient than hand-washing dishes.

Saving Water Outdoors: A Smart Sprinkler
In the United States, people use more than 9 billion gallons of water outdoors each day, mainly for landscape irrigation. However, almost 50% of that water is wasted due to inefficiency.

If you have a lawn or a garden, take care of it with a smart sprinkler. These reduce water consumption and lower your water bill.

What makes these sprinklers smart? They can be connected to wifi and controlled by your smartphone anywhere, anytime. These systems can also learn your watering patterns and read current weather data, then water your lawn accordingly. Smart sprinklers are able to determine water evaporation from soil, and automatically schedule the watering time to keep water in the soil and prevent oversaturation.

Another reason to use smart sprinklers is the money you can save on your water bill from less water use. Smart sprinklers cost between $100 to $280, but the money you save on your water bill will pay you back over time.

You can also qualify for a rebate on your water bill through the EPA’s Watersense program. Find your rebate information here and check your product’s website to make sure the device is eligible for a rebate.

Green Tips: National Imagine A Day Without Water

National Imagine A Day Without Water is on October 23rd. On this day, organizations across the country urge people to think about the important role water plays in their daily lives and why they should protect our water resources. Here are a few short facts about water in honor of National Imagine A Day Without Water.

Where does the water come from?

Earth is 71% covered by water, however, only less than 1% of the water can be used by people. The water we use comes from surface water and groundwater. Surface waters are oceans, rivers, lakes, and streams that are filled by rain and snow. Groundwater comes from rain and snow that seeps into the ground. Both types of water are sent to our homes after being treated by water treatment plants. Approximately, one-quarter of the people in New York get their water from groundwater sources. The remaining get their water from surface waters.

New York State has more than 7,600 freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, with 70,000 miles of rivers and streams that supply drinking water to more than 20 million New Yorkers.

Water systems and reservoirs along the Hudson and Delaware Rivers in upstate New York provide half of the state with drinking water, including New York City. The Delaware River also provides millions with drinking water as it flows downstream to Newark and Philadelphia.

The Great Lakes serve as a major drinking water source in New York State as well, providing drinking water for more than 4 million people upstate. Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and the St. Lawrence River provide water supplies for 33 out of NY’s 62 counties, mostly in Northwestern New York.

Why is water important?

Water plays an essential role in our lives, including drinking, bathing, washing, industrial uses, energy production, agricultural uses, and even brewing beer and wine. New Yorkers consume 1.5 billion gallons of water each day, which amounts to 79 gallons of water per capita.

Sixty-six percent of the water taken from our rivers is used for power generation; twenty-five percent of the water is used for public uses like drinking water. The rest goes towards agriculture, industry, and other uses.

How is water used?

Agriculture

Water is essential for agriculture. It is mostly used for irrigation and fertilizer application. Farmers in New York State used over 39 million gallons of water per day in 2018.

New York State is a leading agricultural state and ranks second for apple production nationwide. It typically takes 17.5 gallons of water to produce just one apple. New York State produces 30 million bushels of apples annually (125 apples per bushel), which leads to 65 billion gallons of water total each year

Dairy

A reliable, high-quality water supply is also essential for dairy production – that’s why protecting our water resources is so important. Dairy farmers use water for everything from feeding cows to the manufacturing process.

New York State is a leading producer of dairy products nationwide and is famous for cheese and yogurt. It usually takes 50 gallons of water to make just 2 slices of cheese and 35 gallons of water for just 1 cup of yogurt. Every year, farmers in New York produce 1.59 billion pounds of cheese by using 795 billion gallons of water. They also produce 692 million pounds of yogurt, which equals 45 billion gallons of water each year.

Milk is NYS’ largest agricultural commodity. According to a study by Michigan State University, it takes 4.5 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of milk. People in New York State consume 3.2 billion pounds of milk each year.

It’s clear why New York’s most vital resource – water – is an integral part of one of its most vital industries – dairy.

Beer

Next time you’re having a beer, consider the important role that water plays in beermaking. Beer is another reason to make sure our waters are protected. Don’t forget to raise your glass for clean water!

New York now has approximately 418 breweries, mostly in the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes regions. People in New York State consume over 333 million gallons of beer each year.

Beer is mostly made up of water, and water is required during every single step of the brewing process.

Beer is made up of 90%-95% water and water is used in every single step of the brewing process, even though only a small amount actually makes it into the package. It usually takes 7 gallons of water to produce just 1 gallon of beer.

Green Tips: Birthday Parties

Birthday parties are a great opportunity to celebrate another year with family and friends, but they can also generate a lot of waste. Follow our tips to “green” your next birthday party!

Invitations

Paper and paperboard contribute 68.1 million tons of waste to landfills nationwide, the largest percentage of municipal waste in the United States. Instead of paper invitations for your next party, try sending an email invite, or consider services such as evite or Paperless Post to avoid using paper invitations. If you decide to use paper invitations, use invitations made from recycled paper, or reuse paper already laying around the house.

Party Supplies

Many parties rely on single-use, non-biodegradable items such as plastic plates, forks, spoons, and knives. Over 30 million tons of plastic products are produced in the United States yearly and 91% of that is never recycled. It is estimated that by mid-century, plastic in our oceans will outweigh sea life.

There are several good workarounds for avoiding this waste. Try using durable and reusable flatware and plates if your party is at home. If you are having a party at a destination, let the destination know you will be providing your own materials and bring them home later to wash. When using a dishwasher, run the dishwasher on a full load. Another option is to buy disposable plates and utensils that are biodegradable, or able to break down in the environment. These may be made of palm leaves, bamboo, wood, or corn starch plastics.

For party decorations, avoid plastic streamers and balloons, which end up in the waste stream and can damage marine life. Instead, make party hats and decorations out of recycled paper or found items. Creating your own decorations can be a fun craft to incorporate as a party activity.

Goody Bags

Goody bags are often a source of waste at parties. They may contain non-biodegradable plastic items, such as plastic toys, that can amuse the partygoers momentarily but are quickly thrown out.

In order to reduce this waste, try a handmade crafting activity at your party that children can do themselves, such as fingerpainting. Click here for an environmentally friendly-finger paint recipe. Another project could be built using bendy-yarn. For a homemade bendy-yarn recipe click here. Several sites such as craftingagreenworld.com offer a large variety of craft projects.

Or send attendees home with something they can use long-term, such as native plant seeds or reusable water bottles. If you do decide to have a goody bag, use a paper or cloth bag.

Gifts

Children’s toys are also often made of plastic. Fortunately, there are some very good ways to avoid receiving unwanted plastic gifts:

Ask for gift certificates to your favorite stores.
Have a swap-party in which each child brings a gently-used book to contribute.
Partygoers could be asked to make a contribution to a charity instead of a gift.
Give and ask for experiences rather than material items.

Food and Drinks

New Yorkers produce 3.9 million tons of food waste every year. To reduce this waste at your next birthday party, try these simple tips:

Make the cake yourself from local ingredients. This will also avoid excess packaging.
Avoid single-use juice boxes water or soda cans and have large pitchers of beverages instead.
If you decide to get your party catered, support your local businesses!

Our New Recommendations to Reform Article 10 & Site Renewable Energy

With Zero Major Wind and Solar Projects Breaking Ground Since 2011, Report Outlines Series of Recommendations to Improve Community Engagement and Expedite Siting

Today, we released Breaking Down the Barriers to Renewable Energy Siting: Recommendations Report identifying recommendations to reform Article 10 and site large-scale renewable energy projects in New York State. The report, released at the Alliance for Clean Energy New York’s Clean Energy Fall Reception, builds on our background paper about the barriers to siting renewable energy released earlier this year.

The report comes on the heels of the passage of the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which mandates net-zero gas emissions across the economy by 2050. The only way to meet this ambitious standard is to expand and expedite the siting of renewable projects. With more than 40 projects initiating the Article 10 process and zero projects breaking ground under the law since its inception in 2011, the new report outlines a series of recommendations to streamline the siting of onshore wind and solar projects and help the state achieve its ambitious goals.

The report includes a series of regulatory, budgetary and legislative recommendations to increase community engagement and participation, incentivize creative and flexible local funding arrangements, and expedite the permitting process. The recommendations build on the work of environmental and energy advocates in finding solutions that benefit all parties in the state’s transition to renewable energy.

Specific recommendations include:

Calling on DPS to audit Article 10 regulations and make updates that streamline and improve the process.
Excluding funds a municipality may receive from a renewable energy project from the state’s 2% property tax cap, so that communities have more freedom to negotiate successful and creative benefit agreements.
Ensuring local appointments are made to Siting Board by enabling the local executive or supervisor to make them if the Governor and the Legislature fail to act.
Establishing a fund or bank to mitigate or otherwise offset any impact a project might have on a threatened or endangered species or sensitive habitat.
Dedicating $1 million in funding for staff at the state’s nine regional planning boards to assist municipalities with planning.
Adding more staffing at the state Department of Public Service (DPS), the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and the Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) to account for the increase in Article 10 applications, including adding a staff member dedicated to ensuring the agencies are communicating and coordinating efficiently.
Amending the regulations for wetland delineation range from 500 feet to 100 feet to align with regulations for other state wetland development projects.
Offering more incentives to local communities to host renewable energy projects.

This report follows four stakeholder roundtables we convened this year in Albany, Buffalo, Long Island and Syracuse. These meetings brought together thought leaders, state decision-makers, local government representatives, renewable energy developers, environmental organizations, regional planning groups, and others with the goals of identifying ways to streamline the siting process and improving engagement with local communities.

The also report stresses the importance of proactive and early engagement in the siting process to build relationships with local leaders, address community concerns, and get ahead of any misinformation that may develop.

Next, we will work with the State and partners to develop strategies for how to move forward with these recommendations.

Green Tips – Celebrating National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 28th

As part of National Public Lands Day, you can join volunteers across the country to take care of public lands near you. You can also pay tribute to our public lands by taking a trip to any of New York State’s parks, forests, or wildlife refuges. Check out our tips for an eco-friendly excursion.

Planning your trip

New York is full of recreational spaces open to the public, which you can read about here. From Bayswater Point State Park in New York City to Maple Hill State Forest in Chemung, NY to the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves, you can easily find a greenspace near you to visit.

If possible, take public transportation to your local park or forest. This will help reduce emissions that your car or flight may otherwise produce. If there’s no public transit option, try to carpool with friends or family.

Bring your own reusable containers as plastic bags can end up in rivers and oceans killing sea life, or tangled up in tree branches. Don’t forget to clean up after yourself and leave the land as you found it!

Be careful where you step

If you’re hiking, make sure to stay on your trail so you don’t hurt any wildlife, including tree saplings, that may be underfoot. Trees shelter wildlife and help remove carbon from our atmosphere, which helps fight climate change. Also underfoot may be salamanders or frogs that help control biting insect populations and face their own extinction battles due to climate change. Also, avoid disturbing bird nests, or using weed killers in your garden that can not only seep into groundwater, but be ingested by organisms in the soil like worms, that are part of avian diets, and can decimate the very bird populations you set out to observe.

Visit somewhere old, but new to you

Lose yourself in an old-growth forest with ancient trees that you may not have visited before. One option is a visit to 385 million-year-old Gilboa Forest in Schoharie County. Gilboa’s trilobites went extinct 252 million years ago. As one of the first forests, Gilboa’s trees helped usher in an oxygen-rich atmosphere that made terrestrial life on Earth possible.

Create new forests

As the climate warms, plant species that have adapted to cooler weather will need help migrating north. Find out which plants south of you will do better in your vicinity, and you can help a photosynthesizing species survive into the next century. You will be laying the foundation for New York’s future forests! You can also take part in a tree-planting event in your community, where you’ll extract carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, replacing it with life-sustaining oxygen.

Spread the love

While you’re visiting our public lands, post photos of wildlife on your favorite social media page. Make your friends and followers aware of which species need protection, and what they can do to help. Be courteous to your fellow visitors and allow space for everyone to experience the views of wildlife.

Be aware of busier trails and shorter days

As the leaves begin to change, trailheads and summits will once again be busy and days will continue to get shorter. Arrive early to ensure plenty of daylight. Pack a flashlight or headlamp and extra batteries with you on all hikes just in case.

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