Calling All Creative Minds

January 12, 2013 ALL DAY We invite all creative minds to come out to the ReUse Center located at 3 Clearwater Road off Route 32 in New Paltz by the ballfields.  We need your artistic imagination so we can create "recipes" for people wondering what to do with the stuff!  We will type up your ideas and post them by the materials so others can use them.  Looking forward to seeing all the ideas! Call (845) 255-8456 if you have any questions or email your ideas to recycling@townofnewpaltz.org

2012 Winter Newsletter

Our newsletter is finally here.  Please take note that we have scheduled several amazing workshops for early next year.

2012 Winter Newsletter

Upcoming Workshops: 

• January 26th, 2013 10am to 1pm - “Tool Fix It” workshop with Wolf Bravo, Ulster County Tool Share 
• February 23rd, 2013 10am to 1pm “Container Gardening” 
• March 9th, 2013 10am to 1pm “Vertical Gardening and Window Farming” 
• April 13 2013 ”Compost 101” 9am to 10:30am—$10 per person and you receive a compost bin at the end of the class. Limited availability.

Call (845) 255-8456 or email recycling@townofnewpaltz.org for more information!

Holiday Giving

Want your holidays wrapped in more meaning — and less stuff? New Dream.org

The holidays, meant to be a time of peace, reflection, and celebration, too often exhaust rather than uplift us. If you sometimes feel trapped by the shopping, spending, crass displays, and frenzied preparations, you aren’t alone. Our national surveys consistently show that Americans feel put upon by the commercialization of the season and want more of what matters…not just more stuff.   

 This year, you don’t have to rack up credit card debt or get swept up in the season’s commercialism. Instead, consider creating holidays that instill more meaning into the season.

With a Simplify the Holidays campaign, we hope the tips and activities outlined here will help you reduce stress and increase personal fulfillment during this holiday season.

GIVE A HANDMADE GIFT like a memoir of cherished memories with that person, a book of family recipes, a collage of pictures and mementos, or a calendar filled with the birthdays and anniversaries of friends and family.
 OFFER TO TEACH A SKILL YOU POSSESS (e.g., knitting, photography, computer skills, financial planning, a foreign language, music lessons, canning tomatoes, cooking a favorite recipe).
 CONSIDER LESS GIMMICKY, LESS COMMERCIAL GIFTS for children, such as arts/crafts supplies, books, a magnifying glass, or building blocks.
 CREATE A PAPERLESS HOLIDAY LETTER on the computer and email it to friends and family.
 HAVE A WHITE ELEPHANT PARTY at the office instead of a traditional gift exchange, where each person brings a wrapped secondhand item in good condition.
 GIVE THE GIFT OF TIME by creating your own gift card for a service (e.g., babysitting, carwashing, petsitting, chores, making dinner, organizing an outing).
 SHOP FOR USED ITEMS for all or most of your holiday gifts (e.g., local thrift store, Craigslist, Freecycle, used products on Amazon or eBay).
 SHARE THE GIFT OF MUSIC by caroling, and include visits to elderly neighbors or a nursing home. Or, gather friends and family for an in-home holiday sing-a-long.
 GIVE BACK TO YOUR COMMUNITY by preparing care packages for the homeless, or volunteering at an organization to help those in need during the holiday season.
 ADOPT A "LESS IS MORE" ATTITUDE toward holiday decorating. Opt for natural trimmings such as clippings from local evergreens and holly bushes.
 SAVE PAPER by wrapping gifts in newspaper comics, junk mail, paper bags decorated with markers, old maps, phone books, or other reused paper.
 PREPARE YOUR HOLIDAY MEALS with as many seasonal, locally grown, and/or organic foods as possible.
 REDUCE JUNK MAIL by removing your name from mailing lists of unwanted holiday catalogs.
 CELEBRATE BUY NOTHING DAY on November 23 and spend that day doing community service, visiting an elderly friend, helping a neighbor, or just enjoying time with family.

Preparing for Next Year

As the days grow much shorter, we still are enjoying weather mild enough to plant an extra row of garlic or prepare beds for next year.  Remember that you can use cardboard as a weed barrier and add organics to your compost bin.  Footprint Solutions

We are planning many workshops over the next six month as New Paltz works towards a Sustainable and Zero Waste goal.  Together we can reduce garbage, our carbon footprint, eat healthier and save money.

Dollars & Sense: Told 'no,' New Paltz finds 

way to repair road

7:31 AM, Nov 8, 2012   |  

1  Comments

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A car comes across Dug Road in New Paltz on Wednesday.

Written by

John Ferro

Poughkeepsie Journal

• FILED UNDER

• News
• Local News

ZOOM

Dug Road and adjacent stream bank have been recently repaired Wednesday in New Paltz. / Photos by Karl Rabe / Poughkeepsie Journal

NEW PALTZ — When stormwater runoff from tropical storms Irene and Lee undermined a New Paltz road, town officials turned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for money to rebuild.

FEMA said no, but that didn’t stop town officials.

“We don’t do ‘no’ ” said Laura Petit, the town recycling coordinator and one of its grant writers. “Nothing should be out of your reach.”

With ideas from its environmental advisory board, the town applied for a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The result was a grant for no more than $42,000. The money was used to repair the bank along a Wallkill River tributary that had undermined part of Dug Road.

Though the due date was Wednesday, the town completed the project a month early and well under budget.

New Paltz Highway Supervisor Chris Marx said the town saved money by using its own crews, rather than having to pay contractors at prevailing wage.

Total wage costs were $8,993.11, about half what the town would have paid to a contractor, Marx said.

The town also was able to purchase materials under state-bid prices. The total cost for materials was $3,800. Equipment costs totaled $8,842.90.

The final price tag for the project — $21,636.01 — was about half of the grant’s maximum. The federal grant paid for 75 percent of that cost. The remaining cost was covered by federal stimulus funding the state received. That funding was obtained with help from state Sen. John Bonacic.

“A lot of people probably would have turned around — and I would have, too — when FEMA told us no,” Marx said, “but thank goodness we have other people in the town who are a lot more experienced with grants and difference services.”

Marx said it pays to talk with other department heads and ask around what is out there.

“That is the lesson I learned from it — don’t take the first answer, just like you don’t take the first bid,” he said.

Students Welcome

We had visitors from several different schools this weekend who were working on art and science projects.  Materials are moving off the shelves quickly and we are always looking for new materials to replace them.

BREAKING NEWS - The ReUse Center is OPEN!!!

The new ReUse Center is open and there are loads of materials that need to find new homes. We have insulation if you need to do more weatherizing before the onset of winter and art supplies for projects on cold days. Materials come and go so call ahead or stop in to see new stuff. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 4:30pm. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped us prepare for the opening: SUNY New Paltz students and community volunteers. Thank you for all of the community support and support from our elected officials. (845) 255-8456.

Easy Steps to Waste-Free School Lunches

Written by Tovah Paglaro, September 25, 2012

Try this as a starting point for Zero Waste in our schools.  Why not begin with the children.  Laura Petit, Recycling Coordinator

By choosing to forgo packaged or cafeteria food for “waste-free” lunches, we teach our children healthy eating habits and minimize the garbage that ends up at landfills or recycling plants. As if that weren’t reason enough, waste-free lunches also save us money.

Say Goodbye to Pre-Packaged Foods

Childhood obesity is at an all-time high in North America. If you read the labels on many of the most common lunchbox items, a picture of why starts to crystallize. At their best, prepackaged foods are high in sugar and low in nutritional value; at their worst, they’re void of nutritional value and completely on par with candy-store sweets.  

Waste-Free Lunch Basics

Packing waste-free lunches doesn’t need to be intimidating. So why is it? Well, like anything there is a learning curve. It takes a little trial and error to get into a groove, but once you do, waste-free lunches are as simple to pack as their carbon-heavy counterparts.

Despite their better ingredients and organic labels, even "healthy" kids foods come with lots of packaging that can easily be avoided.

Here are a few of our favorite alternatives to popular pre-packaged school lunch items:

• Yogurt, fruit, and honey: Ditch the plastic tubes of yogurt in favor of healthier (and cheaper) pints of whole plain yogurt. In a small container, mix your favorite fresh (or frozen) fruit with yogurt and honey. If kids have a real propensity for sweetness, jam could be used instead of fruit and honey. (There are great online recipes to make your own yogurt at a cost savings and much healthier.  At least you know what is going into it!)
• Baked goods and homemade granola bars:Those little aluminum wrappers add up. Make homemade granola, crispy bars or cookies then "package" them in reusable containers.
• Gummy fruit snacks and fruit roll-ups: Dried fruits like papaya, apricot, banana, apples, and mango make delicious waste-free alternatives to their packaged counterparts. Bought in bulk and stored in the pantry, they make it simple to create a variety of sweet treats for lunches throughout the week.
• Applesauce: Sure, the little plastic cups are convenient, but real one-ingredient applesauce is tastier, healthier, and waste-free. It can be purchased in glass jars, or, for true savings and enviro-goodness, try your hand at a homemade version. It’s as easy as steaming cut, peeled apples and pureeing them. For variety, add berries, plums, or peaches to batches. All of these store easily in the freezer for use throughout the year. (PS every house with a yard should have an apple tree!  Try that next time you want to add to your landscaping)
• Sandwich meats: The sandwich is a lunchbox staple, and while creative alternatives—like tacos, mini pizzas, and shish-k-bobs—make for nice variety, most busy families will turn to the basics at least some of the time. Unfortunately, most sandwich meats are highly processed, heavily packaged, and shipped from afar. Add to that the zipper-seal bag they tend to be packed in, and it’s a veritable plastic party. Cut through this cycle by incorporating dinner meats into lunchtime sandwiches and then packing them in a reusable box or wrap (Yummm, meatloaf , egg salad or leftover chicken). 

Maintaining their continued support can, admittedly, be a challenge. The key is to make their waste-free lunch “cooler” than anybody else’s lunch. This requires a little creativity and a few supplies. Mini cookie cutters, for example, transform vegetables into a kid-pleasing selection of shapes and sizes. Hard-boiled eggs can be molded into a heart shape. And pancake sandwiches are begging to be decorated with happy faces, keen to greet your child with a smile at lunch! When time and energy are limited, a reusable decorative skewer can be the difference between ordinary and special.

Belonging to a Waste-Free Community

Community goes a long way. The child munching on a homemade cookie in a sea of poptarts may well feel a pull that has more to do with belonging than food.

Student "ambassadors" in Tompkins County, New York, oversee their school's composting and recycling program.

Engaging your child’s class or school in a commitment to reducing waste will help your child feel like part of a bigger movement, and will go a long way toward deepening his or her environmental commitment. Or at least, it should make it harder for them to trade your hard work for an individually packaged rice-crispy square.

Similarly, kids might balk at the idea of bringing home their food scraps for the compost, but they will take joy in participating in a school-based compost program, where the values of responsible stewardship and sustainability are normalized through collective action. If your child’s school doesn’t have one, ask why not? Helping your child feel part of something bigger increases their buy-in to the waste-free lunch commitment. So does the perfect lunch box.

Waste-Free Lunch Boxes

Every kid covets a super-cool lunch box. Every parent wants a super-easy lunch option. Luckily, an appealing array of socially responsible, non-toxic, waste-free lunch box makers have popped up over the last few years, making waste-free packing both cool and simple. (Try a mess kit or lunch bag that can be washed after every use.)

The price tag on these enticing lunch systems reflects their value; the long-term savings associated with waste-free lunches more than offsets the initial cost. By our estimate, our family has saved approximately $400 over three years. With little sister joining the school-aged masses this year, we’re looking forward to doubling that in years to come.

Waste-Free Lunch Accessories

In addition to the perfect lunch kit, these accessories streamline waste-free lunch packing:

• Silicone muffin liners: Bright-colored and dishwasher safe, these are the perfect fit for adding a little extra diversion when needed.
• Stainless-steel water bottle: Skip out on the juice and fill it with water.
• Name labels: Labeling ensures your child’s newly minted and much loved waste-free lunch stuff makes it home again! (The ReUse Center has lots of labels for $1 a box)
• A Thermos bottle: At our house, this is where the kid favorites, like storybook characters and fairies, make their daily appearance.

Once you’re in the swing of your new lunch-packing routine, you’ll revel in the simplicity of healthy, waste-free, lunch prep. With a little time, energy, and commitment—probably less of each than you put into organizing your child’s after-school activities—you’ll divert nearly 70 pounds of waste from the landfill and sow the seeds of sustainability in your child’s consciousness, and perhaps even in your community. All of this, while saving money and eating better. Why not?

The Town of New Paltz implemented a food waste composting program after several interactive workshops with the public as part of the EPA Zero Waste initiative where organics was voiced as the main concern. By partnering with SUNY New Paltz, this program got off the ground quickly with the support of NYSDEC. 

New Paltz is a registered facility and able to accept 1,000 cubic yards of food waste per year. We are already at capacity. After SUNY signed on and the word got out, Stop and Shop contracted with a hauler to pick up their organics three times a year. The hauler said that Hanneford has approached them to take their organics as well. 

What we need are more registered facilities. There are minimal start up costs. The most difficult part of the operations is bringing in enough bulking agent (yard waste) to keep the piles composting. The information is on our website at http://www.newpaltzreuse.org/news-events/new-paltz-zero-waste-initiative-a-epa-partnership

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/UlsterCorps-Action-Alert---RVGA-Gleaning---Processing.html?soid=1102382261913&aid=zLGl7UJjyqQ



Are there any New Paltz area farms/CSA's interested in doing this? The New Paltz food pantries could sure use some fresh produce to fill their shelves. If you are a farm/CSA and would like to open your fields to gleaning (harvesting produce that wasn't ready at the last harvest or had imperfections so it wasn't suitable for market) please get in touch at (845) 255-8456 or recycling@townofnewpaltz.org

School Starts in Two Weeks

The ReUse Center had folding yardsticks, binders, labels, printed card stock and other items for school. Art students and teachers are welcome to come out and see what's on hand for school projects too.  You never know what you will find. 

As summer winds down there is still time to get in a few more rows of your cold weather crops planted.  Leafy greens like kale, lettuce and spinach have no problem with the cool weather.  This summer's heat has adversely effected many farms in the mid-west which will undoubtedly cause a rise in food costs.  Planting your own garden will not only offset grocery costs, but give you healthier and more sustainable options. And remember, we still have compost bins available.  It's never too late to start composting and divert another 30% of your household garbage. We're open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm.  (845) 255-8456

One trailer of reuse material emptied and four more to go.  Reality is setting in as final touches go on the permanent building and more people are asking when they can start shopping. The ReUse Center is an opportunity to help divert materials from the waste stream and help New Paltz achieve its Zero Waste goal.

If you would like to volunteer or donate residual new materials, please call us.  Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm.  (845) 255-8456

Next week the materials in the trailers will be moved into the new steel building that is housing all of the rescued materials.  We are looking for volunteers to help set up the new ReUse Center. (845) 255-8456

If you are interested in textured paint rollers or navy blue 1 1/2" IBM binders, they are free for the taking.  We need to make room for all of the new materials that are coming in every day. There will be programming available in the Fall too.

Watch for information on our "Moving Sale" and grand opening.  Coming soon!

As the trailers are unloaded to move material into the new building, we are finding lots of great stuff!!  There are rolls of green canvas strapping at $2 each and lots of rings.  There are more wooden bead punch outs and molded plastic table tops.

                                                             

Earth Machine Compost Bin

New Paltz has compost bins available to help reduce your kitchen and yard waste AND make some beautiful soil for your garden.  People purchasing the compost bins have said they've reduced their weekly garbage by up to 30% .  Compost bins are on site and available for $45.00.  We are located at 3 Clearwater Road,New Paltz, NY  Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm

New Paltz has been busy promoting zero waste at the County Fair this week.  We have a table set up with information on composting, recycling, safer alternatives for household cleaning and the new ReUse Center.  There is also a table so people can create new items out of old ones.  Today is the last day to visit us in the Main Tent!

New Paltz ReUse Center: Thirty recycling containers were set out at the Ne...

New Paltz ReUse Center: Thirty recycling containers were set out at the Ne...: Thirty recycling containers were set out at the New Paltz Fireworks on July 7th.  You'll be seeing a lot more of these containers as New P...

Thirty recycling containers were set out at the New Paltz Fireworks on July 7th.  You'll be seeing a lot more of these containers as New Paltz steps up its commitment to become a zero waste community.  Remember that you can do your part by using durable foodware and bringing along a reusable bottle.  If you forget, take a look at the take out containers you are being given.  Most are recyclable.  But not Styrofoam!  Buy items in bulk or with less packaging.  It will become second nature before you know it.

If you forget your reusable bag, ask for a recyclable paper bag or, if you didn't buy that much, just carry it out. Many stores offer rebates on bags up to five cents.  You'll also find that the less often you shop and the more you reuse, the more money you will save.  It's WIN WIN!

August is New Paltz Composts Month

http://www.newpaltzreuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Compost-brochure1.pdf

In May, New Paltz Recycling and ReUse Center ordered compost bins as part of the Zero Waste and Sustainability Initiative.  The idea is to close the loop and manage what you make.  Since food waste is up to 30% of your garbage, creating a backyard composting area will not only reduce the waste you throw out every week but it will give you a wonderful end product.

We've declared August "New Paltz Composts" month.  There are still Earth Machine compost bins available at $45 each at our site on Clearwater Road, New Paltz, NY 12561 (off of Route 32 by the ballfields)  Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm.