The Net-Zero Cities: Westchester County free event will convene a diverse group of local community stakeholders, in an engaging and inclusive discussion about Westchester County’s path to Net-Zero. This innovative event will share the steps for individuals, families and communities to achieve this goal through local efforts.Members of the community,

Car enthusiasts, and local dealerships will showcase their electric vehicles (EVs) and educate attendees about the benefits of electrification.

Carbon Footprint Poster Contest for students of all ages with elementary school, middle school and high school categories.

Time for a Sunday drive around Westchester -- or even just around Rye...

Did you know... 

-that 60% of insects and 30% of birds have disappeared since the 1970s? 

-that insects and birds are necessary for food production?

-that they are the foundation for all life on earth?

Come visit up to 100 awesome gardens this Sunday for free -- and find out how your own yard can become part of the pollinator pathways that are helping to bring back earth's life-sustaining pollinators. 

Please note that not all properties are open from 10-4. Check the links below to find a list of properties and the hours you can visit.

100 Westchester Healthy Yards Pollinator Gardens here.

14 Rye Gardens here.

13 Larchmont/Mamaroneck gardens here.

Home gardeners are invited to bring a shovel and container to Disbrow Park near the Food Scrap Recycling drop-off, and collect compost for spring planting. Compost Give Back Day is the City’s way of acknowledging all the hard work Rye residents have done in recycling their food scraps these past two years. Maximum container size is 35 gallons, but that’s still a good amount of compost! Just make sure you wear a mask and follow social distancing protocols, stay in your car with the engine off until it’s your turn, and for goodness sake -- don’t forget your shovel!

(while supplies last)

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY IN CONVERSATION WITH PANELISTS

JENNY RUSTEMEYER- Producer, Subject of JUST EAT IT

TINA CONNELLY- Chef of Tina’s Gourmet Kitchen

ANNE BRADNER - CEO, Carver Center

WHERE: Virtual – Conversation and Q & A

Special video with MIKE GELLER – Owner of Mike’s Organics

DETAILS: Filmmakers and food lovers, Jen and Grant literally dive into the issue of food waste after learning that billions of dollars of food are tossed every year in North America. They pledge to quit grocery shopping and survive on only discarded food. Follow their shocking journey from farm to retail and back to their own fridge.

Thank you to our sponsor Rye Country Day School

REGISTRATION LINK: townofrye.seamlessdocs.com/f/CCRegistration

Help beautify our communities with beautiful new plantings at any of five locations!

Rye Town - Rye Brook - Port Chester - Mamaroneck - City of Rye

After a long winter, what better way to celebrate Earth Day than by participating in a fresh air activity that benefits the whole community. The new plantings are good for the environment and will help beautify our communities.

For safety’s sake, please wear closed-toe shoes and long pants and consider bringing bug spray & sunscreen. Everyone is welcome, but children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

LOCATIONS:

City of Rye: Rye Town Park & Beach - 95 Dearborn Avenue

Rye Town: Crawford Park - 122 N. Ridge Street

Rye Brook: Village Hall - 938 King Street

Port Chester: Downtown Port Chester meet at the Train Station

Mamaroneck: Station Plaza - North End near Jefferson Ave

COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS:

• Masks are mandatory at all times

• Bring your own gloves, pruners, trowels, shears, spades, etc.

• Number of participants will be limited at each location

• COVID-19 questionnaire must be completed

PARTICIPATION INFORMATION:

• Register and sign waiver online by April 15. Walk-ins must register at check-in desk.

• Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

• Wear closed-toed shoes, long pants, bug spray, sunscreen.

• Bring your own reusable hydration bottle or flask. Water and Gatorade will be provided onsite.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Town of Rye | Town of Rye Sustainability Committee | Village of Port Chester | Village of Rye Brook | Rye Brook Sustainability Committee | Friends of Crawford Park | Friends of Rye Town Park | Port Chester Beautification Commission | Rye Neck | Village of Mamaroneck | Village of Mamaroneck Committee for the Environment | Rye Sustainability Committee | City of Rye Disbrow Park Conservancy | City of Rye Conservation Commission/Advisory Council

Join us to remove invasive vines along Playland Parkway and save the trees!

Volunteers are needed to assist with cutting and removing vines. No special skills are needed. You'll learn how to help in just a few minutes.

• Bring your pruning shears! No shears? No worries!

• Park at Midland Avenue, Nursery Field or Playland parking lot

• Meet on Playland Parkway pathway between Midland and Milton

• Wear: mask, gloves, long pants, long sleeves

• Tools will be provided

• Light lunch and water generously donated by Rye City Lions Club.

• Bring a reusable water bottle or flask for refilling

• Age 10 and up accompanied an adult

A special thank you to Rye City Lions Club for sponsoring our event.

Thank you to Westchester County Parks Department and Bronx River Parkway Reservation Conservancy.

Covid Safety Measures: Volunteers are required to wear masks. Work area allows keeping farther than 6' apart at all times. Volunteers are required to wear masks. Hand sanitizer will be available.

Register for this free event at Eventbrite

Description from Clean Bin Project website:

Is it possible to live completely waste free? In this multi-award winning, festival favourite, partners Jen and Grant go head to head in a competition to see who can swear off consumerism and produce the least garbage.

Their light-hearted competition is set against a darker examination of the problem waste. Even as Grant and Jen start to garner interest in their project, they struggle to find meaning in their minuscule influence on the large-scale environmental impacts of our “throw-away society”.

Described as An Inconvenient Truth meets Super Size Me, The Clean Bin Project features laugh out loud moments, stop motion animations, and unforgettable imagery. Captivating interviews with renowned artist, Chris Jordan and TED Lecturer Captain Charles Moore, make this film a fun and inspiring call to individual action that speaks to crowds of all ages.

Special Guest Speaker: Chef, writer, and media host extraordinaire, Erica Wides. Erica is the creator and host of Let’s Get Real; the cooking show about finding, preparing and eating FOOD. She's also a columnist for the Huffington Post and NuMi, and has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, the Food Network’s Top 5 and Chopped, Home Shopping Network, PBS, Sirius Radio, NPR, and in 2013 was invited to speak at TedX Berkeley.

Thank you to our sponsor and host Rye Country Day School.

Presentation: Planting a Pollinator Paradise

Register for this free event at Eventbrite

Wondering how to transform your very own garden into a pollinator paradise? Join us for an educational presentation about the threats to our local pollinators and the specific plants to grow here in Rye to attract native birds, bees and butterflies.

AJ Johnson, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Rye Nature Center, will discuss landscaping techniques that protect and sustain pollinator health, ways to safely manage ticks and mosquitoes, and how to make your outdoor space an oasis for a diversity of beneficial pollinator species.

Sample native plants from the Rye Nature Center Greenhouse will be displayed, coffee and light refreshments will be served (bring your reusable mug please!), and attendees will each receive a packet of native wildflower seeds for planting.

Learn more about pollinators here and here. And for more information about how to maintain a pollinator-friendly yard, visit the Rye Healthy Yard Page.

Part of Westchester County’s Household Recycling Drop Off Days (2018), Drop and Dash Zero Waste Day is coming to Rye! Shed your unwanted household items in one convenient location.

The day provides the perfect opportunity to do your fall cleaning while allowing others to reuse your items. Rye Sustainability is a proud participant!

** Organizations reserve the right to refuse items **

What will be accepted?

• Personal/confidential papers for the County Mobile Shredder

• E-Waste and electronics

• Household chemicals

• Appliances with freon

• Items that don’t qualify for curbside drop-off

• Household items, including furniture, bikes, clothing, and more

NO COMMERCIAL DROP-OFFS!

Want to help out? Sign up to volunteer here.

For more information and a detailed list of the participating organizations, visit the Drop and Dash website.

REGISTER FOR THIS FREE EVENT AT EVENTBRITE.

5:30 pm: Light refreshments (human and pet)
6:00 pm: Presentation and discussion

As part of its ongoing Rye Healthy Yard Program, Rye Sustainability Committee and Rye Nature Center invite you to join fellow pet lovers to hear about the health effects of lawn chemicals on pets and family. Learn what you can do to keep them safe.

Well behaved, on-leash four-legged family members are welcome!

Social Media Hashtag: #healthyyardshealthypets. Instagram a photo of your pet next to a Rye Healthy Yard sign with this hashtag before 10/16/18 to be entered to win a free dog toy.

Host: Thank you to our sponsor and host, Pet Pantry Warehouse

Chairs: Gretchen Crowley, Sue Drouin, Sara Goddard, Melissa Grieco, Jennifer Hirsch, Amy Kesavan

Committee (in formation): Patti Capparelli, Suzanne Clary, Ellen Deixler, Linda Mackay, Colleen Margiloff, Christine Siller, Kelly Smith-Powers, Annalise Stack, Suki Van Dijk.

The Rye Healthy Yard Program seeks to promote awareness about the health and environmental benefits of using natural landscaping practices in our community.

Did you use a straw today? It's estimated that each day in the U.S. over 500 million straws are used once and tossed -- enough to fill over 127 school buses daily. Plastic straws make the top 10 list of items found on beaches and the vast majority aren't recycled. Instead they end up in landfills, as litter, or in the ocean. This award winning documentary illuminates the negative impact of straws and other single-use plastics that inundate our waterways. Watch STRAWS to learn how it's in your hands to make that straw your Last Straw!

Honored Guest Speaker: Filmmaker Linda Booker

Thank you to our sponsor and host Rye Country Day School.

For more information and to register for this free event, visit Eventbrite.

Thinking of making the switch to organic yard care? Come hear what local landscaping professionals have to say about maintaining gardens naturally. As part of its ongoing healthy yard program, Rye Sustainability invites you to a landscaper meet and greet where you can discuss strategies for natural landscaping, ask questions, and compare offers with numerous lawn care representatives.

Thank you to sponsor and host Jay Heritage Center.

For more information and to register for this free event, visit Eventbrite.

WASTED! aims to change the way people buy, cook, recycle, and eat food. It exposes the criminality of food waste, shows how waste contributes to climate change and offers practical solutions.

Thank you to our sponsor and host Rye Country Day School.

For more information and to register for this free event, visit Eventbrite.

Learn how to turn your leaves into free fertilizer for your lawn with a free talk and demonstration at Rye Nature Center. Watch a video of a leaf mulching demo here.

Thank you to sponsors Sustainable Westchester  and Rye Nature Center.

For more information and to register for this free event, visit Eventbrite.

Come celebrate local Hudson Valley food, farming, cooking and more at the Bedford 2020 Food Forum on Saturday March 4th at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, NY!
 
• Engage with experts about all things local food
• Keynote speakers: NY Times journalist, Mark Bittman and Wholesome Wave founder, Michel Nischan
• Choose from 20 expert panels and workshops on Buying, Eating, Growing and Sharing food
• Interactive Expo: hands-on display and learning venue with indoor farm market, cooking demos, book corner, gardening and composting demonstrations and muchmore
• Fabulous food
 
Early Registration is encouraged! Scholarships available. High School students free! For more info and to Register Now go to: Bedford2020.org/FoodForum/

Honored Guest: Matt D'Avella, Director

MINIMALISM - A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE IMPORTANT THINGS, is a feature length documentary from the popular simple-living duo, The Minimalists. The #1 Indie Documentary of 2016, this film examines the many flavors of minimalism by taking the audience inside the lives of minimalists from all walks of life. MINIMALISM explores various recipes for how to live a more meaningful, deliberate life. Not a perfect life – not an easy life – but a simple one. Film Website: http://minimalismfilm.com

Refreshments will be served at 6:00 pm. Film will begin at 6:30 pm (run time: 80 minutes)

Co-sponsored by RCDS Parents Association Environmental and Wellness Committee and The Rye Sustainability Committee

Chairs: Kerry Linderoth, Gretchen Kaye-Crowley and Sara Goddard

Committee: Carrie Berg, Jessica Brown, Sue Drouin, Lori Fontanes, Liz Garrett, Cali Gibbs, Melissa Grieco, Jung Chai, Hanna Cohen, Suzanne Clary, James Elkin, Dorian Feckl, Michele Gershwin, Lucia Girande, Julie Killian, Cathy Lee, Lynn Lee, Linda MacKay, Colleen Margiloff, Jane Ellen Moss, Brit Foster Rothstein, Stacey Simensky, Kelly Smith-Powers, Annalise Stack, Rose Dickson Stewart, Danielle Tagger-Epstein, Maria Talpins, Caroline Vary, Amy Wolff

The event is free and open to the public. Please register through eventbrite here.

Please join the Rye Sustainability Committee, Rye Garden Club and experts from Bartlett Tree for an informative program about the threats to trees of our area and what we can do to protect them.  The 30-minute documentary film, Trees in Trouble will be shown followed by a discussion with certified arborist Frazer Pehmoeller. Frazer has been caring for Westchester’s trees for the past 24 years and specializes in organic care. He will discuss the specific threats he sees in our area and will speak further on the actions suggested in the film which we as a community can take.  

As part of its on-going healthy yard program, the Rye Sustainability Committee, in partnership with Rye Nature Center, will take an in-depth look at how one Rye resident went from conventional to organic yard care. Program chair Elizabeth Garrett will moderate the conversation between homeowner Stephanie Spierings and her landscaper, Ricardo Acevedo of Greenfield Landscapes, as they walk us through the ins and outs of the process. Audience participation is welcome. Handouts with tips will be provided.

This event is free and open to the public. Please register here.

Join us as we announce and celebrate the winning designs of the Rye Sustainability Committee's healthy yard design contest, in partnership with The Rye Arts Center. All entrants’ designs will be displayed and prizes will be awarded to overall and age category winners. We look forward to an evening of art and celebration and hope you can attend.

The awards ceremony is free and open to the public, but please register here.