Archive for the ‘General news’ Category

International business consultant Frank Dixon spoke at our July 2009 community meeting.

Below is the audio from his presentation.

Frank Dixon on Global System Change [ 1:00:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Zero Energy  Power-House

Creating Your Path to Energy Independence
and a Resilient Lifestyle

An informative presentation by Tina Clarke

Wednesday, November 16, 7:00 p.m.

in the library of the Greenwich High School

$5 donation suggested to help defray costs

Are you concerned about rising fuel costs and the cost of everything that depends on fossil fuel? How will this impact your quality of life and the lives of your community?  Come hear Tina Clarke, Transition Towns Trainer  www.transitionus.org and educator for resilient, sustainable communities. She has trained citizens in over two dozen communities, mostly in the north-east United States. Her presentation will give you practical solutions that you can help to implement here in your community.

I’d like to offer my thanks to Bill Sprengnether for his tenure as Co-chair of Sustainable Saratoga over the past fifteen months. Bill’s energy and enthusiasm for the organization’s mission was instrumental in getting Sustainable Saratoga over the first hurdle in our goal towards becoming a bonafide 501(c)(3) Not-for-Profit corporation eligible for tax-deductible contributions and the receipt of grants. He also directed our limited resources and personnel on specific projects that have yielded positive results and continue to generate success. I’d also like to congratulate Bill and Caroline on the birth of their second daughter last month. She represents the next generation of our continued endeavors towards a sustainable future.

I’m also thankful for the opportunity to serve as your Co-chair along with Celeste Caruso, who has been vital to the organization’s day-to-day operations. I will do my best to advance the concepts of sustainability within and outside the organization.

Ed. note (4 Apr 2011):  The following issue has been resolved, thanks to the input of concerned citizens and a responsive City Council.

That said, I’d like to relate a bit of troubling news I received last week: I was told that a resident of the City of Saratoga Springs had approached the City Planning Department to ask what was required of him to have a seasonal produce stand on his own thirteen-acre property so he could sell the produce he grows on it. He was informed that he had to go through the site plan review process and obtain a special use permit. The cost for the site plan review and a special use permit would be around $1300.

Upon the Accounts Department review of the City’s Zoning Ordinance, they found confusing language regarding what is or is not required to have a seasonal produce stand in a RR-1 zone. The intent of a RR-1 zone is to provide low density residential and agricultural uses in order to preserve open space and a rural character. It is the Accounts Department’s interpretation of the Zoning Ordinance that a seasonal produce stand is exempt from both the special use permit and the site plan review, as the seasonal produce stand does not increase the building coverage and/or impermeable ground coverage by two percent or 1200 square feet. In addition, it is a basic tenet of sustainability and local self-reliance that municipal governments should be encouraging local agriculture, not making it difficult for our residents to produce and sell the fruits of their hard labor.

You can review the presentation made to City Council on March 15th, 2011 in either the webcast or meeting minutes, both of which are posted on the City’s website (click here for the City meeting schedule). Accounts Commissioner John Franck’s remarks can be viewed in the portion of the webcast labeled “ACCOUNTS DEPT.”

I have been told that the Council is attempting to fast-track approval for this agricultural exemption, but there is no guarantee that approval is forthcoming in time for the upcoming growing season.

This issue will be in the spotlight for the next Saratoga Springs City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 5th at 7pm. Your voice can make the difference. You can participate in the process in various ways:

• Write your Commissioners of City Council and express your opinion on this matter
• Attend City Council meeting of April 5th, read a prepared statement, and ask for it to be entered into the official record
• Write a letter to the editor of the Saratogian

This resident’s plight is truly at the core of sustainability and food security. As transportation costs mount, we will no longer be able to provide inexpensive food from the other side of the country, and we will need to rely on our own foodshed to provide more of the food that we’ve been accustomed to getting from afar. I hope you’ll express yourself and your concerns for the future of our community.

Links/Addresses:

• City of Saratoga Springs website: www.saratoga-springs.org
• City of Saratoga Springs Zoning Ordinances: www.saratoga-springs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=226&Itemid=130
• Mayor Scott Johnson, City Hall – 474 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
• Commissioner of Finance Ken Ivins, Jr., see City Hall address above
• Commissioner of Accounts John Franck, see City Hall address above
• Commissioner of Public Safety Richard Wirth, see City Hall address above
• Commissioner of Public Safety Anthony “Skip” Scirocco, see City Hall address above
• Guidelines for submitting opinions to the Saratogian, www.saratogian.com/articles/2011/03/29/opinion/doc4ac2540b945e2496326904.txt

Think Globally, Act Locally,
Jim Zack, Co-chair, Sustainable Saratoga

The Biggest Losers Win
A Sustainable Saratoga Campaign to Promote Energy Efficiency and Conservation.

(Saratoga Springs, NY)  — The local Biggest Loser Energy Challenge sponsored by Sustainable Saratoga came to a close last week as a group of Saratoga Springs neighbors representing ten households sallied forth in sub-zero weather to focus an infrared camera on their houses in the last educational activity of the contest. As participants each looked at their houses on the camera screen, tell-tale glowing lights signified heat escaping into the cold night air. The infrared camera visually demonstrated where heat losses were the greatest, and gave opposing team members ammunition for teasing owners about missed opportunities to make their homes more energy efficient.

 After the chilly outing, participants compared the final tally of their energy consumption over a six-month period to see which group had managed to cut energy use and waste by the largest percentage over the same period last year. Although both teams were happy “losers”, one group did reduce more than the other.

The participants encountered some surprises.  First, it was interesting to see energy use trends over time as there were unexpected spikes and dips in therms (gas) and kilowatts (electricity). Several people who halved their electricity usage speculated in hindsight how they did it. One had unplugged her clothes dryer and used line drying in her basement instead. Another had purchased a new refrigerator that replaced a 30 year old one, exchanged an old cable box for a new one and put the flat screen TV on a plug that could be turned off in order to prevent the significant stand-by energy these modern TVs burn, as well as the hole in our pockets.

Team member and host of the final meeting for the group, Diane Denny was very pleased with the results. “It was extremely informative to see how we all use electricity and discuss how to save energy.  In fact, as a teacher, I want to share the final results to my seventh graders and discuss how we all can do a better job of saving energy”.

The contest was intended to educate the neighbors and the general public about energy conservation and efficiency measures available through state and federal incentives.  The group kicked-off their effort with a press conference that showed typical air leaks in a home by using a blower door test. The Biggest Loser members and the press were stunned at the number of large and small air leaks the home had, many of which are easily remedied through simple weatherization measures like weather stripping, foam around outdoor faucets, and caulking air leaks.

The Public Service Commission, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and National Grid are working to help consumers to conserve energy through incentive programs and grants.  Tina Carton, the Capital Saratoga Energy $mart Coordinator an independent contractor for NYSERDA, played a key role educating the group about energy conservation throughout the six months.  She provided members with Kill A Watt® meters so we could see how much energy in real time different household devices use—hair dryers are energy hogs, for example. She gave us compact fluorescent light bulbs and power points on the many, many, many (yes many) ways we can avoid losing money on energy that we pay for, but waste. Most importantly, she gave us all information on how we can use the current incentives offered by NYSERDA and National Grid to get free or reduced price energy audits of our homes and tax breaks on insulation.

In addition to providing an excuse for neighbors to have jolly gatherings, the contest left a deep impression on the participants in terms of how much more we can all do. From large things like insulating the attic- one of the most important energy measures in a house, to smaller things like caulking and air sealing, saving energy is good for our pocketbooks, our environment and it can be a fun challenge. For energy tips and more about the contest go to http://www.sustainablesaratoga.com/initiatives/biggest-looser-energy-challenge/

Sustainable Saratoga is committed to facilitating the creation of a new path for our future. We envision a future Saratoga Springs where gardens are planted in every yard, regional farms thrive, people feel encouraged to leave their car behind, pedestrians and cyclists feel safe on the roads, where business choose to locate and our building codes and urban planning paradigms promote long term sustainability. www.sustainablesaratoga.com

Sustainable Saratoga Organizational Development News

Sustainable Saratoga has recently achieved New York State not-for profit status!  

We are on our way to obtaining a federal 501 (c) 3 status and are now accepting donations toward this 2011 goal.   

Some of Sustainable Saratoga expenses include: Website hosting and a Post Office Box

 *****

We recently received a very  generous $500 donation from an active member, Amy Durland.

Thank you , Amy!!

 ******

We will soon have a Pay Pal donation button on our website. In the meantime if you’d like to join in the effort to help us raise funds, you can mail a check to us at P.O. Box 3271. Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Alex and David answered questions and helped a large number of Saratoga County residents understand the benefits of Sustainability at the 2010 Healthy Living Expo. Celeste Caruso and Jonathan Green also stopped by to connect with our neighbors. Sustainable Saratoga shared a booth with Capital District Local First and the Local Living Guide.

The Healthy Living Expo was held at the National Museum of Dance on Broadway in Saratoga Springs on Nov. 14, 2010. A big thank you to Lisa for organizing this excellent event.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth.

Sustainable Saratoga is losing it!  Local ‘Biggest Loser’ energy conservation challenge is subject of Tuesday evening, September 28 meeting at Empire State College

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For program information, contact:

Sustainable Saratoga Energy Efficiency and Resources Committee Chair Jeff DeWeese at

(518) 669-6301 deweesej@nycap.rr.com

For general Sustainable Saratoga information, contact:

David Levesque at (518) 320-2613 david@wordofomobile.com

View PDF of this Press Release Click Here.

September 13, 2010

Sustainable Saratoga’s monthly community-wide public meetings are back. The focus of the Tuesday, September 28^th, evening event will be Energy Efficiency in our Community.  In 2008, the per person average energy consumption for New York State residents was 207 million BTUs. Additionally, each resident was responsible for 11.1 tons of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gases. This equates to spending $72 billion annually on energy, 51% of which leaves New York State. Representatives from the residential, commercial, and local government sectors will share information on how we can improve these numbers through energy efficiency in buildings.

Presenters include Tina Carton, Capital/Saratoga Energy$mart Coordinator for Courtney Strong Inc., a Kingston, N.Y.-based consulting firm, who will share tips on energy saving measures that will help save money and discuss incentive programs available through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).  Carton will also highlight the initial results from Sustainable Saratoga’s “Biggest Loser Challenge” – a competition to see which side of a local neighborhood can lose the most energy.  A local college representative will highlight the energy efficiency measures and savings achieved through existing commercial programs.  Christopher Kalwara, Building Efficiency Account Executive from Johnson Controls, will highlight energy saving measures recently implemented in public buildings in Saratoga Springs, which save our city about $200,000 per year.

The third monthly ‘weigh in’ of the Biggest Loser competition and energy saving demonstrations will take place Tuesday morning at one of the “Biggest Loser” participant’s homes.

After the evening’s Energy Efficiency presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with Sustainable Saratoga’s committees and hear about their plans for the upcoming year. Our committees include:

  Energy Efficiency and Resources

  Farming, Open Space, and Natural Resources

  Housing and Urban Planning

  Local Economy

  Media and Communications

  Transportation and Mobility

  Waste, Composting, and Recycling

The event is free of charge and open to the public. Please join us Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. at Empire State College, 113 West Ave, Rm 143 Saratoga Springs (near the corner of West Ave & Washington – parking is behind and to the side of the building; please enter around the back of the building). Get a head start on energy savings for the upcoming heating season, and help make Saratoga Sustainable!

I just got this great video of us at the Artie Gras parade. We had a great time at the event, riding bikes and tossing seed bombs to the audience. So much better than candy and perhaps a way to inspire a few guerrilla gardeners.

Check it out Here

Hi this is David Levesque one of the volunteers for the Sustainable Saratoga Task Force. Thank you for visiting and contacting us by email or phone to learn how you can be a part of creating a sustainable healthy community in Saratoga Springs.

We already have tremoundous quality of life and look forward to it only getting better from here.

If you have questions about this website or feedback please call me 518-320-2613.

With peace and harmony,

David