Pot-luck dinner – with a twist or two - open to all to celebrate Sustainable Saratoga’s third anniversary

With most Saratogians now fully primed for the holiday season, Sustainable Saratoga would like to harness some of that festive spirit by inviting everyone to an old-fashioned potluck dinner – with a sustainable twist or two. On this Tuesday evening, Nov. 29, we’ll be meeting and eating (appropriately) on the third floor of the City Center on the corner of Lake Avenue and Broadway at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate our third anniversary presenting programs on an array of local sustainability issues and building awareness of sustainability efforts in our community. (For more information, you can contact the group at susaratoga.chair@gmail.com)

For readers young enough to wonder, a potluck dinner means everyone attending brings a food item large enough to share – a great chance to get creative with some of those holiday leftovers (think of it as useful food recycling). If your Thanksgiving leftovers already have been, well… gobbled, why not “shop local” and see what tempting delicacies might be available at one ofSaratoga’s many food purveyors? You might feel less guilty if you have just a portion of that favorite find, so bring one of those creations along to share instead.

The first of the aforementioned twists comes with how that portion will be served. This is, after all, for Sustainable Saratoga! In the same (reusable) tote-bag you bring your potluck dish in, please bring the appropriate plates and tableware you’ll need to eat what’s there to share. (Most of us already will have added enough to the waste stream over the previous few days.) The second twist also gets added to your tote-bag: a non-perishable item to donate to our local food pantry, to help them restock after Thanksgiving and sustain them through the rest of the holiday season. Whether it’s unopened items you didn’t use for your own festivities or a few you purchase to donate, that’s the price of admission to our anniversary celebration: an item or two to pass along. (Or, if you already have your hands full with your potluck item and tableware, we’re sure an equivalent cash donation would be equally appreciated.)

What is it, exactly, that we’re celebrating with our post-turkey potluck? “Since its inception, Sustainable Saratoga has been very successful in educating the community about sustainability through our monthly educational speaker events,” explained former chair Amy Stock, who co-founded Sustainable Saratoga with Supervisor Joanne Dittes-Yepsen. She referred to the group’s monthly Tuesday night meetings, usually held on the third Tuesday of the month at variousSaratoga Springslocations and featuring a speaker or panel discussion on a wide variety of local sustainability issues.

“As an all-volunteer effort, Sustainable Saratoga accomplished a lot in its first three years,” Stock said, “including partnering with local groups like the Saratoga Housing Authority on the community garden at Stonequist Apartments, working with local residents on our Biggest Loser Energy Challenge, and advancing sustainable transportation ideas by helping to create a Complete Streets plan for the area by participating in the Shared Access, Saratoga group. There is much more that needs to be done to create a more sustainable community, and building such partnerships and collaborations will be key to this change.”

SustainableSaratoga’s current co-chairs are James Zack and Celeste Caruso. Caruso cited her group’s formal non-profit filing (which will allow it to apply for government grants and other programs to expand its advancement of sustainability issues) as something to celebrate on Tuesday night. “In addition to meeting our goal of providing educational events regularly throughout the year, acquiring our 501c(3) non-profit status was our biggest achievement. It brought Sustainable Saratoga to its next level of growth and will assist us in our fund-raising efforts to help promote and meet our goals in the coming years,” she said.

Caruso encouraged community members to join the group – especially those who might be interested in helping shape its direction in the future. “We are in the process of restructuring the organization and formalizing our board of directors,” she explained. “We need additional qualified leadership with diverse skills from our community. This will be our focus in the coming months.”

Co-founder Stock echoed Caruso’s call for those who support the goals of sustainability to turn that support into action for their community. “I hope more people will become involved in working with Sustainable Saratoga on important issues like energy efficiency and conservation, recycling, supporting local food systems, and comprehensive transportation planning efforts,” Stock concluded.

A good place to start would be at Sustainable Saratoga’s anniversary potluck dinner at City Hall on Tuesday night – to enjoy a meal, some good company – and perhaps offer an idea or two to promote the cause of sustainability, while boosting needed food supplies at the same time. Hope to see you there!