Events
FREE PUBLIC CLASS
BUILD YOUR OWN BACKYARD GARDEN SOIL BY COMPOSTING
We all know that the definition of sustainability, how it affects each of us and how we move toward sustainability is different for all of us. However there is a consensus building that sustainability must incorporate the idea of restoration. This is because it can be argued that our current life supports systems and access to natural resources is so gravely compromised that we, as a people will only remain “sustainable” if we choose to restore the systems that we have depleted.
As an example our current agricultural practices are sapping our nation of its topsoil. Its estimated that one-ton of topsoil is lost every year per citizen! If you want to learn how to begin the journey of learning how to build soil Karen at Green Conscious has a class for you!
FREE PUBLIC CLASS….How to start your own Compost
Join us to discuss the various ways you can compost and find out what composting system will be best for you.
FREE Presentation with Karen Totino
SATURDAY July 10th – 10 am to 11 am
at GREEN CONSCIENCE Home & Garden – 33 Church st – Saratoga Springs, NY
GENERAL MEETING UPDATE
Sustainable Saratoga will NOT be hosting monthly meetings in July and August, we will return to monthly community gatherings on Tuesday September 28th.
You may be interested in these other regional events.
July Sustainable Saratoga Biggest Loser Contest
September 11th Live Green Festival Manchester, VT http://www.rileyrink.com/livegreen/
September 19th Honest Weight Food Co-op Harvest Fest http://www.hwfc.com/index.html
September 28th Sustainable Saratoga Community Meeting
October 2nd The Hoopla http://thehoopla.org
November 4th TEDX Albany TEDX Albany
November 14th Saratoga Healthy Living Expo http://saratogahealthyliving.homestead.com/index.html
November 23rd Sustainable Saratoga Monthly Community Meeting
What is a resilient local economy? What a discussion that was. Last week Bob Millis moderated a fantastic forum with nimble and quick thinking individuals on the topic of what we, as a community need to do to make our local economy more resiliant. Let our localism include regional economic markets, promote this region as a place to live, create manufacturing jobs, make products, and many many more.
Little Ruby enjoying an ice cream in Saratoga.
Now that summer is in summer-time schedule mode, we will be taking July and August off from our regular monthly presentation. As an organization we will spend this time planning our next set events and restructuring for a strong finish to 2010. Already we are thinking of our Green Saturday event, the Street Tree Inventory, the Sidewalk inventory, the waste reduction campaign, another major economic forum, garden harvesting and much more.
Please if your are interested in any of these items get in touch.
Have a great Summer!
Panel discussion: Making and preserving a resilient local economy in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Four experts from a range of fields will contribute their considerable – and varied – opinions to a wide-ranging discussion of what makes and preserves a resilient local economy on Tuesday, June 22, at 7 p.m. in the Gannett Auditorium at Skidmore College. The discussion is sponsored by Sustainable Saratoga, an all-volunteer organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Saratoga while conserving the vitality and diversity of regional resources.
“We are very fortunate to have such accomplished and experienced panel participants,” says Jim Zack, Local Economy C-Chair of Sustainable Saratoga. “As area residents and business people, we know the value of having a community which offers a variety of unique goods and services. People from outside our area are willing to travel to partake of our diversity, and those who live here benefit both from our local array – as well as from those who travel here to enjoy it.” Zack added that questions for the panel may be submitted in advance; www.sustainablesaratoga.com, economy@sustainablesaratoga.com; on Facebook; or on Twitter using hashtag #sseconomy. Via mail, send questions to: Sustainable Saratoga, PO Box 131, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., 12866. Please include name and daytime contact information with your question.
Sustainable Saratoga’s June 22 Local Economy panel includes:
James Howard Kunstler, a respected Saratoga Springs resident and writer with more than 35 years of experience studying, analyzing and reporting on local and regional economies. Author of books including “The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America’s Man-Made Landscape” and “The City in Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition,” Kunstler encourages area residents to attend the June 22 meeting “Because I believe a lot of people share my feelings about the tragic landscape of highway strips, parking lots, housing tracts, mega-malls, junked cities, and ravaged countryside that makes up the everyday environment where most Americans live and work.”
Todd Fabozzi is a Capital District regional planner and a long-time advocate of sustainable design. He has lectured extensively on suburban sprawl and its consequences and written numerous urban planning and watershed protection studies. A planner for more than 25 years, Fabozzi is an expert on the use of Geographic Information Systems and has taught in classrooms from elementary to graduate school. A resident of Amsterdam, N.Y., he also records and performs as a drummer and percussionist.
David Hess, Ph.D., is a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor of Science and Technology Studies and director of the program in Ecological Economics, Values, and Policy at RPI. His latest book, “Localist Movements in a Global Economy” (MIT Press) examines the social and environmental aspects of advocacy for increased local ownership, such as “buy local” campaigns and the potential of the “green” small business sector to be what he describes as “an additional counterweight to the political power of the anti-environmental industries.”
Melanie Beam is president of Capital District Local First, a group of affiliated businesses and organizations who encourage area residents to “Think Local First.” Rather than simply promoting “buying” local, the group says it encourages their role as stewards. “By thinking local, we can make choices that have dramatic impact on our local communities, economies, and environments,” she said. “We recognize that we will rarely be able to buy everything we need or use from local independent businesses. But we are advocating that people first think local – look first for local and locally owned sources of the things they need and want – to maximize the impact of their daily actions and purchasing decisions.”
The Sustainable Saratoga panel discussion is free of charge and open to the public. Please join in the discussion and help build a happier, healthier and more resilient community!