Neil Cutler
Greetings Sustainable Lewisboro people,
Something new this week - below is a selection of upcoming climate related in-person and virtual events that you may be interested in, and a couple of local and state issues that you may want to get involved with. Included are pollinator garden tours, environmental films, data center actions, and more. Hopefully there is something here of interest! Feedback regarding this new email format is appreciated. Also, if there’s a climate/environmental event or action you’d like me to include in the future, let me know. Thanks!
Neil
Upcoming Events - In Person or Remote
Wednesday, August 12⋅5:00 – 6:00pm
Monthly Dose of Climate Hope! with Bill McKibben
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/monthly-dose-of-climate-hope-with-bill-mckibben-tickets-1991389377234
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8/15 @ 10 am - rain date 8/16
Garden Tour - 6 Fay Lane
Lewisboro Garden Club event
Garden Tour at the home of LGC members Rebecca Keebler and Richard Holub. This tour is meant to show the work in progress of their gardens, which have been under development since the fall of 2023. The tour will address many of the decisions that needed to be made and the challenges faced. Please come with a readiness to ask lots of questions, to offer plenty of suggestions, and to overlook the weeds.
For Members and Friends
Please RSVP to Rebecca Keebler – kbler...@gmail.com
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8/16 1 - 4 pm Bedford 2030 Healthy Yards Open Pollinator Gardens
https://docs.google.com/document/d/123y2wBTU-rKFiaTsiZzDt8rpGTFvP1R4_n_-6XyE9vI/edit?tab=t.0
“Adrienne’s Native Garden”
328 Cherry Street, Bedford Hills
Carved out paths wind through hundreds of native perennials, shrubs, grasses, ferns, and trees. Thriving native pollinator gardens with varying amounts of sun and shade.
“The Goldleaf Nature Sanctuary”
58 Willow Street, Pleasantville
We are converting our 0.8-acre property into a nature sanctuary with native pollinator gardens; keystone, large, and understory trees; and shrubs. A small, man-made pond that attracts frogs, birds, small rodents. The insect population has increased so much that we have a fireworks display every summer evening from the fireflies and we have to dodge the swarms of gnats that appear seemingly out of nowhere. At the far back we are creating a “secret fairy garden,” growing mostly everything from plugs and seedlings with the intention that the shrubs and trees will naturally enclose the garden. It is a woodland garden with paths and little fairy houses surrounded by understory trees, spring ephemerals, ferns, and shade-loving native perennials.
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8/17 Climate Changemakers Weekly Virtual Hour of Action
Mondays at 7 - 8pm
Once a week the Climate Changemakers meet virtually for one hour to take an action related to climate change. No preparation is needed, they provide all the tools. This is a spinoff of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project.
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8/18 7 - 8pm Food & Water Watch
Virtual Meeting on NY Data Centers - Next Steps
Guest Speaker: NY State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, author of the Responsible Data Center Development Act
At the meeting, we'll discuss strategy and tactics to move Hochul to sign our bill, and we’ll provide ways for you to get involved.
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8/19 “Seven Generations of Hope” film
6:30 pm Bedford playhouse
After 170 years of separation from their ancestral homeland, a group of Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican youth return to New York's Hudson Valley to reconnect with their culture, language, and history. Through an unexpected partnership with the Dominican Sisters of Hope, they explore healing, resilience, and the power of community while building new connections to the land and to one another. Directed by Joe Plante, Seven Generations of Hope is a moving story of reconciliation, intergenerational healing, and hope for the future. The film will be followed by a panel discussion featuring representatives from the Westchester Land Trust, the New York Community Trust, the Dominican Sisters of Hope, filmmaker Joe Plante, and Tribal Members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans.
https://bedfordplayhouse.org/movies/seven-generations-of-hope/
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8/19 6:30 pm “Extraordinary Caterpillar” film
Lewisboro Library
Tickets are going fast - sign up soon!
LGC hosts a special screening of The Extraordinary Caterpillar, a beautifully shot 60-minute documentary that reveals the vital — and often overlooked — role caterpillars play in our ecosystems. Watch the trailer HERE!
From blooming meadows to city parks and backyard gardens, this inspiring film celebrates the magic of nature while showing families practical ways to make a difference. Along the way, you’ll see the groundbreaking work of The Caterpillar Lab, entomologist David Wagner, and Doug Tallamy, co-founder of Homegrown National Park.
Open to the public. Register through the Lewisboro Library HERE.
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8/19 7 - 8pm
Free Wild Ones National Webinar: The Ecology of Home: Creating Habitat That Works with Shaun McCoshum
Native plants are the foundation of habitat, but wildlife need more than food to thrive. Join ecologist and Certified Wildlife Biologist Shaun McCoshum, PhD, to explore how nesting sites, shelter, water, soil conditions, and other often-overlooked resources can transform a yard into a functioning ecosystem that supports biodiversity year-round.
https://wildones.org/the-ecology-of-home-creating-habitat-that-works/#register
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Local Issue:
Potential Housing Development at Reynolds Property off Rt 35 in Cross River
While providing more homes locally, including some affordable homes, people may be interested in the potential environmental impacts of this proposed project. The local citizens group “Preserve Lewisboro” has compiled information about the project. There are also Town Planning Board meetings about this.
https://www.preservelewisboro.org/home
NY State Issue:
Data Center Moratorium
Although the Governor recently signed an executive order calling for a one year moratorium on data centers of 50MW or larger, the NY legislature passed a bill calling for a one year moratorium on data centers 30MW or larger, hoping to pause more projects. That bill is still awaiting Governor Hochul’s signature. Data centers as they are currently designed, threaten to raise our electric rates, use a lot of our water, generate a lot of noise, and use dirty energy, all while helping AI take away jobs. Please call the Governor’s office at 518.474.8390 and urge her to sign the Responsible Data Center Development Act that the legislature passed.