From Hodgson's Farm Website

There’s no better place than the Hudson Valley to Find and Eat Your Colors.

From sun-ripened peaches and autumn berries to heirloom beans and tomatoes, the Hudson Valley’s fruit and veggie harvest peaks this month. Find your nearest farm stand, farmers market, or community garden and put these local delights on your must-do list before the growing season draws to a close. Call before you go to find out what’s available for picking that day.

Kick off your local food exploration September 11-12 at the  Hudson Valley Food & Wine Festival, held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck. The event features a Gourmet Food Showcase, as well as live music and food/wine tastings.

From Hudson Valley Food & Wine Festival

Buy a dozen freestone peaches and bake a cobbler or pie. Smith Farms in Hudson grows Flame Prince (large yellow) and White Lady (white) peaches on dwarf trees for $1/pound, as well as Red Gold and Fantasia nectarines and Fuji, Honey Crisp, and Gala apples for $0.70/pound (200 White Birch Rd, Hudson, 518-828-1228, www.smithfarmshudson.com). Next year, visit earlier in the summer to pick sweet Skeena cherries and Autumn Britten or Polana raspberries for eating, making jam, or freezing.

Taste the difference between morning- and afternoon-picked white sweet corn. Visit Dykeman Farm, which offers an honor system after hours. A full menu of veggies are available in the family’s farm market (West Dover Road, Pawling,845-832-6068, www.dykemanfarm.com).

From Hudson Valley Garlic Festival

Learn about hardneck garlic at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival. Head to Saugerties on September 25-26 for a day of creative food, demonstrations, and crafts. Visit the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival event site for details.

In business since 1916, Mead Orchards grows berries, apples, peaches, pumpkins, and vegetables on 185 acres. Pick your own peaches and apples this month (15 Scism Road, Tivoli, 845-756-5641, www.meadorchards.com).

Flavor a soup with Pine Island onions. Nearly 30 percent of all onions sold in the United States are grown here. The Rogowski Farm plants yellow, spring, and red onions, plus 250 kinds of produce, from kohlrabi and okra to fingerling potatoes and sugar snap peas. (327-329 Glenwood Road, Pine Island, 845-258-4574, www.rogowskifarm.com) Learn more about the historic Black Dirt Region at the Pine Island Onion Festival, which takes place at the Pavilion in Pine Island on September 5.

Stew a flat of Roma tomatoes to make your own tomato sauce. Hodgson’s Farm & Garden Center sells its own tomatoes, peppers and eggplants but it is also a full-service garden center where you can pick up new plants, herbs, or even a kit to build a pond (2290 Albany Post Road, Walden, 845-778-1432).

Pick antique apples by the bushel and simmer a pot of applesauce on the stove. Dozens of varieties of tree-ripe peaches, plums, and apples will be ready soon at Love Apple Farms (1421 Route 9H, Ghent, 518-828-5048, www.loveapplefarm.com). Homemade pies, donuts and preserves are an added treat.

Fishkill Farms started picking its Paulareds and Jonamacs in August, about two weeks ahead of schedule, due to the unusually warm spring weather. Sign up for the farm’s Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and enjoy fresh veggies all summer long. (9 Fishkill Farms Road, Hopewell Junction, 845-897-4377, www.fishkillfarms.com).

In Orange County, Apple Ridge Orchards is open for picking September–November with Mutsu, Honeycrisp, and Winesap apples among its 16 varities. Bring the kids for pony rides and a petting zoo. (101 Jessup Road, Warwick, 845-987-7717, www.appleridgeorchards.com).

Take the kids to a pumpkin patch. V&R Saulpaugh & Sons (2329 Route 9, Livingston, 518-537-6494) lets you pick your own from mid-September to mid-October.

Make strawberry shortcake (next year). The fifth-generation of the Thompson-Finch Farm claims the area’s largest (4.5 acres) pick-your-own organic strawberry farm. The season closed in July, but raspberries are ripening now for picking in September and October. Veggies and apples are for sale at the farm stand June–October. (750 Wiltsie Bridge Road, Ancram, 518-329-7578, www.thompsonfinch.com).

Save the date in 2011 for Cheery Weekend with the extended Brown family at Cherry Ridge Farms. Pick black sour cherries while they last. (4150 Route 23, Hudson, 518-828-7018, www.facebook.com/pages/Hudson-NY/Cherry-Ridge-Farms/72500819118).

Check your local market year-round for simple treats made close to home: maple syrup, honey, cheese, yogurt, wine, bread, and ice cream. Then wait for asparagus, fiddleheads, wild mushrooms, and peas to arrive in spring—and the cycle begins once again.

Nikki Goth Itoi is the author of Moon: Hudson River Valley, a travel guidebook covering must-see sights from Westchester County to Saratoga Springs. A Poughkeepsie native, she enjoys making maple syrup in the Catskills and eating fresh, local foods. Her writing has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Budget Travel Online, and other publications.

Weekend Explorer

Once considered an Eden, the Hudson is now part of a post-industrial landscape.

Watch Video Here

Master Plan Zones (Courtesy of MoMA)

Cities by sea such as Amsterdam, Venice and New York are just a few examples of cultured urban centers that share a common dilemma: Rising waters due to global climate change.

Fortunately, sea levels are not the only rising force on our blue-green planet.

International initiative to address the problem is manifesting as a strong shared attitude. In fact, the nature of the issue gives the refreshing luxury of looking beyond the boundaries of traditional urban planning. In New York City, groundbreaking steps toward devising solutions include taking an interdisciplinary approach.

Specifically the disciplines of art, architecture and ecology.

Through October 11, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is showing “Rising Currents: Project’s for New York’s Waterfront,” an exhibit that poses climate change solutions through pioneering architectural design. With an artistic influence to the exhibit’s aesthetics and an ecological influence to the concepts presented, at MoMA, the urgent topic of infrastructure is anything but dull.

The museum serves as more than a high-profile venue for the multifaceted display. After collaborating with P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, MoMA instigated and facilitated the process that brought the eco-exhibit to life.

Completed in eight weeks, the work of five teams focused on five geographic zones linked to New York Harbor including the coasts of both New York and New Jersey. Identified in the exhibit as Zone 0-4, “Rising Tides” bridges the gap between practical and visionary with new models that strive to facilitate “natural self perpetuating infrastructure” intended to work with nature.

However, “Rising Currents” is much more than a fusion of disciplines.

A critical exhibition of regional significance, it is the first in a series of five and features local architectural design solutions with global impact (aka “Glocal”). A compelling project, “Rising Currents” also promotes the sub-culture where the creative arts foster social change and connect people to the issues. The exhibit’s accompanying blog provides an inspiring interactive forum open for public participation and the project as whole is sure to catch the eye of influential policy-makers.

Or at least it should.

While stimulus money is aiming for a quick fix on all fronts, this collision of ecology and design comes at a time when the lull in the construction industry gives unemployed yet nevertheless talented architects downtime in a down economy to visualize feasible and sustainable development for the future. With about 50% of the world’s population living in water surrounded urban centers, the time to rethink and ultimately revamp existing infrastructure is now.

Oyster Reef (By SCAPE: Courtesy of MoMA)

This exhibit marks a projected sea level rise of two feet by 2080, however striving to work with rising water levels is a new paradigm for dealing with inevitable effects of Mother Nature’s changing climate. In “Rising Currents” a few solutions include methods to creating a ”variegated shoreline,” “greening” the streets of Manhattan to absorb excess water, placement of an artificial glass reef base to enable a natural marine reef to develop and re-cultivating lost oyster populations since the little creatures filter water and serve as a natural wave break.

These innovative concepts are but a select few of the proposed solutions that “Rising Currents: Project’s for New York’s Waterfront” has to offer. The unabridged presentation requires a trip to the Museum of Modern Art to support a movement where museums capitalize on connections to culture and access to creative talent to address matters that are most urgent to society.

Candi Sterling is a NYC/Hudson Valley based journalist, performing artist and lifestyle consultant passionate about contemporary culture, social entrepreneurship and sustainability.

Related Media

Olana announces the opening of a new exhibition, In the Footsteps of Frederic Church: Photos by Larry Lederman.

The recently restored Olana Coachman’s House is now the home to an exciting exhibition featuring photos by Larry Lederman.  Lederman’s photographs of the New York Botanical Garden have been the source for the Garden’s highly regarded calendar for the last six years. The Olana exhibition features photos by Lederman of a number of sites that renowned Hudson River School artist Frederic E. Church painted and seek to explore his art and evoke his artistic vision. The images Lederman has selected for the exhibition are a representative selection of the range of Church’s subject matter and affirm for the viewer that many of the wilderness enclaves Church painted still exist, preserved as part of our heritage because of the beauty that he and other nineteenth century painters captured. The sites represented include, Mount Desert Island, Maine; Newfoundland; Niagara Falls, and scenes from Olana.

Church chose to paint wilderness to reflect the eternal. He shows wilderness as essential to nature, but reflects inevitable change. The photographs, in their ability to stop time and telescope distance show aspects that Church could not see, but they affirm his faithfulness to nature. What he saw as eternal still resonates with us, despite the changes that time and industrial development have wrought. And we, like Church, have come to recognize the fragility of our environment. The grandeur of nature and awe for it are what he brought to us to stir our souls. His paintings still do. The photographs are meant to do the same.

The coachman’s house is connected to the historic carriage barn and both are located near the main house atop the hill at Olana.  These were important structures during Church’s life.  The first buildings constructed in this location,served as the “bunk house” for workers during construction of the house between 1870 and 1874. Upon completion of the house the buildings were converted to farm use and housed John McKenna, the Churches longtime coachman and gardener and his family. Today the complex serves as the Museum Store, Orientation Center, and now home to this year’s photography exhibition.  The Coachman’s house is located just steps from the main parking lot at Olana. The exhibition is free and open Tuesday through Sunday from 10AM-5PM through October 31.

Signed copies of the photos from the exhibition are available for sale in the Olana museum store and online with proceeds dedicated to the preservation of Olana. A sampling of work from this exhibit can be viewed in the photos section of OurHudson.org.

From the New York Times:

A cleanup of toxic chemicals in the Hudson River has failed to consistently meet performance standards and needs to undergo “substantive changes” in its next phase, a panel of independent scientists said in a draft report released on Monday.

The panel, convened by the Environmental Protection Agency, also recommended that the second phase, scheduled to start in May 2011 and to last five years, be allowed to be extended to provide more flexibility. Officials with the E.P.A., which is overseeing the dredging by the General Electric Company under the Superfund program, estimate that the project may take 7 to 10 years, rather than the 6 years originally anticipated.

Read the full article here

The Hudson River Food Corridor Initiative is eligible for funding as Part of America’s Marine Highway Program. Click here to read more about this initiative that will evaluate the feasibility of an alternate means of transporting fresh produce from agricultural regions in North-Central New York near the Hudson River and Long Island to the New York-Newark Metropolitan Area via water.

Flux Quartet playing at Bargemusic on Brooklyn waterfront.

Summer used to be an off time for classical music and jazz.  Now, the summer festivals that dot America’s countryside between June and Labor Day are cornerstones of the musical year.  Many jazz musicians earn half or more of their incomes at summer fests.   The crunch plaguing jazz clubs is balanced by summer’s tents and amphitheaters.  European summers have enjoyed a busy classical music scene since the eighteenth century.  In the twentieth century, busy summers became part and parcel of America’s rising international eminence in classical music.

The Hudson Valley, and the wider surrounding watershed feeding the Hudson River, was the pioneering American region, and still the national leader of this intensive summer music-making.

Let’s start with what’s literally the southern anchor of performing arts venues along the Hudson River and its estuary: Bargemusic, at the mouth of Inner New York City Harbor.  This renovated old coffee barge, tied up along a Brooklyn pier, is an eminent year-round national venue for chamber music.  The pace picks up even more during the summer, with daily concerts and a free noon series for children that builds classical music audiences for the future.

In terms of local economic development, Bargemusic is a shining instance of the role an arts project can play in revitalizing neighborhoods that fall on hard times.  When the renovated barge anchored itself to the old pier in DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) 33 years ago, the area was in sorry shape.  The increasing flow of chamber music enthusiasts to this unusual venue was an important catalyst in fostering the restaurants, high tech offices, arts workshops and residential buildings that increasingly line DUMBO’s streets.

The northern Valley anchor, in terms of a major venue, is the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  SPAC has two centerpieces: first, the country’s major dance ensemble, the New York City Ballet; second, the summer residency of the Philadelphia Orchestra, which looks forward to many good years with its newly appointed young conductor, Montréal’s brilliant Yannick Nézét-Séguin.

Special mention goes to the northern musical presence closest to the Hudson’s source in Lake Tear of the Clouds: opera and musicals at the Seagle Music Colony in Schroon Lake.

Glimmerglass Opera, photo by Claire McAdams

The eastern anchor, Tanglewood, synergizes the great Boston Symphony Orchestra, a premier program for training young professionals and networks of complimentary  Berkshire cultural organizations established in Tanglewood’s wake.

The western anchor, Cooperstown, hosts America’s premier summer opera venue, Glimmerglass.  Cooperstown, strictly speaking, lies shortly west of the Hudson River watershed boundary.  In terms of arts demographics, it is part of a vibrant Greater Albany cultural region, and a regular destination for people from Greater New York and Greater Boston.

Artistically, Glimmerglass played and plays a double role: in addition to the standard repertoire that continues to fill opera houses, it takes interesting risks by featuring new opera and also re-acquaints people with the glories of early era opera.  Like Tanglewood, Glimmerglass created a ranking program for training young professionals, both as singers and in the backstage crafts necessary to make opera work.

The Mid-Hudson anchor is the Bard Music Festival, now entering its twenty-first year as a major event of the New York music season, summer or winter.   The outstanding acoustics in the Fisher Center’s concert hall match the unique imagination of the Center’s internationally acclaimed architect, Frank Gehry.  That’s no accident: Gehry’s passion for music runs deep.  He pays as much attention to how his halls sound as how they look — glorious.

From the jazz angle, there’s another surprising new Mid-Hudson anchor: a class-A jazz club, The Falcon, sitting in the small village of Marlboro north of Newburgh.  Top-of-the-line jazz musicians from the Big Apple have fallen in love with Tony Falco’s audacious startup of a jazz club in a building that began life as a 19^th century button factory.   The original wooden floors and cathedral ceiling create warm and pleasing acoustics.

Hudson Valley resident Roswell Rudd, winner of 2010 Downbeat Critics Poll as top jazz trombonist, at the Caramoor Jazz Festival.

The Caramoor Festival in northern Westchester County is the Lower Hudson’s musical anchor before arriving, of course, in America’s musical nerve center, Manhattan.  Bucolic Caramoor is the summer home for Carnegie Hall’s Orchestra of St. Luke’s, a Bel Canto era opera and exceptional jazz festival in the ambience of a grand early 20th century estate that was, after the entrepreneur-owner’s son perished in the trench slaughter of World War I, deeded to a non-profit arts foundation.

“New York’s Sixth Borough” is the nickname that musicians have attached to the Hudson Valley north of the city proper.  The selected highlights above are just that: the peaks of a wide musical landscape.  A significant fraction of New York’s musical talent now live in the greater Hudson Valley and its watershed, and commute into the city during the regular music season.  When things heat up during summer, however, more of the performance scene shifts to the countryside and small towns of the Valley.

Professor Philip Ehrensaft taught at l’Université du Québec à Montréal before moving to the Hudson Valley to direct Metro Countryside Research and pursue a parallel career in music journalism.

Fri., Aug. 20, 7 – 10 pm, INTRODUCTION TO THE LANDMARK FORUM: Free presentation about the Landmark Forum, with an explanation of what to expect and an opportunity to participate in sample exercises. Participants may register if they are interested; see www.landmarkeducation.com . At the Sustainable Living Resource Center, 150 Cottekill Rd., Cottekill. All are welcome. Annamarie is a fabulous introduction leader! Refreshments served. Contact Annamarie Lewis: 914-474-0930 or amma@frontiernet.net.

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Thurs. Aug. 12, 6-8 PM, USGBC Event: . EXISTING RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERFORMANCE AUDITS. Helping Homeowners keep more money at home, Thrall Library, Middletown, NY. Cost: $20, $15 for members, $10 in advance for members and students. Light refreshments provided. RSVP: HVBranchCoordinator@gmail.com For more information: http://www.greenupstateny.org/index.php?page=upcoming-events-2

Fri, Aug. 13, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., CATSKILL CREEK WATERSHED – THE MOUTH! Explore creek’s confluence with the Hudson River at the Historic Catskill Point in the Village of Catskill. Take part in a tour to learn about land use history of the site and participate in water quality testing of the tidal portion of the creek. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County, contact Liz LoGiudice, (518) 622-9820 x 33; eml37@cornell.edu; www.agroforestrycenter.org

Sat., Aug. 14, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., FAMILY OUTDOOR AWARENESS PROGRAM: Our environmental educator will lead everyone out into the Arboretum to learn about and enjoy the trees, flowers, water, and wildlife. Register: info@mtarboretum.org www.mtarboretum.org 518-589-3903

Sat., Aug. 14, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., “FOLKSONGS OF THE CATSKILLS: THE SPIRIT OF CAMP WOODLAND.” Former campers will present the history and music of the camp. Woodstock Historical Society, Eames House, 20 Comeau 20 Comeau Drive, Woodstock. 845-452-4013; www.campwoodland.org. Free.

Sun., Aug. 15, 12-5pm, BEACON SLOOP CLUB ANNUAL CORN FESTIVAL, Fresh, ready to eat local-grown Hudson Valley sweet corn on the cob for just a “Buck-an-Ear”. Live music featuring Spook Handy, Pete Seeger, Sarah Underhill, Gretchen Witt, Melissa Ortquist & Karen Brooks & others. The sloop Woody Guthrie will be taking guests for free sails. Beacon Sloop Club. At the Beacon Waterfront. Info: (845) 255-6436, 845) 463-4660 www.beaconsloopclub.org Free Admission.

Sun., Aug. 15, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. JOE HICKERSON IN CONCERT. Joe calls himself a “vintage pre-plugged paleo-acoustic folksinger.” For 35 years he was Director of the Archive of Folk Song/Culture at the Library of Congress. Sponsored by Heritage Folk Music. Kiersted House, Main St Saugerties. $8.00 admission http://heritageconcerts.blogspot.com;
heritagefolkmusic@gmail.com.

Tues., Aug. 17, NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE BUILDING ADVISOR PROGRAM. Info session. Apply sustainable concepts to design, development, construction, and management of buildings. AIA: 100 learning units. Approved as USGBC Ed. Provider; LEED maintenance credits. Oct 2010 – Jun 2011, one wknd/month. Instructors: Cliff Cooper, LEED AP BD+C, CSBA; Rick Alfandre, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. SUNY Ulster, Kingston. 518-687-5012, songayla@sunyulster.edu.

Tues., Aug. 17. ASK OPEN STUDIO TOUR – OPEN CALL. Featuring local and regional visual artists, musicians & performers. Studio space provided for artists without studios. To participate email studiotour@askforarts.org. www.askforarts.org

Thurs-Tues, Aug. 19 – 24. ENGAGING THE NEW COSMOLOGY WITH THE WORK OFTRANSITION with Miriam MacGillis. For activists and change agents who have studied the implications of the work of Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme. Facing the urgency of peak oil, global climate change and economic instability, bring the insights of the New Universe Story to your community through the model of the Transition Movement. At Genesis Farm, NW NJ, 908 362-6735 www.genesisfarm.org.

Thurs., Aug. 19, 5:45 – 8:30 p.m., ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY IMPACTS, Monticello High School, 237 Route 42 in Monticello, NY, and are free and open to the public. For information call 845-807-0527 or email: Planning@co.sullivan.ny.us

Fri., Aug. 20, 7 – 10 p.m. INTRODUCTION TO THE LANDMARK FORUM: Free presentation about the Landmark Forum, with an explanation of what to expect and an opportunity to participate in sample exercises. Participants may register if they are interested; see www.landmarkeducation.com . At the Sustainable Living Resource Center, 150 Cottekill Rd., Cottekill. Contact Annamarie Lewis: 914-474-0930 or amma@frontiernet.net.

Sat., Aug. 21, 10:00 a.m. —12:00 p.m. FAMILY OUTDOOR AWARENESS PROGRAM: Our environmental educator will lead everyone out into the Arboretum to learn about and enjoy the trees, flowers, water, and wildlife. .Register: info@mtarboretum.org www.mtarboretum.org 518-589-3903

Sat., Aug. 21, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. SEEDS AND SALSA WORKSHOP. Come learn how to save seeds and make salsa from our local expert, Ken Greene of the Hudson Valley Seed Library. Workshop Fee: $15 member/ $20 non-member. Pre-registration required Contact Sandra at Sandra@philliesbridge.org *Please bring your own pint sized jar for bringing home your salsa.* Phillies Bridge Farm Project, 45 Phillies Bridge Rd, New Paltz, www.philliesbridge.org or 845-256-9108.

Sun., Aug. 22, 11 am – 1:30 pm. INTRO LECTURE ON HONEYBEES AND ORGANIC BEEKEEPING, with Bee Doctor Chris Harp. For novices, gardeners and wannabeekeepers. Sustainable Living Resource Center, Cottekill. Advance registration required, $25 per person. Visit www.HoneybeeLives.org, email HoneybeeLives@Yahoo.com, or call 845-255-6113.

Mon., Aug 23 to Fri. Aug. 27, 9:30 to 3:30 daily; EXPLORING AMPHIBIANS, a week-long, watershed study for youth ages 8 to 13. Nature exploration at the Siuslaw Model Forest each morning and creation of a play based on the book Frog Girl each afternoon with Soup 2 Nuts Theater Company. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County, contact Liz LoGiudice, (518) 622-9820 x 33; eml37@cornell.edu; www.agroforestrycenter.org

Tues., Aug. 24, 6:30 – 10:00 p.m. MOONLIGHT HIKE” Mount Beacon. Trek to Mount Beacon’s fire tower to enjoy a glorious sunset and views of Manhattan’s skyline, then amble under a full moon. Contact Anthony Coneski, 845 473 4440 Ext. 273, www.scenichudson.org.

Fri.-Sun., Aug. 27-29 8:00 p.m. FEEL YOUR FEAR, FIND YOUR POWER: WORKSHOP & FIREWALK Omega Institute, FearlessFlame Empowerment Workshops will offer participants the opportunity to discover a world where old patterns, fears and negative beliefs are challenged and transformed to see that anything is possible. To register visit: http://bit.ly/9V8PHL 800-944-1001

Sat., Aug. 28, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. SIMPLE STRATEGIES TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP. Discover how language shapes character and other internationally proven and powerful techniques that are sure to change your life. FREE. To register visit: http://www.communitycharacter.com or call 914-388-2532

Sun. Aug. 29, 3 PM CRAGSMOOR POETRY SOCIETY REVIVAL PARTY. End of summer social and poetry event. Bring a poem to share or just come to listen. Hosted by poet, Tom Gale, at Hillcrest, 274 Henry Road, Cragsmoor, NY 12420. Next to the historic Stone Church. Sponsored by the Cragsmoor Historical Society. Donations accepted for the CHS Building Restoration Fund. Info at 845-647-6487. maureenrad@aol.com.

Sat., Sept. 4, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Dinner 5 – 7 pm, Concert 7 pm. 3rd annual CATSKILL MOUNTAIN ECO-HERITAGE FESTIVAL at Ashokan Center. Geology, bird, forest ecology and poetry walks, fly fishing demos, nature photography, bluestone wall building. Evening concert with singer/songwriters Magpie and Jay Ungar & Molly Mason, concluding with a square dance. Admission: $5 adults, free for kids under 5, $15 special day carpool rate, $10 evening concert; dinner extra. (845) 657-8333. www.ashokancenter.org

Fri-Sun, Sept. 10 – 12, WILD ROOTS, WISE WEEDS, A STUDY OF PLANT MEDICINES, An exploration of wild plants and how they enhance our well-being. Learn the medicinal value of herbs and spices and how to make tinctures and salves. Plant walks and hands-on study. At Genesis Farm, NW NJ, 908 362-6735, www.genesisfarm.org

Sat., Sept. 11, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CANNING & PICKLING WORKSHOP (2 of 2) Learn how to preserve the harvest and enjoy the delights of summer throughout the year. Taught by two local canning expert–Susan Loxely-Friedle and Barbara Nelson. This workshop is free. Phillies Bridge Farm Project, 45 Phillies Bridge Rd, New Paltz, NY 12561, www.philliesbridge.org 845-256-9108.

Sat., Sept. 11, 4:00 p.m. OWLS AT THE ARBORETUM: Join Larry Federman, Audubon Society Educator for an introduction to these fascinating birds. We will be going outside to listen for and perhaps even see owls as they get ready for their night shift. www.mtarboretum.org 518-589-3903

Sun. Sept. 12, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., EVALUATING YOUR STREAM BANKS; Explore problems frequently faced by streamside landowners, their causes and potential strategies for solving them. Led Joel Dubois and Mark Vian, Catskill Creek Watershed Advisory Committee members. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County, contact Liz LoGiudice, (518) 622-9820 x 33; eml37@cornell.edu; www.agroforestrycenter.org

Sun., Sept.12, 4:30 – 7:00 p.m. SUNSET READING at Poets’ Walk Park, Red Hook. Stroll in spirit with Washington Irving, who found inspiration ambling the paths that wind through the sunlit meadows and quiet woodlands at Poets’ Walk, now a 120-acre park owned by Scenic Hudson. Afterwards, gather at the pavilion and enjoy refreshments while listening to poets read their works and watching the sun set behind the Catskill Mountains, turning the Hudson River to gold. Contact Anthony Coneski, 845 473 4440 Ext. 273, www.scenichudson.org.

Thurs-Sun, Sept. 16 – 19, INTRODUCTION TO TRANSITION, a comprehensive overview of the Transition model for decreasing oil dependency and building local community resilience – the “head, heart, and hands” practical, principled response to living in a time of peak oil, climate change and economic instability. With certified Transition trainers at Genesis Farm, 908 362-6735 www.genesisfarm.org.

Sun., Sept. 19, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. RAMSHORN-LIVINGSTON SANCTUARY PADDLE at Dutchman’s Landing Park, Catskill. Join Audubon New York and Scenic Hudson on a trip by kayak or canoe through the primeval landscape in this largest tidal swamp in the Hudson River estuary. While paddling along RamsHorn Creek, you’ll discover creatures great and small, from bald eagles and great blue herons to beaver, otter and muskrat. Bring your own boat (12-foot or longer), PFD, extra paddle, spray skirt (kayaks), snack and water. Contact Anthony Coneski, 845 473 4440 Ext. 273, www.scenichudson.org.

Wed., Sept 22: Science Cafe: HURRICANES AND CLIMATE at Timothy Hall, Senior Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute Space Studies, NYC. www.cafescientifique.org/hudsonvalley.htm Open to the public, meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month, except where note at Diana’s, 1015 Little Britain Road (Route 207), New Windsor (just east of Stewart Newburgh Airport entrance). See www.DIANASNY.com for menus and map. $3.00 admission incl. coffee or tea. Arrive at 6pm and order from the Early bird Menu. No orders are taken during the Presentation (7:00 – 7:30 p.m.)

Sat., Sept. 25, ride begins at 9:00 a.m. FARMLAND CYCLING TOUR at Poets’ Walk Park, Red Hook. Pedal from Poets’ Walk Park through the beautiful, rolling countryside of Dutchess and Columbia counties. Besides catching occasional glimpses of the Hudson River, you’ll pass farm stands offering fresh produce. After returning to the park, enjoy a fabulous lunch while listening to live music. Choose the length of your ride—7, 15, 30 or 50 miles—and pick up a map at the start. Contact Anthony Coneski, 845 473 4440 Ext. 273, www.scenichudson.org.

Sat., Sept. 25, Annual Fall Festival & Art Auction. Come enjoy tours and activities as well as an art auction to support Phillies Bridge Farm Project.Event is free, food & beverages for purchase. Phillies Bridge Farm Project, 45 Phillies Bridge Rd, New Paltz, NY 12561, www.philliesbridge.org 845-256-9108.

Oct. 27, “How Evolution Happens: Lessons from Molecular Biology” Toby Rossman, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Medicine, NYU Langone School of Medicine. At Diana’s, 1015 Little Britain Road (Route 207), New Windsor. See www.DIANASNY.com for menus and map. $3.00 admission incl. coffee or tea. Arrive at 6pm and order from the Early bird Menu. No orders are taken during the Presentation (7:00 – 7:30 p.m.)

Oct 2010 – Jun 2011, one weekend/month. NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE BUILDING ADVISOR PROGRAM: How sustainable concepts are applied to design, development, construction, and management of buildings. AIA: 100 learning units. Approved as USGBC Ed. Provider; LEED maintenance credits. June 5, info session in Kingston. Instructor: Cliff Cooper, LEED AP, CSBA. SUNY Ulster, Kingston. 518-687-5012, songayla@sunyulster.edu.

ONGOING:

Book a sail on the SLOOP CLEARWATER with your school or group! Clearwater offers three-hour sail programs on the Hudson River from April-October, sailing out of docks between Albany and NYC. We provide an award-winning education program to schools, scouts, and other youth groups. Clearwater can also be booked by non-profit groups, private parties and companies. It’s a great interactive experience on a traditional Hudson River sailboat. Contact Catherine at 845.454.7673 ext. 107 or catherine@clearwater.org

Saturdays, BIRD WALK WITH THE RALPH T. WATERMAN BIRD CLUB Learn more about birds in the Hudson Valley that frequent this area. Bird walk location changes each week. For more info, visit: www.dutchesswam.com/events/ , or http://www.watermanbirdclub.org

Every Saturday, 12:30-1:30 PM, VIGIL FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE. All are welcome to join us! We have signs available calling for peace, and for a progressive agenda at home that includes healthcare for all, green jobs and the restoration of our Constitution. Sponsored by New Paltz Women in Black. In front of Elting Library, corner of Main and N Front Streets, New Paltz. womeninblacknp@aol.com or call 845 626-4488.

2nd Saturdays in Beacon at 4:00 p.m. at the east end of Main Street. COMMUNITY STREET SINGERS – Join Pete Seeger and friends for a family sing-along. Bring a song to share. Inclement weather, meet in the Howland Center. For more info, contact Chris Ruhe at 845 831-7567

Saturdays, June 5 & 19, July 3 & 17, Aug 7, Sept 4, 8:30 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. FREESTYLE FROLIC. An alcohol and drug free environment, offers dancers a wide range of music including R&B, World, Funk, Hip Hop and Electronica in an expressive environment featuring eclectic DJ’s spinning funky and ecstatic dance music. At the Center for Symbolic Studies, 310 River Road Ext. New Paltz. $7 adults, $3 Teens & Seniors, Children & Volunteers free. Rain or shine; the tent space will be heated if it’s cold out. www.freestylefrolic.org or call (845) 658-8319.

Sundays, ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB HIKE. Contact Lalita Malik, 845-592-0204 or LalitaMalik@aol.com . Locations vary. For more info, visit: www.dutchesswam.com/events

Sundays, (starting June 7) 10:30 am – 12:00 p.m. SUSTAINABLE LIVING WORKSHOPS, Regeneration CSA in High Falls. www.regenerationcsa.org (845) 687-0535

Sundays, 7 PM. NICOTINE ANONYMOUS (12-step support group for getting off nicotine/tobacco products), Woodstock Library. 687-7892. www.nicotine_anonymous.org

Sundays, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. , June 7th through November 1st. ROSENDALE FARMERS MARKET outside at the Rosendale Community Center., 1055 Rt. 32, Rosendale. 15+ vendors of traditional & organic veggies, fruits, baked goods, eggs, meats, plants, wine, cheese, plus excellent cooking tools & gardening info. Looking for vendors of ready-to-eat home-made food & specialty foods. 845-339-0819 or amardiney@hvc.rr.com

Every 2nd & 4th Sun., Spring 2010, 6-8 pm, SWING SUNDAYS, swing dance and instruction, $15, all levels welcome – hosted by the Vanaver Caravan at MaMA, Main St., Stone Ridge, NY. Contact The Vanaver Caravan, 845-256-9300, vcoffice@vanavercaravan.org for more information and to confirm dates.

Every 3rd Sunday: WORLD MEDITATION HOUR, 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. – Discussion on a Spiritual Topic, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. World Meditation with music, silence, guided commentary, bus for a replenishing hour of meditation for the self and for our planet. Peace Village Learning & Retreat Center, Haines Falls (Hunter) NY, (518) 589-5000, peace-village@bkwsu.org

Every Mon., 5 to 6 p.m. PLANET BLUE WITH CHRIS RUHE and Tonia Shou on radio station WVKR 91.3 FM.

Monday evenings: COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION/NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION series to learn the practice of staying self connected, coming from the energy we choose to come from, using self empathy . Pre-registration required for this series offered at Vita’s Gallerie on the Woodstock Green next to the Garden Cafe. 845 246 5935 or www.steps2peace.com

Every 4th Tuesday of the month. Walks and hikes that are short & leisurely in pace. www.midhusonadk.org

Tuesdays, 4-5:30 p.m. COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE with Dr. Sam Schikowitz. Acupuncture does not have to be expensive to be effective! $20-$40 sliding scale, w/$20 first-time fee for new patients. No appointment necessary. Last person accepted at 5:00 p.m. Wear comfortable clothing. The Living Seed Health Center, 521 B Main St., New Paltz. 845-691-6822. http://www.wholefamilymedicine.com/

1st Wednesday, 7:30 PM Taize Prayer at Mount St. Alphonsus in Esopus. All are welcomed to come and listen to the spiritual and meditative prayer sung by The Mount Choir.

2nd Wednesday of each month, 6:30-9:00 p.m. HUDSON VALLEY GREEN DRINKS Networking Sessions. For people in the environmental fields, sustain ably-minded and eco-curious. $5 at the door. Bring business cards. For full calendar and venues, visit www.hvgreendrinks.org

Wednesdays, BIRD WALK WITH THE RALPH T. WATERMAN BIRD CLUB Learn more about birds in the Hudson Valley that frequent this area. Bird walk location changes each week. For more info, visit: www.dutchesswam.com/events/ , or http://www.watermanbirdclub.org

Wednesdays, 7 PM. NICOTINE ANONYMOUS (12-step support group for getting off nicotine/tobacco products), Room 2, Education Building of Dutch Reform Church in New Paltz (Broadhead Ave & Huguenot St.). 687-7892. www.nicotine-anonymous.org

Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.. WELLBEING LAUGHTER CLUB Hilarious and fun recreation, a unique combination of laughter, simple movement, and play. Open to all ages. At Peace Through Play Nursery School, 8 Amber Ridge Road, Chestnut Ridge, $10 donation requested, should not be an obstacle to participation. Contact Jodi Peister, MD (aka Dr. Wellbeing), dr@drwellbeing.com or www.drwellbeing.com

3rd Wednesdays: Dutchess County Soil & Water Conservation District Monthly Board Meeting – held at the Farm & Home Center 2715 Route 44, Millbrook. Meeting starts at 7 p.m. November – March and at 7:30 p.m. April – October. All are welcome to attend.

First and third Thursday of the month the leaders offer 3-6 hour hikes to different areas of the Mid Hudson Valley. Hikes are followed by a stop for refreshment. Contact Leaders: Ginni Fauci, 845-399-2170, vfauci1@hvc.rr.com Lalita Malik, LalitaMalik@aol.com , (845) 592-0204
www.midhudsonADK.org

Second & fourth Thursday of the each month, paddles vary in length, difficulty, and location. Most are on quieter water; some are on the Hudson River. Leisurely–we stop for looks at birds and waterfalls and for lunch. Contact leader at shnaber@yahoo.com or 845-255-6005 www.midhudsonadk.org

Thursdays at 7 PM, World Peace Diet Book discussion group led by Shanti Urreta. Interested patrons may sign up at this event, or online at www.mahopaclibrary.org or by calling 845-628-2009, ext 100.

Thurs. 4:30 – 6 p.m. ONGOING DANCE CLASSES. Modern dance classes at Mt.View Studio in Woodstock led by Andrea Pastorella, Director, Movita Dance Theatre. 845 282-6723

Fridays, 2 PM, NICOTINE ANONYMOUS (12-step support group for getting off nicotine/tobacco products), People, Inc., Poughkeepsie. linm645@aol.com

Fridays 4-5:30 p.m. COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE with Dr. Sam Schikowitz ND, LAc. Acupuncture does not have to be expensive to be effective! $20-$40 sliding scale, w/$20 first-time fee for new patients. No appointment necessary. Last person accepted at 5:00 p.m. Wear comfortable clothing. The Living Seed Health Center, 521 B Main St., New Paltz. 845-691-6822. http://www.wholefamilymedicine.com/

3rd Friday of every month. 6:30 PM. ASSOCIATION OF NATIVE AMERICANS POT-LUCK FEAST with drumming, singing and lots of good fellowship. In the basement of United Reform Church in Bloomington (turn east off Rte 32 bet. Kingston and Rosendale onto Taylor Ave by Bloomington Firehouse, then left at T onto Church St. Church on right; parking across street on left). 845-331-7099

3rd Fridays, 8:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. DRUM AND DANCE at The Living Seed in New Paltz. $5 Bring drums and dancing feet.npdrumanddance@yahoo.com or www.thelivingseed.com

Weekdays, after school SPRINGDANCE classes offered through the Vanaver Caravan Dance Institute at New Paltz and Stone Ridge locations, for youth ages 4-teens. Ongoing registration. (845) 256-9300, vcoffice@vanavercaravan.org for more information and to register. Visit: www.vanavercaravan.org

Hudson Valley Community Dances www.hudsonvalleydance.org ; If traveling any distance, confirm late changes by calling the specific information numbers on website.

- First Saturday English Country Dance, Hurley
- First Sunday Swing Jam, Arlington
- Third Saturday Contra Dance, Arlington
- Third Sunday West Coast Swing/California Mix, Kingston
- Fourth Friday Swing Dance, Poughkeepsie
- Fourth Saturday Contra Dance, New Paltz
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Art/Craft Co-op open to Hudson Valley Artisans. Indoor&outdoor. Display retail, work space on busy Rte 207. Intent is to be true co-op run by participants. 1770 House New Windsor. 239 year old building 3/4 acre. 845-664-2140

BED & BISCUIT: Where Dogs Run Free! ~Cozy cottage w. larged fenced yard. Limited clientele. Round the Clock love & attention~ 25 yrs experience. Transportation available. www.bednbiscuit.com

Call to artists to donate a piece of artwork to Kingston Library to begin a program of loan of original artwork to patrons. This program will be limited to 12 paintings. The patron will borrow the artwork as they would a book. The artwork should be framed and ready to hang. Contact Ed Pell, Ph.D. pellphd@yahoo.com

City of Albany is soliciting qualified individuals or firms to provide consulting services in connection with developing, implementing and managing a City-wide Energy and Sustainability Plan and Program for the City of Albany, New York. This is a new program designed to lead the Citys energy and sustainability efforts. Contact melnickd@ci.albany.ny.us for information.

HANDMADE CRAFTS: Handmade hats, scarves, bags, & custom items for children and adults; I make all items with conservation and sustainability in mind. My work often includes both new and reused materials. Visit: www.earthypeace.etsy.com ; or email: earthypeace@yahoo.com

Hudson River Valley Fine Arts, 22 Spruce St., Kingston, open by appointment. February Paintings of Light Houses of The Hudson River and other paintings. pellphd@yahoo.com

www.informationisbeautiful.net/leftvright_world.html?c

Kingston Library is original artwork to patrons. Are there painters who will give a piece of framed, original, ready to hang artwork to Kingston Library? These paintings will be loaned to patrons, just as they loan books. Contact: pellphd@yahoo.com

Looking for work! I’m multi-talented and reliable. Know anyone who needs help with a special project or who is hiring help for their business? Available immediately. Thanks! Lisa 845-657-2211 lahtuyu@aol.com

MISHA’S ARK PETSITTING, Safety & Care for all your domestic and exotic pets; farm animals, too. Overnights available in your home. .
www.mishasarkpetsitting.com home (845)-255-4072 mishasarkpetsitting@yahoo.com cell 845-453-8741

NuRide is a free, internet based program that assists with finding rideshare possibilities and can be found at www.nuride.com

Raw milk, cheese, yogurt, turkey offered for sale at Old Ford Farm in New Paltz. For info contact Becky and Joe Fullam at 845-784-0138 or
oldfordfarm@live.com

SHAMANIC HEALING /CONSULTATION: Restores Joy, Trust, Vitality & Quality of Life. Enhances medical treatment. READINGS determine desired outcomes & anchor the energies that support you. Powerful Spirit Allies. Step into Harmony with life. Bonnie Fireheart. 845-417-5217. www.thebountifulspirit.com

SHAMANISM MEET-UP GROUP: Learn shamanism by experiencing it. FUN, Safe, Supportive environment. Dedicated to Earthkeeping & Spiritual Vision. Form REAL Community. Opportunity to Share, Grow, Unfurl. Nurture your soul. When spirit calls … Listen.http://www.meetup.com/Hudson-Valley-Shamanism-Group/

Solar-powered clam nursery – An innovative project in Long Island is using renewable energy to nurture juvenile shellfish. The FLUPSY (Floating Upweller System) is a floating solar and wind powered clam nursery with an entirely self-sustaining design that is accelerating the restoration of shellfish populations. Watch the video at www.newenergychoices.org/index.php?page=videos&sd=no&rd=pages

Taste the Region specialty food gift boxes have just debuted at the NY Wine and Culinary Center and are a project of the NY Small Scale Food Processors’ Assoc. The first boxes are from the Hudson Valley, Long Island, Adirondack and Finger Lakes Regions and all sell for $45 plus shipping for this great holiday gift item supporting small regional businesses. For further details: www.nyssfpa.com .

TUTORING Services: Jamie Levato is certified teacher, with a BS and a MS in Education. She’s been tutoring in the Hudson Valley for more than five years. All ages; references available; sliding scale; please call (1-888-776-5496) or email JamieLevato@yahoo.com

VIRTUAL HUDSON RIVER ISLAND FOR SALE! Any day. By appt. Once in lifetime chance to own waterfront treasure near Albany, across from Bethlehem park/boat launch. Scenic views, underwater rights, sandy coves/beaches, high plateau, deep woods. Buildable. Perfect for family compound, retreat, hideaway. Contact owner jcrenss@aol.com 518.477.6618, www.hudsonriverland.com for aerials.
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Blessed Unrest: www.paullussiercompany.com/add_htmls/blessed_unrest.html

Budhapest Multiparker: http://www.woehr.de/en/projekte/budapest_m730/index.htm

CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING www.worldwildlife.org/ted/latteflash.html

http://charterforcompassion.org/

Compare anything www.diffen.com

www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse The CRASH COURSE provides a baseline understanding of the economy so that you can better appreciate the risks that we all face. Should be required viewing — and I say this not caring much for economics, but it’s a reality that is impacting all of us, so best have some in depth insight. Martenson makes it crystal clear; fewer surprises if you are prepared and understand what is going on. Well worth the time invested to watch these selections.

The Daily Green: www.thedailygreen.com

Eco-Tube: www.eco-tube.com Find hundreds of eco-videos and upload your own….Be inspired!

EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson: Environmental Protection is Good for Economic Growth

http://blog.epa.gov/administrator/2010/03/08/administrator-jackson-environmental-protection-is-good-for-economic-growth/

European Pressurized Reactors: The same money spent installing renewable energy systems will produce more power, more jobs, put that power on line now (not ten years from now), and not endanger our future with storage or security issues. EPR is a spending boondoggle designed to prop up failing technology promoted by multinational engineering and supply companies. http://action.citizen.org/t/6693/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=28110

Generation We: www.gen-we.com and www.youtube.com/generationwe

Hopi Elder: Crossroads www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=288000543375&ref=mf

Humanitarian Crisis in Sri Lanka. Aid needed for 300,000 displaced people from recent fighting in the north. People suffering from anemia, poor sanitation, etc. $1 provides 3 healthy meals in a day. Sarvodaya Foundation is feeding 30,000 and providing another 20,000 with clean water, etc. Please contact www.sarvodayaUSA.org to donate on line or through PayPal. $30 feeds one refugee for a month.

HUDSON-VALLEY-ENVIRONMENT: GRASSROOTS ENVIRONMENTAL LIST SERVE..established to educate and to protect the region’s resources, culture and history. Started last year as ‘Dutchess-Environment’ but decided that more voices would mean more learning. To subscribe, cut and paste Hudson-Valley-Environment-Subscribe@npogroups.org . Info: prostenberg@fishkillridge.org or 860-354-6947 eves.

Kingston History www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnrFjNKo4tk

Marcellus Shale: http://solar1.org/video/drill_baby_drill/player.html

Matt Dancing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY&feature=player_embedded

Media Strategies for Sustainability: Here is an opportunity for you to share and learn successful strategies for media engagement; to increase local and national coverage of sustainability efforts at your institution; and to learn more about innovations and learning from other institutions. http://sites.google.com/site/campussustainmedia/Intro

Michael Moore on Norway and Bastoy Prison: www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4L6-0WRfSA
Multi-chemical Sensitivity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWodZ4nq05M

NYSDEC website gives the public expanded access to information on breeding birds, herps, rare organisms, and natural communities. As a gateway to biodiversity information, NY Nature Explorer is intended for landowners, land managers, citizens, municipal officials, planners, consultants, project developers, researchers, students, and anyone interested in the natural world with information from the 2nd NYS Breeding Bird Atlas (2000-2005), the NYS Herp Atlas (1990-1999), and the NY Natural Heritage Program Databases. www.dec.ny.gov/animals/57844.html

NYSDECs Environmental Resource Mapper is an on-line, interactive mapping application that can be used to identify some of NYS’s natural resources and environmental features that are state protected, or of conservation concern. www.dec.ny.gov/animals/38801.html

NYS Oceans and Great Lakes Internet-Based Atlas to Monitor Health of States Resources — created to help advance ecosystem-based management statewide, this online mapping program that makes it possible to download data into Google Earth GIS software. www.nyogatlas.org . Ecosystem-based management takes into account environmental and human interrelationships. Its goal is to manage human activities to create healthy, productive, resilient ecosystems that can deliver the resources people want and need.

Palindrome video: Lost Generation www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=42E2fAWM6rA

Patrick Henry Hughes: If you have not seen this video, but its worth viewing. It demonstrates both the indomitable human spirit and the power of music in our lives. www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=9xwCG0Ey2Mg

Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/infocenter.html

Project BudBurst, a nationwide initiative in the United States of America, started on February 15, 2008 to enable volunteers, students, gardeners and other “citizen scientists”, to track climate change by observing the timing of flowers and foliage. The project,operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and a team of partners, give researchers a detailed picture of our warming climate. www.usanpn.org, www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/budburst

Property tax reform: www.taxreformagenda.org

Random Acts of Consciousness: www.huffingtonpost.com/arthur-rosenfeld/pay-it-backwards-an-act-o_b_151793.html

REACH is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC 1907/2006). It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances. The new law entered into force on 1 June 2007. It WILL impact US chemical companies. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/reach_intro.htm

Recycling cell phones and accessories helps save energy and reduces input to landfills and incinerators. Please see www.epa.gov/cellphones and www.epa.gov/cellphone/cell-recycling-locations.htm to learn more about the benefits of E-waste recycling and how and where cell phones can be recycled

RENEWABLE ENERGY VIDEO BLOG, Renewable Energy in the Forest: The educational and research facilities at Black Rock Forest , a nature preserve in the Hudson Highlands, are now powered by multiple sets of solar panels and served by a geothermal heating and cooling system. The success of these renewable energy systems has been so great that the Forest is now considering installing wind and water energy. View at www.newenergychoices.org/index.php?page=videos&sd=no&rd=pages

Revoking Corporate Charters, when they are no longer serve the public good: alternativeradio.org, search for: Richard Grossman: www.poclad.org; also Tom Linzey’s Democracy School: www.celdf.org

Stanford University ranks nuclear worst, tied with coal: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2009/january7/power-010709.html

Story of Stuff: www.storyofstuff.com: Please do yourself and your planet a favor and watch this 20-minute animated video/film, which explains in simple, powerful terms why our present system of ever-accelerating production and consumption is unsustainable, unjust and unfulfilling, and why it doesn’t have to be this way.

Transition Town Training www.transitiontowns.org

www.treehuggingfamily.com/november-2008-green-challenge-buy-nothing-day

www.VeggieTrader.com Online portal where backyard gardeners can buy, sell or swap homegrown produce. Listings organized by food type and zip code. Membership free.

Where your money goes: www.usatoday.com/news/washington/tax-rates-spending.htm

World Health Org says we’re number 37! www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVgOl3cETb4

Wind energy: www.tangarie-energy.com

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“The environment is not a competing interest to be balanced with other interests; rather, it is the playing field, the very foundation, upon which all our interests compete.” ~ Dr. Michael Klemens, Founder, Metropolitan Conservation Alliance

“We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, militarism and economic exploitation are incapable of being conquered. A nation can flounder as readily in the face of moral and spiritual bankruptcy as it can through financial bankruptcy.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, 4 April, 1967 – A Time to Break Silence

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” Dwight D. Eisenhower, 4/16/53

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” ~ Dalai Lama

“Humans have got to learn to have jobs without growth.” ~ Pete Seeger

“In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man [person], brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.” ~ Mark Twain

“Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day” ~ Theodore Roosevelt, April 19, 1906

“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists. The saving of our world from pending doom will come not from the actions of a conforming majority but from the creative maladjustment of a transformed minority.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war and until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation, until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes. And until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, there is war. And until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, rule of international morality, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained… now everywhere is war.” ~ Haile Selassie quoted by Bob Marley in his song – War!

Alice Walker in her book, We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: “It is the worst of times because it feels as though the very Earth is being stolen from us, by us: the land and air poisoned, the water polluted, the animals disappeared, humans degraded and misguided. War is everywhere. It is the best of times because we have entered a period, if we can bring ourselves to pay attention, of great clarity as to cause and effect….We have only to open our eyes, and awaken to our predicament. We see that we are, alas, a huge part of our problem. However: we live in a time of global enlightenment. This alone should make us shout for joy.”

“We may now care for each Earthian individual at a sustainable billionaire’s level of affluence while living exclusively on less than 1 percent of our planet’s daily energy income from our cosmically designed nuclear reactor, the Sun, optimally located 92 million safe miles away from us.” ~ Buckminster Fuller

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” ~ The Dalai Lama

“The real task of leadership is to confront people with their freedom…freedom being the choice to be a creator of our own experience and accept the unbearable responsibility that goes with that.” — Peter Block, Community: The Structure of Belonging

“You destroy your enemies by making them your friends.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

“This is not a private planet. It is a community initiative.” — Malidoma Some

May Peace with Justice Prevail on a Healed and Harmonious Earth ~

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Please send all listings in calendar format (10 pt. Arial font, black ink — NO color or other formatting) to mannajo@aol.com: Day of the week (abbrev.), Date (abbrev.), Time, Name of Event (IN ALL CAPS), BRIEF description. Sponsoring group, Location, Contact person, Phone (specify area code), Email, URL, Cost. No more than 3 lines, or 50 words TOTAL. Please be concise; include email contact or website for more information. Listings not in calendar format in the body of the email will be returned for you to edit. Calendar policy: This calendar reaches 3,000+ of the best and brightest in Hudson Valley and beyond, but we cannot edit your listings. We publish twice a month usually just before the 1st and 15th, so please send by the week before to be sure. No more than 2 or 3 listings per organization or individual per month. If you have multiple events, please pick the best (most related to creating a sustainable future) and include a website or email for further information. (Reminder: Please let us know if your classifieds/rentals, etc. have expired.) Many thanks, Manna & Melinda.

The following is an announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC LISTENING SESSION ON

THE PRESIDENT’S AMERICA’S GREAT OUTDOORS INITIATIVE

Please join senior representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other federal agencies for a public listening session on conservation, recreation and reconnecting people to the outdoors. The session will be held Friday, August 6, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at Marist College in the Hudson River Valley—whose magnificent landscapes served as the cradle of American History.

This past April at the White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors, President Obama signed a memorandum establishing the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to develop a conservation agenda worthy of the 21st century and to reconnect Americans with our great outdoors.  The President understands that protecting and restoring the lands and waters that we love and reconnecting people to the outdoors must happen at the local level.

Therefore, President Obama directed the principal leaders of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to travel across the country to listen and learn from people directly involved in finding grassroots solutions to conserving our lands and waters and reconnecting Americans to the outdoors.  The President indicated that the sessions should engage the full range of interested groups, including tribal leaders, farmers and ranchers, sportsmen, community park groups, foresters, youth groups, businesspeople, educators, state and local governments, and recreation and conservation groups.

The Hudson Valley has an important place in conservation history and was one of the first regions in the country designated by Congress as a National Heritage Area.  Its natural resources and beauty have inspired collaborative conservation initiatives that are helping revitalize urban and town centers and rural communities.  A private conservation movement is protecting working farms, safeguarding critical water resources, and supporting a vibrant tourism industry. Public-private partnerships are helping people enjoy, protect and revitalize the river and Valley.

The August 6th public listening session and discussion are an opportunity for leaders of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to hear from you and other voices in the Hudson Valley about solutions for building a 21st-century conservation and recreation agenda and for reconnecting people with the outdoors.  Here are the details.

Listening Session and Discussion Information

When: Friday, August 6, 9:00 a.m. – noon

Where: Marist College, Student Center. Poughkeepsie, NY

For directions, go to:  http://www.marist.edu/about/directions.html.

Who: Senior Washington, D.C., and local leadership from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies will be present to hear your thoughts and to participate in a conversation with you about America’s Great Outdoors.

Please: This event is free and open to the public.  For planning purposes it would be helpful if you pre-register by Tuesday, August 3 by sending an email to joseph.heller@ny.usda.gov with your name, the name of the organization with which you are affiliated, if any, and your telephone number. Include in your email your primary area of interest by noting your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice of the Concurrent Breakout Listening Sessions listed below.

In the event you are unable to participate in person, please submit your comments and stories via the America’s Great Outdoors website at http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/.

If you have questions, please contact Joseph Heller at (845) 883-7162, Extension 104 or joseph.heller@ny.usda.gov.

Choice of Concurrent Breakout Listening Sessions:

1. Conservation of working farms, forests, and coastal areas.

2. Reconnecting people with the outdoors through recreation and education.

3. Creating a healthy river: Conserving and restoring important habitat and blueways.

4. General session for those who do not want to designate a specific topic.