M A Y • 2 0 2 3

Greenwich Sustainability Committee
COMMUNITY NEWS
Advancing sustainability and climate resiliency
O N E • P L A N E T • O N E • C H A N C E
CLIMATE COACH
The GREEN SCHOOL COMMITTEE of Old Greenwich School partnered with students in a campaign to stop vehicle idling. Take a scroll through the winning entries and learn what's elementary: idling engines pollute the air of our children and neighbors.
Click on the link above to submit your answer
INVASIVE SPECIES FOCUS
INVASIVE SPECIES are serious danger to our native ecology and threaten biodiversity in our landscapes.
GARLIC MUSTARD, a commonly occurring invasive species is very visible in the landscape now and easy to pull. It takes space and resources away from native plants that support our native wildlife. It is very difficult to restore landscapes without removing invasive species. In April and May garlic mustard takes hold in our yards and roadway edges and spreads very quickly. Be proactive and remove garlic mustard now. Learn more here.
QUIZ
Identify which is not an invasive plant species?
Japanese Barberry
Wisteria
Tree of Heaven
Skunk Cabbage
Burning Bush
Scroll all the way down to find the correct answer!
LEGISLATION & ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT
Lobbyists go to Hartford to advocate for the passage of this important bill.
CT Pesticide Reform (CPR) advocates buzzed into Hartford last week to talk to legislators about two important bills to protect pollinators and wildlife. SB963 would restrict a widely used class of insecticides that is causing the rapid decline of native pollinators, while SB962 would limit the use of a class of poisons used to kill mice, but which has also been killing the birds of prey and any other animals that hunt and eat poisoned rodents. These bills have been approved by the environmental committee, and are headed to the Appropriations Committee for a vote.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OTHER SECTORS
BUSINESS
Buy Food, Cheap.
"TooGoodToGo," is a website and app that connects customers with restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and other food retailers to reduce food waste by selling surplus food at discounted prices. Fight food waste and help food retailers by purchasing meals and other food products that would otherwise go to waste at the end of the day. Retailers can sign up and earn money with the discounts as opposed to throwing good food away.
LAND / WATER
Bob DeAngelo teams with the Greenwich Alliance for Education AVID students at Western and Central Middle School and GHS to conduct "Wood Slice - Inner Beauty" workshops where the students create their own wood slice boards while thinking about the message that we all have special inner cores like these found branches and limbs of trees.

No two wood slices are the same. Each wood core is like the fingerprint of the tree and put together in a group they are spectacular. Same with people — each of us has a beautiful inner core that differentiates us and together we make up the human community. 
BUILD SMART. BUILD NET-ZERO.
CLIMATE RESILIENCY
Building Net-Zero Schools

• Building orientation & roof configuration determine the potential for solar power generation.
• Building envelope separates the interior from the outside where energy can be lost.
• Size and place windows to harness natural light for both light and heat. 
• Whole building approach to lighting design using 100% energy efficient lighting components (LED), timers and occupancy sensors.
• All-electric integrated HVAC system linking heating, cooling and hot water via a condenser water loop that is  powered by renewable energy.
• Renewable energy provides up to 100% of the energy load.
• Choosing materials that reduce a building’s embedded energy : less concrete and steel, fewer materials transported from great distances, and more recycled materials.
• Install Level 2 EV charging stations in 20% of the parking spaces allocated to vehicles.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Advocacy for Trees
Trees enhance the beauty, livability and quality of life of the neighborhood. That is why neighbors of Greenwich High School continue to advocate for the planting of trees long after the GHS MISA project (Performing Arts Center) was completed. Many trees had to be removed in the construction of that project and a Planning & Zoning variance required they be replaced.
Thirty-five trees now line Hillside Road and another sixty-eight will be the full complement of the trees planted as part of the new Cardinal Stadium.
FOOD SYSTEMS
Ramps are what's happening here in the Northeast. This fleeting wild food is a special addition to your meal as it marks an early taste of spring. Sauteed they add zing to a pasta dish or with eggs at breakfast. Grilled, they make a great pizza topping or an alternative to onions in sandwiches. Over-harvesting is a concern so please source your ramps responsibly. Seacoast Mushrooms sells them at the Sam Bridge Winter Market. Don't miss out! Learn how to cure & care for ramps here.
WASTE REDUCTION
There's a better way than throw away! Visitors to the ReThink Waste Fair on April 1st proved just that with over 9,000 lbs of unwanted goods collected through the recycling drive. Residents cleaned out old phones, laptops, clothing and much more from their closets for donation and recycling. They picked up free books and CDs at the book swap. And over 20 different vendors joined us to offer no and low waste options to replace single-use disposables. Check out this article and video from Coastal Connecticut Times for a recap of this fun-filled event!
TRANSPORTATION
Westchester County Airport Master Plan- OPEN LETTER

Before the public comment period for the Westchester County Airport Master Plan draws to a close, the Greenwich Sustainability Committee urges Westchester County to embrace a vision beyond compliance and integrate sustainability into the airport master plan. Read the entire letter here
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday, May 13, 2023
8 AM to 1 PM
Island Beach Parking Lot
Arch Street, Greenwich, CT

Want to Reduce Excessive Noise and Toxic Emissions in Summer?
Urge your Health Department to act on the Quiet Yards Greenwich (QYG) proposal to limit gas blower times in the warmer months to improve our health. Let’s take back our rights to peace, clean air, and better health when leaf fall is minimal and we want to be outside. The QYG proposal is a moderate business friendly proposition that is a win-win for all stakeholders. Email: ehealth@greenwichct.org. 
BRENDA WATSON
Director of Operation Fuel
Providing utility and energy assistance and advocating for energy affordability

"Environmental Justice &
Energy Equity"

Tuesday, May 23, 2023
6 PM to 7 PM
Via Zoom | Followed by Q&A
Forum at Perrot Library
Wednesday June 7 @ 7pm
Learn about what you can do to reduce light pollution for our migrating birds, our pollinating insects, our astronomers and for our health with a panel of experts. Bring your questions! (Watch our FB page for further information)
Student Voices on Sustainability
Thursday June 8 @ 7pm 
Greenwich Middle School & High Schools winners of the 2023 CT Science and Engineering Fair present their projects and answer questions.
Quiz Answer: Skunk Cabbage is a perennial wildflower
and an invaluable native wetland plant. The spreading
root system holds nutrients in the soil, prevents erosion and filters impurities from the water. The broad leaves provide cover for birds, frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes, turtles and small mammals.
Your feedback is valuable to sustainability!