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SEEDS Newsletter • August 2020
Empowering Sustainable Communities

Chair Message


Dear Friend:

Our Board and Executive Director continue to meet virtually to keep us all safe. And, that is how we will be managing our annual meeting in September as well (see more about that below).
While we would dearly like to mingle with you, shake hands, see your smiles, and share food together, we must continue to come up with innovative ways to spread our message without this social interaction. We have some virtual forum ideas such as:
  • A cooking class featuring local farm products via zoom with local chefs
  • A discussion about Road-side spraying concerns.
  • A program geared to children who are facing the possibility of not returning to school right away.
We would appreciate hearing your level of interest in these ideas as well as your own ideas on possible forums. kathy@seedsgroup.net
  

Katharine Dodge
Kathy Dodge signature.


SEEDS Annual Meeting
September 15th at 6:00pm
Zoom Meeting



We invite all members and nonmembers to attend and learn about the accomplishments we've made in the last year. At 6:30, attendees are invited to tune in to the "Resilient Regional Economies" presentation and Q&A led by Judy Wicks via Facebook Live. We will send the two links, for the Annual Meeting and Judy Wicks presentation, a week prior to the event, so keep an eye out for them in your email and save the date!

Herbicide Spraying of Roadsides

For those who do not want their state road fronts sprayed by PennDOT, contact Bill Fives at 570-963-4016, or at: wfives@pa.gov He says that they only spray around guardrails and signs, but he can put you on a permanent no-spray list. That means that you will have to keep any signs and guardrails clear of tall vegetation. Bill is a very nice person to talk to and returnPicture of road construction truck spraying herbicide. Taken from a car driving behind the truck.ed my call promptly.
I got a bunch of signs made for my property that say Pesticide-free zone...NO SPRAY. If you have old campaign signs lying around, you might re-purpose them to create your own signs.
 
I was unable to find out about spraying policy by the phone company. If any of our readers knows about that, kindly let us know by contacting me at kathy@seedsgroup.net.

SEEDS and The Highlights Foundation
Complete Installation
of a Solar Array


The Highlights Foundation (Foundation) will soon be powered by the sun. Last month a group of SEEDS volunteers and the Foundation worked together to install a 33.3kW array on the roof of a building leased by the Foundation, next door to its Retreat Center in Milanville, Pennsylvania. The volunteer effort lasted for six days and involved the installation of the scaffolding, roof rails, optimizers, wiring, and the photovoltaic (PV) solar panels themselves. Overall, the project consisted of 90 roof-mounted, 370W solar panels, installed in 5 rows of 18 each. After inspection and PPL approval the array will be turned on and is expected to generate more than 20% of the annual electricity used at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center. Through the use of volunteers from SEEDS and the Foundation, who planned, installed, and connected the array, as well as the use of refurbished PV panels, the cost for the project was minimized.

SEEDS Recieves PPL Foundation Grant!
 
SEEDS has received a $2500 grant from the PPL Foundation. These funds will be used to support our revamped operations, sustainability programming, and strategic planning during these trying times, and will directly help us adapt our sustainability forums and workshops into online content.
SEEDS Executive Director, Olga Trushina, says: “The pandemic has highlighted gaps in our community’s resilience, as well as the fortitude of our fellow community members. Whether it was gaps in food distribution, recycling processes or availability of supplies, people were able to come together and fill in those gaps through the sheer force of networking, donations, and hard work. SEEDS is now working to minimize those gaps by encouraging local food production and consumption, developing renewable energy generation to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and expenses that come with it, and providing online educational content on sustainability issues that will encourage people to become self-sustaining and efficient in their lifestyle choices. Our mission means the world to us, and we’re deeply grateful for the continued community support. Each gift makes a huge impact on our success, so thank you!”
Join in!
 
If you are looking for a fun way to socialize and give back to the environment, join one of our project circles! Circles are an opportunity to participate in some of our many sustainability projects, and get to know other environmental stewards in our area! Each circle has its own theme and its own leader, you can join one or more! Our themes are:
  • Energy Circle
  • Food Circle
  • Education Circle
  • Outreach Circle
  • Governance Circle
  • Finance Circle
If you are interested in joining a circle, please contact us at info@seedsgroup.net or call 570-245-1256.

Sustainability Movie Recommendations
-with English and Spanish Subtitles

The Power of Community

53 min https://youtu.be/xhfpmKAEfy4
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba’s economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half and food imports cut by 80 percent, people were desperate. This fascinating and empowering film shows how communities pulled together, created solutions, and ultimately thrived in spite of their decreased dependence on imported energy. In the context of global Peak Oil worries, Cuba is an inspiring vision of hope.


Navetierra
61 min https://vimeo.com/149303718

Can we change the way we, as human beings, inhabit our planet and relate to it? Elena Roger and Mariano Torre embark on a quest to find an answer by leveraging Earthships, the renowned buildings created by architect Michael Reynolds. Rather than just providing a sustainable home, the project intends to bring about a housing solution based on a cleaner and a more conscious way of building and living.

More Ways to Support SEEDS!

Lake Region IGA logo.•  Lake Region IGA Supermarkets donate 1% of your purchases to local charities through their Lake Region Community Dock Foundation.

Sign up for a new card, and choose SEEDS as your charity. Or visit www.lrcdf.org to link your existing Preferred Customer Card to SEEDS.
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•  Have you “liked” us on Facebook? If not, click HERE.
If so, please “invite your friends” to like us too!

If you are not a member of SEEDS, please consider joining us today!
Our annual membership dues are only $10, and you will continue to receive our newsletters, invitations to our educational forums and other events. Please make your check payable to SEEDS of Northeastern PA and mail to SEEDS, 1030 Main Street, Honesdale, PA 18431. You can also pay your membership dues online, by clicking on the "Donate Today" button below.
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Copyright © 2020 SEEDS-Sustainable Energy Education and Development Support, All rights reserved.


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