September 2022 Newsletter
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Would you like to join us?
We meet on the 4th Wednesday every month from 7-8:30pm by zoom to discuss project updates and what's going on in the town and the region. If interested, email colorpenfieldgreen@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you soon!
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Healthy Yards Monroe County Offers FREE Classes Through Penfield Recreation
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Fall Clean Up Practices
Hosted by Healthy Yards Monroe County
Tues 9/27, 6-7pm, Activity #434311-A OR Thurs 10/20, 6-7pm, Activity #434311-B
Free, Ages 18+, Penfield Community Center
Learn about Xerces Society "Leave the Leaves" campaign and other new practices that are more ecologically friendly for plants, soil, pollinators, and birds.
Reconnecting to Nature by Creating a Healthy Yard
Hosted by Healthy Yards Monroe County
Thurs 11/3, 6-7pm, Activity #434310-B
Free, Ages 18+, Penfield Community Center
Come with me on a journey - a story of yards that move from purely decorative to ones that also serve important ecological functions. Learn how to make changes in our own backyards that enhance the lives of not only ourselves, but also our pollinators and birds. Megan Meyer co-leads Healthy Yards Monroe County and Color Penfield Green. She is a Master Gardener with a background in landscape design and plant propagation.
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Register Online for these courses HERE
Penfield and non-Penfield residents welcome!
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The largest EV Car Show in Rochester is coming up! Mark your calendars for the National Drive Electric Week show September 24th from 10am-2pm at RIT. Color Penfield Green EV enthusiasts, Igor Orlovich and Ravi Mehta will be helping to organize the fun event.
Register to attend if you're thinking about purchasing an EV. You can kick some tires, ask questions of the owners, and check out the interesting features of various plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Already own an EV? Register and bring your vehicle to the event to join the party and share your experience!
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Shadow Pines Celebration & Community Event
Sat 9/24, 1-3pm rain or shine
Shadow Pines Property, 600 Whalen Rd
About a dozen of our local community groups - including CPG and Healthy Yards Monroe County will be on hand to engage the public and share how they enjoy the preserved green space of Shadow Pines. The celebration will feature the placement of a plaque on a large rock that describes how Shadow Pines was saved largely due to citizens' efforts.
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The dedication of this monument will take place around 1:30 pm and last just 15 minutes or so, led by Town supervisor Marie Cinti. We hope to see you there!
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The PHS Environmental Club Has Big Plans for 2022-2023
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The Penfield Environmental Club has had a busy summer! We created a brand-new website that features our partnership with Color Penfield Green and developed our goals for this upcoming school year. As many of you know, we formed the Penfield Sustainability Committee (a group of parents, teachers, students, and administrators dedicated to making our district more sustainable) to draft a Sustainability Plan.
To benchmark for said plan, we conducted energy audits of all the district buildings with Wendel, a company working to understand our energy usage. Our club also self-conducted a waste audit for Penfield High School. We separated trash during lunch periods and found that we are wasting over 180 pounds of trash per day. All the data from the audit is on our website under the “What We Do” tab.
A large group of talented students attended our first club meeting! This year we are planning on conducting four more waste audits (one at each Penfield elementary school). We will also be drafting our Sustainability Plan in collaboration with the Sustainability Committee.
Stay green,
The Penfield High School Environmental Club
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Color Penfield Green Wraps Up a Year of Classes for Clean Energy Communities
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In a highly successful partnership with Town of Penfield, and supported by newly appointed Sustainability Engineer, Sarah Waterman, Color Penfield Green just completed the final class of 14 sessions of EVs 101 (98 registrants) and Clean Heating and Cooling (58 registrants). These classes were part of a Clean Energy Communities Campaign from NYSERDA that will help the Town earn points AND cash grants for sustainability projects. CPG co-founder, Al Hibner put in a great deal of work to make these classes interesting, relevant, and current. We were so lucky to have the expertise of Igor Orlovich, Bob Kanauer, and Matt Corona in developing and delivering the content. Working behind the scenes to answer the tough questions and work with registrants, we had Ravi Mehta, Katie Rygg, and Cass Tilliman. As a result, the Town was awarded $5,000 already and we hope another check will be on the way soon!
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Monroe County wants your input (at least for the next few weeks)! They are developing an Active Transportation Plan and would like to know your thoughts on how we can remake and invest in our county in ways that will make walking and biking more safe and more desirable as a mode of transportation - and not only for fun.
Providing input is quick and actually quite fun with their interactive map. Even if you don't have a lot of biking/walking experience, you can add a "thumbs up" to some of the thoughtful comments that are already there.
Alternatively, you could stop by their table at the Chili's Founder's Day Picnic at Davis Park in Rochester, 10am-2pm.
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Tell RG&E and the Public Service Commission
That We Want an Affordable & Equitable
Clean Energy Future!
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As they do every three years, RG&E recently filed their utility rate case. RG&E proposes new rates for gas and electric services and explains how they will use the money. Over the next few weeks, there will be several opportunities for the public to weigh in to help decide how this money is spent. For example, will they be hardening the electric grid and doubling efforts on renewables or installing new gas pipelines? As customers of RG&E, we can state our preference that they build a greener energy system by using our dollars to invest in energy efficiency and clean energy technologies. We can also tell them that an 18.9% rate increase is way out of line!
Proposed Rate Increases: RG&E Electric +18.9%, RG&E Gas +18.1%
The Proposed Return on Equity: +10.2%
Governor Hochul called the rate hike request “outrageous and unacceptable that utility companies are proposing the largest rate increase in recent history for more than 1.2 million consumers in Upstate New York.”
Visit the Climate Solution Accelerator's website to learn how to participate in these hearings.
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World Climate Week is Coming Up!
Climate Week is September 19 - 25. This is a great time to get involved with community efforts!
- Do you work or play in Rochester? Advocate for more action on climate change by participating in a call relay to Rochester Mayor Malik Evans! Sign up here.
- The Accelerator’s Brady Fergusson and Andrea McLean are facilitating a workshop as part of the Rochester Urban League’s Interrupt Racism Summit. Register here for this event.
- Learn how to advocate for climate action with elected officials at every level - from your school board to your Member of Congress - in this workshop hosted by Citizens' Climate Lobby NY on Sept 29th, 7-9pm
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The Inflation Reduction Act is Now Law...
See How You Can Benefit!
Experts say that the Inflation Reduction Act will incentivize a green transition that will get us to a 40% emissions drop by 2030 (still not enough to get us to the critical level of a 50% reduction) but it gives us hope that we might get there!
However, we'll only see those reductions if people actually take advantage of all of the fantastic benefits in the bill.
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The Biden administration has launched a new website, Clean Energy For All, to help Americans access the funds and Rewiring America has a great resource for determining what you'll be eligible for here.
Thinking of replacing your AC? Or your heating system? Get a two-for-one Heat Pump which cools and heats with no fossil fuels! Looking to buy a used EV? (They do exist!) There are new rebates that can help with that purchase. Learn more about how you can live healthier and go fossil-fuel free in Al Hibner's "All-Electric Life" blog series.
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Igor Orlovich and Ravi Mehta follow the news about Electric Vehicles and have curated items for fans and those thinking about going electric for their next car, SUV, or truck.
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News from the Automakers
- The 2024 Acura ZDX EV was announced, which will be the first EV for the company and built by GM in their Tennessee factory. (top)
- Kia revealed its2022 EV6 GT supercar. On top of many other winning features, the EV6 can charge ultra-fast: 10 to 80% in less than 18 minutes! (middle left)
- The Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid EV (PHEV)'s pricing was revealed: starting price = $38,490 and has a 34 mi all-electric range. Technically they are available now but will likely be very hard to find. (middle right)
- The sporty 2023 Dodge Hornet PHEV SUV was revealed. This PHEV can go ~30mi all electric and will start at $40,000 (bottom left)
- The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV was revealed, starting at $30,000! (bottom right)
- To be eligible for Inflation Reduction Act incentives, vehicles must be built in the US.
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EV News Near and Far
- The Victor Planning Board approved the installation of 20 Level 2 chargers at Eastview Mall next to the existing Tesla Superchargers.
- Many Californians have invested in Tesla battery walls to have electricity during the increasingly frequent power outages and brownouts. Tesla asked these folks to be part of a distributed "power plant" back up system in the case of an electricity shortage. This happened for the first time last month and the battery walls provided 1.5MW back to the grid. We are starting to witness the beginnings of a true smart grid backed by distributed energy assets.
- New technology for faster charging for electric vehicles - 90% in 10 minutes - could be as close as 5 years away.
- Auto companies are designing ways to build a car’s fuel cells into its frame, making electric rides cheaper, roomier, and able to hit ranges of 620 miles.
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All Aboard the World's First Hydrogen Powered Train
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The first fully hydrogen powered train is now in service in Germany. There are some activities that will be difficult to fully electrify - like trucking and flying. Hydrogen is likely to be the answer, though it comes with mixed enthusiasm. Hydrogen as a fuel can be produced from water with renewable energy (which is great!) but it can also be created from natural gas - something the fossil fuel industry is banking on and a serious concern of climate advocates.
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CA Canal Gets a Solar Canopy - Renewable Power, Less Evaporation, Cleaner Water
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In a "first of its kind in the US" project, California prepares to deploy a solar canopy over a stretch of canal. "If all 4,000 miles of California’s canals were covered with solar panels, that could produce 13 gigawatts of renewable power...Project Nexus will provide the opportunity to see whether the solar panels reduce water evaporation as the result of midday shade and wind mitigation; create improvements to water quality through reduced vegetative growth; reduce canal maintenance as a result of reduced vegetative growth; and of course, generate renewable electricity."
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Will Civilization Collapse Because it's Running Out of Oil?
CPG's Sue Steepy brings us the thoughts of Climate Scientist, Richard Heinberg
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There's no yes or no answer to this seemingly straightforward question. In the 2nd of two articles in his newsletter, "Museletter", Richard Heinberg, a broad-perspective scientist and member of the Post Carbon Institute reframes the question to be less about "peak oil" and more about "peak demand." He broadens the context to how we will manage socially as we struggle to make the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable clean energy. Will it come as "a major economic crash" or as "a gentle energy descent?" A serious consideration that we all need to address now.
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Mark Your Calendars for These
Upcoming Events
Hope to see you there!
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Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off
Sat 9/17, 7:45am- noon
By Appointment Only!
Penfield DPW, 1607 Jackson Rd
Hosted by EcoPark
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The following items can be brought to the Town of Penfield DPW for safe disposal this weekend. (Appointment required)
- Aerosol Cans (Cleaners, Lubricants, Paints, etc.)
- Automotive Fluids (antifreeze, brake, power steering and transmission fluids)
- Cleaners (soaps, waxes, drain cleaners, etc.)
- Driveway Sealers
- Flammables (gasoline, thinners, solvents, etc.)
- Mercury (thermometers, thermostats)
- Paint: Oil-based & Latex (more than 1/3 can full)
- Pesticides/Insecticides & Fertilizers
- Pool & Photo Chemicals
- Resins & Adhesives
- Wood Stain & Preservatives
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First Annual Rochester Urban Garden Day
14 Urban Gardens in Rochester open to the public
RAICA will be at the First Univarsalist Church
150 South Clinton Ave, Rochester
Saturday, 9/17 10am-3pm, FREE
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Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County and the Urban Agriculture Working Group (of which RAICA is a member) invites you to join the fun for their first ever Annual Urban Gardens Day! It will be a day filled with garden tours, demonstrations, and homemade meals created from locally grown produce. This is a family friendly event, with activities for all ages! Hope to see you there! For more information and the schedule of events, click here.
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Roc River Ride
Ride will begin and end at Staybridge Suites Hotel at
1000 Genesee St, Rochester
Saturday, 9/17 10am
FREE
Hosted by the Rotary Club of Rochester SW
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Come explore Rochester’s history and natural beauty on a bicycle ride along the scenic Erie Canalway and Genesee Riverway Trails!
Roc River Ride will showcase local artists and storytellers; free ice cream novelties and snacks will be provided to all registered participants! The route will be 10 miles and will take approximately two hours to complete. Riders ages 8-17 must be accompanied by an adult and can join groups that will be led by trained ride leaders; those under age 8 can participate in a bicycle rodeo at the Staybridge Suites Hotel at 1000 Genesee Street in Rochester, where the ride will begin and end. Rain date: Sept 24. Learn more here.
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Bike Education Class: Smart Cycling
Sat, Sept 17th 10-12:30pm
Reconnect Rochester's Office
Rain or shine
Bring a tuned up bike and helmet
$25
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Many people like the idea of biking more, but they don’t feel safe mixing it up with cars. In this class, students will learn the rules of the road and proper roadway position. We’ll examine safe cycling techniques and ways to make cycling easier and more enjoyable. The class will incorporate classroom learning, parking lot maneuvering drills and a short group ride navigating different traffic scenarios. Learn more and register here.
*This course is for folks who already know how to balance and ride a bike. For more information on private learn-to-ride classes, contact cycling@ReconnectRochester.org.
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Repair Cafe
at South Wedge Mission
1st and 3rd Sat every month 1-4pm
123 Caroline St., Rochester, NY 14620
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Join the international movement to reclaim, restore, and reuse electronics, bicycles, clothing, toys, appliances, furniture, and more! Free! Mark your calendars for 9/17 and 10/1. Contact via swmrepaircafe@gmail.com or text (585) 478-1817 for information.
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The Nature of Oaks
Talk by Doug Tallamy
Mon 9/19, 7-8:30pm
18+
Online, Free - sponsored by 10 area libraries
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Douglas Tallamy, author of The Nature of Oaks, reveals the ecological importance of the oak tree, discussing its month-by-month role in the planet’s seasonal cycles, and shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. A link to the virtual meeting will be sent the morning of the program. Register here.
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Sustainability Deep Dives on Connections with Evan Dawson
Connections with Evan Dawson on WXXI often does a deep dive on issues around climate change. These shows have been on in the last few weeks and may be of interest:
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*Color Penfield Green is nonpartisan and encourages everyone to be informed and vote in every election. Being named in this section is not an endorsement by CPG.
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Color Your Community Green
Network News
Did you know that Color Penfield Green is part of a regional network of volunteers called Color Your Community Green (CYCG), all supported by the Climate Solutions Accelerator?
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We have sister teams in Brighton, Chili, Fairport, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Pittsford, Richmond, Rush, South Wedge, Spencerport, Webster, and elsewhere in the region. In fact Color Greece Green is launching in early October! We collaborate with each other, learn together, and cheer each other on. You can read about all the great projects going on in these other communities in the September newsletter. Subscribe here.
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Take the Climate Action Pledge
It is critical that we have a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030 here in NY. The Climate Solutions Accelerator has developed a strategic climate action plan - a roadmap - for our 9 county region to meet that goal.
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The Accelerator is asking all of us to sign their pledge, committing to being a part of the solution: reducing our personal carbon footprint, educating ourselves on the issue, and pushing for policies at the community and state level that will result in an inclusive green energy transition.
- Take the pledge here
- Read the Strategic Plan here
- Watch the Strategic Plan here
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Penfield's Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Program
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Color Penfield Green Encourages You to Opt-Up to Penfield 100
Most of Penfield went with the default 50% renewable which is much better than the ~7% renewable default RG&E mix! However, Color Penfield Green urges you to consider opting into the Penfield 100 program for 100% green electricity. The Town of Penfield made a great deal for us and if you opted out, it's not to late to opt back in and then opt-up to 100% green electricity for your home!
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- Browse Good Energy's PenfieldCCA.com Website - HERE
- Enroll in Penfield's CCA electricity program for the 1st time - HERE
- Or... Opt-Up to Penfield 100 - Our 100% Renewable Electricity Program - HERE
- Or... Opt-Out of our CCA electricity program altogether (at any time) - HERE
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Contact Heat Smart Monroe
for a 1-on-1 Discussion
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Interested in clean heating and cooling for your home but don't know where to start? Have you started exploring your options and now have questions? Contact Heat Smart Monroe and request a 15 or 30 minute conversation with an unbiased expert in the field who can answer your questions about available incentives and various technologies. Schedule anytime at this link.
Learn more about Sustainable Homes Rochester and Heat Smart Monroe at www.cityofrochester.gov/shr and www.heatsmartmonroe.org
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ColorPenfieldGreen is an organization of residents of the Town of Penfield, NY who are concerned about the environment. Our goals are to:
- inform fellow residents about all the incredible ways that our community is “Going Green” with a focus on climate
- educate people as to how they can reduce their carbon footprints - at individual, family, neighborhood, municipal, state, and federal levels
- organize local volunteers to participate in high impact campaigns, and
- support and empower Penfield residents to become community leaders in addressing climate change.
We are respectful, inclusive, nonpartisan, solutions-focused, collaborative, scientifically-informed, and committed to social, racial, environmental, and intergenerational justice.
We are proud of all that Penfield has accomplished and are excited to help lead the way in protecting our environment in the future. Please check out our new and still evolving website ColorPenfieldGreen.org and join us in our current and future campaigns! If interested, send an email to ColorPenfieldGreen@gmail.com.
We'd love to grow our Penfield audience! Share this link with your friends and neighbors so they can sign up to receive this newsletter too:
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