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May 2022 Newsletter


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! 

 
We're on FaceBook!
 
Table of Contents
Penfield Takes a Big Step Toward Our First Electric School Bus
 
On April 28th, Penfield's Assemblymember Jen Lunsford presented Superintendent Thomas Putnam and the Board of Education (pictured above) with a check for $250,000 from our Assembly District's budget toward the purchase of our FIRST new electric bus and charger. Color Penfield Green is grateful to Assemblymember Lunsford and the School District for taking the steps in making Penfield a leader in this critical transition.  Read more here.

Why go electric??
  • Reduced air pollution - less asthma, cancer, and heart disease
  • Zero emissions - we have a very clean electric grid here in Monroe County and should be electrifying everything! 
  • Much quieter and therefore safer
  • Vehicle to Grid (V2G) Capabilities - The buses are mobile generators! 
  • Only 20 moving parts (instead of 2,000 in a traditional diesel bus) therefore much lower repair costs
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HeatSmart Monroe: Open House Series
Sat June 4th, 12-2pm
Hibner Home
85 Highledge Dr, Penfield

Color Penfield Green co-founder and Go-All-Electric enthusiast, Al Hibner is opening his home to anyone interested in checking out the upgrades he's made to his family's 2,200 sq ft home built in 1955 which sports a ducted ground-source heat pump heating and cooling system as well as a heat pump water heater!  Register at this link

You can read all about the choices and investments he's made in his "All Electric Life" blog series on our website. 


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School Budget Vote & School Board Election
Tuesday, May 17th 6am-9pm
Penfield High School Gym

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

Please take the time to vote in this school district election and support the 2022-23 budget!  While none of the candidates have made sustainability part of their platform, Color Penfield Green strongly supports the work of the Penfield Anti-Racism Alliance (PARA) and they have endorsed three of the five candidates. You can learn more about their preferred candidates and the reasons behind those selections on their Facebook page

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RYCL Students Gather for Annual Summit
By Anna Cerosaletti, PHS Senior
 
This past month, youth from across the Greater Rochester Area came together at the Rochester Youth Climate Leaders' annual summit to discuss the interconnectedness of climate change and society.
After the opening session with keynote by Simeon Banister, President of the Rochester Area Community Foundation (and pictured above), youth attended sessions about topics ranging from the environmental impact of cryptocurrency to greenwashing. Then attendees reflected on what they learned in their sessions, and gathered together to end the summit with some climate action themed chalking outside!

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Tabling at the Penfield Plant-A-Thon
The Town of Penfield hosted a family-friendly tree-planting event to celebrate Earth Day and the 150th Anniversary of Arbor Day last month at Rothfuss Park. 

Color Penfield Green ran a recycling-right game and made seed bombs with the younger attendees and Healthy Yards Monroe County ran a fundraiser to help build a new community garden in the North Marketview Heights section of our city: The Mona Street Community Garden. This is a collaboration of the Taproot Collective, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and HYMC.  Big thank you to Megan Meyer, Lou Anne DaRin, Cass Tilliman, Katie Rygg, and Linda Foster for engaging the community on such a blustery day! 


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Children's Celebration of All Things Trees at the Penfield Library
Commemorating the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day, Healthy Yards Monroe County and Color Penfield Green teamed up with the Penfield librarians for a special celebration of all things trees for kids. Lou Anne DaRin kicked us off with a read-a-loud of On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole. Megan Meyer led a group discussion about the importance of trees and Katie Rygg ran a craft. All the kids went home with a Tulip Tree Seedling from the Arbor Day Foundation.  

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Update to the Color Penfield Green Website...
 
There are a number of climate-related bills under consideration in the state right now and the chance to pass them is quickly coming to an end as the legislative session closes on June 2nd. 
 We've listed a handful with descriptions, whether or not Senator Brouk and Assembly Member Lunsford are co-sponsors, and our representatives' office phone numbers if you'd like to call them to thank them for their co-sponsorship or to ask for their support for the bills. To read the article, click here

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Earth Day Every Day
Green Tips

Curated by Susan and John Steepy
Members of Color Penfield Green
To honor  and do something healing for our Mother Earth, Earth 911 sends us some organic pest-control tips for our gardens. The weather is warming up to invite us to get outdoors and put our hands in the dirt preparing our gardens. Did you know that companion flowers ward off pests that like our vegetables? Learn more about this and 5 other non-toxic pest control strategies here. No more toxic chemicals for us! 

Environmental Action has put together a list of 5 things you can do to help our bees this spring: 

  • Go native! Many bee species have evolved alongside specific types of flowers that grow locally. Ensure your gardens contain some of these plants. 
  • Hold back on the mulch: Many of America's indigenous bee species nest in the ground, so leaving some patches bare will make sure mulch won't get in their way. 
  • Add a bee hotel to your yard: You can buy these online or at garden stores or make your own by drilling holes into a dead tree. Many of our bee species (like Mason bees) lay their eggs in pre-dug holes. 
  • Go easy on the weeding: Lots of different plants that we consider weeds still produce pollen and nectar. Avoid weeding or mowing early in the spring and your pollinators will thank you. 
  • Leave the chemicals behind: Pesticides, particularly a harmful class called neonicotinoids (or neonics), have contributed to a tremendous collapse of bee populations in the past few decades. One of the best things you can do is to avoid using these bee killers.
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The Most Important Thing You Can Do For the Climate Right Now
 Do you have an hour for climate? The most important thing you can do today is to weigh in on the NY Draft Scoping Plan before June 10th! 
It doesn't have a sexy name, but this incredibly important document will be shaping many aspects of our lives for the next 3 decades in NY and they want our opinions!  Governments all over the country and the world are looking to follow our lead. 

From mid-march through April, local climate advocates from NY Renews, Citizens' Climate Lobby, MIT Alumna for Climate Action, The Climate Solutions Accelerator, and the NYS Center for Sustainable Materials Management ran a series of short presentations on different sections of the plan. Recordings and slide decks are available to learn more. Importantly, the team created template letters that you can edit and easily upload - just follow the instructions at the top of the page.  You can access all materials here


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May EV News
 
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.
News from the Automakers
  • The F-150 Lightning launched on April 26th, meaning production has begun and we'll start seeing them on the road in the coming weeks! (top left)
  • The Subaru Solterra US pricing was announced. The car starts at an effective price of $38,720 after incentives. (top right)
  • Volkswagen will be producing an all-electric pick-up and SUV that will be coming off the factory lines in 2026.  (bottom left)
  • The 2023 Lexus RZ was unveiled.  This article has details and specs. (bottom right)
  • Tesla CEO, Elon Musk announced they would add CCS Connectors at Supercharger stations, allowing non-Tesla EVs to charge at stations in their extensive US network.   
  • An Electrified Corvette (Hybrid) is coming early in 2023 with a fully electric in the works. 
Electric Lawn Care
  • The lawn equipment rebate bill passed the NY Senate and Assembly. If Governor Hochul signs this into law, people can purchase new electric equipment with a rebate of 70% of the purchase price, up to $200. 
  • The Rochester Beacon ran an in-depth article last week by Peter Lovenheim on banning gas leaf blowers.   There is a growing effort to prohibit or limit their use in communities across the country for three main reasons: drastic emission reductions, quieter neighborhoods, and less toxic particulate matter produced. 
RG&E Launches EV Information Web Portal
 
RG&E now has resources for people considering Electric Vehicles: 
  • All-Electric vs Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
  • Installing chargers at home and finding local public chargers
  • Savings on fuel costs calculators
  • Environmental impact calculator
  • Available incentives
  • Exploring different rate programs - like Time of Use programs that would allow you to pay less to charge at night

NY Joins Effort to Electrify the Postal Service
When the USPS announced that it would purchase 165,000 new mail trucks over the next ten years but only committed to 10,000 EVs, 16 States' Attorneys General -including NY's - joined together to sue the post office last month. Two other lawsuits quickly followed - one by the United Auto Workers and the Natural Resources Defense Fund in NY. Our Attorney General Letitia James said the Postal Service used “fatally flawed decision-making” that led to an outcome that was “fiscally and environmentally irresponsible.” The cases may not be resolved this year. 
Google Search Trends Give Us Hope for the Future
 
Protocol - Climate has done some analysis of Google searches and finds that US consumers are more and more interested in home and transport electrification. We're heading in the right direction! Click here for the full article. 
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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.
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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Contact Heat Smart Monroe
for a 1-on-1 Discussion
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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Mark Your Calendars for These
Upcoming Events


Hope to see you there!
Bike Education Class: Smart Cycling
Tues, May 17th 6-8:30pm
Rochester Public Market
Rain or shine
Bring a tuned up bike and helmet
$25
 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. Can't make this session? The class will be offered again in July and September. 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.
Communicating Effectively About Climate Issues: A Four-Session Training on the Motivational Interviewing Process
4 Wednesdays: 5/18, 5/25, 6/1, 6/8
6-8pm
Online, $0-$60 or gift economy pricing
 This series of training sessions is designed to help you learn and apply best-practice communication skills to climate conversations where you may feel everything is at stake. Using a range of experiential learning activities including self-reflection, role plays, and observation experiences, you'll develop your ability to be the best climate conversant you can be. The training is based on Motivational Interviewing, an evidence-based process that evokes another person's motivations for change and resolves their feelings and thoughts of resistance. Medical professionals use it to help their patients move towards healthy behaviors -and it works for tricky conversations about climate change, too. Register here
Repair Cafe
at South Wedge Mission

1st and 3rd Sat every month 1-4pm
123 Caroline St., Rochester, NY 14620
Join the international movement to reclaim, restore, and reuse electronics, bicycles, clothing, toys, appliances, furniture, and more!  Free!  Mark your calendars for 5/21 and 6/4. Contact via swmrepaircafe@gmail.com or text (585) 478-1817 for information.
HeatSmart Monroe: Open House Series
Sat May 21st, 1:30-3:30pm
Sunwoo Home
378 Rockingham St, Highland Park Neighborhood

Come check out this 1800 sq ft home built in 1932 that sports a ducted air-source heat pump heating and cooling system as well as a heat pump water heaterRegister at this link.

History of Downtown Development
Thurs, May 26th, 5-7pm
Online
Pay what you can - gift economy pricing

 
 Learn about the development of downtown Rochester, from its early days as an Erie Canal boomtown, to its development into a center of civic, business, and retail life until the mid-20th century, and through the massive changes wrought by Urban Renewal in the decades following World War II.

Participants will explore why downtown buildings and neighborhoods look the way they do today, specifically focusing on how local, state, and national policies like segregation, redlining, and Urban Renewal shaped the built environment. Attendees will also learn how Rochester’s residents can contribute to development without displacement. Register here

Getting to Scale: Welcome to the Geogrid
Thurs, May 26th, 7-8pm
Online, free

 
 Join Regional HeatSmart Teams, Renewable Heat Now, and other community partners for a lively and interesting webinar series on building electrification. Familiarize yourself with the geogrid and learn from our group of advisors how you can move towards electrification. 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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Impact Earth Shares Ways to
Live More Sustainably
During Earth Month, Impact Earth ran an educational series that you can now access:  home

Join the Movement to Protect Our Pollinators:
No-Mow-May!

According to a recent article in the NY Times by Anne Readel, bees are facing catastrophic declines. In North America, nearly one in four native bee species is imperiled, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, partly because of habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change and urbanization. Lawns typically provide poor habitat for bees. But if allowed to flower, lawn weeds — perhaps better characterized as plants other than grass — can provide rare spring food for bees emerging from hibernation.

One community in Wisconsin decided to adopt "No Mow May" in 2020, following a popular trend in Britain.  435 homes registered to take part that first year and the enthusiasm has grown. This year, the Color Your Community Green teams in this area are promoting the practice and encouraging everyone to just let your lawn grow to help our bees! 

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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?
We have sister teams in BrightonIrondequoit, Henrietta, Fairport, Pittsford, RushSouth Wedge, Chili, Spencerport, Webster, Richmond and elsewhere in the region. 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 May newsletter. Subscribe here

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Penfield's Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Program

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. 

Since March, the Penfield 100 rate ($0.06443) has been BELOW the RG&E variable default supply rate ($0.0697673 on 5/12). Thank you, Town of Penfield, for making the switch and locking us in for two years! 

  • 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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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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