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Port Jefferson's Green Information Fair
Activities for the whole family emphasize ways to decrease carbon footprint
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Come one, come all to the Port Jefferson Village second annual Green Information Fair on Saturday, Nov. 7, from noon to 5 pm in the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101 East Broadway. Go Green is a joint project of the Village of Port Jefferson and the Humanities Institute at Stony Brook University. Together they will host a day full of activities for the whole family.
These include the Button Bag Brigade with 90 second- and third-graders modeling bags they have decorated, book signings by David Bouchier, environmentally friendly stories and songs by Harvey Heilbrun, and a theater performance created by SBU theater students especially for this day.
This year the Go Green committee focuses on the home. Two areas in which residents can work to reduce their carbon footprint are their use of energy and chemicals.
There will be demonstrations of house cleaning products that are environmentally friendly and effective in tackling the toughest of problems. Information and examples of solar, wind and geothermal alternatives to fossil fuel energy will be present, as will opportunities to discuss home energy assessments that can lead to inexpensive ways of reducing electric bills.
In addition, there will be an opportunity to talk with landscapers who advocate the use of organic products for lawn and garden care. Visitors will even see a demonstration of an alternative to asphalt — recycled glass for your driveway. It ends polluted water run-off.
Highlighted is Doug Wood of Grassroots Environmental Education who will introduce the village to How Green Is My Town? an initiative designed to assist communities dedicated to responding to global climate change. Grassroots provides a plan for evaluating Port Jefferson's carbon footprint, as well as practical steps to help the village become truly green. It is a project the village might want to adopt. This is a chance to learn about the program and to talk to one of the developers.
There is a Go Green pledge this year, as there was last year. Residents who bring an incandescent light bulb (new or used) to the Village Center on Nov. 7 can exchange it for a compact florescent light at no cost. There is one bulb per family while supplies last. A bin will be available for collecting CFL bulbs that have burnt out. These bulbs have trace amounts of mercury, a dangerous poison, and they should not be disposed of as if they were regular bulbs.
"Here/Then/Now" is an original theater piece developed specifically by the Theatre Arts Department at Stony Brook University. The performance will take place in Harborfront Park and is designed for audiences of all ages. Amy Jensen, the director, and the cast are investigating the history of Port Jefferson Village with special attention to decisions that have had an effect on the environment. Through the years, some decisions have been made that have been beneficial to the environment while others have been detrimental. The performance uses events from everyday life in the late 19th century as a way of thinking about the history of the area.
Port Jefferson Village Go Green! co-founders Naomi Solo, Kathy O'Sullivan and John Lutterbie extend a special invitation to join them on Nov. 7 for a day of fun and information. In addition to the institute, students from the university's Environment Club will join the Port Jefferson High School Environmental Club in helping with registration and other logistics on the day.
Free CFLs; take one home
Have you been thinking that you should try compact fluorescent lights but haven't got around to it yet?
Have you already bought some but are wondering how to dispose of old ones safely?
Come to the Information Fair in the Port Jefferson Village Center on Nov. 7. From noon to 5 pm, if you bring in one or more burned out incandescent light bulbs you will receive a brand new CFL for free. There is a limit of one per visitor, while supplies last. You can also bring in your old CFLs and they will be disposed of properly and you will learn how to do it yourself in the future.
It is true that incandescent bulbs are still cheaper than CFLs to buy, but if you factor in the average life of each bulb type between replacements (1,500 hours for incandescents versus 10,000 hours for CFLs) and the amount of energy they use, you will see that CFLs are an excellent choice. It is their more efficient use of energy that makes them a green choice, and the reason Port Jefferson Village Go Green is giving them away for free on Nov. 7.
PJ High School Environmental Club works to save the environment
The Port Jeff High School Long Island Seaport and Eco Center Environmental Club has quickly become one the of the most popular school organizations. The club is important because it reflects the core values of the members who believe in saving the environment and fighting global climate change. It all began with a few dedicated individuals, students Anisha Kolupoti, Ashley Ruggiero, Alexandra Sarafova and Alexander Steiner, and advisor Dawn DeLeonardis.
In its first official year, students representing the club joined with advisors Dawn DeLeonardis and Jonathan Maletta to participate in the PJ Goes Green Information Fair, LISEC Family Day, and the United Nations Day of Peace Conference. They also assisted with the Clean Ocean Action fundraiser coordinated by Arame Salon and Spa, the Town of Brookhaven Cedar Beach Clean-up, Port Jefferson Green Fest 2009, and Glamour magazine's Women of the Year awards at Carnegie Hall, where they were the guests of Dr. Jane Goodall. These events would not have been as meaningful if it weren't for the people who reached out to the students with a simple message: a message of peace and love through the environment.
The second year of the LISEC Environmental Club promises to be just as active. The club has joined forces with community member Bari George, who is a representative of Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots organization (www.rootsandshoots.org). Through close collaboration with this international organization, the high school club participated in a Day of Peace, a parade and celebration in New York City with Dr. Jane Goodall. Twenty students and advisors DeLeonardis and Maletta joined Dr. Goodall in lower Manhattan and around the Statue of Liberty for a Peace Dove Parade on Sept. 20.
The club also joined the Shanti Fund in commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi's 140th birthday. The event included the Gandhi Celebration and Debate where Port Jefferson took second place in a competition with 11 other Long Island high school teams. On Oct. 1, in coordination with Dr. Panna Shah of the Shanti Fund, students endorsed Peace Through Environment and Habitat with an entertaining presentation and show at the high school directed by sophomore Michael Tessler.
The club continues its successful "klean kanteen" campaign (www.kleankanteen.com), seeking to encourage the community to use reusable stainless steel water bottles, rather than plastic ones that are so bad for the environment.
— Alexandra Sarafova, LISEC Environmental Club president, class of 2010
PJ Village Go Green schedule of events
Noon to 4 pm: Registration (admission is free)
Noon to 5 pm: Light bulb swap — exchange an incandescent for a CFL while supplies last
Noon to 2 pm: David Bouchier book signing
12:30 pm: Welcome and introductions
1 pm: "Here/Then/Now" play
1:30 pm: Welcome of elected
officials
2 pm: Harvey Heilbrun
2 pm: Cleaning products demonstrations
2:30 pm: How Green Is My Town? — presentation by Doug Wood of Grassroots Environmental Education
3 pm: "Here/Then/Now" play
3:30 pm: Alternative energy demonstration
4 pm: Button Bag Brigade — Stephanie Costanzo and Port Jefferson Elementary School students
4:45 pm: Prizes awarded
5 pm: Doors close
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