Ardsley CAN by 2030!

Earth Month Schedule and Registration:

APRIL:

• April 17-18: Let's Clean Up Ardsley!!!! Neighbor by Neighbor, Neighborhood by Neighborhood.

Between gas line resleeving debris, discarded masks and gloves, and the wild winds of winter carrying garbage and recyclables out of our bins....well, we have a lot of garbage on the streets of Ardsley. Let's join forces and clean up our neighborhood streets. A perfect and safe pandemic Earth Month activity. On your spring weekend walks, bring a bag to collect garbage with your Covid disposable gloves, or organize a neighborhood, club or troop effort. When you have finished, take a picture of you by your treasures and e-mail it here by April 20. We'll be honoring the top two garbage collectors by featuring them on our Ardsley CAN by 2030! website. You can recycle and throw out the treasures in your own garbage the following week.

• April & May. Calling Our Ardsley Businesses - Create Pollinator Friendly Container and Bed Gardens

Its not just residents who can join the pollinator pathway movement - businesses are an important piece in the puzzle. If you have containers or a garden bed/strip, consider planting it with pollinator plants. We have a custom guidebook to help you, including plant choices and designs. We'll be conducting an outreach to Ardsley businesses to explain the Ardsley Pollinator Pathway movement and encourage participation. If you would like to participate, click here.

• April 18, 7 pm - 8:15 pm: Webinar - The Pollinator Pathway - How You Can Save Our Pollinators in Your Yard

Have you noticed less butterflies and bees over the past few years? Do you find articles about threatened pollinators alarming? Are you concerned that our children and grandchildren may not enjoy the beauty and wonder of butterflies, fuzzy bumblebees and marvelous night moths? We have good news. Each of us can turn this around…..in our own yards. If you were unable to catch this webinar in early March, here is another chance. This introductory webinar comes just in time - Kim Eierman's webinars over the next weeks will show you exactly how to to create pollinator habitats in your yards. Register here.

Post-webinar raffle: Webinar attendees are automatically entered into a raffle to win Doug Tallamay's newest book, Nature's Best Hope: A new approach to conservation that starts in your yard. WINNER: Congratulations Patricia Leone! Recording and summary of the webinar can be found here.

• April 19, 6 pm - 7:15 pm: Webinar: Composting, Food Scrap Recycling, and Food Waste Reduction 101

We're honored to be partnering with the Greenburgh Nature Center on this important webinar that will instruct us on how to live more sustainably and reduce our carbon footprint. Lindsay Cohen, Director of Sustainability Programs at Greenburgh Nature Center, will walk us through all of these areas with easy to follow tips and techniques for homeowners. You'll see how easy this is and what a difference it makes for the earth. Don't miss this one! Register here.

Post-webinar raffle: Webinar attendees are automatically entered into a raffle. Two Food Scrap Kits will be raffled off. WINNERS: Congratulations Elisa Zazzera and Lindsay Saltz! The recording and slides from the webinar can be found here.

• April 22, 7 pm. Webinar - How to sign up for the Ardsley CAN: Neighbors for GridRewards™ Program

Sustainable Westchester, Logical Buildings, and Con Edison have partnered together to create the GridRewards™ program. GridRewards™ is a free, award-winning app that connects you to your ConEd electricity usage and enables you to earn cash rewards for reducing your electricity usage. Any Con Edison customer can participate in this first-of-its-kind, cash-payout energy efficiency program by downloading the GridRewards™ app via the App Store or Google Play. The app provides information about your energy usage, tips and recommendations to reduce it. Importantly, the app is tied to Con Edison’s demand response program, whereby the app alerts you to the peak (or high demand) energy usage times in your area. During these peak times,you can earn cash rewards for taking simple energy actions. The mayors of Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson, and Irvington have teamed up to help to enroll residents in this win/win program. Residents who enroll receive many benefits including an easy way to lower their carbon footprint, save money by reducing their energy usage, and earning cash rewards. There are no fees, contracts or penalties and you can quit at any time without strings attached. In this webinar you'll literally walk through the process of downloading the app and connecting it to your ConEd account. Easy! Register here.

The recording and slides from the webinar can be found here.

• April 23, 7 pm - 8:15 pm: Webinar - Native Gardening for Pollinators

We are thrilled to have nationally renowned native and pollinator plant expert and speaker Kim Eierman delivering this webinar on how to use native plants to garden for pollinators. This is a great course for the beginner as well as the experienced gardener. Kim will provide in-depth how-to information and plant recommendations. Register here.

Post-webinar raffle: Webinar attendees are automatically entered into a raffle to win Kim Eierman's how-to book, The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening. WINNER: Congratulations Sue Galloway!

• April 24: Great Saw Mill River Clean-up

Ardsley is supporting Groundwork Hudson Valley in this 12th annual event, and our own Lorraine Kuhn, Ardsley Stormwater Coordinator, will be leading a clean-up crew at Bridge Street. Space is limited to 10 volunteers at Bridge Street. There are also many other nearby locations for the clean-up, so choose your location when you register. Register here. Masks and gloves are required.

• April 29, 7 pm - 8:15 pm: Webinar - Replacing the Green Desert: Native Plant Alternatives to Turf

Committed to helping our endangered pollinators and excited about reducing a portion of your lawn...but clueless about what to do? Kim Eierman returns to walk us through great alternatives to lawn that will turn your yard into pollinator and human nirvana. Kim always brings pragmatic, doable ideas and tips, so don't miss this one! Register here.

Post-webinar raffle: Webinar attendees are automatically entered into a raffle to win Kim Eierman's how-to book, The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening. WINNER: Congratulations Jody Welch!

MAY:

• May - all month: Save Money on Electricity While Also Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Did you know that Ardsley residents have three super easy ways to save money and reduce their carbon footprint? Do one or do all to really make a difference for the Earth and our and the next generation's future:

• • • • Join the Ardsley CAN: Neighbors for GridRewards™ Program

GridRewards™ is a free, award-winning app that connects you to your ConEd electricity usage and enables you to earn cash rewards for reducing your electricity usage. The app provides information about your energy usage, tips and recommendations to reduce it. Importantly, the app is tied to Con Edison’s demand response program, whereby the app alerts you to the peak (or high demand) energy usage times in your area. During these peak times,you can earn cash rewards for taking simple energy actions. There are no fees or penalties and you can quit at any time without strings attached. Click here to learn more.

• Join Community Solar

Do you like the idea of solar but can't do it because you have trees shading the house (trees are an excellent thing!)? Perhaps you don't want to make the investment in solar or can't handle the hassle? Get solar electricity with no effort or investment! It's free to join and you can opt out at any time without penalty. Plus you'll receive a 10% discount on your Community Solar generated electricity. To learn more click here. It takes no time to sign up and you can take steps today to go solar the easy way.

• Choose a Renewable Power Provider today

Ardsley participates in Sustainable Westchester's Westchester Power program which means that you can choose to have 100% renewable, affordable New York State hydro-power as your electricity source, delivered via ConEd. This is a simple and easy way to both go green and support New York State's green energy industry. A win/win. Click here to learn more. Pair this with Community Solar and reap even more savings.

• May 5, 7 pm - 8:15 pm: Gardening Strategies for Climate Change

Sustainability and eco-gardening guru Kim Eierman returns to guide us on how to best garden for the effects of climate change. What are the implications of warmer weather, wilder storms, longer droughts, and erratic seasons? Kim will address both the opportunities and threats with practical advice on how we can garden to manage these changes while supporting pollinators and wildlife. Register here.

Post-webinar raffle: Webinar attendees are automatically entered into a raffle to win the book, Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation by Donald J. Leopold. WINNER: Congratulations Jodi Hirschman!

• May 7, Gardening Consult Raffle Winner Announced

Sustainability and eco-gardening guru Kim Eierman has donated a 30 minute garden consultation for the winner of this raffle. If you attended any of her webinars during Ardsley Earth Month you are automatically eligible to win. Good luck all! WINNER: Congratulations Ruth Diones!

• May 11, 7 pm - 8 pm: Preparing Your Family and Home for Climate Chaos

Climate change brings weather chaos. Are you, your family, and your home prepared? In this webinar we'll spur thought on what you need to do today to prepare for tomorrow. Climate chaos is a real threat, but you can help mitigate its worse effect by being prepared. Learn more about the anticipated threats to Ardsley and the actions you can take now. Postponed until 4Q21.

• May 13: 7 pm - 8:15 pm Webinar - Renewable Energy Options for Your Home

We're partnering with Sustainable Westchester to inform you about exciting options to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of your home and save you lots of money on heating, cooling and electric costs in the process. This is a win/win! Solutions will range from Solar to Geothermal installations. Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the latest energy efficient technologies, most with incentives to install. Postponed until 3Q21.

• May 15 , 10 am - 2 pm: Ardsley Garden Club Plant Sale

Just in time for spring planting - get your annuals at the Ardsley Garden Club plant sale at the Community Center (on Center Street) from 10 am - 2pm.

• May 15 , 11 am: Volunteers needed to plant trees at Chauncey Park

Dobbs Ferry is hosting a DEC Trees for Tribs planting in Chauncey Park on May 15th at 11am. Ardsley, let's get out there to help with this project at our newest park! A DEC representative will provide a planting demonstration, and volunteers will then plant approximately 75 trees/shrubs near the Saw Mill River. Masks and social distancing are required. Register here.

• May 15 (rain date May 16), 1 pm - 4 pm: Ardsley Pollinator Pathway Garden Tour

After picking up your plants at the Ardsley Garden Club Plant Sale, put on your sneakers, bring the kids, enjoy the glorious spring weather, and visit some of the gardens on our Ardsley Pollinator Pathway. Meet the gardeners (socially distanced, of course), hear their stories, enjoy the gardens, get inspired, ask questions, and be motivated to start your own pollinator habitats. Masks and social distancing are required. Register here.

For questions or more information, please contact us.