Join Our First Meeting of 2025: Monday, January 6th at 7 pm
All are welcome to join in-person at Village Hall (28 Beekman Ave). For those who prefer to join remotely, please use this Zoom Meeting link. (Meeting ID: 886 0983 4663, Passcode: 208060)
As 2024 whizzes to a close (and we take a breather from community events like those pictured below!), Sustainable Sleepy Hollow is thinking ahead to priority issues and actions for next year. We hope you will find time to rest, eat locally-sourced food made by people you love, and reflect on the role we each play in our community and environment as you ready for 2025.
Happy Holidays from our team to you!
These zero waste elves helped to ensure Pancakes with Santa at the High School created as little trash as possible….DYK that all three TUFSD elementary campuses are now recycling right and composting throughout their buildings, resulting in over 66,000 pounds of trash diverted from the incinerator each school year?
Gooo #WastelessHorsemen!
Speaking of Wasteless Horsemen, the high school is collecting plastic film (which we can’t recycle in home bins for curbside pickup) for the Trex Buddy Bench Recycling Challenge. If you or someone you know have plastic film to donate, please click here to review what can and cannot be included, as well as drop off locations.
An amazing amount of clothing and toys found new life at the Mothers Out Front Clothing & Toy Swap. Big thanks to Amy Hall, Social Consciousness Strategic Advisor, Eileen Fisher, Inc. & Heather Reid, owner of Trilogy Consignment for their inspiring presentations on sustainable textile practices.
Gift Wrapping That Won’t Cost the Earth
A sad reality of the holidays is that most traditional gift wrap is trash after a few seconds of use. It’s not recyclable, as it’s made of plastic connected to paper. So if you’re still wrapping gifts in shiny paper, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Here’s how to wrap smarter this holiday season:
Old Newspapers & Magazines: Repurpose last week’s edition of The River Journal or pages from vintage magazines. It’s free, unique, and infinitely more stylish than mass-produced paper.
Fabric Wraps: Try Furoshiki, a Japanese wrapping technique that uses fabric, scarves, or tote bags. It’s both sustainable and beautiful, plus it’s reusable.
Brown Paper & Twine: Simple and chic, brown paper bags and compostable twine are 100% recyclable and give that cozy, handmade vibe.
Repurpose & Reuse: Stop buying new gift bags. Reuse what you already have, and give those old bags a second life.
This holiday season, shift away from the “more is more” mentality and choose quality over quantity. Shopping at local businesses and choosing thoughtful, sustainable gifts isn’t just the responsible choice—it’s the heartfelt one.
Your gifts don’t need to come from a big-box store or be piled high in plastic to show you care. Sustainable gift-giving isn’t just a nice idea—it’s the future.
This holiday season, let’s give gifts that show we’re paying attention. A gift that’s good for the planet isn’t just a gift—it’s a message. And one that’ll last long after the holiday season is over.
Source: Bedford 2030
| “So Long, Fossil Fuels!” It’s finally getting cold out there, and you may be thinking of ways to stay cozy this winter. Why not also give some thought to your heating system? Most of us use boilers or furnaces that rely on combusting fossil fuels (oil or gas), which contribute to air pollution and global warming. In fact, buildings are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New York State. So before your current HVAC system goes on the fritz, consider switching to high-efficiency electric heat pumps the next time around. |
| Instead of generating heat by combusting fuels, heat pumps transfer heat from one place to another, and because it is powered by electricity, it can run on renewable energy. Air source heat pumps extract heat from the outside air and bring it into the home using a compressor – and it’s effective even in cold winter climates like ours. In summertime, it provides cooling by extracting heat from inside the home and sending it outdoors. Air source heat pumps can deliver two to four times as much heat energy to a home than the electrical energy it consumes (source: U.S. Dept of Energy). Ground source heat pumps (aka geothermal heat pumps), take advantage of the constant temperature underground to absorb excess heat during summer and circulate warm air through the home during winter. They are even more efficient than air source heat pumps and last longer with little maintenance. If you currently lack air conditioning or are using inefficient units, switching to either type of heat pumps adds year-round comfort. And remember – insulation and air sealing will add more comfort and help make the most of your heating system. Visit sustainablewestchester.org for information on available rebates and tax incentives. While for now it’s up to individual homeowners to make the switch, the good news is that New York State has multiple pilot projects in the works for community heat pump systems, where homes and buildings can connect to a centralized heat pump system. |
Peabody Pumpkin Smash 2024
With a few more pumpkins to compost before the Fall is done, Sleepy Hollow Mayor Martin Rutyna drove the firetruck over, and students did the stomping, catapulting, and slingshot! We discussed how pumpkins thrown in the trash turn into greenhouse gas, but when you compost your pumpkin you create food for plants and animals (we’ve already seen some enjoying our pumpkins). Make sure you check out the cycle of decomposition in action next time you’re at Peabody–the pumpkin recycling patch is at the far end of the parking lot!
Registration for Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 2025 HOME GARDENING WEBINAR SERIES & TOUR is open now. The webinars are being taught by Westchester-based Master Gardeners who have years of knowledge growing ornamental and vegetable gardens locally. For $5 per session, these lectures are a bargain and great way to keep your garden-starved mind occupied during the winter.
Sustainable Sleepy Hollow 
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