Two New Paltz Birthdays

This Saturday, New Paltz GreenWorks will celebrate its second birthday. GreenWorks is a joint Village and Town committee charged with reducing our community’s carbon footprint. First authorized by the Village as a Global Warming Task Force on May 16th, 2007, on September 20th, 2007, GreenWorks became a joint committee with the Town. Since its inception two years ago, GreenWorks has:

• implemented a recycling container project, which brought the town into compliance with current bottle and can recycling laws
• distributed over 10,000 reusable tote bags throughout the community, replacing plastic shopping bags
• been active in the Save the Middle School campaign and has sent letters of concern to the village, town, planning, and school boards about issues related to reducing carbon footprint
• placed Planet Aid Clothing Recycling Bins into key locations across the community
• participated in many familiar New Paltz events: Earth Day, the Regatta, the Turkey Trot, Clean Sweep
• helped institute new green-centered New Paltz events: No Petrol Day, Go Green Day, and the Sustainable Movie series at Water Street Market
• held educational forums at the New Paltz Teen Scene and the Highland high school about how kids can contribute to reducing our local carbon footprint

GreenWorks will once again host No Petrol Day on June 6th at the Water Street Market, and Go Green Day will be repeated in September. The next educational activity is set for the Mohonk Preserve this fall. GreenWorks is currently working with the Duzine-Lenape PTA to help them green their fundraising and with local businesses to develop green business recycling compliance programs. If you would like to join, it is an open committee; meetings are the second Monday of the month at the Mudd Puddle, 7:30 pm.

Also this Saturday is the inaugural Third Saturday Art Loop. New Paltz has joined Art Along The Hudson, a rotating monthly spotlight on art and culture in seven Hudson Valley communities. Starting May 16th, New Paltz will celebrate the arts on the third Saturday of every month through October, culminating on the Saturday of this year’s Celebration of the Arts.

An amazing group of artists, arts organizations, and community organizers got together this winter and brainstormed about ways to promote the art scene in New Paltz. The initial result was the installation of the Habitats for Artists in the village. The first habitat is right next to 36 Main Restaurant and there will be more to come on Historic Huguenot Street and the SUNY New Paltz campus as the weather warms.

Next is the launch of Third Saturdays Art Loop. New Paltzians can join their neighbors and friends this Saturday along the loop at one or more of the twelve venues in New Paltz from 4pm to 8pm. Each month will feature a venue who will host a mixer from 8pm to 10pm where one can mingle with the artists, gallery owners, curators, and the patrons who are supporting the endeavor while experiencing exceptional art, live music, light refreshments, and a raffle of artwork by local artists. This Saturday’s after-party will be at the Water Street Market.

This fall, COTA – the Celebration of the Arts, “where creativity builds community”, moves to Huguenot Street, is set for October 10th, and is predicted to be the best ever.

E.B. White said, "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."

New Paltz lets you do both. Happy Birthday GreenWorks and Art Loop!

kt Tobin Flusser
(who, yes, is a member of both the GreenWorks and the New Paltz Arts steering committees)