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More on Climate Change Communication

Interested in digging deeper on the topic of climate change communication? 

Check out a guide on  "The Psychology of Climate Change Communication" by Columbia University's Center for Research on Environmental Decisions.

Some tips:

- "Bring the message close to home. Highlight the current and potential impacts of climate change not only globally, but also locally to increase the audience's sense of connection with the issue."

- "Tap into people's desire to avoid future losses rather than realize future gains."




E-News
     March 2019
Events 
For a full list of our member organizations' events and happenings, check out our Federation Calendar at   www.fcwc.org/calendar . Remember to always confirm events before attending. Check back regularly as we are always updating.

UPCOMING EVENTS!!

  

FCWC 54th Annual Meeting!

Thursday, May 30, 2019
Tibbetts Brook Park
355 Midland Ave, Yonkers, NY 10704

5:00pm - 8:00pm



Presentation of FCWC's
Green Seal Awards
for Outstanding Environmental Advocates goes to:

Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council -
Ron Schulhof & Michelle Sterling

We will also be presenting FCWC's Edith G. Read Award for Outstanding Student Environmental Efforts. 

Honorees to be announced!

Join us in celebrating our honorees and their exciting work to build a more sustainable and healthy future for Westchester County!

Tickets: 
$35.00 per person
Space Limited - please register now! 

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Confronting Climate Change: Its Impacts on New York's Agriculture, Forests and Neighborhood Landscapes

June 6, 2019
Westchester County Center
198 Central Avenue, White Plains



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Thirsty Thursday Fundraiser
June 27, 2019 @ Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Elmsford, NY 10523

Details to follow!

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Earth Day - April 2019 Events
 


Saw Mill River Cleanup - Groundwork Hudson Valley
April 13th at 7 different locations along the river!
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM


Pitch In for Parks!
April 28th at various parks county wide!
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM 
Registration mandatory!

Green Ossining Earth Day Festival
April 27th - Louis Engel Waterfront Park
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
FCWC will have a table here!


Bedford 2020 - Healty Yards Earth Day Festival
April 28th - Bedford Hills Train Station
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

More information here!

Native Plant Sale @ WCC-Native Plant Center
April 27th - 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM


Earth Week Celebration at Greenburgh Nature Center
April 28th - 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Volunteer for Earth Day! 
April 27th - Events, presentations and ways to clean up, all over town!




CALL TO ACTION!!
NYS Food Recovery & Recycling Act Needs Your Support! 



Currently there is legislation in both the NYS Assembly and Senate that would require large generators of food scraps (2 tons or more per week) to either donate or recycled the food scraps.  This is similar to legislation that has been enacted in other states such as Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and others..   

Although the legislation wouldn't initially require individual households to recycle food scraps, the legislation would support residential food scrap recycling programs in NY by providing an impetus for improved and increased infrastructure in the state to support food scrap recycling.  In other words as large generators need to recycle their food scraps, more haulers, composting facilities, etc. are likely to get into the market which is beneficial to all food scrap recycling programs.  This type of legislation also often starts with large generators, but eventually moves to all food scraps including those generated by households.

There is one aspect in the proposed legislation however that needs to be adjusted in order for the legislation to be effective.  The legislation currently proposes a 15 mile radius as the maximum distance a generator can be from a composting facility before they are exempted from participating.  This limited distance would cause the proposal to have almost no impact in places such as Westchester, NYC and really throughout the NYS, where there are generally no food scrap recycling facilities within such a short distance.  Note: The Food Industry Alliance, a lobbying group funded by supermarkets and restaurants along with the Restaurant Association teamed up to lobby the radius for this legislation down to 15 miles. 

The legislation therefore needs to have a 60 mile radius in order to have a true impact in our state.

If you want to see food scraps recycling become an integral part of our daily lives and economy in Westchester, call your state senators and state assembly people, make them aware of the issue and ask them to both sign on to the bill AND propose the change to a 60 mile radius. Better still, request a meeting with your State Assembly Member or State Senator!

Ron Schulhof, Chair and Michelle Sterling, Member of the Scarsdale CAC and the original drivers of the food scraps recycling movement in Westchester have provided this information and the attached sample letter *pdf that you can 
edit to send to your own NYS Assembly Member and NYS Senator.
FCWC salutes the Scarsdale community for their leadership in this and other high impact environmental initiatives!

And thank YOU for doing your part to push for progress in our municipalities, county and state!

Watch for updates on FCWC's website fcwc@fcwc.org and Facebook! 
FCWC News
Introducing
Paul Anthony Presendieu-Cuesta

 
Paul is currently a student at WCC, and is the new Student Intern for the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County Inc. (FCWC). We just recently created a County-Level Student Network/Committee to give students within our County a voice in climate reform, and opportunities to engage in environmental activism.  - you can contact him at  students@fcwc.org

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FCWC is proud to introduce to you an organization that has formed over decades through steady grassroots commitment to protect the health of our environment and quality of life in Westchester County:


The Coalition's purpose is to ensure that the County's primary objective in making airport policy is to operate the airport in a manner fully consistent with the protection of: public health, the environment and preservation of the quality of life in Westchester County. The Coalition exists to protect the Kensico Reservoir and Blind Brook watersheds, surrounding communities and Westchester.     
          
Organizations Comprising the Coalition (as of 2/19) include:
➢ Citizens for a Responsible County Airport 
➢ Grassroots Environmental Education
➢ Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC) 
➢ National Quiet Skies Coalition 
➢ Purchase Environmental Protective Association (PEPA) 
➢ Sierra Club Lower Hudson Group 
➢ Westchester for Change   

We invite you to join us!   

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New FCWC Board Members - to be formally introduced at our Annual meeting!
 













Amanda Bayl
ey is a landscape designer with over 10 years of experience in the field designing public and private natural area landscapes. She started PLAN it WILD as a way to connect high-end landscape design with high-functioning natural areas in the form of habitat gardens.



Alicia Molloy became a board member with FCWC in January 2019. Previously, she worked as Program Director of the organization for f
ive years before taking time off to raise her children.


David
 N. Rahni has, for nearly four decades, served as professor of chemistry & physical sciences at Pace University. As the founding director of the graduate environmental science program, he also has for nearly two decades, served as adjunct professor of environmental law. 



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* Obituaries - Unfortunately we have had some sad news the past few months...see below.

 
 Carole Sue Higgins Neale  (21Dec1938 - 19Feb2019)


Carol Sue Higgins Neale, born December 21, 1938 in Orange, Virginia and died February 19,, 2019 at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, after battling pneumonia complicated by a blood disorder. Sue was a devoted and loving wife, mother, and soon-to-be grandmother, and had a broad network of friends from her many years of community involvement and public service in Westchester County. Sue lived in Scarsdale, around the corner from Edgewood School, for over 40 years. She attended Radford College in Radford, Virginia and finished her degree at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. Sue began her career in Washington DC working in the Justice Department from 1961 - 1965, and the West Wing of the White House in the final years of the Lyndon Johnson administration. In 1969 she moved to New York City to work for the Wagner Commission on local government, and soon after met her husband Henry (past FCWC Board Member) to whom she was married for 47 years. After leaving the workforce to raise her children, she returned to public service and spent the final decade of her career managing the office of New York State Assemblywoman Audrey Hochberg. She was forever giving back to her community and was involved in many volunteer organizations and local political groups, including 25 years of service for the Scarsdale and Westchester public libraries. Although Sue grew up in the country and always had an affinity for rural life, New York was her adopted city, and she was constantly drawn to its arts and culture. Sue loved playing mah jongg, spending time at her country home in the Hudson Valley, the NY Times crossword puzzle, and participation in her book club for over 30 years. Sue was smart, funny, and always had an opinion to share. She is survived by her husband Henry, her son David, her daughter Laura, and five brothers and sisters.


 
    

                                 Pat Keesee (29Apr1928 - 24Feb2019)

Pat was the FCWC President from 1985-1987 and continued on its Board through 1990. She had joined  the Board in 1979 and had served already as its Secretary for three years prior to her becoming  President. She served on the Town of Bedford Conservation Board for ten years (1978-88), then on the  Bedford Wetlands Commission from 1988 - 1997. Pat was also on the Westchester County  Environmental Management Council from 1979-1988 and on the "Westchester 2000" Committee.
She had gotten a second B. A. (the first was from Radcliffe) in Environmental Science from SUNY  Purchase in the 1970s. Pat had also worked with the Nature Conservancy and served as chair of Byram  Committee for four years and on the Board of the Lower Hudson Chapter of the Nature Conservancy as  a founding member and trustee and as vice chair for three years. She was Steering Committee of the  Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin Texas, on the Council on the N.Y. Botanical Garden, and  for several years on the Garden Club of American Board of Directors . She passed away on February 24  of this year and will be sorely missed.
 

Ellin N. London (4June1923 - 10Mar2019)

Ellin N. London (Ellin Ruth Naumburg) was born June 4, 1923. She grew up in NYC and at Apple Bee Farm, Croton on Hudson, NY. Daughter to the late Ruth Morgenthau Knight and the late George W. Naumburg, she passed away at age 95 on March 10, 2019, in Shelburne, Vermont. A self-described 'Professional Volunteer', Ellin graduated from Wellesley College in 1945. Moving to NYC, and while at the League of Women Voters, she became a dedicated environmentalist at its nascent stages. Her concerns became focused principally upon the Environment & Land Conservation. She was a founder of the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, and served for many years at the Population Institute, and on the Alaska Conservation Foundation, the Trust for Public Land's advisory board, the Henry Morgenthau Preserve, the High School for Environmental Studies in NYC, and numerous other charitable activities. She was an early and significant proponent of Conservation Easements to save undeveloped land, as a significant alternative to outright purchase. She worked on this in Westchester, and further afield. She also worked extensively on TPL's saving of the Weir Farm National Historic Site, in Wilton, CT. Ellin was the loving wife of the late Robert D. London, MD. They lived in Scarsdale, NY and at their estate, Blue Herons, in Pound Ridge, NY. She was a member of the Cosmopolitan Club. She was preceded in death by her brothers, George and Philip Naumburg; and grandfathers, Ambassador Henry Morgenthau and Elkan Naumburg. Ellin is survived by her sons, Roger, Douglas and Christopher London, five grand-children and five great-grandchildren.




Past events:


Our water symposium was a great success! Attendance was over 100 very enthusiastic and interested people! Presentations very informative!  Feedback from the symposium was uniformly excellent and led to a follow up conference (World Water Day) in NYC on March 22nd to further discuss Public/Private Partnerships for developing water infrastructure!



Annual Federation meeting was also well attended (over 30 individual and organizational members represented).  Many contacts were made, and many ideas shared!




Important Links For Our Future!



The generation we've been waiting for!!


COP24 in Katowice, Poland - watch this!


 



Our Vision And Mission
 
FCWC, founded in 1965, envisions a county in which an environmental ethic defines and shapes all public and private decisions.
 
Our mission is to provide leadership that  educates about environmental
issues,  advocates sound decision making, and  unifies groups and
individuals to protect and preserve Westchester's environment and
address climate change.

Giving Ideas
See below for some important information regarding supporting FCWC now and in the future!
Got a minute? Here are three quick ways to help us out (for free!):

1. Follow us on social mediaLike us on Facebook and  follow us on Twitter to get updates throughout the month about local events, action alerts, environmental stories and more! 
2. Help us with your purchases: If you're already planning on making a purchase through Amazon, simply use  smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com. On your first visit, select FCWC as your organization to support. Amazon will then donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon Smile purchases to FCWC at no cost to you. Every bit adds up!



3. Share with your friends: F ind yourself forwarding our newsletter to your friends? Please send this link to them so they can sign up too!  

Already doing all that? Thank you so much! 

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There are many other ways you can support FCWC is our mission to protect the environment in Westchester and help halt man made climate change. Here are some of the things you can consider to help FCWC:
  • Consider making a charitable gift directly from your IRA. If you are 70 1/2 or older you can support FCWC and avoid paying taxes. To learn more about  how to give through your retirement account, or add FCWC as a beneficiary, consult you financial advisor or call FCWC at (914) 422-4053.
  • If you are employed at a firm that matches charitable donations, please contact the foundation and fill out the matching form when you make your donation to FCWC.
  • Make FCWC a beneficiary in your will. Please consult your attorney and/or financial advisor before you do this.
     
Our members are our strength, and to continue our work, we really need your support!  Please consider becoming a member if you aren't already, and if you have been a member and lapsed, we need you back - please renew your membership! Click on the button below for more information:



We hope you find the information contained within this E-News relevant and useful. As always, please keep in touch and let us know your thoughts and ideas regarding environmental issues throughout the County. 
 
Sincerely,
 
Federated Conservationists of Westchester County
Anne Jaffe Holmes - Managing Director
Monika Kerschus Granholm - Membership Relations