Sustainable Long Island
September 2012  
Sustainable Long Island Newsletter
The one-stop-shop...
For all Sustainable Long Island news! 
In This Issue
Fixes to LI Infrastructure Needed
Carpooling on Long Island
NYS DEC Releases Annual Report
Call to Extend Tax Credits
Green Housing Case Study
Shop Smart. Do Good!
Position Openings
Donate today!
Board of Directors

Ruth Negr
n-Gaines: President
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Kevin McDonald: Vice President

The Nature Conservancy   
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Charlotte Biblow, Esq: Secretary

Farrell Fritz, P.C.
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Lauren Furst: Treasurer   

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Russ Albanese

Albanese Organization Inc.
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Lennard Axinn

Island Estates   

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Robert Bernard

Capital One Bank 

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Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III
SUNY College at Old Westbury    

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Dr. Miriam K. Deitsch

Farmingdale State College, State University of New York 

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Pat Edwards

Citi Community Development     
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Amy Hagedorn
Hagedorn Foundation   

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Jeff Kraut

North Shore - LIJ Health System

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Mitchell H. Pally

Long Island Builders Institute

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Ron Shiffman

Pratt Institute

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Robert Wieboldt  

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Fixes to LI Infrastructure Needed 

NY Works Task Force holds public forum

 

 

Sustainable Long Island recently attended the NY Works Task Force public forum about the capital budget process for New York State.   

 

Numerous New York leaders and Long Islanders called on the New York Works Task Force to invest in making improvements to the deteriorating infrastructure in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

 

Over time our roads, bridges and sewer systems face the inevitable fate of deteriorating and becoming outdated. The necessity to find a solution for meeting the future needs for Long Island infrastructure is becoming stronger by the day.

 

Members of the state panel charged with devising a new approach for capital spending were in Farmingdale last month as part of a listening tour for the effort Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he hopes will better coordinate planning and financing by 47 state agencies. At the forum, Sustainable Long Island emphasized the importance of considering social equity component as Task Force leaders make future funding decisions.

 

New York is projected to come within $600 million of its statutory debt limit in fiscal year 2014. That means the state must adopt a more disciplined approach to every dollar of the $16 billion the 47 agencies spend annually on transportation infrastructure, environmental assets and university buildings.

 

Some of the key projects highlighted were the Long Island Rail Road's proposed third track and widening the Sagtikos State Parkway. The group hopes to have a final plan by year's end.

 

Carpooling on Long Island 

511NY Rideshare to offer "Carpool Challenge"

  

   

Does your company or organization promote carpooling? Carpooling is a common and time-tested practice of sharing a ride with other travelers or commuters who have similar starting and destination locations. More than likely, we've all participated in carpools as a driver, passenger, or even in alternating roles. Carpooling offers many benefits, including social, financial, and of course environmental.

 

With that being said, Sustainable Long Island is pleased to promote that 511NY Rideshare, in cooperation with the Melville Chamber of Commerce, who is planning an exciting and fun 'Carpool Challenge' to companies and organizations up and down (and around) the Route 110 corridor.

 

Also, please be aware the Guaranteed Ride (safety net) Program - available for any company interested. This program ensures that no one who carpools is left stranded when plans fall through. The Guarenteed Ride Program will provide up to four taxi rides per year to participating members. 

 

A 511NY Rideshare representative can meet with any and all that are interested to get the (minimal) paperwork set up for participation. 
 
Contact Katie Dunn, Employer Outreach Manager, at 631-479-3093 or by emailing [email protected] for more information. 

 

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation releases Annual Report   

Highlights economic and environmentally beneficial programs
Crotona Park, remediated under DEC's Brownfield Cleanup Program, provides affordable housing to 64 low and moderate income households

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced its release of the Division of Environmental  Remediation (DER) 2011/2012 Annual Report .

   

The DER 2011/2012 Annual Report summarizes program accomplishments and statistics for the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2011/2012 (April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012) and satisfies various reporting requirements in the New York State Environmental Conservation Law.  

This annual report provides an overview of DER's programs listed below:

  • State Superfund Program
  • Brownfield Cleanup Program
  • Environmental Restoration Program Voluntary Cleanup Program
  • Spill Response Program
  • Bulk Storage Programs
  • Hazardous Waste Management Program
  • Waste Transporter Permit Program
  • Radiation Program

Download the document here. 

  

Call to Extend Tax Credits for

Brownfield Redevelopment

Senator Schumer's Call to Action 

 

(via SmartGrowthAmerica) U.S. (New York) Senator Charles Schumer is asking Congress to support property owners, municipalities and developers who want to clean up former gas stations (brownfields) and get them back into productive use.

  

Senator Schumer asked Congress to extend now-expired brownfields tax credits from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. By allowing brownfield developers or property owners to deduct some of the cleanup costs from their taxes, the credits encourage redevelopment of these complicated sites.

 

"The brownfields tax incentive provides the boost that local developers need to make the cleanup worth every penny," Schumer said. Brownfield sites have immense economic potential, and redeveloping them is the only way to tap it. Whether small and centrally located or part of a larger industrial area, redeveloping brownfields sites can help entire neighborhoods become more vibrant.

 

Schumer said the brownfields credit had a "real positive effect" in the past, but it expired among congressional gridlock. The Senate plans to pass a bipartisan extension of certain tax incentives and other provisions in the coming months, and Senator Schumer "will push hard" to ensure the brownfields incentives are included.

 

Green, Affordable Housing

Doesn't Have to Break the Bank

Washington development provides sustainable example

 

 

Below is an article from the Bonny Lake & Sumner Courier-Herald in Washington with a great example of a green/sustainable affordable housing project in the area. The project demonstrates that green or environmentally friendly housing doesn't have to break the bank. It follows compact development principles, which clusters housing and preserves open space (protected wetlands, etc.) to minimize negative impacts to the environment and leaves intact certain ecosystems 

  

The only downside is that it's not in an infill project (on already or previously developed land), but in a wooded area outside of a suburb of Tacoma. 

 

At a ceremonial ground-breaking, County Executive Pat McCarthy kicked off construction of The Woods at Golden Given in Washington. Volunteers, contractors and community partners will now begin developing this $6.2 million, 30-unit sustainable community.

 

The community will feature cottage-style residences gathered around a central open space with natural areas and trails. The seven acre property is located in a wooded area outside of Midland.

 

"This is Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity's most ambitious project to date," said Maureen Fife, Chief Executive Officer of Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat. "We would not be able to take on a development of this magnitude if it weren't for the partnership with the Pierce County Department of Community Connections. The Woods at Golden Given will help bring affordable housing in Pierce County to a new standard, proving that it is possible to build housing that is simple, decent, affordable, and an asset to the greater community."

 

All houses at The Woods will be Energy Star certified and receive a four-star rating through the Master Builders Association's Built Green program. In addition to affordable housing, the project will include:

 

* Street improvements along 104th Street

* Sidewalks, crosswalks and connecting foot bridges

* 40,000 square feet of open space

* Sports fields and basketball courts

* 30 raised garden beds

* Rain gardens to control storm water drainage

* Meeting rooms, barbeque facilities and a common house which can be used by homeowners to host meetings and events

 

Nearly one-third of this property is protected wetlands. In addition to meeting high sustainability standards for construction, plans call for landscaping with indigenous plant species to reduce the need for fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation.

 

"We've worked to accomplish a site design that minimally impacts the environment," said Corey Lew, Capital Projects/Community Development Supervisor at Community Connections. "The Woods preserves the natural habitat by saving 50 percent of all existing trees on the property and improving the existing wetlands in the area. Pine and birch trees removed from the site will be milled, returned and used as materials for the houses on the property."

 

Community Connections provided technical assistance for contractor bidding, facilitated the land acquisition and the environmental review, and invested significant public dollars to the project. Other financial partners contributing to Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity to support The Woods development include: The Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP), United Way of Pierce County, and the Ben B. Cheney Foundation.

   

Shop Smart. Do Good!

Shop all day while supporting Sustainable Long Island

 

   

Lord & Taylor will be hosting Shop Smart. Do Good! - an exclusive day filled with special savings at their Manhasset (Tuesday, October 2nd) and Garden City (Tuesday, October 3rd) stores. As part of the celebration, Lord & Taylor is giving Sustainable Long Island an opportunity to raise thousands of dollars toward advancing sustainability across Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

 

Sustainable Long Island is one of several non-profit groups participating in the sale of $5 admission tickets to Lord & Taylor's Shop Smart. Do Good! event. Sustainable Long Island retains all the proceeds from our ticket sales. With each purchase of a ticket, you receive:

  • Two 25% bonus coupons!
  • A 15% savings pass to be used all day long on regular and sale-priced merchandise storewide!
  • Opportunity to win great prices!
  • Also, if you sign up for a new Lord & Taylor credit account, you will receive an additional 15% off all of the day's purchases, on top of the coupon or savings pass savings!
  • Current cardholders will receive an additional 10% off all day long!

To order tickets to either or both Shop Smart. Do Good! events and support Sustainable Long Island's mission of promoting economic development, environmental health, and social equity, please contact Tammy Severino at 516-873-0230 or by email at [email protected].

  

Sustainable LI Position Openings
Now is the time for you to make a difference 


At Sustainable Long Island, we work every day to better Long Island for all residents, now and for future generations. We do it because we care and more importantly, because you care about the future of Long Island. We have worked across the region for over a dozen years and now is your chance to make a difference.

Sustainable Long Island has new position openings posted online, including Director of Programs. Find out more information about the opportunities and apply today!

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Together we can build a more
sustainable Long Island

 

These challenging economic times have magnified the problems we Long Islanders face each and every day. With our leaders warning us of tougher times to come, thinking regionally and acting locally is urgent. It is in all of our best interests to stay engaged and do what we can together to build a more sustainable Long Island.

 

Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to Sustainable Long Island that will help support our ongoing, and future work within your Long Island communities; while helping advance economic development, environmental health, and social equity!

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Sincerely,

The Board and Staff of Sustainable Long Island


SAVE THE DATE: December 11, 2012
 
Sustainable Long Island invites you to a special End-of-Year Celebration. Please join us this holiday season, on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, for a wonderful evening of song and celebration at OHEKA Castle from 5:00 - 7:00PM.

 

Featuring renowned opera singer Daniel Klein!
Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available.
Please contact Tammy Severino at  [email protected] for more information.