Happy Thanksgiving    

From Sustainable Long Island's family to yours
  

An Evening of Song and Celebration  

December 11, 2012 at OHEKA Castle
  

Downtown Bethpage Revitalization  

Public Workshop  

Exciting news: The Downtown Bethpage Revitalization project will hold its first Public Workshop on Wednesday, November 28th from 7:00pm - 9:00 pm at the Bethpage High School Library (located at 10 Cherry Avenue in Bethpage).

The workshop will include a brief presentation on the project and survey results thus far, as well as a group discussion and break-out sessions to solicit feedback about residents' needs, priorities, and objectives for downtown revitalization.

Break-out sessions will focus on the following topics:  

• Pedestrian Safety/Safe Streets
• Beautification
• Downtown Business
• Parking
• Recreation.   

Please click here to RSVP for the Workshop and indicate your preference for which break-out session you would like to attend.  

If you have not done so already, please take a few minutes to complete the online Resident and Business Owner survey.

If you have questions about the project or want additional information on the Retail Market & Revitalization Study, please visit the project website at www.downtownbethpage.com.

On behalf of Nassau County and the Downtown Bethpage Retail Market & Revitalization Project Team, we hope that you will be able to join us on November 28th and let your voice be heard! 

Environmental Justice Advisory Council 

First meeting on November 30, 2012
  

Sustainable Long Island is excited to announce the date of our first Environmental Justice Advisory Council meeting: November 30, 2012. We are thankful for all who have joined us in this collaborative effort to address environmental justice issues on Long Island, and look forward to working with you to develop strategies for engaging and empowering communities facing these challenges.

The Council convenes leaders in science, environmental advocacy, health, community development, and government who will work together to bring into focus the disparate effect environmental burdens have had on low-to-moderate communities, while identifying tools and resources to help these communities address environmental justice concerns.

At this upcoming meeting, we will discuss how the recent storms have once again demonstrated just how vulnerable Long Islanders are to environmental issues, with pre-existing issues continuing to be greatly exacerbated by these storms. We need to rethink community planning to develop resilient, sustainable communities in a manner that reduces environmental burdens upon everyone, but particularly for those communities that bear a disproportionate amount of environmental burdens today. 

Stay tuned to upcoming newsletters for updates on the Council's progress!

Food Equity Advisory Committee  

Next meeting on December 7, 2012
   

Sustainable Long Island's Food Equity Advisory Committee has worked to identify issues in food access on Long Islandand think through project strategies. The Committee's next meeting will be held on December 7, 2012. The meetings have helped spark cross-sector dialogue and solutions and brought essential context to our policy and advocacy work. Topics of discussion for this next meeting are:

• An update on the final development stages of our Food System Report Card; an ambitious indicator project that assess' the state of Long Island's food system. The Report Card will inform recommendations for a safe, fair, and sustainable food system and serve as the platform for subsequent community discussions about policy and program development.
• The success and wrap-up of the 2012 Farmers' Markets season. This year Sustainable Long Island provided technical assistance to five different markets in Roosevelt, Bellport, New Cassel, Flanders, and Wyandanch; all of whom use the Sustainable Long Island project model of community-based, youth staffed markets that offer locally grown produce at an affordable price.
• Three new food equity projects, made possible by a $65,000 grant from the William E. & Maude S. Pritchard Charitable Trust, which will continue to make fresh, healthy, and local foods accessible to all communities through research, local and regional planning processes, and project implementation. Details on the three new projects can be found on Sustainable Long Island's blog.

Shop Local: Small Business Saturday   

This Saturday, November 24th dedicated to
supporting small business

As we enter the Holiday shopping season, Long Islanders will search high and low to find the best bargain deals during "the most wonderful time of the year."       

 

This Saturday, as a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday will be in full effect with thousands of shoppers encouraged to shop smart, but more importantly shop locally.  

 

Local stores provide jobs and employment opportunities for our friends, family members, and neighbors, while also giving a boost to the local economy. Local merchants also pay taxes that help keep our schools open, our municipal and county services operating, and our own taxes lower.

 

Some shoppers may worry that they may not find what they're looking for unless they travel to big box stores or visit online warehouses. Yet, Long Island is home to over 90,000 businesses grossing over $100 billion a year, which can provide plenty of gifts and ideas to choose from. Plus, the majority of these businesses employ up to 50 people each.   

 

Spending locally also adds to the feeling of community, being together, and helping one another, which after all is what the Holiday season is all about!    

The Long Island Clean Energy Forum

Navigating New York's Energy Crossroads 

 

Long Island is at a major turning point when it comes to deciding how we are going to power our homes for the next several decades. Whether we continue down a path of fossil fuels or move into the 21st century by investing in clean energy depends heavily on public participation from people like you.

You have a role in Long Island's clean energy future, whether that means encouraging public officials to invest in clean, renewable energy or learning more about what you can do at home. The first step towards action is education. Join the Sierra Club at the Long Island Clean Energy Forum on Tuesday December 4th to learn more. 

At this forum, you will hear from a panel of well-respected individuals in the clean energy field, including Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizen's Campaign for the Environment, Peter Olmsted of the Vote Solar Initiative, as well as a representative from the offshore wind company Deepwater Wind.

RSVP today!  

New Farmer's Guide:  

Cultivating Success at Farmers' Markets 

New guide offers valuable resources for those involved
with local and or community farmers' markets

In order to address the need for training and marketing assistance, especially for beginning farmers, Shelly G. Keller and Randii MacNear of the Davis Farmers Market recently wrote and published the "New Farmer's Guide: Cultivating Success at Farmers Markets." 

How's My Waterway? 

The Environmental Protection Agency's new water resource

How's My Waterway may especially help those communities where there are less resources to access and decipher complicated information from EPA's data systems. With better information, people are safer and communities are more able to take action.

What's the health of your waterway?  Now you can find out.

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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 donation 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!