Earth Day in Oyster Bay: Plus things You can do Everyday

How Can You Help and Get Involved?

Image courtesy of www.sustainablefurnishings.org

On the 45th Anniversary of Earth Day it is important we take a moment to consider how we might get involved in taking care of our planet.  The concept of taking care of a whole planet can be overwhelming, but you can make a difference by getting involved on a local level, right here in Oyster Bay.  Stealing a sentiment here from Theodore Roosevelt's 1906 Fourth of July speech, "The way to be good citizens of this nation, you friends here, is to be good citizens of Oyster Bay."

ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS - VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

There are many organizations you can get involved with that are working to clean up our harbor, beaches and our streets for the benefit of all.  Below are some different activities, volunteer opportunities and programs you may want to involve yourself in sponsored by the Town of Oyster Bay Department of Environmental Resources, Friends of the Bay, New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), and PSEG-LI:


-  Coming up this Saturday, April 25th there will be a Harbor & Beach Clean Up Co-sponsored by the Town of Oyster Bay, Friends of the Bay, and the North Oyster Bay Baymen Association.  To learn more about volunteering Call: 516-677-5943

-  The Town of Oyster Bay's Department of Environmental Resources installed a rain garden near the waterfront to help mitigate the negative effects of storm water runoff.  To learn more about the garden click here.  The Department will assist students with volunteer and scouting projects in creating and building rain gardens.  For more information call (516) 677-5853. 

- TOB also has several other programs you can be involved in including Water Quality Monitoring, GeesePeace program, and multiple outreach programs.  To learn more about programs offered through the Town click here.

- Friends of the Bay also has many volunteer opportunities year round for those interested.  To get involved visit their website: www.friendsofthebay.org.

- The Oyster Bay Main Street Association will also be hiring an individual twice a week to clean up around the downtown - sweeping up loose debris on our streets and in our parking lots.  If you know anybody who is interested please have them contact Executive Director, Meredith Maus, 516-922-6982 or by email, mamaus@oysterbaymainstreet.org.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY - OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE YOU MONEY

Outside of volunteering and helping to clean up our ecosystem there is something we can each do to ensure that our homes and our businesses are efficiently using energy or in some cases, producing energy.

- NYSERDA is offering free energy audits to non-profits and businesses with 10 employees or less through their Small Commercial Energy Efficiency Program.  Energy assessments can help small businesses and not-for-profit organizations make informed electrical energy decisions and implement energy-efficiency strategies. Assessments help identify economically viable improvements that yield substantial annual energy savings.  If you are interested in learning more, please contact Elisabeth Fiteni, NYSERDA Regional Outreach Coordinator at 631-471-1215 x166 or by email: efiteni@cdcli.org.

- NYSERDA is also offering through their Small Commercial Energy Efficiency Program two low-interest loan options to finance energy efficiency projects.  These financing opportunities help small businesses and not-for-profits access upfront capital to make upgrades in their buildings to improve energy efficiency and lower their energy bills.  For more information visit: http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/Small-Business-Financing or Contact Elisabeth Fiteni at the contact info above.

- PSEG-LI is also cooperating with NYSERDA in a solar program, The NY-Sun Incentive Program.  This program is open to residents and small businesses and provides funding to help reduce the cost of installing solar electric systems across New York State.  Click here to learn more about how to participate in this program.

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The Oyster Bay Main Street Association and the Chamber of Commerce would be happy to arrange a public information session regarding these programs if individuals are interested in learning more.  If you are interested, please send a quick email stating as much to mamaus@oysterbaymainstreet.org.

Happy Earth Day!

Oyster Bay Goes Green

Oyster Bay Goes Green with New Rain Garden

by Amy Mandelbaum and Mark A. Tedesco

Originally posted on "Greening the Apple: EPA's New York City Blog"

January 2015

The newly installed rain garden at Oyster Bay’s Western Waterfront will capture, treat, and infiltrate polluted stormwater runoff before entering nearby Oyster Bay, and eventually Long Island Sound. Photo credit: Amy Mandelbaum, New York Sea Grant/ Long Island Sound Study.

Did you ever stop to think where water goes after it leaves your downspout? If you’re like most people, once stormwater is out of sight, it’s out of mind. Most likely, the stormwater rushes down your driveway, onto the street, and to the nearest storm drain. If you don’t live in the Big, I mean, Green Apple, then that drain goes directly to your local waterway, whether it be a lake, creek, river, bay, estuary, or even the ocean. So, what’s the big deal?

Well, that stormwater isn’t so clean by the time it makes it to your local waterway, as it picks up litter, nutrients, and plenty of other things along the way. This polluted stormwater runoff goes directly into the water without having a chance to be cleaned.

So, what can we do about it? That’s where green infrastructure comes into play. Green infrastructure is essentially mimicking what nature did before we started building gray infrastructure, such as gutters, roads, pipes, etc. Out of the many green infrastructure practices, one of the best for filtering polluted stormwater runoff is a rain garden: a shallow, vegetated basin that captures, treats, and infiltrates polluted stormwater runoff within a day. It is designed to treat the first inch of rain, which is the most polluted, and the plants, soil, and mulch filter the polluted stormwater runoff before it enters your local waterway.

The Town of Oyster Bay realized the need to redirect the polluted stormwater runoff from the roadway along the waterfront before going into nearby Oyster Bay, a Long Island Sound Stewardship Area, and eventually Long Island Sound. The Town sought and received a Long Island Sound Futures Fund grant to install a rain garden, all while educating the local community. The rain garden was installed in October, with assistance from other local organizations and volunteers. As part of the project, a corresponding rain garden training program was offered for homeowners, municipal officials, and landscape professionals in November. This rain garden now serves as a demonstration to the local community and its visitors of a green infrastructure practice that can be easily incorporated into the landscape.

So, the next time it rains, I hope you take a closer look at your downspout.

If your town would like assistance mitigating the effects of stormwater runoff, contact your local Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) office in New York or Connecticut.

 About the Authors: Amy Mandelbaum is the New York Outreach Coordinator for the Long Island Sound Study. She works for New York Sea Grant in Stony Brook, NY. She received her Ed.M. in science education in 2012 and a B.S. in environmental science in 2007 from Rutgers University.

Mark Tedesco is director of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Sound Office. Mr. Tedesco is responsible for supporting implementation of a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Long Island Sound, approved in 1994 by the Governors of New York and Connecticut and the EPA Administrator, in cooperation with federal, state, and local government, private organizations, and the public. Mr. Tedesco received his M.S. in marine environmental science in 1986 and a B.S in biology in 1982 from Stony Brook University.

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed here are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.