An environmentally focused, interactive event featuring exhibits, workshops, vendors, food and entertainment, all with a fun, earth-friendly twist.
Sponsored by the Otsego County Conservation Association and Wildlife Learning Company.
Saturday, April 10
at Milford Central School (follow the signs)
Seminar Series from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the school auditorium
Topics: renewable energy, home energy conservation, drilling for natural gas, Low Carbon Diet, zero waste conservation measures. $10 to attend any/all sessions, pre-registration preferred but not required.
Information and Vendor Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the gymnasium
• The Milford Central School Education Foundation will host the “Go Green” Fashion Show at 3 p.m. (by ticket only, call 607-286-7721, ext. 8408).
• Clean Styrofoam packaging material, meat trays, mushroom boxes, and egg cartons will be collected.
• Free document shredding service from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for disposal of confidential papers provided by ConfiData, a division of Empire Recycling.
• Spring flowers, sprouts, micro greens, organic meats, cheeses, baked goods and crafts from the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market.
• MCS Class of 2014 will host an eco-friendly car wash. $5 per car – all proceeds benefit Relay For Life.
• Bob Donnelly and Dave Kiehm will lead a bird walk in the Robert V. Riddell State Park as part of Earth Festival. Participants should meet in the school parking lot at 8 a.m.
• As festival goers work up an appetite, they can look forward to several local food items at the CADE booth. CADE will serve up local beef burgers from Sunset View Farm, as well as quiche and soup from Lucky Dog Farm and Cafe.
• Students from Milford Central School will be leading children’s activity stations throughout the day, and are currently preparing a wide array of eco-art for public viewing. Children’s activities will include: Nature Hike & Tree Identification, 9 a.m.; Bird House Making & Plant Potting, 10 a.m. to noon; Maple Sugaring Demonstration, 1 p.m.; Afternoon Ultimate Frisbee Games.
Earth Festival activities will kick off with a free Family Movie Night, including a special eco-art/fashion preview, at the school on Friday, April 9 beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the movie “WALL•E.”
The City of Oneonta Public Transportation (OPT) buses will provide bus service to Earth Festival from Oneonta or Cooperstown and all points in between!
For more information, contact OCCA at 607-547-4488 or admin@occainfo.org
www.occainfo.org or
www.wildlearn.com/EarthFestival.html This festival is funded, in part, by the Bezos Family Foundation.
Seminar Series Speakers and Agenda
Renewable Energy Session
8:30-9:00am – Registration
9:00-9:15am - Energy Audits, Bennett Sandler, Equity Energy
9:15-9:30am - Energy Retrofits, Bennett Sandler, Equity Energy
9:30-9:40am - Q & A
9:40-9:50am – Break
9:50-10:10am - Geothermal, Dave Austin, Great Brook Enterprises
10:10-10:30am - Solar Thermal, Norm Farwell, Equity Energy
“Solar Hot Water” by Norm Farwell
Solar hot water systems offer the best bang-for-buck of any renewable energy technology. These systems are common in many countries around the world. Find out how they work in a northern climate, why they are an excellent investment, and how to avoid typical early-adopter risks. Equity Energy takes a systems approach to reducing building energy costs and has installed a number of solar hot water systems locally; Norm Farwell is a former teacher turned energy geek, plumber, and entrepreneur.
10:30-10:40am - Q & A10:40-10:50am - Break
Natural Gas Drilling Session
10:50-11:10am - Erik Miller, Otsego County Conservation Association, on how to document/record important observation information and who to call in the event of environmental harm or public safety issues
11:10-11:30am - Lou Allstadt, former Mobil executive, on his concerns regarding the NYS DEC's draft SGEIS
“How Not To Regulate Gas Drilling: The Ten Biggest Mistakes in New York’s Proposed Regulations” by Lou Allstadt
11:30-11:50am - Orville Cole, Gastem, on drilling currently underway in Otsego County
“Local Protocols Designed To Enhance Safe Gas Exploration” by Orville Cole
Orville Cole, of Gastem USA, will describe the procedures that have been used in the area and the company’s plans for future procedure improvements.
11:50-12:10pm - Mary Jo Long, attorney and Afton Board member, on legal considerations for individuals and towns
12:10-12:30pm - Q & A
12:30-1:00pm - Break
Energy Session, Continued
1:00-1:20pm - Energy Issues with New and Retrofit Commercial Construction, Jack Christmann, NYSERDA Outreach Project Consultant
1:20-1:30pm - Q & A
1:30-1:50pm - Zero Waste, Chris Burger, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Solid Waste Committee
“Zero Waste (or Pretty Darn Close)” by Chris Burger
A PowerPoint presentation on why it is important for all of us to reduce waste, followed by practical “how-to” suggestions for families, businesses, communities and beyond. Chris Burger is a member of a family of four which has produced only ¾ pounds of waste per person per year for more than 15 years.
1:50-2:00pm - Q & A
2:00-2:10pm – Break
2:10-2:25pm - Low Carbon Diet, Martha Clarvoe, Otsego County Conservation Association
“The Low Carbon Diet” by Martha Clarvoe
OCCA Board President Martha Clarvoe will give a presentation on “Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds,” a book by David Gershon. The Low Carbon Diet is a step-by-step program designed to calculate a houehold’s carbon footprint and reduce carbon dioxide output. A carbon footprint is one way to measure overall petroleum use and carbon dioxide CO2 emissions. The process, which can be undertaken individually or in groups, is simple and personal, and will result in money savings in the running of your home. The book can be purchased for $15 from OCCA or borrowed from your local public library. Come hear about the program and pick up tips to save both money and energy.
2:25-2:45pm - Finnish wood furnaces and ovens, Mike Lorenz, German Mike's Masonry
2:45-3:00pm - Q & A and Wrap-up
Exhibitors
Articulated Skeletons by Sy Lloyd
Sy Lloyd, an Otego resident, will overview adaptations, natural history and forensic findings through this amazing display of animal skeletons throughout the day. Note: These are not “touchable” artifacts.
Biological Field Station
Posters displayed by the BFS will illustrate 1) student intern environmental research and 2) Otsego Lake native species and ingress of exotics.
Bright Ideas Home Energy Solutions
Home energy audits and efficiency retrofits, green home design service, BPI accredited, Energy Star partner, LEED accredited (U.S. Green Building Council).
CADE
As festival goers work up an appetite, they can look forward to several local food items at the CADE booth. CADE will serve up local beef burgers from Sunset View Farm, as well as quiche and soup from Lucky Dog Farm and Cafe. Lucky Dog Farm, a vendor at the Cooperstown Farmers' Market, is a certified organic farm in Delaware County where they have a cafe that serves local dishes. Sunset View Farm is located in the Town of Milford, just five miles up the road from the school."
Cooperstown Farmers’ Market
The Cooperstown Farmers’ Market will be at Earth Festival with fresh spring flowers, a variety of flavored fresh sprouts and micro greens, organic meats, cheeses, baked goods, and crafts – a nice sampler of what the market offers. Participating vendors are: Acrospire Farm, ARK Floral, The Farm, Glimmerglass Chocolates, Hare and Feather Farm, Man in the Moon Herbs, Middlefield Orchard, Promise Land Farm, Raindance Farm and Surprise-in-Store.
Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society Inc.
DOAS will display information on its mission and activities. They will also have a letter writing table where participants can generate personalized letters to decision-makers on a variety of topics.
Friends of Glimmerglass State Park
Learn about wildlife habitats in Glimmerglass State Park, participate in the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Watch and enter the “Name the Glimmerglass State Park Beaver” contest.
Gaia’s Garden
We will be featuring handmade paper crafts (paper made from junk mail, paper scraps, herbs, flowers, grasses, moss, bark, kitchen scraps, gourd pulp, etc.) plus herbs, herbal products, gourd crafts, totes and bags, and gnomes and fairies made from scraps and clay. We throw away very little – most of our products are repurposed items or organic in nature – and we’re always looking for new uses for old items.
Gilson’s Native American Crafts
Native American jewelry and other crafts using teeth, claws, bone, antlers, shells and other natural materials.
Great Brook Solar NRG, LLC
Solar and Alternative Energy Options
Ideuma Creek Alpacas
We have been raising alpacas for 13 years and are happy to inform others of our healthy, earth-friendly farming experience. We will also be introducing our brand new GREEN line of alpaca wear at this festival, all made from natural alpaca, a renewable clothing source and eco-friendly!
Natural Resource Conservation Services
NRCS works with landowners through conservation planning and assistance designed to benefit the soil, water, air, plants, and animals that result in productive lands and healthy ecosystems.
Nom Nom Food Buying Club
Nom Nom is a food buying club that allows people to go online and order food from local farmers and producers. All orders are filled at a weekly pick-up at Hartwick Community Center.
NYS Public Service Commission
The NYS Public Service Commission ensures that all New Yorkers have access to reliable and low-cost utility services.
Oneonta Garden Club
The Oneonta Garden Club’s booth will highlight the efforts of the club to help protect the environment.
Otsego Regional Cycling Advocates
ORCA’s mission is to promote cycling and walking as an enjoyable, safe, healthy, environmentally friendly activity for people of all ages and abilities.
Otsego County Soil & Water Conservation District
The staff at Otsego Soil & Water Conservation District works with landowners, land managers, local government agencies, and other local entities in addressing a broad spectrum of resource concerns: erosion control, flood prevention, water conservation and use, wetlands, ground water, water quality and quantity, non-point source pollution, forest land protection, wildlife, recreation, waste water management and community development.
Otsego County Conservation Association
The Otsego County Conservation Association will be present at the Earth Festival with information on its many programs throughout Otsego County: barnyard water quality programs, riparian buffer plantings, recycling, zebra mussel control, septic system management, nature walks, and land-use management. OCCA will also distribute its popular outdoor recreation guide, Otsego Walks and Paddles. For more information on OCCA, please visit www.occainfo.org.
Otsego Lake Association
The mission of the Otsego Lake Association is to support and further the implementation of the "Plan for the Management of the Otsego Lake Watershed" adopted by the four municipalities within the Otsego Lake shoreline. OLA seeks to educate, and to encourage public policy and personal choice changes that advance implementation of the "Plan". Projects to this end are funded by membership and donations, and the work is done entirely by volunteers.
Otsego Land Trust
The Otsego Land Trust conserves the distinctive rural character of Otsego County, New York through protecting open space, lands of scenic value, fragile ecosystems, farmland and forestlands.
Otsego 2000
Otsego 2000 believes that the Otsego Lake region is a masterpiece of nature, and that its surrounding landscapes, valleys, villages, and farms constitute a unique confluence of historic, environmental, cultural, agricultural, rural, and scenic resources. We believe that the long-term economic well-being of the region and the quality of life for its residents derives from these resources and their stewardship. Thus, we seek to protect these attributes for the benefit of present and future generations. As no place is an island, we extend our concern and programs to the region's larger setting in Central New York. We advance our mission through informed advocacy, public education, innovative projects, economic alternatives, and strategic campaigns.
Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Hartwick College
The Pine Lake Institute for Environmental Sustainability Studies at Hartwick College promotes sustainability education, research, and outreach in a setting reflecting environmental stewardship that integrates lessons and experiences among all at the college and in the community.
Wildlife Learning Company
Wildlife Learning Company, Inc. is a full service environmental education company that strives to promote conservation of our natural environment through educational programs and products that foster an appreciation of the environment, impart an understanding of how natural systems function and create a desire for people to explore the natural world further and take personal responsibility for its protection and care.
