Bill B.’s Post

Clearwater seems to be faced with transitional challenges in a world that's now attuned to the environmental issues that brought the Sloop to life in the first place. Pete Seeger would have picked up a hammer and gotten to work—so yesterday I helped the organization set up a booth at our local RiverFest and helped tell the Sloop's ongoing story to people who didn't know it. Watching folks' eyes light up, getting their contact info, hearing their kids push them to take action as they walked away...those are the stepping stones. https://lnkd.in/e8cJbijK #HudsonValley #Sustainability #Conservation

Governor Hochul's announcement today is great news! Three of the Cornwall/Cornwall-on-Hudson projects are essential conservation/recreation/sustainability initiatives—we can't wait to get started! https://lnkd.in/e5kwaghw

Local Orange County folks -- Cornwall-on-Hudson is hiring a part-time Office Clerk at Village Hall. This is not a civil service position; applicants can use the attached form and specify "Part-Time Office Clerk, Cornwall-on-Hudson" in Section 1. You can mail it to the address on the form and email to clerk [at] cornwall-on-hudson.org. https://lnkd.in/eE5-ByrE

Really enjoyed the last two days at the #NYCOM annual meeting, from policy classes and best practice sharing to connecting with veteran and new elected officials from all over the state. Me aside, take a moment to thank your local electeds -- they're in it for the right reasons! (PS: Check out this slide from Place + Main showing the per-acre value of downtowns vs. mass chain retail—and buy local!) #ILoveNY

RIP David. When, as my far senior colleague at Sotheby's, David heard we were moving to Cornwall-on-Hudson, he gave me a primer on all things local and is singly responsible for much of my early understanding of and devotion to the Village. From Nathaniel Parker Willis and EP Roe to the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Black Rock Forest, Storm King Mountain and Scenic Hudson, David's abiding love and enthusiasm for this place -- and his and his family's dedication to its environmental and artistic legacies -- will live on in countless ways. I was also fortunate enough to work with him for years at Sotheby's, helping propose for and market some of the incredible collections and items he brought in for sale. There are many that jump out, from the collection of Allen Ginsberg to Sue the T rex to the 1933 Double Eagle, but one is particularly important to me: my wedding ring is made from gold dust from the SS Central America. May his memory be a blessing. https://lnkd.in/eYaXp4Bs

Thanks to the city of Kingston and Mayor Steve Noble for hosting NYGB's Community Decarbonization Fund Roadshow today. I joined my local muni colleagues Joshua Wojehowski and Carla C. Castillo (presenting for the Hudson Valley Regional Council) for an excellent backgrounder on decarbonization project funding available through NYGB and CDFIs. More than I realized! Follow NY Green Bank to learn more. 

Helping my folks downsize I came across this Hudson River Sloop Clearwater poster from the first Earth Day in 1970, when Pete Seeger and the crew sailed the one-year-old sloop to Washington to demand passage of the Clean Water Act. The poster looks surprisingly fresh (although it refuses to lie flat). As political and industrial forces work to dismantle the EPA and others sit on their hands, the rest of us might reflect on how long the movement for a liveable, shareable planet has been going on, on how much more there is to do, and on how we might help. For me, it's been a lifetime. My parents bought their house in 1970, year of the first Earth Day, the year after Clearwater launched and the year after I was born. I guess if this 54-year old poster refuses to just lie down, I can do something. You can learn more about the Clearwater (and book a sail) here: https://lnkd.in/ehwQQ2Pt #EarthDay #Sustainability #HudsonValley