By some measures, Generation Z is more active than older generations when it comes to addressing the threat of climate change. Now, four young students in the Hudson Valley will launch new projects to protect and enhance the local environment, thanks to a grant from the Open Space Institute, a nonprofit land conservation organization.
The projects aim to improve local composting efforts, support historic preservation in the area, memorialize the agricultural history of the Hudson Valley and promote community engagement with a variety of area cultural resources.
“Through their proactive involvement, these students are building relationships and becoming young leaders in their communities,” said Kim Elliman, president and CEO of the Open Space Institute, in a news release. “These young people represent the bright future of the Hudson Valley and are adding to Barney McHenry’s amazing legacy of conservation leadership in the region.”
The Open Space Institute first established the McHenry Awards in 2007 to honor the contributions of its trustee Barnabas McHenry, a renowned local environmental philanthropist and conservationist. The awards are funded by an endowment, and provide paid internship opportunities at local organizations for graduate and undergraduate students. The awards provide up to $5,000 for each graduate, with an additional $1,000 for the partnering institution.
Jessica Alonso, an undergraduate studying business at Syracuse University, is working with the Kingston YMCA Farm Project to set up a community-based compost site.
Related: Phoenicia Diner, city of Beacon join composting efforts
Alonso has worked with the Kingston YMCA Farm Project for the past five years. “It was my first real job,” she said. She had the idea last year to create a community composting program, but couldn’t bring it to life without funding.
“There is no [citywide] compositing initiative here yet,” said Alonso, a Kingston resident. “I found the application and thought it was a great opportunity. There is a demand for composting here.”
The site, located in midtown Kingston near several schools, aims to reduce food waste, build local soil health, and serve as an easily accessible education site for local schools interested in teaching about sustainability. Alonso said the first step will be outreach and producing educational material.
“I can’t imagine what type of interests I’d have without this job,” said Alonso. “Once I was exposed to environmental justice, I didn’t want to take my hands off it.”
Steven Baltsas, a SUNY New Paltz student, is working with the Fullerton Mansion Center for Culture and History to create a series of walking tours in Newburgh. The tours will highlight the social and architectural history of Newburgh in hopes of fostering a dialogue between the community and the city to work together to prevent historic buildings from falling into disrepair.
Related: An architecture fan's guide to Newburgh
“A lot of these buildings were built to last, and they have for hundreds of years,” said Baltsas, a New Windsor resident. “It’s important to respect older buildings.”
A large part of the initiative is to teach attendees how to identify signs that a historical building needs repair and outline strategies to intervene before a structure is lost.
“We want to give these tours to people who live here, and help enrich people with this knowledge that would otherwise be inaccessible,” said Baltsas. That knowledge includes a dictionary of architectural terms to describe disrepair.
Baltsas has already given his first one-hour tour, which took visitors up Johnston Street. Materials will eventually be put online for people to partake in a self-guided tour.
Another student, Elizabeth Gannon, is working with the Museum Village of Old Smith Clove in Monroe to create a permanent exhibit examining the agriculture history of the Hudson Valley through the use of farming tools. The exhibit will incorporate the stories of women, enslaved people and other marginalized communities into the area’s environmental history with the goal of shining a light on diverse historical perspectives.
Stephanie Napolitano is working with the D&H Canal Historical Society on a project called “Supporting Sustainable Engagement and Promoting Local Entrepreneurship Through Pop-Up Events.” The project aims to enhance community use of the historical society’s visitor center via a series of community events in its visitor center space, including craft demonstrations, short performances and local food tastings.
Gannon and Napolitano could not be reached for comment.
Over the past 15 years, the Open Space Institute has committed nearly $336,000 to 61 McHenry Award grantees working in support of the Hudson Valley.
More Hudson Valley News
"local" - Google News
June 07, 2022 at 06:37PM
https://ift.tt/sRJW1H3
Young environmentalists earn grants to lead local projects - Times Union
"local" - Google News
https://ift.tt/yrJvoE9
https://ift.tt/PtMg7qf
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Young environmentalists earn grants to lead local projects - Times Union"
Post a Comment