So our five program committees are where all of our work, our action happens, really. So zero waste is working on a new community composting project with Pitney Meadows that'll be launching, hopefully end of spring, early summer this year, we can offer free compost drop off for food scraps to Saratoga Springs residents, homeowners, maybe businesses. We'll see sort of what our capacity is for that. Our land use committee is getting into some more advocacy work, seeing if we can find some opportunities to get people out in nature, connecting with our environment. And then the Climate and Energy Committee is doing their own EV car show this year. So typically it's been attached to the sustainability fair in the past. This year it's going to be its own standalone event. So we're excited to see what that looks like. So again, it's sort of just continuing with what we've been working on. But also, you know, figuring out what the community need is offering more education, more opportunities to get families, youth out in nature and feeling that connection to our natural environment.
We are seeing, from what I'm only assuming from your guys' perspective, is a very troubling direction at the federal level. Are you comforted at all by the fact that you are localized? Are you seeing local trends that that are comforting and trying to avoid the larger, scarier picture?
Yeah, it can be a little bit doom and gloom, right? I think, as somebody who works in sustainability and in the climate space, it can be easy to sort of give in to this idea of climate dread, or like, you know, the world is going in not a great direction in terms of sustainability, but yes, 100% the fact that we're local, the fact that sustainable Saratoga, we're working in education, advocacy and action. We're sort of hitting, you know, sustainability from all areas. We're planting trees, we're educating about sustainable living. We're advocating with our local government about ways we can do things better here in Saratoga Springs, and so I feel good about that. I feel like we're we're solutions driven, right? We're focusing less on the problems. Of course, those issues are there, and those those numbers are daunting when you look at emissions and global temperature rise, but I think what we're doing here in Saratoga is, I'm optimistic that our local actions are making a difference and shifting minds here as well. I think that the the interest in the demand for sustainability is here in Saratoga, and so we're happy to support that.
Is there sort of a general best practice guide that you come up with to avoid what, you know, you just described as that climate doom?
I think getting involved with us is a great way to do that, right, right, be part of the solution. So come to tree toga, plant a tree with your family. Learn about the positive impacts of you know, local mitigating climate change impacts locally by planting trees. Come to pollinator Palooza, buy some plants, plant them in your garden, right? Be a part of the change by getting involved with groups like us, sustainable Saratoga Pitney meadows, who I mentioned, will and wildlife Saratoga plan. There are so many incredible organizations doing good things here. And I think you know, of course, we want to stay in touch with what's going on locally and globally by paying attention to the news, but sometimes just listening to what's going on in the news, that's where the dread comes in. And so turning that off, every once in a while, connecting with people in your community, planting trees, being a part of the change, volunteering at events, those are great ways to help.
What are you most encouraged by and most looking forward to over the next, you know, we'll say course of the year?
So a big one is just growing our impact. So, I mean that in terms of sort of our numbers, of what we can quantitatively say we've accomplished, right? So planting more trees, selling more native plants, keeping more e waste out of our waste stream, recycling more paint. So those quantitative facts that we can stick to to say, hey, we accomplished this much more this year. But then I'm really interested in offering more education opportunities as well. I think education is one of the most powerful tools we have in sustainability and environmentalism, because I think in general, people want to make the right choices and do the right thing if they have that information to go off of. So we've relaunched science on tap this year, which is really exciting. So that was a pre pandemic event in partnership with Skidmore hosting a lecturer, a professor from Skidmore College and other colleges as well, UAlbany Siena, Union to come and teach about their research and their work with the goal of increasing scientific Literacy amongst the broader public. Give you know Saratoga residents, an opportunity to see what's going on research wise at Skidmore and other colleges. So I think that's just one example of a community building event where we get people together who might not normally be in a room together to learn something, and they have great conversations, and then they can leave feeling like they've gained a bit of knowledge that can help inform their decision making. So, we're going to be at common roots this year, which is exciting, up in South Glens Falls the last Wednesday of every month, at 7pm that's our schedule for science on tap.
