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  • May29
     Hudson River Day

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    Visiting the Hudson waterfront will be especially exciting the first weekend in June. Look to the horizon and you may see dozens of sailing vessels participating in the River Day Flotilla. As a special commemoration to Henry Hudson's voyage up the Hudson in 1609, a parade of ships and boats will travel north from the Statue of Liberty.

    Check out other events recognizing the Quadracentennial in your area, and connect with the Hudson River and its past.

    Further Reading

    • Explore 400 - events in New York recognizing the legacy of the Hudson River and its people.

  • May28
     Biofiltration Medium

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    The Hudson River is only as clean as its watershed. Runoff from storm events contain excess yard chemicals, oil from parking lots, and other debris that was never intended to end up in the Hudson. Since the streets in cities are non-porous, the water flows through the watershed tributaries to the Hudson Estuary, and contributes to habitat pollution.

    Greenway Environmental services is dedicated to cleaning up storm water in the Hudson Watershed, and has developed an innovative method of doing so. Through a system known as biofilitration, the water on the sides of highways is filtered - toxins are removed and clean water is then transferred to its original destination. The biofiltration medium is nothing new, Greenway has put this natural process to work on the sides of highways.

    Further Reading

    • Greenway Environmental Services - Protecting surface & ground water through developing, implementing and teaching innovative green technologies.
    • Green Teen - helping Hudson Valley youth realize their potential through an innovative gardening program.
    • Zero Waste at Revival - The Clearwater Revival is a great place to hear great musicians and learn new ways to help the environment.

  • May27
     Teaching the Hudson Valley

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    The Hudson Valley embodies many great things about America: exciting biodiversity in the tidal estuary, important and influential history, and landmark artistic achievements. Teaching the Hudson Valley (THV) is an online resource listing all the educational events going on in and around the valley.
     

    Teaching the Hudson Valley is a collaboration between schools, museums, parks, historic sites, art galleries, libraries, colleges, nonprofits and other groups to learn about and celebrate the rich heritage of the Hudson Valley.

    Further Reading

    • THV Online - network of resources for educators teaching the Hudson Valley.
    • National Esturarine Research Reserve - Institute for learning about estuaries, and helping the environment.
    • Chris Bowser - Science Education Specialist for the NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudson River Research Reserve.

  • May26
     Biodiesel aboard the Clearwater

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    Clearwater is striving to create the next generation of environmental leaders. One of the ways we try to advocate for more sound environmental action, policy, and ethics is to lead by example.

    Aboard the Clearwater there are a number of efforts outside of the education curriculum that address environmental leadership, including the use of alternative fuel in the sloop's engine. When the boat is underway but not under sail, Clearwater uses a blend of 20% biodiesel to motor around.  While this may not be the final answer to alternative fuels for the future, Clearwater is determined to be a part of the change to a new energy future.





     

    photo: Brian Mohan

    Further Reading

    • DIY -  you can make your own biodiesel blend at home and help lower your fuel emissions.
    • Goverment effort - to encourage the use of biofuels in American engines.
    • Green Inc. - Recent blog post discussing biodiesel and the American Economy.

  • May22
     Falcon Dive

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    Living aboard the Clearwater is a unique experience for the crew. The sailboat is very much within the environment of the Hudson River, and wildlife makes daily or even hourly appearances.

    Parks Marion, a former bosun aboard a boat,  was responsible for carpentry on deck - repairing rigging, maintaining pulleys. Last fall, Clearwater's bosun saw a thrilling display of nature while 75 feet aloft: the dive of a Peregrin Falcon near the docked Clearwater. An avid bird-watcher, he said that seeing this predator of the air in such good shape is a clear indication that the river is healthy as well. The top of the food chain is only as healthy as every step below it.

    Further Reading

    • Wiki - nature's predator of the sky.
    • Nest Cam - Webcam trained on the nest of a peregrine falcon family living on a rooftop overlooking downtown Manhattan.
    • 180 miles per hour - amazing BBC video of a falcon in a free dive.

  • May21
     Broad Old River

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    Pete Seeger's music often features universal themes of cooperation, teamwork and the power of the people to accomplish great things for the world. Above all, he urges his audiences to act locally on global issues: make a difference in your own life instead of trying to change the world overnight.
     

    Seeger is also well known for inviting everyone in his audience to sing with him in concerts, making it less of a performance, and more of a collaboration.
     

    What's your favorite memory from a Pete Seeger concert?














    photo: Brian Mohan

     

     

    Further Reading


  • May20
     Zero Waste at the Revival Festival

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    The Great Hudson River Revival Festival is one of Clearwater's best known events. Festival headliners this summer include Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Jay Ungar. It's a great time to enjoy Clearwater favorites and hear new up-and-coming groups.
     

    As Clearwater strives to raise the next generation of environmental leaders, the festival also serves as a place to educate and mobilize those passionate about the environment.

    Greenway Environmental Services of upstate NY is involved behind the scenes. This organization, which protects surface and ground water using green technologies, recognized that much of the food waste from the vending areas could be put to use to help the environment instead of being tossed out as usual. This year they plan to implement a zero-waste system for the festival.

    Further Reading

    • Clearwater Revival - Check out the lineup for summer 2009.
    • Greenway NY - Protecting surface and ground water through developing, implementing and teaching innovative green technologies.
    • Green Teen - Clearwater Moment about an outreach program that teaches struggling youth the skills to raise a garden.

  • May19
     Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

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    The English language draws from many different influences: Latin, Greek, Spanish, German, French, Gaelic...  Colorful vocabulary and turns-of-phrase find their way into mainstream speech from unusual sources.


    A surprising number of expressions come from sailing tradition. They've somehow been disconnected from their original context and have come to mean something else entirely.

    Today, two Clearwater crew members shed some light on phrases you probably didn't know came from sailing the high seas.

     

    Photo: Julie Edwards


     

    Further Reading

    • Sailor Superstitions - a recent Clearwater Moment about unusual beliefs aboard a tall ship.
    • Pirate Vocabulary - words and phrases from a life on the sea.
    • Sea of Poppies - The influence of sailors' language on English plays a starring role in this best-selling book.

  • May18
     Live Simply While We're Here

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    Elizabeth Seaton once said, "live simply that others might simply live."  It's such a simple idea, but it addresses the heavy emphasis on consumerism in our culture: things we buy, the things we produce, and the things we throw away.  Less THINGS in the end will diminish our burden on our environment.

    Sometimes the best way to help the environment is to emphasize the first of the three R's: Reduce! Maybe its reducing your carbon footprint, or reducing the water use in your home. Educate yourself on the options you have and take action!


     

     

    photo: Linda Richards

    Further Reading


  • May15
     Onboard Education

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    A classroom isn't always the best setting for environmental education. Folding chairs, fluorescent lights, and chalk boards can't fully teach the points of ecology.

    The Clearwater onboard education program boasts not only a top-notch curriculum that covers Hudson River history, science, ecology, and nautical techniques, but also actively involves the students throughout the learning process.

    Onboard educator Maija Niemisto tells us how the students find their way around the boat to learn about the river, and what they can do to help restore the Hudson. Students are engaged in the learning process and are inspired them to get involved in protecting the river once they are off the boat.




     

    photo - Brian Mohan

    Further Reading


  • May14
     Green Jobs Green Communities

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    A green economy will be a strong economy. Jobs will be in abundance, specialization will be rewarded, and carbon will have less command over our consumers. It's time to insist to our leaders and entrepreneurs that an economy based on sustainability and low-carbon impact is not a weakness, but rather a strength.

    A sustainable infrastructure will only be possible through the promotion of ecological design through the entire system of production, distribution and collection of goods and services.

    Further Reading

    • The Story of Stuff - the dirt behind our current economy based on carbon and consumption.
    • The Coming Green Economy - Recent Clearwater Moment covering the green economy at our fingertips.
    • Video - efforts around the country to green the economy by creating green jobs.

  • May13
     Blue Crab Fishery

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    Blue Claw Crabs represent a significant fishing interest in the Eastern Seaboard. Blue Crabs make their home in the salty bay waters of the Chesapeake and the Hudson River, but are very sensitive to the environmental shifts in recent decades.

    Crab populations have plummeted since the 1990's due to overfishing, habitat destruction and rising water temperatures.

    The Maryland and Virginia DNRs have taken initiatives to sustain populations, including increasing the legal size of crabs you can keep, suspending dredge fishing, and easing river silt deposits.

    Further Reading

    • Blue Claw Crab - Clearwater moment on Blue Claw Crab.
    • NOAA News - Crab populations at historic lows.
    • Video - Blue Crab underwater mating dance.

  • May12
     Moment of Silence Gybe

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    A Hudson River Gybe is a unique sailing maneuver that is only possible in a narrow set of conditions. When the wind is at the right angle, and the river is not too narrow, the captain can position the boom of the sail at a 90 degree angle from the keel.  A change in wind forces the mainsail to switch sides, sometimes violently, to the other side.

    Husdon River Sloops were designed as cargo ships that could pull tight turns in the narrow Hudson River highlands. Other cargo ships just couldn't risk turning close to a shore.

    A Hudson River Gybe is especially dramatic when it occurs during the moment of silence aboard the Clearwater.

    Further Reading


  • May11
     Green Local Economies

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    The food industry is struggling to remain strong, while keeping nutrition at its best. We can help entrepreneurs stay competitive with big franchises and reduce carbon emissions at the same time by supporting local businesses and choosing fresh produce.

    If you wish to reduce your carbon footprint next time you are shopping for fruit, consider apples. Apples are New York's largest orchard crop. They help prevent heart disease, are a good source of fiber, and are a refreshing source of vitamin C. Buying food in season will always be better for you and the environment.

    Further Reading

    • Urban Rooftop Farming - Clearwater Moment covering the Science Barge - a center for sustainable development focusing on green-roof gardens in NYC.
    • Local Food - includes information on why supporting locally grown produce is important, contains links to organizations that support or supply locally grown food as well as a chart of local produce availability by month.
    • 10 Reasons to buy Local Food - the Council on the environment of New York City is a great resource green markets.
    • SKYFARMING - an idea that turns skyscrapers into eco-friendly giants.
    • Where you can find a Pick-Your-Own Farm near you! - website helps you find farms near you and in-season produce.

  • May08
     Biodiversity and Human Health

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    Dr. Eric Chivian is the founder and director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. In 1980 Dr. Chivian co-founded International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, an international medical organization dedicated to advancing understanding of the catastrophic health and environmental consequences of nuclear war, which won the 1985 Noble Peace Prize.

    Today, he is raising the alarm about another global crisis: mankind’s destruction of species and ecosystems around the world, and the resulting threat to human health. Together with fello Harvard physician Aaron Bernstein, he has edited and written the book Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity.  The volume compiles contributions from over 100 leading scientists, to examine how human medicines, biomedical research, the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and the production of food, both on land and in the oceans, depend on biodiversity.
     



     

    photo: an endangered Whooping Crane, Ryan Hagerty - USFWS

    Further Reading


  • May07
     Home Grown Recovery

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    The economic stimulus package is designed to rescue our national economy from collapse, but is it worth waiting around for it to reach us when we can take action now? For too long we have prioritized short-term over long-term growth on a national scale.  Many experts believe investment in green infrastructure at the local level will re-invigorate our economy.

    There are rich opportunities to provide green-collar jobs in local areas. We need engineers to design sustainable energy options in homes and businesses and workers to install them.  It's time to get creative with thinking globally and acting locally.

    Further Reading


  • May06
     Green Teen

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    The Green Teen Community Gardening Project offers opportunities to kids age 17-21 in the Hudson River Valley. Through hands-on experience, participants grow plants and vegetables in their classrooms, on farms, and in community gardens.

    Shabazz Jackson helped launch Green Teen and still offers gardening training through Greenway Environmental Services in Poughkeepsie, NY.  He believes that gardening is a unique and potent way of reaching out to at-risk youth looking for new goals in life. The program grows self-esteem as well as food.

    Further Reading


  • May05
     Hudson River Industry

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    When Henry Hudson sailed up the river in 1609, he was struck by the abundance in the landscape around him. His shipmate Robert Juet noted that he could actually smell the life in the river valley.

    The Hudson River Valley is a unique ecological convergence of geology and biology that has left rich deposits and fertile growth. The industrial revolution in the Northeast took full advantage of the resources above and below ground. The very landscape has been radically altered due to mining, deforestation, and irreversible pollution.

    Further Reading

    • Hudsonia - preserving the natural beauty of the Hudson River Valley
    • Hudson River Maritime Museum - dedicated to the presenting of maritime history along the Hudson River
    • Erie Canal - Clearwater Moment about the massive canal connecting industry to the midwest

  • May04
     Music in the Classroom

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    Music is usually associated with entertainment, but it can also be a powerful tool for education. Clearwater uses music to get a message across - to those who hear it and those who sing it. An elementary school in Beacon, NY, recently started using Clearwater songs to supplement the school curriculum. Students learn songs about the river, and in the process learn about math, science, social studies and language arts.









     
     

    Photo: Dan Einbender

    Further Reading


  • May01
     PCBs and Hudson River Fish

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    Thanks to the Clean Water Act and other monuments of environmental legislation, the Hudson River has become more clean and prosperous as an ecosystem. The river is safe to swim in, and wildlife is recovering. PCBs, however, have stuck around. General Electric used polychlorinated biphenyls in generator lubricants, and dumped or leaked over a million pounds into the Hudson River. This viscous chemical settles into river sediment and takes a very long time to deteriorate.

    Even after PCBs have been banned, they still affect the Hudson River. PCBs bio-accumulate, multiplying to dangerous level in wildlife in and around the river source. PCBs are stored in the fatty cells of animals, and accumulate in top predators like striped bass, disrupting the food chain. The New York Department of Health issued an urgent caution against humans eating fish from the Hudson River as it has been proven to disrupt hormones, and even cause cancer.

    Further Reading