Sustainable Long Island on WPKN 89.5 FM / wpkn.org

Sustainable Long Island  - formerly Sustainable East End - is a monthly series about issues of land use, water and energy resources, transportation and the food industries on Long Island.  

The program is heard on the 3rd Wednesday each month at 6:30am and 8:00PM and past programs are heard on the 2nd Saturday at 9 am on listener powered WPKN 89.5 FM and streaming live on wpkn.org.   

Scroll down for latest programs.
Earlier programs are archived at http://eastendreport.blogspot.com 

New York's Home Energy Affordable Transition (HEAT) Act

 

The New York Home Energy Affordable Transition or 

NY HEAT Act would lower home energy bills for

 millions of New Yorkers who have natural gas service.

If passed, the the law would direct the state’s Public 

Service Commission to limit the average energy 

burdens of low-to-moderate income households

to 6% of their earnings.

In the recent session of the New York legislature the

 act passed in the Senate but failed in the Assembly.

Legislation to enact the Heat Act will go the State 

legislature again in the upcoming session. 

Advocates are lobbying Governor Hochal to include the

 act in her up-coming budget. 

 

We spoke to Brynn Fuller-Becker of the group 

New Yorkers for clean power

Listen here

 

Funding Waste Water Clean up

In 2021 New York state voters approved an amendment to the state constitution.

The Green Amendment guarantees citizens the right to clean air, clean water

and a healthful environment.

 

This summer the Suffolk Legislature refused to put a public referendum on this

November’s ballot to create an eighth of a penny sales tax to fund new septic 

systems and to consolidate the county’s 27 sewer districts.

The nonprofit environmental organizations Save the Sound, Group for the East 

End, and Peconic Baykeeper have told the Suffolk Legislature that failure to take

meaningful action to address nitrogen pollution resulting from outdated

and inadequate septic systems violates the Green Amendment. 

Francesca Rheannon spoke with Bob Deluca of Group for the East End this week.

 

Listen here

more info:  

East End Beacon

groupfortheeastend.org
 

Project ReWild

ReWild Long Island is an organization whose mission is to work with communities to protect and improve the biodiversity, resilience and health of regional ecosystems by adopting sustainable landscaping practices centered around native plants.

ReWild Long Island's founder and director is Raju Rajan

Host Francesca Rheannon spoke with Rajan and with Annie Yao

 the youth coordinator of ReWild Long Island's summer program.

 Listen here

ReWild Long Island's plant sale is on-going this week.

 More information is on-line at rewildlongisland.org/events

East Hampton Compost

 

According to East Hampton's Gloria Frazee,

households in the Town throw out $20 million of food each year.

All their food waste is trucked to an incinerator and burned.

That’s a lot of wasted food and a lot of wasted resources.

Composting diverts food scraps from the waste stream

and revitalizes our soils.

East Hampton Compost, an organization headed by Ms. Frazee,

is committed to making composting easy and accessible for everyone 

in the Town.

Host Francesca Rheannon spoke with Gloria Frazee this week. Here is their conversation:

Listen here

 

More info at EastHamptonCompost.org 

 

Southampton considers Community Choice Aggregation: local control over sourcing electricity

Host Francesca Rheannon talks with Southampton Town's Lynn Arthur about "community choice aggregation" or CCA.

CCA will give the Town local control over sourcing electricity, allowing for more green power and/or lower electricity prices for residents and businesses.

 Listen here: