SUNY Sullivan GREEN Guide

Love Your Planet

Love Your Campus

Developed by student Maria Groom in conjunction with the SEEDS Club (2013)

“We are such spendthrifts with our lives, the trick of living is to slip on and off the

planet with the least fuss you can muster. I’m not running for sainthood. I just

happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer, who puts back into

the soil what he takes out.” – Paul Newman

Table of Contents Sustainable Sullivan Measure Your Impact Conserving Energy Conserving Water Recycling on Campus Are You Eating Sustainably? Local & Organic Eateries Local & Organic Farms Things To Do in Sullivan County Catskill Park Neversink Reservoir

Sustainable SullivanAt SUNY Sullivan, we have been incorporating

sustainable practices into our campus operations for many years. In 2002, we installed a

geothermal system to heat and cool our buildings and more recently, we installed a 3 kW

photovoltaic array and 2.5 kW wind turbine. We have added low-flow plumbing fixtures to

conserve water, retrofitted our lighting and building automation systems to improve our energy efficiency, and installed exterior solar

lighting to brighten a walking path leading to our baseball and soccer fields. We even started an organic community garden and constructed a

straw bale garden shed—projects initiated by our Honors Program and Green Building Maintenance and Management students, respectively. We are

also committed to infusing sustainability throughout our curricula and are currently

offering more than 60 courses, spanning every division on campus, that are sustainability-

related or sustainability-focused.

For more info, visit: www.sunysullivan.edu/sustainablesullivan

Measure Your Impact How big is your ecological footprint?

http://myfootprint.org/en/

How many slaves work for you? http://slaveryfootprint.org/#sthash.C5vC14yP.dpbs

What is your Social Q? http://voices.mckinseyonsociety.com/whats-your-social-quotient/

Conserving Energy

Simply shut off the lights when leaving a room.

Shutting off your computer when you are finished; screen savers still use energy.

Natural light during the day instead of turning on the lights. This can also heat up your room a few degrees.

If your room has a thermostat in it, keep it at 65 degrees when you are home and turn it down to 50 degrees at night or when you are away.

Please make sure you shut your windows on cold days when you leave your room.

Use compact florescent light bulbs for any lamps that accompany you to school. They use 75% less energy and last much longer then incandescent light bulbs.

Some electronics still use energy when they are "off”; power is still going to the little clock on your DVD player! Use less power by plugging all of those electronics into a power strip and switching the power strip off when not in use.

Chargers for all of your wireless stuff (I-pods, cell phones, etc.) use power even when your device is not being charged! Take your charger out of the outlet when it’s not charging something.

For more tips, please visit: www.eere.energy.gov

Conserving Water Do not leave the water running

while brushing your teeth or washing your hands. This could save 4 gallons or more of water per day.

Try to limit your shower time; this too can save a huge amount of water!

Report any leaky faucets or broken toilets that you find on campus. Fixing this issue could save hundreds of gallons of water.

Do not put anything but toilet paper in the toilets; this can create unwanted problems.

Carry a reusable water bottle with you and take advantage of the free re-fill stations located throughout campus and in the field house.

Did you know? 140 million water bottles end up in U.S.

land fills everyday. That’s enough, laid end to end, to reach China and back each day.

In 2008, Americans drank an average of 215 bottles of water each for a total of 66 billion bottles. Of that, only 22% was recycled.

It takes over 700 years for plastic to decompose.

There is a growing “garbage patch” of plastic estimated to be more than twice the size of Texas floating in the North Pacific Ocean.

Disposable plastic water bottle are made out of a fossil fuel, oil. They require a lot of energy to make and each year 17 million barrels of oil are used to produce water bottles. This could fuel over 1,000,000 cars for an entire year.

Over 120 grams of greenhouse gas emissions are created from the making of a single water bottle.

Recycling on Campus

What is recyclable:

o Plastic containers (#1‐7)o Glass bottleso Soda cans (all aluminum)o Papero Card boardo Magazineso Phone bookso Newspapers

What is NOT recyclable:

o Used paper cups and food boats room dining hall

o Compostable plastics (e.g., utensils from dining hall)

o Foodo TRASH

Please note that recycling in the dorms is different from the school. Please try and make a valiant effort to recycle correctly when you are not in the main school building.

For more information about single-stream recycling in Sullivan County, check out: http://webapps.co.sullivan.ny.us/docs/dpw/solidwaste/Detailed_Sullivan_County_Single_Stream_Recycling_Solid_Waste_Reduction_Guide_2012a.pdf

Recycling on Campus, cont. Try to buy recycled products. Look for the percent of post-consumer recycled content on the label.

You can even buy printer paper, toilet paper and paper towels that are 100% post-consumer!

Try to avoid paper towel use altogether by using an old cloth towel that can be used over and over.

Try to use your notebooks as efficiently as possible, using both sides of the paper and as much of the paper as possible.

At the end of the semester, don’t throw away your notebooks. Recycle the paper that’s in them if your not going to save your notes for future usage.

Don’t be afraid to take something out of the trash and place it in the recycling bin! Wash your hands afterwards.

Be responsible about the decisions that you make when purchasing items and throwing them away. Reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible. You can only make a difference when you try!

Have you seen “The Story of Stuff?” Check it out! www.storyofstuff.org

Are You Eating Sustainably?Don’t take or buy more than you will eat. Overconsumption and waste from over-consumption is a major environmental problem.

Try to make an effort to buy locally grown and organic food. It may cost a little more, but the benefits are great and at least you know exactly where the food came from that you are putting into your body.

Bring your own reusable water bottle to school with you and take advantage of the free water re-fill stations located throughout the campus.

Purchase reusable utensils and avoid the disposable ones from the dining hall.

Make healthier choices when you are eating. Fried, greasy foods can lead to major health problems and are not environmentally sustainable. When we eat healthier, our bodies and the environment benefit.

Enjoy the food that you eat… this is what feeds our souls!

Things To Do in Sullivan CountyWhen traveling, try to car pool!

To see a concert or visit the Woodstock Museum: Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center, 200 Hurd RoadBethel, NY 12720 866-781-2922 www.bethelwoodslive.org

If you love to ski or snowboard: Holiday Mountain www.holidaymtn.com

Belleayre Mountainwww.belleayre.com

To turn NY apples into cider, vinegar or sauces:Sonoma Falls Cider Mill and Country Market140 Old Liberty Rd.Livingston Manor, NY 12758845-439-4949www.sonomafallsny.com

Eagle Watching:The Eagle InstituteP.O. Box 182Barryville, NY 12719845-557-6162www.eagleinstitute.org

To go swimming, hiking or fishing: Lake Superior State Park Bethel, NY

To go boating, hiking or fishing:Neversink Reservoir, located five miles northeast of the Village of Liberty. Don’t forget to get your permits!

For a range of outdoor activities: Frost Valley Summer Camp, 2000 Frost Valley Road, Claryville, NY 12725 845-985-2291 www.frostvalley.org

Local & Organic FarmsDirie’s Dairy Farm1345 Shandelee Rd.Livingston Manor, NY 12758(845) 482-4301www.realdairyfarm.com

Apple Pond Farm & Renewable Energy Education Center80 Hahn Rd.Callicoon Center, New York 12724845)-482-4764www.applepondfarm.com

Neversink FarmClaryville Rd.  Claryville, NY 12725(845) 985-2519www.neversinkfarm.com

Tonjes Farm Dairy 188 Tonjes Rd.Callicoon, NY 12723(845) 482-5971Email: cowhill@warwick.net

Root ‘N Roost Farm64 Mineral Springs Rd.Livingston Manor, NY 12758 845) 292-9126www.rootnroost.com

Rusty Plough Farm 331 Dowe Rd.Ellenville, NY 12428(845) 647-6911www.rustyploughfarm.com

Thunder View Farms407 South Hill RoadGrahamsville, NY 12740845) 985-2189www.thunderviewfarms.com

Find more farms at: www.buypurecatskills.com/farms.html

Local & Organic Eateries Aroma Thyme Bistro165 Canal St.Ellenville, NY 12428(845) 647-3000www.aromathymebistro.com

Pizza Barn5125 Route 209Accord, NY 12404(845) 626-2300www.thepizzabarn.webs.com

Java Love Coffee Roasting Co.10 Horseshoe Lake Rd.Kauneonga Lake, NY 12749(845) 583-4082www.javaloveroasters.com

Catskill Harvest2758 State Route 52, Liberty, NY 12754(845) 292-3838www.catskillharvest.com

Yiasou Greek Cafe1980 State Route 52Liberty, NY 12754845-292-3152www.yiasoucafe.com

Eureka Market &Cafe`7991 Rte 55Grahamsville, NY 12740 (845) 985-5152www.eureka-market.com

Liberty Farmers/ MarketFridays: 3pm to 6pmMay 11 - October 5Municipal Parking LotDarbee Lane, Liberty, NY 12754

Find more restaurants: www.buypurecatskills.com/restaurants.html

Find more Farmers’ Markets:www.buypurecatskills.com/farmersmarkets.html

The Catskill Park“The Catskill Park is a mountainous region of public and private lands in Southeastern

New York's Ulster, Greene, Delaware and Sullivan Counties. Evidence of the area's unique natural history can be seen in the impressive skyline formed by the ninety-

eight peaks over 3,000 feet in elevation. Human activities such as logging, quarrying, tanning, trapping, and fishing have also shaped the Park's more recent history. Today, tourism and recreation play a prominent role in both supporting the region's economy

and creating an awareness of the Catskills' ecological significance.”

For more information on the Park, please visit: www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5265.html

Interesting in hiking? Check out: www.trailkeeper.org

Interesting in protecting the Catskills? Check out: www.catskillmountainkeeper.org

Neversink ReservoirDid you know that the water supply for NYC comes from several reservoirs in the Catskills?

The Neversink Reservoir is located in Sullivan County, about five miles northeast from the Village of Liberty. It holds almost 35 billion gallons at full capacity. It was created by

damming the Neversink River, which continues south and eventually drains into the lower Delaware River. The town of Neversink (so ironically named!), was flooded to create the

beautiful reservoir that exists today. Rumor has it that during the hot summer months, water levels will recede low enough that you can see an old church steeple sticking out of the

water.

You don’t have to own a boat to enjoy the Neversink Reservoir. Many local businesses, like Eureka Market, will rent you a boat and arrange for your Access Permit. Head to the

Reservoir for a hike or kayak trip and see first hand where the drinking water for NYC comes from.

You can also check out the Time and the Valleys museum in Grahamsville for more history about this fascinating and sometimes controversial history:

ww.timeandthevalleysmuseum.org