PODCASTS AND WEBINARS

Sustainable Hudson Valley Podcasts and Webinars

There are a many conversations these days about the future, and understandably so. We are in the midst of four distinct crises: accelerating climate change, a pandemic, the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, and a wakeup to systemic racism.

Kaatscast is collaborating with Sustainable Hudson Valley on a series called “People, Places, Possibilities,” to explore aspects of this new reality, and––without minimizing the downsides––to consider the opportunities that arise simply from the pace and scale of change.

Marbletown 100% Renewable Action Plan: 10 Steps to Your Renewable Future

January 22nd, 2022

Learn about our simple 10 step method for planning your transition to 100 percent renewable energy.

The 100% Renewable Pledge is a non-comital pledge to making informed, sustainable future decisions about your energy use. Take the pledge and get your energy transition journey started HERE.

In this webinar:

Hear experiences and issues from people who are also working towards making their homes more efficient.

Learn how to earn a free installation for a future EV charger by helping us promote the transition to renewables.

Marbletown 100% Renewable Action Plan: EV Charger Installation

September 29, 2021

Watch Marbletown Environmental Conservation Commission (ECC) Chair, Tom Konrad, as he walks us through the process of doing an at home EV charger installation.

Time
0:00	Titles and credits
0:25	Parts and materials (from upper left) Top row for outdoor 120V outlet (for trickle charging a second EV) ⅜” Wire clamps 12/2 wire ½” electrical staples (not shown) 20A 120V GFCI outlet Single gang outdoor outlet box Wire clamp In-use outlet box cover (could use other types of outdoor rated covers as well.) Outdoor caulk (provided by homeowner) Bottom row Siemens 40A double pole circuit breaker. Brand of circuit breaker needs to match the electrical panel. ¾” wire clamp 6/2 indoor electrical wire (use 6/3 wire if using a 14-50R outlet) ¾” Electrical staples NEMA 6-50R 240V outlet. Level 2 30A EV charger (donated by Blink Charging) Holster (came with charger)
0:30	Mounting bracket for the charger
1:34	Running 12/2 for outdoor trickle charging outlet
3:25	Finish mounting the charger
3:50	Mounting 240V outlet for charger
5:15	Installing outdoor 120V outlet
6:10	Discussion of wire sizing
8:00	Back to outdoor 120V outlet install
9:15	Discussion of permitting
10:05	Making outdoor outlet electrical connections
12:30	Install outlet cover
13:30	Running the 6/2 wire for the EV charger
14:10	Electrical connection for outdoor outlet
14:40	Electrical connection for 240V 6-50 EV charger outlet
15:44	Replace 240V outlet cover
16:15	Charger holster
17:10	Electrical panel connection
20:20	Connections complet- testing the charger
21:00	Plugging in a Tesla
22:45-32:00	Bonus discussion and Q&A
32:30	Building permits and credits

Marbletown 100% Renewable Action Plan: Honey I Shrunk the Lawn

August 25, 2021

Learn why shrinking your lawn is climate smart, supports biodiversity, and can help reverse the crash in pollinator and bird populations.

Share ideas about growing native plants, shrubs, trees and un-mowed grasses, on any scale, from garden to greenhouse, from lawn to meadow, from field to farm.

Marbletown 100% Renewable Action Plan: COOL IT

July 30, 2021

Save money and energy!

Purchasing new or replacing aging A/C is the biggest environmental decision you’ll make after what house or car you buy. We’ll tell you why and how at our next workshop, where we’re launching a group discount program!

A special thanks to RYCOR HVAC for putting in the time and effort into this.

People, Places, Possibilities with Sustainable Hudson Valley

August 4, 2020

In this episode, we speak with Sustainable Hudson Valley’s Executive Director, Melissa Everett, about the organization’s goals, and where we stand as a region. Stay tuned for future interviews in this special series, right here on Kaatscast!

Thanks also to the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce for their continued support of this podcast.

Cynthia Nikitin on Public Spaces and Resiliency

August 18, 2020

Sustainable Hudson Valley is working to accelerate progress against climate change through programs to scale up the clean energy marketplace and by helping communities plan for more resource-efficient patterns of living and working. Like everyone in the Hudson Valley, we are confronting four major crises: Covid-19, social injustice, economic recession, and climate change. SHV is spearheading a large-scale public conversation on responding to the urgency of each crisis, while understanding how they are connected and using that understanding to generate more sophisticated solutions. It’s an ambitious idea that we are developing with our network of experts, including six Senior Fellows.

One of them is Boiceville resident Cynthia Nikitin, a 28-year veteran of the Project for Public Spaces. She’s managed hundreds of “placemaking” projects around the world, helping people to design downtowns, waterfronts, campuses and more, in ways that enhance sociability, connectivity and usefulness – for example, by developing residences and workplaces near transit and each other. Right now, Cynthia is excited about the way that communities and businesses are being forced to re-think how space is used, even expanding restaurant space into parking lots and surrounding neighborhoods for safety. She thinks this small shift can drive bigger changes in reclaiming excess streetscape, parking lots and under-utilized land for community revitalization and resilience.

Climate Change in the Hudson Valley

September 1, 2020

Dave Conover is Program Coordinator at Sustainable Hudson Valley. He grew up in the Catskills and has spent much of his career working on environmental issues as an educator and program developer.

Climate change is resulting in obvious changes to our very own ecosystem. Dave connects the dots and offers us a hopeful path for the future. But the time to act is now.

This episode was produced in collaboration with Sustainable Hudson Valley. Thanks also to our sponsor, the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway.

Remote Work Post-Pandemic

September 15, 2020

John Lyons is a transportation professional, sustainability leader, solar entrepreneur, and business developer with a passion for addressing the climate crisis and creating a clean energy future. He’s been incorporating remote work into his career for decades, and he shares his insights on working remotely from both employee and employer perspectives. Plus, suggestions for translating what we’ve learned this year into a post-pandemic strategy for workplace adaptability moving forward.

Thanks to John Lyons, and to our sponsors:

Sustainable Hudson Valley and the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce