Local Groups To Offer Guidance in an Event on Green, Energy Efficient New Years Resolutions for Your Home
January 9, 2013 - Bedford, New York -- If keeping your life green and achieving energy efficiency are a couple of your goals for 2013, a short cut to success is offered next month in Bedford. Efficient, Green and Healthy: New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home will be the theme of an open house and presentation on February 2 between 2pm and 4pm at Brenner Builders at 362 Adams Street in Bedford.
The program will take a look at the challenges and opportunities that homeowners face in making and keeping their homes energy efficient, and innovations in building science and building technologies. Hot cider and doughnuts will also be available to warm up visitors as they experience the warmth of a beautiful, high-efficiency Wittus wood burning stove at work in Healthy Home's lobby. Cider provided by the Mt. Kisco Winter Farmer's Market.
The program will feature short presentations by Brenner Builders and Healthy Home CEO Kevin Brenner, Wittus President Niels Wittus and Energize Bedford’s Energy Coach, Norm Jen. Attendees will have an opportunity to sign up for a free energy audit of their home.
“Working with the community to show how homeowners can save money and help the environment is a major part of our mission,” stated Healthy Home's Kevin Brenner.
The combination of Healthy Home, Wittus and Energize Bedford will offer several different perspectives on the subject of green tech and energy efficiency: Healthy Home Energy & Consulting is a nationally certified, full-service home energy audit and energy efficient improvement company. Energize Bedford is Energize is a community-based energy efficiency program funded through Department of Energy (DOE) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) grants. Wittus, located in Pound Ridge, is a leading importer and developer of products that maintain the “tradition” of an energy efficient stove.
The February event and presentation is the first of several events that Healthy Home plans to organize over the course of the year in the northern Westchester area.
Contact:
Gordon Platt
Gotham Media (Tel: 917-710-2747)
Efficient, Green and Healthy: New Year's Resolutions for Your Home
362 Adams St
Bedford Hills NY
10507 See map
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Sonny (Louis) Linder May 18, 2013 at 05:07 pm
CORRECTION TO LAST POST: The last sentence should read: "Let's continue to share, but…Read More face-to-face."
Thx - Sonny
Sonny (Louis) Linder May 18, 2013 at 06:06 am
Thanks, Jon - you raise important considerations and in a calm, dispassionate way, which I…Read More appreciate.
As for alternative funding mechanisms, in hindsight I believe they should have been examined and addressed this earlier this year had the decision-making been opened up to the public in a completely bidirectional manner much earlier in this year's budget cycle.
A real take-away from this situation, in my opinion, is that we in the community were not given the opportunity to sit down together with sharpened pencils in a public forum and allowed to vet and actually challenge the Administration's assumptions in order to arrive at budget alternatives with the Administration and Board. The comparison you make with Washington is indeed apt in that it reflects the way decisions have slid back to being made in a vacuum and handed down to the voters instead of in a democratic fashion based on budget-to-actuals instead of budget-to-budget figures combined with the practice of over-reserving for expense items while under-estimating revenues.
Although the Board did indeed reach out to me and 2 others asking for suggestions, when we re-iterated our request for an open meeting format to include other financially savvy community members, these requests were consistently ignored.
Which is why we are in the current position we are in having to decide on Tues on a tax levy cap-busting budget requiring 60% super-majority. Which the public will decide, of course, and we will live with the consequences: either it passes, or the Board and Administration will be forced to rein in the excesses.
And much as I love open debate, I restate that online posting leaves does leave a lot to be desired. Let's continue to share, but not face-to-face.
Respectfully - Sonny
Jon Satran May 18, 2013 at 12:16 am
Sonny, I like the idea of brainstorming together, thinking outside of the box, but there are some…Read More major obstacles that I think you need to consider:
1) A Bond referendum requires a 45 days’ notice period. It cannot be presented for a vote before this year's budget process is concluded.
2) To release reserves based on the hope that a future bond vote would be successful is reckless. What happens if reserves are released and then the bond referendum fails?
You would not risk your home finances with this type of risk, would you really risk your school’s financial health?
3) Our tax certiorari reserve was just recently reviewed in consultation with our attorneys and we are appropriately reserved for today’s commercial real estate market.
4) Most importantly, this proposal would create a larger and tougher tax increase next year. In other words, adding $1,000,000 of revenue this year through a loan would require replacing that revenue with an additional $1,000,000 again next year and the year after. Borrow and spend economics does not work as we have seen from the national level. Deficit spending, which has been suggested may or may not work in Washington, but it certainly does not in Briarcliff Manor. When the school’s reserves are exhausted, we will face impactful program cuts or much larger tax levy increases.
Respectfully - Jon Satran
McKey Rivers May 10, 2013 at 07:36 pm
Thank you Dr. Sternberg for your thoughtful letter. You hit on an important facet of this election…Read More few if any others have stated: electing Mr. Wasserman and/or Mr. Linder will provide the added benefit of diversity of thought as the Board continues to address difficult, ongoing educational and financial issues. There is a woeful absence of synergy produced by articulation of different views among the current Board members. The absence of a “check and balance” on the current Board is reflected in the inexplicable decision to cancel the May 13 BOE meeting (scheduled since last summer), which is the last meeting prior to the May 21 budget vote and board election. Is there no business for the Board to conduct at this critical juncture or could it be that the Board does not want Briarcliff residents to hear members of the community question the Board about the proposed budget right before the election? Electing either Mr. Linder and/or Mr. Wasserman will immediately benefit the public as the highest vote getter will be seated on May 22 and thus participate in formulating a second budget for public vote that, notwithstanding current BOE scare tactics, can be tax levy compliant and not involve additional program elimination or reduction. There is no doubt that electing Mr. Wasserman and/or Mr. Linder to the Briarcliff School Board will substantially benefit the entire Briarcliff community and provide a much needed check on Board decision making.
Herman Sexton May 10, 2013 at 03:48 pm
Electing Paul Wasserman alone would add a diversity of thought. The guy hears at least a dozen…Read More voices in his head. Have you ever spoken to him? Did you pay attention when he was running for Congress for a few weeks? Ugh.