Problem Solving Partnerships
Sustainable Hudson Valley identifies “system conditions” that get in the way of the rapid changes that are needed to turn the corner in addressing climate change. We work in a flexible, customized way with agencies and organizations who are responsible for managing resources and delivering services, to implement new approaches.
YIMBY: YES (Renewable Energy) in My Back Yard. SHV and partners New Yorkers for Clean Power, Scenic Hudson, Vassar College and Mid-Hudson Energy Transition are helping communities and property owners that want to install community-scale renewable energy systems to get local plans and policies into shape, and coordinating a dialogue with Central Hudson to address the need for upgrades to the distribution grid.
Clean Mobility Now. With funding from NYSERDA, SHV is developing business models and local system designs to scale up electric micro-mobility such as on-demand shuttles and e-bike/ scooter lending programs, deep diving in Poughkeepsie and working with a regional network of counterpart projects to share knowledge and achieve economies of scale.
Circular Economy Strategic Plan. To address the role of waste hauling and landfill emissions as 12% of New York’s carbon footprint, Sustainable Hudson Valley is nurturing the shift from an extractive to a circular economy based on reuse, recycling and regenerative practices. Building on the Repair Café network and analysis done to support Ulster County’s development of a Reuse Innovation Center, SHV is working with the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency on a strategic plan for shifting to circular materials management one materials class at a time, by re-envisioning collection strategies and creating small business opportunities in upcycling and reprocessing.
Resilience Hubs for Climate Safe Neighborhoods. Dealing with the stresses and hazards brought by climate change needs unprecedented people-power as well as concentrated resources. SHV has worked with the Mid-Hudson and Ramapo-Catskill Library Systems to train staff on the opportunities of neighborhood scale design to make the built environment more climate-safe and attractive for use every day. Now we are working in depth in two communities, the Village of Spring Valley and the Town of Highlands, to help create “resilience hubs” that provide safe spaces and broad-spectrum education.
Carbon Dioxide Removal. In addition to hastening the energy transition, we need to remove the trillions of tons of carbon dioxide that are trapping heat in the atmosphere right now. This is a fast-moving area of innovation, much of it low-tech and easily implemented at the community scale. SHV is working with 4Corners Carbon Coalition to demonstrate biochar as a soil amendment that durably stores carbon and helps soil retain moisture. We have been able to fund biochar demonstration plots on nine area farms through this project!
NY4Cool: New Yorkers for Cool Refrigerant Management. SHV helped to form NY4Cool in 2018, bringing together experts and thoughtful advocates to address the most potent - and least considered - greenhouse gases: the refrigerants that are essential for our fridges and supermarket chillers, home and car air conditioners, and the heat pumps that are so critical to the clean energy transformation. “The Cool Ones” have educated governments and climate advocates on all the ways that refrigerants leak into the atmosphere, from leak-prone supermarket refrigeration systems to improper recycling of air conditioners. With our support, NY4Cool has piloted The Coolest Recycling Drive, a grassroots project to collect and properly dispose of refrigerant-containing appliances. We are working with the City of Kingston on a model refrigerant management policy and educational program that can be used by any Hudson Valley community.