🌱Sustainable CT Congratulates Essex And Deep River + Recycle Pumpkins

Welcome back, Essex-Chester-Deep River! I'm here in your inbox today to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on in town, including updates on...

• Congratulations Essex and Deep River!
• Hoping for a mild winter.
• The Clean Water Act turns 50.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and mild. High: 68 Low: 43.

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I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our Essex-Chester-Deep River Daily readers to local businesses they need to know about. If that’s you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top four stories today in Essex-Chester-Deep River:

1. Congratulations! Sustainable CT is pleased to announce Essex has been awarded Silver Level certification for the current certification cycle! And, Deep River has been awarded Bronze Level certification. According to a press release sent out by Sustainable CT, "The statewide, voluntary certification program that supports sustainability best practices in Connecticut municipalities, announced an impressive list of 2022 certified communities and an inaugural cohort of Climate Leaders this week. ... Sustainable CT offers support to help towns implement actions that build community connection, social equity, and long-term resilience. Certified communities demonstrated significant achievements in at least twelve sustainability impact areas, ranging from thriving local economies and vibrant arts and culture to clean transportation and affordable housing. (essexct.gov)
2. Don't throw out your old Jack-O-Lantern! Instead, recycle, compost or dispose of it in a more organic way. According to the Hartford Courant, "some options suggested by DEEP include composting pumpkins at home, bringing them to your town’s recycling center food scrap drop off or leaving them in the woods for wildlife to eat. Pumpkins should be cut up before leaving them in the woods. Another idea is to donate pumpkins to certain local farms that may use them as a food source for animals including pigs. Among those farms seeking pumpkins this year are Lil’ Rascals Farm in Colchester, Lone Oak Farm in Southbury, Q Farms in Sharon and The Farm Jackson 132 in Higganum."(Hartford Courant)
3. New Englanders are hoping for a mild winter this year for many reasons, one of which is natural gas concerns. According to CT Insider, "Gordin van Welie, president and chief executive officer of ISO-New England, raised concerns with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm writing "During the coldest days of the year, New England does not have sufficient pipeline infrastructure to meet the region’s demand for natural gas for both home heating and power generation," van Welie wrote to Granholm in a letter. "For years, the region has relied heavily on foreign liquefied natural gas shipments into import facilities near Boston and New Brunswick, Canada to ensure reliable grid operations when pipeline gas is not available in sufficient quantities to support the generation sector. The current uncertainty surrounding the global market for LNG has the potential to stress electric grid reliability this upcoming winter under certain weather scenarios." (CT Insider)
4. Congress passed the U.S. Clean Water Act 50 years ago and the waterways throughout Connecticut are better off for it. According to the Danbury News Times,"[The Clean Water Act] is a piece of landmark environmental legislation that [drove] substantial improvements in water quality nationwide and directed more than $1 trillion in investments into wastewater treatment plants around the country. “It’s so exciting to celebrate the 50th anniversary,” Katie Dykes, commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Energy & Environmental Protection said of the federal legislation. The federal law, which requires states to submit reports on the conditions of their rivers, streams, lakes, and estuaries, originally set a goal to make 100 percent of the country’s waterbodies fishable and swimmable by 1983. But a report released in October from the Washington D.C. based Environmental Integrity Project found 50 percent of all assessed rivers and streams, along with 55 percent of lake acres and 25 percent of estuary miles across the U.S. are classified as “impaired” — meaning they are too polluted to meet the federal standards for either swimming and recreation, aquatic life, fish consumption, or as drinking sources. In Connecticut, the study found 58 percent of the 1,612 miles of rivers and streams assessed by the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in 2020 to be impaired for water contact recreation, along with 27 percent of the 24,906 acres of lake water assessed that year and 35 percent of the 45 square miles of assessed waters in Long Island Sound. Environmental experts and state officials recognize the progress made, they also know lingering and evolving challenges mean there is still plenty of work to be done." (Danbury News Times)

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Today in Essex-Chester-Deep River:

• Writer's Circle @ The Nest! HS - 20 somethings (5:30 PM)
• Candle Pour n Sip at THE HIVE CHESTER (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Essex Board of Trade: "Final winners for the Scarecrow & Broom contest are IN! The Black Seal with Woodland Witch Scarecrow. Trooper, Mark Robert’s Essex Police best broom (speeding tickets!) " (Essex Board of Trade via Facebook)
• Deep River Public Library: "We still have openings for our Wellness Wednesday series! Use the QR code to link to our website calendar: http://www.eventkeeper.com/mars/xpages/d/drpl/ek.cfm" (Deep River Public Library via Facebook)
• Tri-Town Youth Services Bureau: "Rainbow Alliance is a community-based GSA providing support and affirming social activities for kids on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and their peer allies. Meetings are held monthly at Tri-Town Youth Services and are open to tri-town kids." (Tri-Town Youth Services Bureau via Facebook)
• Deep River Public Library: "November's Grab-n-Go: The Mystery of the Stolen Species Can you solve the mystery of who stole the rare plant? Use the QR code or Youtube link to follow along. Get clues, find out how science is used to solve crimes." (Deep River Public Library via Facebook)
• Bushy Hill Nature Center: "Momentum is building around Native American and Indigenous studies and programming at UConn, and new faculty and students are poised make UConn a New England hub for Native Studies and the broader Indigenous community." (Bushy Hill Nature Center via Facebook)

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• Taxes in Retirement Seminar (November 3)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Wednesday. I'll see you soon!

— Karena Garrity

About me: I am a native of Connecticut, who currently resides in the Tri-Town community of Chester, Deep River and Essex. I have been a community reporter for the better part of the past 20 years. I love my small-town community and I am honored to be a part of Patch.com. You can reach me at; karena.garrity@patch.com.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Essex-Chester-Deep River Daily? Contact me at karena.garrity@patch.com