Ossining's 13th Annual Earth Day Festival Will Be Held On Earth Day

OSSINING, NY — The 13th annual Green Ossining Earth Day Festival will be held at Louis Engel Waterfront Park on April 22.

The organizers are enjoying the coincidence that Earth Day actually falls on a Saturday this year. Not that it matters. The point is to celebrate our planet, learn about ways to protect our environment, strengthen our own and our community resources, and enjoy food, activities and entertainment on the Hudson waterfront.

"As we honor the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day, we remain keenly aware of the great challenges affecting our natural environment, our planet, and life as we know it," said Suzie Ross, chairperson and founding member of Green Ossining.

It is Westchester County’s largest community-run Earth Day festival, featuring about 100 vendors and drawing thousands of people.

It's so popular that the organizers were overwhelmed with vendors applying for spaces. "We have had to reconfigure our layout a bit to accommodate about 20 additional vendors this year — and had to create a waitlist," Ross told Patch. "This is the largest number of vendors and I'm excited to see so many activist organizations on board because there are so many environmental and climate change conversations that need to be had and heard."

It's been growing exuberantly since 2011, when it had 20 vendors and about 300 attendees.

"This festival is a great opportunity to learn about the multitude of simple changes, many of them cost saving, that can make a real difference," said Ossining Town Supervisor Liz Feldman. "The Town of Ossining is honored to co-host Green Ossining’s annual Earth Day Festival at the Louis Engel Waterfront Park, which itself is endangered by the impacts of climate change and resulting sea level rise."

Featured events of the day include:

• Arts & Artisan Vendors
• Eco-demonstrations & hands-on activities
• Focused Kid’s Activity Zone
• Food Foraging with The Rewilding School
• Teachings and Water Blessings by Native Elder, Pointsetta and daughters Wild Flower and Flying Arrow (Ramapough Lunaape)
• Environmental advocacy organizations
• Zero-Waste in action on the Festival grounds
• E-Waste Drive/Textile Recycling Drop-Off/Used Instrument Drive
• Delicious Local Food including vegetarian and vegan fare
• Craft Beer
• Drum Circles (BYO – limited supplies will be available)
• Local “Green” Services/ Products/Solutions
• Learn about using eco-friendly products & how to save money by reducing your carbon footprint!
• Community Organizations: All existing to help you! Learn more about the variety of groups in our own backyard.
• Live music all day featuring KJ Denhert & Friends, Julie Corbalis, Claremont School Chorus, Mike & Miriam Risko and the Mike Risko Band, Shovel Ready String Band, Honey Wild and The Barn Vultures.

The festivities run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's free.

"I am grateful for the tremendous work being done by Green Ossining and am excited for the Village to be part of Green Ossining’s Annual Earth Day Festival which transcends boundaries," said Ossining Mayor Rika Levin. "We are committed to continue to make environmental strides all year round."

This year’s sponsors include SBS Printing and Shipping, Mike Risko Music, Down to Earth Markets, Suburban Carting, Sing Sing Kill Brewery, Captain Lawrence, The Climate Reality Project, Hudson Valley Books for Humanity, and Sustainable Westchester.

"Educational opportunities will include renewable energy solutions, local resilience and the importance of supporting our local economy as well as the organizations that will help toward that, using and wasting less, being more resourceful, and being a more conscious consumer, among other things," Ross said.

ABOUT GREEN OSSINING

Green Ossining, founded in 2009, is a community-based environmental resource organization local in the historic Hudson River Town of Ossining, NY, with a mission to promote environmental sustainability community-wide, and develop practical methods that protect our natural resources. With a goal to create a forum for those in the community who are concerned about the environment our objectives are to explore, identify and prioritize sensible “green” methods and practices.