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The news
The news isn’t President Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter. The news is Trump’s dream team of a convicted felon, sexual predators, climate and science deniers, misogynists, domestic violence abusers, dictator sympathizers, fascists and bigots.
That’s the news.
Jo Galante Cicale
Saugerties
An environmentally significant action
With the federal government about to radically change, there is a sense that less advocacy is at play … to say the least. But we can fight for issues affecting our State of New York. We’ve got a government here not run by Trump and we have environmental issues, social justice concerns and immigrants to fight for.
The New York Packaging and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S2426-b and A5322-b) is a bill that requires companies to pay for recycling their own packaging waste instead of us taxpayers holding the bag, so to say! It would also end the use of toxic chemicals in packaging. This is an environmentally significant action to take on.
Please call Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (518-455-3791) to enact it. It’s time companies took responsibility, not just profits.
Doris Chorny
Wallkill
It’s one way you airbrush history
It’s disheartening to see. The most unqualified people in positions of power. What a country. President-elect Donald Trump is naming cabinet ministers who have no experience in their new positions. But who will be Minister of Silly Walks? My vote would be for Marjorie Taylor Greene, who would do “Monty Python” so proud! Overall, Donald Trump is so predictable. He loves to use the “shock and awe” approach.
Given the proposed cabinet picks so far, Trump’s one regret must be that Charles Ponzi is not still alive and in jail so that he can be pardoned and placed in charge of the Federal Reserve … The short-term dismay over many of Trump’s cabinet nominations will still lead to a long-term brain drain from government service.
Whatever happened to “I picked the best people”? He is creating another, worse circus. At least the first time, there were reasonable picks. But he fired most, or they quit, because they disagreed with him
Two weeks after Donald Trump’s victory, there is at least some good news: Matt Gaetz’s tenure as attorney general will never happen, and he is now out of Congress, hopefully never to return. I can’t wait to hear what happens with Pete Hegseth [a drunken hopeful and misogynist] and his selection to be secretary of defense. Or Kash Patel, who has little management or law enforcement experience. Plus, he was the primary author of what has come to be called the secret “Nunes memo.” Donald Trump is playing a game of chicken with America.
With each cabinet nominee he appears to be repeating this pattern: Exactly how unqualified must the person be to force “responsible” people to respond? If the adulterous Bible salesman, a president-elect draft dodger, likes a guy with brain worms, were all for it, right BUTZ?!? Happy Holidays!
That’s the thing about horror movie sequels. They’re always worse than the original. The plot always gets more nonsensical and the body counts always rise. So, cozy up with a loved one, grab your popcorn and get ready for that familiar feeling of impending dread. Deranged Donald is back! Only this time he’s so terrifying even his own reflection screams “impeach!”
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Confusing?
At a recent town board meeting, councilmember Laura Ricci said she was 100 percent behind Alan Weber’s message, a resolution that in essence would require Woodstockers to defend the rights of all members of our community, and said, “If such a measure were brought up for a vote, it would likely be a memorializing resolution” so as not to potentially break any laws. Guess she forgot that Supervisor McKenna had previously “expressed his disdain for memorializing resolutions at the town level saying they have little to no impact…”
Howard Harris
Woodstock
Action plans and the people’s person
I had been an intern for the NY State Democrats since February 2024. I felt unprepared for the election, scarcely trained in activism, outreach and organizing practices, but I was inspired by the strong community here in New Paltz. I love this place and came to love it even more through my canvassing and registration efforts.
‘Efforts’ being the word — I wanted to feel like I was doing something, really doing something that would help this place grow. A way to support this community which I love so dearly.
I first met Deputy Mayor Alexandria Wojcik in the spring of 2024 through an alumni on the New Paltz Council. She is a stunning presence, equipped with at least one article fully bedazzled. I began to spot her at work events and we quickly became friends. What I liked most about Alex, she does not waste time.
Everything she does is intentional, meaningful and fruitful. She provides, creates opportunity and growth and moves our community in substantial ways. The most recent noteworthy example: passing Good Cause Eviction this past October, which protects tenants from unprecedented eviction. There is no facade, nothing to interpret or question, Alex is Alex, and she will tell you how it is. So we joined forces.
Late September came with a grim voter registration count. I wanted people to know the importance of voting locally, the opportunity we had to flip the house. E Day was right on our tails. Alex has many friends, two of which happen to be our Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha and State Senator Michelle Hinchey. She managed to secure these two pillars of hope for our community, to come to campus and be with the students, to talk to them in person face to face. A tell-all on why you should get out and vote, how to vote and what was being voted on.
I always felt excited about the work we were doing, I knew with her there was an action plan for real change. It is impossible to deny her passion for this place, her genuine care and strong respect for every single person she meets. It rubs off too, an explosive cycle of this, celebrating and fixing and changing and commemorating this beautiful place. I want to take this moment to publicly thank Alex Wojcik for being a true community leader and a friend.
Isabela Rodriguez
New Paltz
Renewable energy installations at our school should be of the highest priority
The New Paltz Central School District (NPCSD) is proposing a $48 million school bond with a vote on January 16, 2025. As a retired school social worker and the parent of two sons who graduated from NPCSD, I have always supported school budgets and capital projects. Regrettably, this time, I will be voting NO for the three propositions that make up the bond proposal because there are no provisions for energy-efficient solar panels in proposition one and no provision for air source heat pumps instead of air conditioning in proposition two.
Given the seriousness of the climate crisis, the impact it will have on students now and in the future, and the financial incentives still available, renewable energy installations at our school should be of the highest priority. They will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance student health, provide long-term fiscal savings and be a model for school leaders of civic responsibility and sound stewardship.
Voting NO on the present bond would require the school board and administration to go back to the drawing board for a do-over that prioritizes a vision of sustainability. Many of us in the community would be happy to work together with the board to that end and to move toward a future YES vote.
I appreciate the efforts of the school board to fashion a plan for the years ahead, but unfortunately the plan lacks a vision to deal with the upcoming onslaught of the climate crisis. Establishing a Sustainability Committee comprised of students, school faculty and community members, would give the BOE an ongoing avenue to deal with climate change questions as well as help gather research and explore grant opportunities.
Climate change is complicated, but there is one simple undeniable equation: burning fossil fuel equals heating the planet which is one of the most consequential problems our generation and future generations will ever face. Make no mistake — the impact will land heavily on this generation of students and well beyond.
The Reformed Church of New Paltz installed solar panels, air source heat pumps and upgraded insulation as part of declaring itself a “green” church. It wasn’t always an easy sell for the congregation, but a combination of logic, economic pay back, energy efficiency and the desire to do the moral, ethical, right thing has kept moving the church in the direction of sustainability. Having been around for centuries, since the time of the Huguenots, enabled the church to think ahead to the future and long-term consequences of its actions.
What does the Reformed Church have to do with our school district’s capital plan? Both the church and the school district have financial restraints, both have to deal with overcoming doing things differently from the past and a natural resistance to change. In addition, both need to take the long view, (what’s more future oriented than a school that takes on the task of educating children for 13 years?) and significantly, both have an obligation to do the right thing.
The school district in this bond issue needs to move toward transitioning away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable practices like installing solar panels, energy-efficient air source heat pumps instead of conventional air conditioning and plan for a future transition to electric school buses. This can be expensive — like all capital projects — but funding from the federal government is still available as is state aid that provides substantial help to offset the cost. In addition, solar panels, once installed, run on sunshine not fossil fuels, which will continue to provide energy for years ahead. The interesting thing about renewable energy is the very fact that it is renewable: sunshine is not only renewable it’s free!
In conclusion, as the consequences of our increasingly warming planet become more evident, there is a vital need for the school district to model good stewardship and good citizenship for its students. The school district needs to walk the talk and do the right thing! The capital project needs to go back to the drawing board and revisit renewable energy investments. Therefore, for now, it’s a Vote NO so we can vote YES in the Spring.
James O’Dowd
New Paltz
A money pit
Sneaky, having a vote on a lifetime added tax for New Paltz residents being voted on in mid-winter. Hoping for an icy cold day, perhaps? Really skilled and sneaky politics at work, and the results will be a permanent increase in the high cost of living in our hip, cool town.
We have a fast shrinking school population. Kids do not want gym class to be swimming between classes. No way! This money will, at best, benefit a few kids who will get swimming scholarships.
If you do care about the climate, this will be very damaging. Pools take a lot of energy to keep warm, and a lot of chemicals to keep clean. The pumps for filtering the water are strong enough to run a truck. This is waste! It harms the environment.
Staffing the pool is not on the ballot. Last spring, three athletic staffers were fired and not replaced due to our school budget.
New Paltz has a fast shrinking population of kids.
Please, vote no on the pool for your personal family budget, vote no for the environment. The college pool has been fine for years for our small swim team and will be for years to come.
Paul Raymond
New Paltz
When the going gets tough
With each successive policy and nomination Team Trump announces, certain words plant themselves more and more firmly in my mind, including “unfit,” “heartless,” “sexually rapacious,” “morally bankrupt”…and yes, “fascistic.”
A few of the effects I’m afraid we’ll see, unless moderate GOP politicians begin to vote with courage, compassion and common sense, are: a further widening of the wealth gap, tears in our safety nets, a more volatile (and ultimately drilled-and-killed) planet, skyrocketing prices, a hellish existence for immigrants (illegal and legal), disaster for Gazans and Ukrainians, an erosion of civil liberties, brutal times for our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, continued attacks on women’s rights, a decline in our education system, a weakened and demoralized military and intelligence community — indeed, a weakened and demoralized country.
The lives of privilege, long enjoyed by members of the incoming administration, have allowed them to see themselves as “the elite,” the “master race,” to define “to the victor go the spoils” as a winner-take-all game, and to feel that — as proved by their wealth, superior intelligence, positions of power and 2024 election “mandate” (in name only: Trump won less than 50 percent of the popular vote) — they are clearly “the victors” and we the people clearly “the losers,” “the suckers”…as no-count, Trump might say, as John McCain and fallen soldiers.
Let’s trump Trump. Let’s we the people, Democrat and Republican alike, stand tall and stick together: protest, march, contact people in government, write letters to the editor, initiate dialogue with people on the other side of the fence …
Or volunteer — for instance, at the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network (888-726-7276/UIDN@ulsterimmigrantdefensenetwork.org); the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center (845-331-5300/info@lgbtqcenter.org); the New York Civil Liberties Union (914-979-7479/lowerhudsonvalley@nyclu.org); or Sustainable Hudson Valley (845-514-8567/info@sustainhv.org).
It’s when-the-going-gets-tough time. Let’s emulate and honor our soldiers and not fall without a fight — and fight hard enough that we don’t fall, but instead emerge from the coming battle even stronger.
Tom Cherwin
Saugerties
Winston Farm — our moral obligation
The Saugerties community, like most towns, is home to people who have been here for generations and others who came recently. We all share the same concern for our community’s welfare and are invested in the outcome of the Winston Farm development. As is always the case, there is a difference of opinion regarding this plan. To some of us, the current plan is deeply distressing. If it goes forward, as proposed, the quality of life and character of our community will be adversely affected from this time forward. The Saugerties Town Board and community members must not be swept up in the happy talk and promises we are given by this plan. We are at a crossroads in the future of Saugerties. If we get it wrong, there is no going back.
We are led to believe that Saugerties is broken and needs major repair. This is not true. Saugerties is not broken, quite the contrary. It is a community dedicated to its small town character and physical beauty. That is what draws people here. They are not coming to visit yet another mall with acres of asphalt-covered parking spaces. If this plan goes forward, we will bear a heavy burden for what we have done.
Moral values do not change with time, they are constants, a bedrock that guides our lives and decisions. The value so prominently displayed on the wall behind the Saugerties Town Board “Climate Smart Saugerties committed to a sustainable future” — will be forsaken should this plan go forward. We hold this value as a guiding star, our North Star. We must keep our eyes focused on this and not allow ourselves to be blinded by shiny objects that distort our vision and foresight. If approved, this plan will likely open the floodgates to further development in this lovely and treasured small Hudson Valley town. Other developers will now see us as a soft touch for continued development, not as a community dedicated to preserving our natural inheritance.
The Winston Farm development project cannot solve the myriad problems communities face. To solve problems, we must play to our strengths and use them to enrich our lives and encourage others to come along with us. One of our strengths is our natural beauty and our commitment to its preservation. Winston Farm is a natural preserve and a place of uncommon quiet, beauty and shelter for all living things that currently occupy it. By preserving it we will send a strong message that we have our eyes focused on our North Star, a moral obligation to preserve what has been thousands of years in the making. We must be steadfast in this commitment to ourselves and the generations that will follow. They will thank us.
Marc Brodkin
John Kavanagh
Antoinette Brodkin
Saugerties
New sister city mayor
The recent election in Niimi, Japan (New Paltz’s sister city since 1998) saw incumbent mayor Hitoshi Ebisu lose to challenger Minoru Ishida in a close race, 49% to 51%. A total of 15,534 votes were cast. The city has an estimated population of 27,106 in 12,626 households.
Niimi’s principle industries include limestone quarrying, cement production, forestry and tourism. Niimi is known for touring its limestone caves and Niimi College.
We enjoyed hiking its caves and touring Niimi College, along with meeting Mayor Ebisu in October 2023. Subsequently, the mayor visited New Paltz earlier this year in May.
Mayor Ebisu, good luck in your next chapter. Congratulations to Niimi City mayor-elect Minoru Ishida. We look forward to meeting you in person sometime soon.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
Please plea
While legitimate concerns are in abundance in our national and global society, take the time and awareness to remember those MANY people who contribute positively to our human landscape. Regardless of our differing perspectives, always try to see where our lives and others intersect with shared values. Keep the door open!
“Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine (Slovakian proverb). Additionally, the soil that we walk on should be treasured, protected and if contaminated, have the contaminants removed. To state the obvious extension then, why has there been and continues to be such a hesitancy/refusal to defend and protect EACH resident of Woodstock and all visitors from the effects of contaminated soil? By all appearances, past and current efforts have been to avoid responsibility for the town’s present and future health. These efforts have far outshined any efforts to support those who have been victimized. By communicating openly and with a willingness to learn from Woodstock’s community, some of those in office might restore the trust that seems to have been lost. After all, if one person/family is not defended or supported, then all can be considered to be not defended or supported. Working together does not have to be painful. Join one another in working toward common goals. It’s never too late!
In this joyous season, some people do, in fact, experience much anxiety. Please make sure that firearms are safely stored — locked, unloaded, away from ammo and away from children of any age, especially if there is even a remote possibility that a stressful event may occur. Also, be strong enough to remove yourself from stressful events. I also urge responsible firearm owners to join in seeking expanded background checks, an assault weapons ban and tougher handgun measures. On another note, with the dubious results of the UN COP 29 gathering (insufficient funding for nations of the global south to rebuild after environmental abuse by the global north), let us all recommit to acting responsibly for the sake of the environment. Additionally, I urge you to register a demand that President Biden grant clemency (before January 20) to those who are federally sentenced to execution. One more “ask” — by being welcoming to our new arrival brothers/sisters, the value of each life and our interconnectedness can be highlighted. Many issues — but step-by-step — we all can be part of making each day a better day.
I urge you to make a plea to the local officials of Woodstock, to our state and federal representatives and to President Biden to take action in a way that reflects concern and respect for every resident of our shared community. Contact our members of Congress (Schumer, Gillibrand) through the Capitol Switchboard (202-224-3121) and/or President Biden at the White House Comment Line (202-456-1111). Death Penalty Action/Innocence Project/Catholic Mobilizing Network can each provide information on their websites concerning petitions opposing executions at the state and federal levels.
With each dawn and dusk bookending our days, let us accentuate the positive and work to eliminate the negative — together, young and not so young, with strength and compassion.
Terence Lover
Woodstock
A kind of understanding with Tom
In Tom Cherwin’s “Can two men come to an understanding,” I agree with Tom that he is hopeful while praying and appealing to Trump voters to “elevate Trump” but with a noticeable presumption that Trump and his cabinet will not be capable of being humane and compassionate. Tom’s reference to those Americans who are heartbroken and frightened at the election results confirms a lack of confidence in the new administration.
Tom, you’re transferring my comment of Trump’s “poor PERSONAL moral decisions” into the realm of the political when you make reference to Trump’s “immoral and irresponsible vow to drill baby drill.” Drilling is one of the main behaviors we must pursue and accomplish if we have any chance of turning around the Biden/Haris financial woes. Having the largest supply of oil in the world, this will not only make us energy independent, again, but make us energy dominant in the world. This will bring economic and financial stability to the people. This process is necessary because, right now, the U.S. is nowhere near being able to establish and maintain an alternate non-fossil fuel energy environment. We have some school bus manufacturers halting the development of EV buses, as well as some semi-truck manufacturers doing the same. We have a good number of car dealers with EV’s just sitting on their lots because people either don’t want them or, more likely, can’t afford them … hardly the climate to be ditching fossil fuels.
Regarding vaccines and the pandemic, we’re just now seeing government reports confirming that we were given inappropriate or false information and guidance. While this misguidance was going on, several conservative medical experts were silenced by Biden/Harris, their lame stream pocket buddies and the Zuckerberg crowd saying that these reputable conservative experts were just “conspiracy theorists spreading misinformation.” Funny how the truth eventually surfaces.
Tom, I don’t think we disagree on everything. I just think that I have much more confidence in the Trump administration being able to stop the Biden/Harris bleeding than you do.
And, we haven’t even touched upon the intentional Biden/Harris border fiasco and Trump’s vow of “mass” deportation. It’s already been stated that he will only start with all illegal criminals, terrorists and all eventually identifiable gotaways. The rest of the illegals without criminal records will likely not be touched during Trump’s four years. The original DACA illegals will be protected. But, as we all know, the lame stream circus has exaggerated and lied just about to the point where all National Guard troops, other military reservists, ICE and all nationwide spare police officers will be going door to door preparing ALL illegals for deportation.
At his point in sad journalistic times, why does anyone still believe or trust ANY of the never ending propaganda and fear mongering from the sputtering bias centers at CNN, MSNBC, et al?
John N. Butz
Modena
Feeding birds, feeding humanity
The sparrows came like the tide, relentless and hungry, drowning out the song of other birds at my feeder. At first, I resented them — those tiny, brown marauders monopolizing what was meant to be shared. The more I read about controlling sparrows, the more disillusioned I became. Suggestions ranged from segregation to outright cruelty: glue traps, poison and even guns. I couldn’t reconcile this with the joy of birdwatching, the simple act of offering sustenance to life.
My first attempts to outwit the sparrows were futile. Cracked corn distracted them for a moment, but not entirely. Striped sunflower seeds — too harsh for their beaks — seemed a solution, albeit an expensive one. Yet, they adapted, cracking open shells and feeding squirrels below. The “undesirables,” as some might call them, refused to disappear.
But last night, something shifted. I stopped fighting. I filled one feeder with the seeds sparrows love and left the other exclusively for birds with the beaks built to crack more rigid shells. I watched something remarkable this morning: sparrows feasting on their cracked corn while chickadees and titmice dined in peace at the sunflower seed feeder — balance, at last.
It hit me then, this lesson in seed and sparrows: the problem wasn’t the birds — it was my resistance to their hunger. What if we fed people like this, meeting their needs instead of trying to exclude them? Sparrows are loud, persistent and overwhelming, but aren’t hunger and despair the same? Feed them their cracked corn, and the cardinals of the world — those quieter, more polished — can finally eat, too.
The cost of the striped sunflower seed stings my wallet, but the alternative — starving birds and empty branches — is unbearable. Isn’t it the same for us? Hunger and inequality grow louder when ignored, and the cost of neglect is greater than the price of feeding everyone.
The seeds will run out one day; they always do. But the question isn’t if we’ll have enough — it’s whether we’ll share what we have while we can. Perhaps the sparrows and titmice at my feeders are teaching me this: peace doesn’t come from denying the hungry but from offering them a place at the table.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
Post election forecast
Helloooooooo, boys and girls. The presidential election of 2024 is over. We have Donald Trump for the next four years. It should be a very interesting four years, to say the least. I am not going to belabor the outcome and the catastrophic results which could and might arise. This letter, however, presents some straight-forward facts that the average person drawing benefits — benefits such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Health Care (Obama Care) should be aware of, if you aren’t already. Let’s take a little trip back to the early years of this 20th century.
By the end of Hoover’s first term, 1929-1933, the Great Depression was in the after effects of the Stock Market Crash of 1929. His administration did not institute programs to any extent that would address the social calamities that arose from this. Because of this, the GOP was reluctant to support him for his second term, 1933-1937. It was felt and feared that based upon his first term record, they did not expect anything different; they could and would be voted out of office. Therefore, by a vote of 81% Republican and 87% Democrat, FDR was elected for his first term, on the same underlying premise that if they did not support FDR and his agenda, the mid-term elections could and would find a number of GOP legislatures out on the sidewalk looking for work as well. The same underlying current of self-preservation was in full swing here.
The same process is apparent with Donald Trump’s GOP. He has to go very slow in the first two years of his administration. Because if he does not and he goes after our paid benefits with a vengeance, will the GOP rank and file in both chambers support him? Will they risk his wrath and not support him or the wrath of their constituents in supporting him and having their benefits butchered that they have paid into for years? It’s a very interesting problem. If they support Trump, there is a distinct possibility they just might be out on the street looking for work, knowing full well that grandpa’s and grandma’s Social Security check and Medicare are cut and possibility eliminated, not to mention Medicaid and the Affordable Health Care Act as well. But if they don’t support him under these conditions, what are their chances they will be re-elected by their constituents? I venture to say, their chances are good.
The danger that I see, is in his final two years of the presidency, 2026-2028, particularly if both chambers of congress remain in GOP control. Here he has no brake on his agenda to eliminate the ‘deep state’. But having said that. He cannot run for re-election again as this is his second and final term, plus he will be 81 years old?
It all depends on who the Republican nominee will be in 2028 and the Democratic nominee, likewise. So, for all you old crones out there (I’ll be 86 in February — nothing personal — and 89 in 2028). The next four years will be anything and everything, but placid it will not be.
Robert LaPolt
New Paltz
The Mask
The new soft mask
of snow on Overlook
also covers the village
with its nit an grit
softening industrial
streets.
Snow on the Catskills
so too on dirty hubcaps
here: heavy flakes run
sideways over parking
meters and signs.
In the morning in digging
out you find there is no
difference. As Shakespeare
said: ‘one touch of nature
makes the whole world kin.’
Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Saugerties
A plastic-free holiday is best!
Please take a gander at Citizens Concerned About Plastic Pollution (CCAPP)’s holiday feast of alternatives to plastics in Houst’s window.
We started as Covid was peaking — now with members from Woodstock, Saugerties, Kingston, West Hurley and Shokan (join us, please). What to do about the plastic wrapped around fruits that used to be loose on shelves, the deluge of take-home dinners sealed in plastic? That’s the first question we get asked by people who stop at our tables at farm festivals, Repair Cafes and environmental events. Everyone is confused, of course. Cutting down on what you buy is a start. Refuse, reuse and shop smart. As bad as things are, there are more products than ever made of woven bamboo, beeswax, silicone, etc. Some of the beautiful and useful items in the window: wooden storage box, fabric bread basket, bamboo cutlery, Tiffin boxes (these stainless take-home food containers — which CCAPP has at its tables). If a store has small plastic bags for your lentils, ask for small brown bags, etc.
Plastics — made from fossil fuels and chemicals — are a ghastly mix (4,200 chemicals are known to be hazardous to human health). So, here’s the rundown on the world’s biggest plastic polluters whose products you want to avoid: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle, Unilever, Mars. Aside from unspeakable damage to the earth, plastics give us infertility, obesity, cancers, thyroid and cardio-vascular systems damage. Much of CCAPP’s focus is on single-use so don’t forget that washing with soap and water is just as good as using those ubiquitous plastic gloves.
In Woodstock, Houst and Sunflower have bottle-refill stations and the town has installed its own ‘station’ near the Chamber booth. Fill up. (Note these are appearing in lots of places — at the municipal building in Kingston, Health Alliance Hospital.) They save millions of single-use bottles nationally.
CCAPP.earth is our wonderful website which includes updates on new research and tips for everything from back-to-school to holiday ideas. We are on Facebook. And, sign up for our newsletter. We are an affiliate of Judy Enck’s Beyond Plastics, an important organization in the fight on all fronts. Legislation is key — for New York to sign into law the nation’s strongest EPR (Producer Responsibility law — so the manufacturer will deal with its own plastic rather than municipalities and people).
There are organizations in America and world-wide in this fight. Plastics have been earmarked by the big guns as the profitable, wonder child of the future due to electric car growth. And a fight like this isn’t, obviously, to be won easily or quickly. For us, at CCAPP, we mostly succeed in not being over-whelmed because we are a community of fighters. We set goals and try tasks. Think of Suffrage or the Civil Rights movement — battles won — in time — and we’re still working on those. Change can happen.
So, please, instead of being discouraged by seeing a pile of plastic debris or a photo of a seal with plastic in its mouth, buy something else — when you can. Or get creative. You’re doing your part.
Happiness in the holidays.
Jo Yanow-Schwartz
Woodstock
No one is rich, no one is poor
Elon is the richest man on earth, but he will be the poorest man on Mars.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Join the family! 
