Activities

Tour the Recycling Center & Environmental Education Center

Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority
www.rocklandrecycles.com

The Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority created the Herb Reisman Environmental Education Center to provide a place where the public could learn about all of our environmental programs and services.

Groups can tour the Interactive Environmental Education Center to learn how their waste is recycled, reused and consolidated for disposal in landfills.

Tour the Education and Recycling Center to learn more about ways your family or business can Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. See how the choices we make impact our environment and ultimately, ourselves.

Walk Through the Native Plants Garden

Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority

The RCSWMA Native Plants Garden shows visitors low-maintenance gardening with environmental and aesthetic benefits. Visitors can easily imagine using native plants in their own home garden or in other public spaces. Some benefits of Landscaping with native plants include:
Beauty.
Reduced erosion and flooding. Native plants promote improved soil structure for holding and absorbing water.
Water conservation. Natives are drought-resistant, eliminating the need for sprinkler systems.
Using native plants reduces or eliminates use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.
By practicing ecological landscaping, even on a small scale, any homeowner can positively impact the local environment.

Compost Bin & Rain Barrel Pre-Sale

Provided by Brand Builders

Source reduction is one of the most efficient means of managing waste. Backyard composting reduces our waste stream while providing us with valuable soil amendment for growing plants.

Rain barrels allow for the natural collection of rain water for use in watering your garden or landscape and conserve water.

Both items will be available for purchase during Environmental Day as a pre-sale. Items will be available for pick-up after the event. Details will be provided. Compost Bins $55 and Rain Barrels $75.

Solar Powered Merry-Go-Round

Home Spun Merry-Go-Round
www.homespunmerrygoround.com

Since its creation, Al Gori has been making his Merry-Go-Round available for a wide variety of charitable events, parties big and small throughout the northeast.

The main vertical assembly is actually the rear axle of a 1968 Dodge Dart fitted with a washing machine motor and other reclaimed mechanical power transmission components. Turning at a gentle 4 rpm, it can carry 2 passengers up to 250 lbs. each.

Other recycled parts have made their way into Mr.Gori's creation. The animated snake and monkey are driven by windshield wiper motors. The base is from a large file cabinet. He calls his craft of finding new and fun uses for old junk "Savage Salvage": the art of getting something for nothing.

The Bossy Frog Band
www.bossyfrog.com

The Bossy Frog Band is a fun and funky musical experience for children, young and old. Led by Jeffrey Friedberg, certified music therapist, on banjo, The Bossy Frog Band creates a safe environment for children to let loose and discover the world around them.

Songs are composed specifically to facilitate growth socially, personally, cognitively, and physically. Children will dance, sing and immerse themselves in the Bossy Frog experience. The witty and catchy tunes fully engage children while providing them opportunities to grow and develop.

Balloon Artist

Do Me A Favor Balloons & Parties
www.theverybestparties.com

Do Me A Favor is a family owned and operated full service event company located in Rockaway Borough, NJ. We are proud to be the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut tri-state area’s premier source for event planning, event decorating, party equipment rentals and event entertainment.

Face Painting, Tattoos & Green Your Hair Dye

Visit our kid’s activity tent tailored especially for the little ones! Have your face painted by one of our student volunteers….get an environmental tattoo…or show your green support with a green hair braid.

 Radio Control Airplane Show & Simulators

Courtesy of Rockland County Radio Control Club
www.rcrcc.com

The Rockland County Radio Control Club is one of the oldest and most well respected organizations in Rockland, dedicated to the hobby-sport of radio controlled model aircraft.

RCRCC is a not-for-profit club of modelers that fly both small indoor aircraft and larger outdoor models. The club is located at the Clarkstown Model Aerodrome in West Nyack, NY.

Green Flix Movie: “Bag It…are you too plastic?”
www.bagitmovie.com

Americans use 60,000 plastic bags every five minutes-single-use disposable bags that we mindlessly throw away. But where is "away?" Where do the bags and other plastics end up, and at what
cost to our environment, marine life and human health?
Are plastic bags really necessary? What are plastic bags made from? What happens to plastic bags after they are discarded? See how our crazy-for-plastic world has finally caught up with us and what we can do about it.

Meet the “Bag Monster”

www.bagmonster.com

How many plastic bags do you use in a year? The average American uses approximately 500 bags in one year. These flighty bags end up in trees, along roadsides and washed up on sea shores.

Meet the Bag Monster for a visual demonstration on the impact single-use plastic bags have on our environment. Kid friendly!

Learn How to Compost

Provided by Cornell Cooperative Extension
www.rocklandcce.org

Our local Cornell Cooperative Extension will be providing demonstrations on how to compost at home. Learn how to turn food and yard waste into valuable compost for use in your garden or landscaping.

Composting our organic waste not only conserves resources and landfill space, it provides valuable nutrition for your plants and improves soil quality.

See Worms That Compost (Vermicomposting)

Provided by Cornell Cooperative Extension

Did you know that Red Wiggler Worms can you’re your food waste into valuable compost? Learn how to set up a worm compost bin at home or in your classroom. Reduce your waste by composting food scraps.

Plant-A-Seed

Provided by the Rockland Farm Alliance
www.rocklandfarm.org

Teach children the value of planting your own flowers and produce by visiting the Plant-A-Seed Station. Children will fill reused newspaper pots with soil and a seed. They will learn how to water and nurture their seed until it is ready for spring planting.

Organic Plant Sale

Provided by the Rockland Farm Alliance

Rockland Farm Alliance is a community coalition that was founded to facilitate local sustainable agriculture in Rockland County, NY, and to provide educational resources to the community to promote awareness of the need for local food resources.

Planning your garden? Visit their tent located in the Native Plants Garden to purchase organic plants grown in the Authority’s on-site greenhouse and at the former family-owned Cropsey Farm.

Cooking With Wild Edibles

Provided by Suburban Foragers
www.suburbanforagers.com

Suburban Foragers is a team of environmental educators, specializing in wild foods, herbal remedies and primitive skills.  The Foragers organize workshops and group events at locations in Rockland County and the Hudson region.  

Their fully interactive website offers informative articles, videos and quick tips that are regularly updated to reflect the seasons, and the latest adventures that the group organizes.  Some of their more popular activities include, foraging, gourmet cooking with wild foods, making folk medicines, friction fire making, shelter building, flint knapping and tool making.

Their workshops and courses for both beginners and experienced wild crafters can be booked through their web site. Members of the group will be on hand to help identify wild edible plants and to demonstrate ways of preparing tasty dishes.

Environmentally Friendly Books & Music

Piermont artist presents hands-on fun with music and environmentally-friendly books!
www.puddlejumppress.com

Award-winning illustrator Betsy Franco Feeney has collaborated with celebrated singer/songwriter Christine Lavin to create two books and songs all about the environment. AMOEBA HOP is a highly imaginative tale about what takes place in a puddle of water and for their efforts, the duo received a "Best Books Award" from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Their brand new book,  HOLE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, is a hopeful tale on how using renewable energy may help save wildlife with little harm to the environment. An early review by Kirkus, "the world's toughest book critics" says,  "If the fate of the planet is in children's hands, then reading them books like this one might be a wise idea."  A percentage of the proceeds go to the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association. 

Ramapo Saltbox Environmental Research Center

Tours will be provided of the Ramapo Saltbox. The Town of Ramapo, in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland, is re-assembling a two hundred year old Ramapo Saltbox Iron Workers house. Under the direction of Cornell Environmental Educator Chuck Stead, this example of 19th century American architecture is being built and reconstructed by a consortium of students from grade school to graduate level and will serve as a museum/classroom/research center for students of all ages.  

The old building demonstrates early American architecture and woodworking techniques but will meet all contemporary building codes.   Since Autumn 2011, Stead has been tutoring interns and students at the site --- teaching the old style building techniques as well as conducting classes in environmental history and science.

Button Making

Provided by the NYSDEC

Show your support by designing your own environmental pin. Visit the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s table exhibit in the main exhibitor’s tent.