Implemented a curbside pickup program for yard waste (2008-present)

Rhinebeck Village runs a free-of-charge yard waste curbside pickup program for residents (Village Policy, Chapter 38, Brush and Yard Waste Removal).

On the scheduled dates, the Highway Department gathers tree branches and other brush at curbside with front-end loader tractors working with dump trucks. The Highway Department sucks up Fall leaves, which residents pile curbside separately, with a special vacuum tube truck. The Village government recycles the collected yard waste into mulch, processed at the Highway Department garage on rte 308 with a partner who charges the Village for grinding. The Rhinebeck Village Highway Department sells the mulch for $20/yard, with free delivery to residents.

The program is a success not only climate-wise but also financially. In the year 2017/18, for example, yard waste produced over 650 yards of mulch and over $12,000 in revenue for the Village ($3500 net after paying for the $8500 grinding), with mulch going to any Village resident who wants it.

Running a waste reduction campaign (2018-present)

Along with Red Hook, Tivoli and the town/village of Rhinebeck, these municipalities joined together to see if a larger solution could be explored—one that could speak to the area’s need to address food waste. Note that Drawdown science earmarks this as a top contributor to emissions.

This inter-municipal group undertook public engagement and education paired with research to see how a solution could work, and how the community would respond. At the direction of the this inter-municipal group, Emma Elbaum, an intern from Bard’s Center for Environmental Policy program, implemented a project to outreach to village residents and restaurants to inquire about their interest in a curb-side or drop-off food waste program. Unfortunately, residents, who are already paying individually for private trash and recycling hauling, had expectations that a village-run program would be free, as is the yard waste pickup program. Nonetheless, it was an excellent opportunity to raise awareness and get a conversation going about the ramifications of food waste.

The Village’s CSC Task Force plans to continue the food waste reduction education and engagement aspects of this project, and continue to search for solutions that will be cost-effective for residents. You can view CSC Task Force member Corinna Borden’s food waste presentation, which she gave at Starr Library in January 2020.

Installed electric vehicle (EV) charging stations (2018)

The Village installed public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at the firehouse parking lot. These are open to the public 24/7.

Conducted a tree canopy inventory and created a management plan (2019)

The Village engaged Davey Tree Expert Company to map our “urban forest” tree canopy. We had them set up a publicly viewable web interface.

Forged inter-municipal agreements in innovative ways (2019)

The Village and Town of Rhinebeck came together to create new ways of cooperating for the greater good. Together, we passed our Inter-Municipal Agreement to combine and streamline plow routes to be more efficient and therefore lower our shared GHG emissions.

Assessed the climate vulnerability of our drinking water source (the Hudson River) and our water treatment plant (2016-2017)

Our Water Treatment Plant is located on the banks of the Hudson River. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, then Trustee Heinz Sauer became concerned about this vulnerability. Sea-level rise on the Hudson River (which is tidal) combined with more frequent and more intense storms didn’t bode well.

Firstly, the Village government undertook a research phase, looking into the vulnerability of our drinking water infrastructure because of climate change. The Village is now at the next phase of the work to address those vulnerabilities and protect our Low lift Pump stations at the Water Treatment Plant from sea level rise. The Village Board approved a contract for $24,000 for this project that included the installation of 4 flood vents in the lift station, building stands to elevate the vacuum pumps a minimum of 3 feet, replacing an existing sump pump, and refinishing the basement of the pump station with epoxy paint. Village Water Department employees did the painting. The project will come in below the budgeted amount.

One final piece: the climate vulnerability assessment has brought to light the risk to our drinking water because of sea-level rise and the encroachment of salt water further up the tidal Hudson River. The salt comes north only during a drought situation. We've seen this as far north as the IBM plant, but never to the Poughkeepsie or Hyde Park Water treatment plants, which would impact those who get their water from the Hudson. The drought situation would lessen the impact of the sea level rise, which is expected to be 17 inches when combined with a super storm event.

It's been felt by the Hudson 7 committee that this risk of this salt water intrusion is less than other issues we are trying to tackle, such as the likelihood of an oil spill on the Hudson necessitating a coordinated recovery/containment response.

Built partnerships with other entities (2017-present)

In 2017, the Village and Town of Rhinebeck created the Joint Town/Village of Rhinebeck Environmental Committee.

Rhinebeck Village also partnered with seven other entities, which each get their drinking water from the Hudson River, to create an inter-municipal group known as the Hudson 7. Village mayor, Gary Bassett, chairs the group. Together, the Hudson 7 worked with Riverkeeper on a ground-breaking report, detailing our shared relationship to the Hudson River and assessing our watersheds which flow into it.

Assessed our watershed & researched the repair of riparian buffers (2018-present)

In addition to the water-focused research that flows from our participation in the Hudson 7, Rhinebeck Village has also partnered with Marist College’s Professor Richard Feldman, Ph.D., and his environmental science and policy class. Students researched flooding of the Landsman Kill and Crystal Lake and its Asher Dam, including interviewing waterfront property owners. They then created a predictive model which could tip off the Mayor as to when to open the valves at Asher Dam as a preventative measure.

The Marist College research project also made recommendations to the Village to mitigate flooding and erosion through natural plantings in riparian buffer zones. The project also pointed out a need for policymaking in regard to stormwater.

For the spring semester of 2020, Prof Feldman paired up with another Marist professor, Christopher Algozzine, who teaches computer science. His students will be coding the predictive model into a usable interface, setting up a sensor to be installed in the Landsman Kill, and tying in hyper-local weather data from the weather station at Rhinebeck High School.