CLEARWATER’S HUDSON RIVER ZERO WASTE INITIATIVE RECEIVES AWARD

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos this week recognized seven organizations for their state-of-the-art programs and commitment to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and economic viability at the 14th Annual New York State Environmental Excellence Awards, including Hudson River Sloop Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival Zero Waste Initiative. At the event, the awards were presented by DEC acting Chief of Staff Julie Tighe.

The Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival (Revival) draws up to 20,000 attendees, in addition to at least 1,500 volunteers, musicians, and vendors. Event coordinators offer a sustainable event that actively engages attendees in waste reduction, recycling, composting, and sustainable living. Composting and recycling stations are conveniently set up around the festival grounds and trained volunteers help people put things in correct bins and take care of materials disposed of incorrectly. The event has, over the past several years, diverted a 80 percent of waste from landfill including 4 tons of recyclables and 33 tons of compostable material.

Steve Lurie, Clearwater Festival Director, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, said, “Thank you to the New York State DEC for this prestigious award. More than fifty years ago, Pete and Toshi Seeger founded what we now call Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival or The Clearwater Festival. Our Zero Waste program grew out of Toshi’s original Litter Picking Committee. Today, Zero Waste is truly a team effort consisting of more than seventy volunteers led by our wonderful coordinators MJ Wilson and Susan Mayer, Clearwater Festival staff, our vendors as well as the great staff at Croton Point Park.”