A good number of North Fork farms and businesses practice sustainability, says Peconic Green Growth executive director Glynis Berry — and an event her organization is hosting this weekend will showcase those efforts.
NoFo BLUE + GREEN Tours + Workshops and Best Sustainable Practices for Bays, Farms, Backyard and Gardens takes place Saturday, June 6, from noon to 7 p.m. at Heron Suites Hotel at Port of Egypt in Southold. A wine reception will be held that same day from 5 to 7 p.m.
“As a nonprofit, we’ve been doing a lot of research sort of behind the scenes and doing work with the government, so we wanted to start introducing different topics to the general public,” said Berry, whose Riverhead organization focuses on water quality issues. “So this is one of our first attempts, other than presentations with specific groups, to kind of pull people in.”
Activities will take place throughout Saturday at Port of Egypt, including film screenings, workshops and a panel discussion about alternative ways of treating wastewater.
“It’s time for homeowners to start learning about their own wastewater systems,” Berry said.
Participants are also invited to tour 10 local venues, including Cornell Marine Center in Riverhead, which has installed a rain garden; 8 Hands Farm in Cutchogue, a sustainable sheep farm; KK’s the Farm in Southold, which practices biodynamic farming; and the Greenport gallery of environmental artist Cindy Pease Roe. During the event’s wine reception, keynote speaker John Holzapfel of Orient will discuss the history of oyster farming.
“We want to celebrate what people are doing that’s good, that helps move us in a sustainable direction,” Berry said. “We want to showcase that.”
Whether it’s eschewing pesticides or making the decision to stop purchasing bottled water, the hope is that NoFo BLUE + GREEN participants will walk away from the event with the understanding that the health of Mother Nature is essentially in their hands.
“Everybody wants to do something for the environment,” said Edwina von Gal, president of Perfect Earth Project in East Hampton. During the event, she’ll deliver a lecture about understanding the role of native plants in landscaping. “This is a great opportunity for people to find out exactly what they can do to help effect change,” she said.
Berry agreed.
“I hope people start realizing that they can start doing things that have an impact,” she said. “Everybody always thinks, ‘Well, what I do won’t change the world,’ but in fact, when a lot of people start doing something, it does.”
Order tickets now
Tickets to NoFo BLUE + GREEN cost $20 in advance and $25 the day of the event. Children under 6 are free. Admission includes access to all aspects of the event. To purchase, go to peconicgreengrowthtour2015.mydagsite.com. For more information, go to peconicgreengrowth.org.
