Announcing the 2024 FHA/GREEN SCENE Annual Fall Recycling Event

 FOR FEARRINGTON AND GALLOWAY RIDGE RESIDENTS ONLY.

FHA In Partnership with The GREEN SCENE

Saturday, October 19, 2024  Only Between 9:00am and Noon

3 Events — 1 Day: Gathering Place Parking Lot.  

THIS EVENT IS SPONSORED BY THE FHA.

1. FREE SHREDDING

Have your confidential documents destroyed on-site, free of charge. Watch as Shimar Recycling Inc. shreds your documents.

Guidelines:

• Bound paper stacks one inch thick or more need to be separated 
• Remove rubber bands and heavy banker's paper clips from papers 
• Paper should not be in binders or heavy plastic.

• In addition to the bulleted items listed above, If you bring paper in Banker’s Boxes or file storage boxes (both of which are size 24x12x10) to be shredded, NOTE that there is a limit of such paper content from ONLY up to a maximum of 5 (five) such boxes that will be accepted for shredding.   

2. PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE DISPOSAL

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Department will be available to safely dispose of all your old, unused, or expired prescription medications safely and legally.

All you need to do is leave them in the original packaging and hand them to the sheriff deputy on duty at the Gathering Place. No liquid medication or "sharps" (needles) are accepted. Remember: NEVER FLUSH medicines as they cause environmental issues.  

AN ALTERNATIVE TO THROWING AWAY YOUR CURRENT UNUSED, UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES: consider donating them to Chatham Cares Community Pharmacy [CCCP] in Siler City, a non-profit community-based organization operated by a licensed pharmacist and committed to reducing health disparities by providing access to quality pharmacy services to the low-income, uninsured, and underinsured residents of Chatham County. Read all about it here.

3. FIRE EXTINGUISHER CHECK Fall 2024 Information -- Stopping Fires In Your Home With Smoke Alarms And Fire Extinguishers. 

The mission of the North Chatham Volunteer Fire Department is to protect lives, property and the community environment from the destructive effects of fire, disaster or other life hazards by providing public education, incident prevention and emergency response services. The department will have staff and firefighters on hand at the event to check your fire extinguisher and to advise on how to safely use it. 

_____________________________________

REMEMBER that we are no longer able to accept Household Hazardous Waste at our events; however, the County Will Accept Such Waste on This Same Day.

One of Chatham County’s 2024 Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Events will be held on this same day (October 19, 2024) at the County’s Main Recycling Facility approximately 13 miles from Fearrington Village, at [click the address for a MAP] 28 County Services Road, (which is just 6 miles west of Pittsboro, off Hwy 64), between 9:00 am - 3:00 pm on the following schedule:

After the County's May event, there will be six more REMAINING 2024 COUNTY HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE EVENTS scheduled for the following Saturdays 

(Chatham County Residents Only). No decal is required. Must show ID at HHW events.

• May 18
• June 15
• July 20*
• August 17
• September 21
• October 19
• November 16*

*The Sheriff’s Office will be on-site during these HHW events to conduct a medicine takeback. Learn more details below.

No business waste and no trash will be accepted.

Note that household fire extinguishers must be recycled at one of these scheduled Hazardous Waste Collection Events and cannot be recycled at the County regional Collection Centers. If it is from a business it will NOT be accepted at HHW events. Contact a private company for disposal options.

At HHW events, the county accepts such items as oil-based paints, solvents, stains, bleach, aerosols, cleaners, pesticides, brake fluid, fluorescent light bulbs, propane tanks, etc. Residents can bring 20 gallons of latex paint cans per HHW event. If you have a 1-gallon paint can that has half a gallon of paint in it, it will count as 1 gallon. Latex paint can be safely dried out and put in with your regular trash.

For a complete list, please visit the www.chathamcountync.gov/hhw or contact the Solid Waste & Recycling Division at 919-542-5516 or recycle@chathamcountync.gov.

For information on what items are accepted by the County's HHW program, be sure to visit their website.

Fearrington Green Scene October 2024 Meeting

 

Green Scene Meeting Wednesday
October 9, 2024

What About The Deer???

 

Join us at 11:00 AM at The Gathering Place for a presentation by April Boggs Pope, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission's 

DEER BIOLOGIST.

                  

              

April earned her B.S. degree in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at N.C. State University in 2015. Subsequently in May 2019, she earned her Masters degree in the same subject, also at N.C. State.  April joined the NC Wildlife Resources Commission in October of 2019 and became the Commission's "Deer Biologist" in January of this year.

April will be speaking with us about her education and work background as they relate to "understanding how different levels of urbanization affect deer, how people perceive deer, and factors impacting deer populations and population management strategies."

Her informative presentation will include a wrap up Q & A period with an opportunity for attendees to be able to voice questions and/or concerns relating to the significant deer population in Fearrington Village.

Please join us for an enlightening experience  -  and maybe even bring a friend.

Mark your calendars, and spread the word!

Jason Welsch, Moderator
Fearrington Green Scene
Cell Phone: 914-806-4852
Email Questions, Replies, and/or Comments to: janemcw@aol.com

Green Scene June 12, 2024 Meeting Program

 Large Room at The Gathering Place, 11:00 AM till Noon

Email Questions, Replies, and/or Comments to: janemcw@aol.com

Topic: Screening & Discussing the Feature Length Environmental Documentary Film Gardening for the Planet

Come along and be prepared for an eye-opening experience!

Note As Each Year, There Will Be No Summer July & August Meetings.

In May 2023, our neighbor from Briar Chapel, Jerilyn Maclean, a locally recognized authority on native plants, gave a presentation at our monthly Green Scene meeting. Jerilyn’s enlightening and enthusiastic program turned out to be the spark of inspiration for a talented Fearrington Village filmmaker, Joanne Hershfield, to explore the possibility of producing a feature-length documentary about the importance of native plants in the ecology of the world in general, and North Carolina in particular. 

The result was the production of Gardening for the Planet, an approximately one-hour film that had its world premiere at the Longleaf Film Festival at Raleigh’s North Carolina Museum of History on May 11, 2024. The film contains a variety of experienced plant, animal, and environmental authorities, along with stunning visual scenes, to convey an important message about the current and future well-being of our world.     

We will be screening Gardening for the Planet, and Joanne Hershfield will be on hand to participate in a Q&A session at the conclusion of the film.

Planning Ahead  -  note that on Saturday, October 19, 2024 from 9:00 AM until Noon, at The Gathering Place parking lot, we will be having our FHA/Green Scene 3-in-1 Fall Event (see the complete details on this link).  This will be your next convenient opportunity to take advantage of free paper shredding, un-needed pharmaceuticals disposal, and picking up some fire prevention information.

Mark your calendars, and spread the word !

All are welcome to this ( free ) educational presentation.

Jason Welsch, Moderator
Fearrington Green Scene
Cell Phone: 914-806-4852
Email Questions, Replies, and/or Comments to: janemcw@aol.com

Chatham Conversations - Protecting our Natural Environment

You may be interested in this conversation in the spirit of the Braver Angels movement:

Chatham Conversations - Protecting our Natural Environment

Saturday, June 29th, 2024

Come join the conversation about environmental impact in Chatham County!

The Environmental Defense Fund, with support from the Braver Angels Alliance of Central North Carolina, invites you to be part of a pilot program that brings everyday Americans together to help find environmental solutions that work to make the biggest difference in our communities today and into the future.

In our current social atmosphere of distrust and political polarization, it can be hard for all voices to be heard. The Environmental Defense Fund, a non-partisan organization, recognizes the value of respectful citizen-to-citizen engagement in fostering healthy debates and creative problem-solving to address important environmental challenges that impact everyone.

This workshop provides the opportunity for you to have one-on-one conversations with other Chatham County citizens who may have different perspectives and experiences. There will also be group discussions to help discover common ground and innovative ideas on key environmental issues and possible solutions.

 The goal is for you to leave this workshop with greater confidence that meaningful citizen engagement and cross-party collaboration can create positive changes and improve environmental health in Chatham County and beyond.

Saturday June 29: Option 1: 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM Option 2: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Event Space: 79°West Coworking Space & Innovation Hub

Address: 120 Mosaic Blvd #120, Pittsboro, NC

Note: Refreshments will be provided, and you will also receive a $50 gift card for your participation.

Click Here to Register

After Action Report on the May 18, 2024 FHA/Green Scene Annual Spring 3-in-1 Recycling Event

Thanks to all the volunteers for their generous contribution of time, talent and labor, and to all the residents who participated in the event, the FHA / Green Scene Spring Event on Saturday May 18, 2024 was another resounding success ! The success of such important community events obviously depends upon the efforts of a significant number of people before, during, and afterward.

We had 210 vehicles pass through the process. They brought 4,644 pounds (2.32 tons) of paper to be shredded   -  which is now on the way to a toilet paper factory in Georgia to be "reprocessed" into a useful product.

2.32 tons of recycled paper saves approximately 40 trees, the energy equivalent of 1,383 gallons of gasoline, 7 cubic yards of landfill space, 9,280 kilowatts of energy, and 16,240 gallons of water. This represents a 135% water savings, and 140 pounds less air pollution!  That's because one tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.

The Chatham County Sheriff's Department collected 35.5 pounds of unneeded pharmaceuticals.  That's a lot of pills.  In fact, a 36% increase from the 26.1 pounds collected at our October 2023 Event. And the enthusiastic members of the North Chatham  Volunteer Fire Department distributed a variety of fire prevention tips to help keep our homes safe and secure from the risk of fires.

In addition to expressing my appreciation to all of you on site volunteers, I would also like to acknowledge the financial support of the FHA Board in funding the Shimar Recycling Shredding Truck.  And also for the very helpful blast email event "reminder" that Communications Director, Tony Carroll, sent to the entire community prior to the event.  

Kudos as well to Grounds, Infrastructure, Facilities, etc. Director, Patrick McGahan, for conceptualizing and then CREATING the NEW SHED in The Gathering Place parking lot. The new shed has already demonstrated its value by providing much needed, convenient, storage space to be used for items that support a variety of outdoor Gathering Place activities ( such as signs, road cones, tools, etc. ).  One of the first items to find a new home in "The Shed" is a large, free standing Umbrella   -  useful for protecting volunteer workers from rain and sun in activities such as the FHA / Green Scene,Spring and Fall Events.  We are grateful to Gillian and Gene Rogers for donating that Umbrella to the Fearrington FHA. Despite the dubious weather forecast, we were fortunate not have even one drop of rain during the event.

Planning ahead, consider circling the third Saturday in October (October 19, 2024) on your calendar, when we will have the opportunity to replicate our spring community recycling efforts.

Jason Welsch

Moderator, Fearrington Green Scene

Forbes Technology Council -- Clearing The Air: Why Carbon Storage Must Be Part Of The Solution

Council Post: Clearing The Air: Why Carbon Storage Must Be Part Of The Solution

When people talk about the climate crisis, they tend to agree on one primary solution: Cut carbon dioxide emissions.

Fearrington Village Green's Scene May 08, 2024 Meeting Program

Large Room at The Gathering Place, 11:00 AM till Noon

Email Questions, Replies, and/or Comments to: janemcw@aol.com 

On Wednesday, May 8, our 11:00 AM Green Scene Meeting at The Gathering Place will feature a presentation by Seth Darling, Ph.D.  (https://www.anl.gov/profile/seth-b-darling). Seth is the son of our very own Roz and Jon Darling, and he will be speaking to us via Zoom (on the "big screens" in The Gathering Place), from his position at the Argonne National Laboratory ("ANL") in Lemont, Illinois.

Topic: Some Scientific "Bright Lights" As ANL Works to Improve Our Nation's Water/Air Quality”

The ANL is the first and largest national laboratory in the midwest, employing more than 1000 scientists, is owned by the United States Department of Energy, and operated in conjunction with the University of Chicago.

Seth is the Chief Science and Technology Officer of the Advanced Energy Technologies Directorate at ANL. He also directs the Advanced Materials for Energy-Water Systems (AMEWS) Center. His research activities have produced pioneering work on the development of new materials for energy and water processing, including membrane materials for water filtration (Smart Water Solutions).

Come and learn about some "state of the art" initiatives that are being explored on our road to addressing the nation's water quality and atmospheric carbon reduction.

Thanks to Fred Morris and Preston Thomas, if time allows we will have the capability for some Q&A following the presentation.

Fearrington Green Scene March 13. 2024 Meeting Program

It’s evident that North Carolina, and Chatham County in particular, is undergoing significant population growth. The management and oversight of this growth fall under the purview of various government agencies, with the Chatham County Planning Department playing a crucial role.

At our March 13th meeting, 31 residents attended the program presented by FOUR members from the Chatham County Planning Department team who discussed the nature of their work, covering Current and Long Range Planning projects, including the UDO (Unified Development Ordinance)  & Drafting, The Comprehensive Chatham County Plan (Plan Chatham 2017), Plan Moncure, Transportation Planning, & Conservation and Resiliency Planning, and shed light on how the ongoing expansion of Fearrington Village, alongside neighboring communities such as Briar Chapel, might unfold in the foreseeable future.

After each team member spoke, there was an engaged Q&A session at the end. This was a fantastic opportunity to gain insights into local planning initiatives and voice any questions or concerns from those attending the program.

Additionally:

Our friends at Briar Chapel Green Scene have extended an invitation to any interested Fearrington residents to attend educational events on a Group Solar Program. A solar designer from Southern Energy Management, Inc will discuss the environmental and cost benefits of solar energy + battery storage, as well as the process of installing solar panels on your home. Meetings will take place at the Briar Chapel Clubhouse on the following dates:

• March 11th, 10 - 11:30 AM

• March 12th, 7 - 8:30 PM

• March 16th, 10 - 11:30 AM

Don't miss out on these informative sessions that could help you explore sustainable energy options for your home.  A golden opportunity to gather information that could prove valuable in possibly evaluating proposals from different solar firms, including a few others who have done installations in Fearrington.

As always, all residents of Fearrington Village and Galloway Ridge are welcome to attend our ( free ) educational presentations.

Jason Welsch, Moderator
Fearrington Green Scene
Cell Phone: 914-806-4852
Email Questions, Replies, and/or Comments to: janemcw@aol.com

United Nations Concerned About PFAS "Forever Chemicals" in North Carolina Water

 

United Nations criticizes 'forever chemical' contamination in North Carolina

 Use the blue hotlink above to open the full article and to view the short related 4 minute 28 seconds video. 

February 22, 2024 -- Experts from the United Nations issued a statement this week criticizing companies for chemical contamination in North Carolina. In a statement, a group from the U.N. that included Marcos Orellana, special rapporteur on toxics and human rights, called out chemical companies DuPont and Chemours. "Even as DuPont and Chemours had information about the toxic impacts...

Chatham County (NC) Shredded Mulch Sales Saturdays March 2024 Through May 2024 / 7:30 AM - 12:00 PM

28 County Services Road, Pittsboro, NC 27330

Saturday mulch sales will take place on the following Saturdays:

• March 2

• March 9

• March 16

• March 23

• April 6

• April 13

• April 20

• April 27

• May 4

• May 11

• May 18

Saturday mulch sales are from 7:30 am to Noon at Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling Main Facility- 28 County Services Road, Pittsboro.

Mulch sales will take place on Saturdays ONLY from March through May.

There are no mulch sales March 30, due to Easter.

Mulch is $5 per scoop; each scoop is about one cubic yard. We will load large trailers and dump trucks only with a large scoop for $10 per scoop. Note: Saturday sales are cash or check only.

We load, you haul. All loads of mulch MUST be secured. Learn more about securing your load. Tarps are available for purchase at the Main Facility and during mulch sales. The tarps for $3 each and are 6 x 8 feet.