Earth Day 2013

6TH ANNUAL

Saturday, April 27th 10 AM – 4 PM RAIN DATE SUNDAY, APRIL 28

Newtown Middle School, Queen Street MAJOR SPONSORES TM

THIS SUPPLEMENT COURTESY OF THE NEWTOWN BEE

2 - Earth Day 2013

About The primary mission of the Newtown Earth Day Festival is to foster education and awareness of environmental stewardship through project participation and collaboration with local associations. Held annually in April, this community event will bring together schools, municipal and charitable organizations, sustainable vendors, and no-profits, in a synergistic celebration of good deeds for our space on the planet.

Organized by various members of our community, the festival will provide a forum for residents of all ages to become more engaged in the collective consciousness and responsibility we owe to the health of Newtown – and to our overall region’s soil, air, and water.

To help make a difference, a portion of all monies collected will now be slated for supporting a “green” scholarship at Newtown High School.

Interested in Becoming Involved?

Please Reach Out!

Chairmen Terrence Ford tford1966@gmail.com Dan Holmes dan@holmesfinegardens.com Communications Coordinators Bill Buchler buchlerbill@gmail.com Rob Kaiser rob@ihomano.com Vendor Coordinators Guy Peterson guy.peterson@ newtownforestassociation.org Brad Paynter bradzilla@gmail.com Music & Food Coordinator Aaron Coopersmith aaroncoop@gmail.com Lions Club “Lose the Litter” Ed Miklaszewski ed.miklaszewski@yahoo.com School Coordinator Heather Smith hmsmith@iglide.net Volunteer Coordinator Sondra Bradford Jennings sondrabj@crystalpengroup.com Activities Coordinator Barbara Toomey bhtoomey@yahoo.com Marlyse Duguid marlyse.duguid@gmail.com

The Newtown Bee - April 19, 2013

Newtown Earth Day Festival Saturday, April 27 10am-4pm Newtown Middle School, Queen Street SPRING INTO EARTH DAY! Our 6th Annual Festival will be “chock-full” of family activities and several educational opportunities to help sharpen your “eco-knowledge.” This year we are focusing on activities for the kids and will have a ton of exciting hands-on fun for everyone!

The Lions Clubs “Lose the Litter” Join your friends and neighbors to clean up Newtown’s streets. Gift certificates for free ice cream Sundaes from Ferris Acres Creamery are hidden around town and your team may be the lucky crew to win one as you “tackle the trash”!

Bands and Performances Earth Day Stage Schedule

Saturday, April 27, 2013 Brett Boles — Newtown award-winning musical theater composer Newtown Youth Voices with Jim Allyn Housatonic Valley Waldorf School Graceful Planet SunDad – Father/son world fusion, new age jam band Time and Again – Infectious rock/ska from NHS The Shout Backs — Outlaw string band with a moonshine heart & stomp-your-feet soul The Blue Grass Collective of Newtown

Earth Day Kid’s Section Drum Circle with Cadence Carroll; NYA Obstacle Course with Cody Foss; Flash Mob Dance Workshop & Family Yoga with Graceful Planet; Predator-Prey and Food Web Tag; Recycling Toss; T-Shirt Crafts; Make Your Own Birdfeeders with EverWonder Children’s Museum; Tie-Dying with “The Fun Bus”; Seed Balls and Pottings; Kids Crafts with Nancy Diperrio; Worm Composting with Transition Newtown; Bee-Keeping with Jeff Schwartz; Knitting with Nicole Christensen

Birds of Prey Exhibit Sponsored by the good folk at The Sharon Audubon Center, this is your chance to meet one of their hawks and owls up close and personal. Hurt in the wild and now cared for by Sharon Audubon, these magnificent birds are the ambassadors for their species. Stop by to learn about these wonderful aviators and the Audubon’s work in rehabbing and releasing them.

Brave Our Interactive, Educational, & Earth-Friendly Environmental Maze Constructed with bamboo and laid-out on the front lawn of the Middle School, our maze is a fun-filled opportunity for kids of all ages to learn about the environment. With numbered junctions where you’ll need to answer questions from a guide sheet – a correct choice will lead you in the right direction, a wrong one will bring you to a dead end – how fast can you get through it?

Enjoy Tasty Food & Drinks Come hungry and make plans to either grab lunch, some tasty snacks, or great beverages while browsing our festival. Featuring Aquarian Caterers global cuisine, My Place pizza, Catering by Roxanne, and Biscotti Etc., our Food Court offers plenty of options for everyone!

AND DON’T MISS OUR VENDOR FAIR! From “green” merchants to school clubs and town associations, Newtown’s Earth Day Festival is the one place to learn how “easy it is to be green!”

Aquarian Caterers Aquarion Water Big Brothers Big Sisters of SWCT Foundation Biscotti Etc. LLC BrightCurrent Catering by Roxanne CT DEEP Wildlife Danielle Chaloux Wooden Pens DIGDEEP Water EnergyPRZ Events Party & Tent Rentals EverWonder Museum The Farmer’s Cow Garden Club of Newtown Graceful Planet Hawley School Holmes Fine Gardens Housatonic Valley Waldorf School

Iroquois Gas Jeff Shwartz Beekeeping Juice Plus+ Knot Your Bowl My Place Restaurant New Beginning (an Aveda Salon & Day Spa) The Newtown Bee Newtown Conservation Commission Newtown Economic Development Commission Newtown Forest Association, Inc. Newtown Girl Scouts – Troops 50599 & 50055 Newtown Lions Club Newtown Parks & Recreation Newtown Public Works Newtown Scholarship Association Newtown Sustainability Commission

Northeast Natural Medicine Origami Owl Living Lockets Peoples Products Popowich Chiropractic and Acupuncture Real Goods Solar Sandy Hook Arts Center for Kids (The S.H.A.C.K.) Sandy Hook Peaceful Arts (The Fun Bus) Sandy Hook Promise Sandy Hook School “Water for Life” Sandy Hook School “Project Eagle” Sharon Audubon “Birds of Prey” SOUND Stonehollow Inc. Taunton Press Transitions Newtown Two Coyotes Wilderness School Webb Mountain Discovery Zone

Become a Vendor!

Over the last five years, our festival has grown notably and we anticipate over 3,500 attendees and more than 50 local businesses at our Vendor Fair. To further promote Earth Day and our vendors, we have secured a stand-alone supplement in the Newtown Bee. Lend a Helping Hand With so much going on, we definitely need some extra helping hands with a number of projects (High School Students, this definitely counts towards your community service hours!). If you have time, please contact Sondra Bradford-Jennings at sondrabj@crystalpengroup.com.

UNDERWRITERS Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company, The Taunton Press, Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, Lions Club, Newtown Parks and Rec, The Newtown Bee, Events Party, Tent Rental & Aquarion Water.

www.newtownearthday.org

Awareness

Smiles

Education

Promotion for this year s event is being driven mostly by e-mails and a handful of posters and signs.

Please help our non-paper efforts by telling your friends, posting on Twitter, or linking to our Facebook page.

Earth Day 2013 - 3

April 19, 2013 - The Newtown Bee

Awareness, Smiles & Education At Newtown Earth Day Festival As we spring into April, Newtown’s Sixth Annual Earth Day Festival is already promising to be bigger and better than ever!

So join us Saturday, April 27, at the Newtown Middle School on Queen Street from 10 am to 4 pm.

A full-day of family fun and learning, the Festival is designed to highlight Newtown’s abundant natural resources and help our community become a bit “greener.” From kids’ activities, live music, and tasty food to our vendor fair, Silent Auction, and the Lions Club “Lose the Litter,” it promises to be a memorable day for the whole community.

To invest in the future, proceeds are supporting our annual “green” scholarship at Newtown High School.

From tons of kids’ activities (including The Fun Bus), a Birds of Prey exhibit, tasty food, and live music to a silent auction, litter pick-up, and a vendor fair, it’s a fun-filled day to help our community learn how to become a bit more green!

Clean Town with The Lions Clubs “Lose the Litter”: Join your friends and neighbors to clean up Newtown’s streets. Special prizes are hidden around town and your team may be the lucky crew to win one as you “tackle the trash!”

2013 Summer Camp Schedule DISCOVERERS Ages 3 - 7 years Location: Early Childhood Campus 40 Dodgingtown Road, Newtown Monday - Friday 9:00am - 3:00pm

$225 per week*

*Register after April 15: $250.00/week

WEEK 1: July 8-12 WEEK 2: July 15-19 WEEK 3: July 22-26 WEEK 4: July 29-Aug 2 WEEK 5: Aug 5-9 WEEK 6: Aug 12-16

EXPLORERS Ages 8 - 12 years

WEEK 1: July 8-12 July 15-19 Location: Grades Campus (child must turn 8 WEEK 2: prior to start WEEK 3: July 22-26 1 Jacklin Road, Newtown of camp week) WEEK 4: July 29-Aug 2 Monday - Friday WEEK 5: Aug 5-9 9:00am - 3:00pm $275 per week** WEEK 6: Aug 12-16 **Register after April 15: $295.00/week

Summer’s Garden Butterflies and Bugs Fairies, Knights and Dragons Water, Worms & Wonder Nature’s Child Hoes, Hands and Harvest

Archery Waldorf for a Week Waldorf for a Week Circus Arts Advanced Archery* Harvest Feast

* must have completed Archery at HVWS in Week 1 or in 2012.

Receive a

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For more information please contact camp office at 203.364.1113, ext 501 or email camp@waldorfct.org SIBLING DISCOUNT AVAILABLE. BEFORE AND AFTER CARE AVAILABLE

Discounts available for Pre-pay, and Before & After Camp combo.

4 - Earth Day 2013

The Newtown Bee - April 19, 2013

Celebrate Earth Day With The Farmer’s Cow Farmland Crunch Ice Cream

SOUND Beginnings CAMP SOUND BEGINNINGS CAMP *3 Weeks Only Children ages 5½ -9 will be introduced to a variety of creative and fun activities that are good for the mind, body, spirit and the earth too! Structured lessons in yoga, eco friendly art projects, drum circles, world music and games more will support self esteem, creativity and teamwork. And every day your child will make their own healthy snack using all natural and organic ingredients, with a visit to our own herb garden!

Each week we will delve into different countries and cultures celebrating the arts and awareness in a fun interconnected and interactive way! Our teachers our trained and certified.

*Tuesdays-Fridays 9:30-12:30 $165 per week (drop off begins at 9:15) Weeks of July 9,16, 23, Limited space Please Call with any questions regarding food allergies

Visit SoundCenterArts.com for details

203-270-1119 31 Hawleyville Rd. Newtown, CT

Stop by and see us.

Home Doctor of America making homes comfortable, healthy and safe while reducing your energy costs

Visit us at www.homedoctorofamerica.com or call 203-270-3433

Aquarion Proudly Supports Newtown’s Earth Day Festival

TM

The “crunch” is on to preserve farmland in Connecticut. Of the total 3.5 million acres of land in the Nutmeg State, only about 7 percent is actively farmed. Much of the prime agricultural land has disappeared at a rapid rate because it is flat and easy to develop into office parks, parking lots and housing developments — “the last crop.”

The farmers of The Farmer’s Cow know first-hand how important it is to preserve working farmland to produce local food for generations to come. To bring attention to this important issue, The Farmer’s Cow began producing Farmland Crunch ice cream. For every pint sold, The Farmer’s Cow will donate toward farmland preservation and the Connecticut Farmland Trust.

Farmland Crunch combines The Farmer’s Cow Hay! Hay! Hay! Vanilla mixed with chunks of butter crunch candy, roasted almonds, and chocolate chips all wrapped with a caramel swirl. It is a delicious way for people to support local farmland preservation.

Visitors to the Newtown Earth Day Festival can sample Farmland Crunch and buy a pint to take home. All proceeds from pints sold at the event will be donated to the Connecticut Farmland Trust.

The Farmer’s Cow is a group of six Connecticut dairy farms that produces fresh, local milk, half & half, heavy cream, ice cream, and other locally produced products for Southern New England. The company is managed by the six original farm families who started the business back in 2005.

These farms are Graywall Farms in Lebanon, Fairvue Farms in Woodstock, Hytone Farm in Coventry, Mapleleaf Farm in Hebron, Fort Hill Farms in Thompson, and Cushman Farms in Franklin. The Farmer’s Cow dairy products are pasteurized the “traditional way” and are never ultrapasteurized. The members of The Farmer’s Cow do not use artificial growth hormones (rBST) on any of their cows.

For additional information on The Farmer’s Cow and its activities, visit www.TheFarmersCow.com.

Stonehollow Fine Home Inspections To Talk About Radon Jason Horn of Stonehollow Home Inspections, based in Sandy Hook and Stamford, will be present at Newtown Earth Day Festival to talk about radon and water testing. Stonehollow specializes in residential and commercial presale inspections, water and radon testing, and termite inspections.

Jason, partner at Stonehollow and Sandy Hook resident, said, “Earth Day is a great venue to educate people about the dangers of radon in their

homes and water. I look forward to talking with Newtown residents about how to keep their homes safe.”

Stonehollow has been serving Fairfield County for more than 30 years and is member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). For additional information about the company, visit www.Stonehollow.com.

Jason con be contacted directly at Jason@stonehollow.com or 203-3049140.

Cider Mill Designs: Container Garden Specialist

AQUARION Two Coyotes Wilderness School Your kids will come home smelling like a campfire and covered in fun!

Cider Mill Designs is the Sandy Hook-based business of Kim Charles, an 18-year horticultural veteran and Certified Master Gardener specializing in four-season containers and garden revitalization. Her focus is on four-season container gardens, small-scale garden design projects, consultations, and terrarium creations. Container gardens include window boxes, urns, and hanging baskets.

Cider Mill Designs will plant whatev-

er you want or help you locate and purchase the planters you need but haven’t found. Containers can be planted for each season, including holiday greens or small shrubs for winter interest. Maintenance visits included weekly, monthly, or somewhere in between.

For additional information visit www.CiderMillDesigns.com or contact Kim at 203-512-0989 or organicgreenchick@gmail.com.

Great Sessions to Choose Forest Camp Wildly fun nature day camps Nature and the Arts Art, music, dance, nature Wildwood Rangers Fantasy adventure and archery Advanced Survival Make fire the old fashioned way!

Scout-Tracker Like capture the flag, only better Teen Overnight Survival Teen leadership and survival Teen Bow Making Make your own bow and arrow

Come visit us at Sticks and Stones Farm in Newtown For more info and to register: www.TwoCoyotes.org

Saturday April 27th 10 AM – 4 PM Newtown Middle School Queen Street

Earth Day 2013 - 5

April 19, 2013 - The Newtown Bee

Sound, A Center For Music, Creative Arts, And Mindfulness

Come and stop by our Earth Day booth Four-Season Containers ~ Garden Revitalization & Design Terrarium Creations

www.cidermilldesigns.com “Let us go inward and explore the infinite possibilities within Ourselves.”

Kimberly Charles 18 Year Horticultural Veteran and Certified Master Gardener

—Jennifer Zulli, founder and director of Sound Sound is a holistic educational center for adults and children that focus on the arts and spiritual awareness.

Located in the historic Hawleyville Chapel in Newtown, Sound provides a space for awakening the human spirit through positive experiences in the healing and creative arts.

Sound’s mission is to hold the space for exploring and connecting to each other and our truest Self. Sound offers early childhood music classes, including Music Together, private music instruction for children and adults on piano, voice, and most instruments, and music therapy. Also offered are group music and movement classes and workshops, yoga classes for adults and children, drum circles (family, adult, women empowerment),creative arts classes including Goddess Belly Dancing, Mindful Cooking, Peace Through Ukulele, and more.

Intuitive and Psychic Development classes are offered along with meditation groups, spiritual and personal growth workshops, Energy & Sound Healing Workshops and sessions.

Sound also offers Reiki Certification training. Several events and concerts are held at the studio and Sound Beginnings Summer Camp is held at the studio with the grounds and gardens providing the perfect location for children to focusing on mind, body, spirit and the earth.

Jennifer Zulli is the founder and

director of Sound. She is a New Age composer, music educator, and an explorer of sound and its effects on consciousness evolution. After going through her own life crisis and awakening, Jennifer had a vision to create a space that would be a blend of music and arts with their innate spirituality and mindful living. A place where people can learn connect and ignite their spirit through arts, as well as quiet their mind through meditation and personal growth classes.

Her two latest releases “Earth Lullaby” and “Opening” are being played worldwide on satellite and public radio and featured on such programs as Echos and Hearts of Space. She is also the creator of “The Sonic Journey Experiment” a multisensory and interactive Sound healing concert for meditation.

Jennifer has her BA and MA in music education. She studied undergraduate voice and piano at Manhattanville College and The Juilliard School. She has extensive Dalcroze Eurythmics training and studied Sound Healing with Jonathan Goldman. Jennifer was a choir director and general music teacher in the New York public school system for 15 years before starting Sound.

Sound Center Arts is at 31 Hawleyville Road. For additional information, www.SoundCenterArts.com or 203-270-1119.

Global Cuisine from the Earth to Your Table

Chef Pam Buchler Weekly Meals – From Low-Fat & Healthy to Vegan &Vegetarian Full Catering Services/Party & Event Planning www.facebook.com/AquarianCaterers wbuchler@sbcglobal.net

The Captain Planet Foundation was founded in 1989 by Ted Turner. Its mission is to give the next generation of environmental stewards an active understanding and love for the natural world in which they live, and to encourage initiatives that inspire and empower children around the world as they create environmental solutions in their communities.

The Housatonic Valley Waldorf School is based on the ideas of educator, scientist, and philosopher Dr Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), who founded the first Waldorf School. At the core of the Waldorf philosophy is the conviction that education is an artistic process, and knowledge is best learned experientially as well as academically. With more than 900 schools in 83 countries, Waldorf Education is the fastest growing independent educational movement in the world. Waldorf schools are dedicated to academic excellence and offer a challenging classical education that prepares students for the most demanding high schools and colleges. Every student learns to be a musician, artist, and scholar.

To learn more about the Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, visit the school’s booth at the Earth Day Festival or www.Waldorfct.org or contact the school at 203-364-1113 or office@waldorfct.org,

@aquariancaterer

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Waldorf Schools Receive Environmental Education Award The Captain Planet Foundation presented its Green School Award to the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) “in recognition of their philosophy of sustainability and stewardship, which focuses on student health, high performance, and the natural systems that support all life.” AWSNA was honored to be recognized alongside two eco-visionaries: President Jimmy Carter and Sir Richard Branson.

The Association of Waldorf Schools represents the 160 Waldorf schools in North America, of which Newtown’s Housatonic Valley Waldorf School at 40 Dodgingtown Road (Route 302) is one. Environmental awareness is a way of life in Waldorf schools, which foster respect and care for all the gifts of the earth.

All classes at Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, from pre-K through eighth grade, spend time outdoors every day, rain or shine. The Early Childhood program serves only organic snacks on real, reusable plates, along with cloth napkins and placemats. Green cleaning products are used, and the whole school participates in a composting program organized by each year’s third grade. In third grade, significant curriculum time is spent learning about farming and agriculture, and the year culminates with a weeklong work trip to an organic farm.

203.364.1451

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6 - Earth Day 2013

The Newtown Bee - April 19, 2013

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The Graceful Planet Moving Arts Center Dance ~ Yoga ~ Pilates ~ Mind Body Fitness

Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap Contemporary and Creative Movement Classes for All Ages

7 Berkshire Road, Sandy Hook, CT 06482 Tel. 203-426-8215 • gracefulplanet.com E-mail: gracefulplanet@aol.com

Newtown Parks And Recreation: New Programs And Special Events The Rooster Run and Mad Dash is back in 2013, along with the fourth annual Strutt your Mutt. And don’t forget to check out the Victory Garden at Fairfield Hills.

Stop by Newtown Parks and Recreation booth and see what they have going on.

Rose Ann Reggiano, assistant director of recreation, says, “Our fabulous concert series is back on Thursdays and new this year we will be having a children summer concert series this summer. And our Summer Day Camp is going to be the best summer ever!”

What’s new for camp this summer: *The schedule and curriculum are being refined to make this summer’s camp experience even more supportive, inclusive, safe and fun. *New activities are being infused to camp program that will help promote self-esteem, making friends, communication, and resilience. *Parks & Rec is investing in advanced skill training for all of its staff, making them even more child-centered and skilled in making a positive impact on their campers. “By the way,” adds Rose Ann, “we have 100 percent returning staff from last year which speaks to how much our staff love working at camp and

with your children.” *Security and safety protocols have been updated. *Scholarships are available for qualifying families. Rose Ann notes, “We are truly excited to be able to offer our camp experience to any family in our community, regardless of income.

“Camp is part of the heartbeat of our community in the summer and we want to see as many of our families and children involved as possible,” Rose Ann says. “This summer, more than ever, we want our camps to be a place for your children to feel safe, run, sing, laugh, and grow. The benefits are endless!”

Newtown Parks and Recreation is at 3 Main Street. For additional information, visit www.Newtown-ct.gov and click on Parks & Recreation or call 203-2704373.

SHACK Uses Art To Empower Children The mission of The Sandy Hook Arts Center for Kids (SHACK) is to provide a safe haven for children and families to come to heal, create, and explore various art forms while expressing themselves artistically in a nurturing, safe environment. Through their artwork, local children will share their hopes and dreams for the future. It offers free art, music and pet therapy and low cost, high quality classes in art, music and theater. Its educational and therapeutic programs are taught by board certified and licensed professional therapists.

At the Newtown Earth Day Festival, children will have the opportunity to create kids recycled art projects out of found objects.

To help support The SHACK, in partnership with Bear Givers, is presenting “Visions of Tomorrow,” a children’s art exhibit and benefit at The SHACK, 100 Church Hill Road, Suite #104, Sandy Hook, Sunday, April 28, from 3 to 7 pm Parents, friends and the community are invited to view and bid on the art-

work, enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres provided by Sandy Hook Deli, live music by Guy Tino featuring Alison Kellogg, and help empower local children to give back to their community through their art. Radio 104.1 will broadcast live under our tent provided

by Durkin’s Awnings Bear Givers is a nonprofit organization committed to bringing joy to the lives of children with the gift of a teddy bear. Their EmpowerArt program enables children to experience the joy and pride of creating art, seeing it showcased and sold at a special exhibit, and making a meaningful contribution to their community.

The children are the stars of the opening reception. Their pride and excitement at seeing their artwork professionally framed, displayed, admired, and sold builds their selfesteem and gives them a sense of accomplishment.

For additional information, visit our booth at Newtown Earth Day Festival or http://sandyhookartscenter.org or call 203-304-9555

Northeast Natural Medicine Northeast Natural Medicine, LLC is an integrative naturopathic medicine clinic and therapeutic massage center for the whole family, located “at the flagpole” in Newtown.

Under the direction of Shawn M. Carney, ND, the clinic offers high quality, individually tailored, evidence-based care for your entire family’s medical concerns, with all the sophistication you should expect in the 21st Century.

As a naturopathic clinic, Northeast Natural Medicine has a comprehensive variety of effective and safe interventions. As a therapeutic massage center, the staff also provides a wide array of bodywork treatments from experienced hands to meet a large variety of needs.

Dr Carney offers some of the most innovative and least invasive diagnostic testing in health care today. Services include personalized nutrition, detoxification, and weight management programs, botanicals, homeopathy, physical medicine, and low level laser therapy — which is FDA approved for management of osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic pain, and acne. The practice is also in-network with most insurance companies.

To contact Northeast Natural Medicine, LLC, call 800-723-2962 or visit www.northeastnatmed.com.

Earth Day 2013 - 7

April 19, 2013 - The Newtown Bee

Popowich Chiropractic & Acupuncture Care Center Popowich Chiropractic & Acupuncture Care Center has been providing pain relief and wellness care for more than 20 years. Exceptional care is provided in a relaxed and caring environment and thousands of patients with conditions from back and neck pain, to headaches, as well as carpal tunnel and other joint-related conditions have been helped.

Dr John P. Popowich has been providing chiropractic care since 1991 for children with sprains, strains and pain from injuries, as well as from falls and other accidents and helping to improve the health of children with asthma, allergies, colic and other conditions.

He also provides care for conditions related to auto injuries and sports injuries. In addition, his neurology training has helped him provide care for individuals with dizziness, balance disorders, as well as stress and fatigue. The center offers Impulse Chiropractic Adjustment which is performed without popping, twisting or cracking for patients who prefer this type of care.

Our office environment is warm and inviting. Our highly trained staff will assist you with your paperwork and provide billing to your insurance if appropriate. There is also a children’s play area.

We are located at 71 South Main Street, office #2, Newtown. For information please visit our website www.MyNewtownDoctor.com or call 203-304-9037.

Grow With The Garden Club Of Newtown Established in 1955, The Garden Club of Newtown is a member of Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut and National Garden Clubs. Its objectives are to promote interest in gardening and horticulture, protect and conserve national resources and wildlife, support community projects, learn the principles of artistic garden and flower design, and enjoy the company of other gardeners.

The club’s main fundraiser is an annual Holiday Greens Sale, conducted at the Newtown Meeting House.

The Garden Club contributes to the community in many ways, including donations to the Newtown Scholarship Association and the Newtown Fund; its many civic projects include the design, installation, and maintenance of the Matthew Curtiss House Dooryard Garden, the Blue Star Veterans Memorial Marker Garden, and Barb’s Trail Garden. Its members also support and participate in the Victory Garden, which supplies seasonal fresh vegetables for the local food pantry.

Monthly meetings for the Garden Club of Newtown are usually on the fourth Tuesday of the month and Copresidents Kathy Williams and Holly Kocet say, “Wwe always look forward to seeing new faces.”

The club can be reached at www.TheGardenClubofNewtown@yahoo.com.

With more than 1,100 Newtown acres preserved, the NFA has been

Celebrating

EARTH DAY Every Day

Connecticut’s Oldest Private Land Trust

Since 1924

View from the NFA’s Nettleton Preserve on Castle Hill Road

Support The NFA As a private non-profit organization, the NFA relies on grants and donations.

Please give today.

Amount: $ Name Address

NFA Online

Donations may be sent to: NFA, P.O. Box 213, Newtown,CT 06470

Visit the Newtown Forest Association web site at NewtownForestAssociation. org to support the NFA, download our latest newsletter, trail maps and much more.

Give online via Network for Good or PayPal. Links at NewtownForestAssociation.org

And don’t forget to “like” our Facebook page!

E-mail:

Events April 20. Earth Day Clean-up at the Nettleton Preserve May 16. NFA Annual Meeting May 25. Visit us at the Duck Race, Sandy Hook Center June 2. CT Trails Day Hike on Als’ Trail and the NFA’s Wasserman Preserve Learn more at our web site.

Help support the creation and maintenance of a permanent living memorial to those lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December.

Donations may be sent to: “Sandy Hook School Memorial Tree Fund,” to P.O. Box 213, Newtown, CT 06470.

Give online via Network for Good or PayPal. Links at NewtownForestAssociation.org

8 - Earth Day 2013

The Newtown Bee - April 19, 2013

The Graceful Planet

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NEWTOWN EARTH DAY Delivering Clean Energy into the Northeast SINCE 1991

Origami Owl Living Lockets Every Locket Tells A Story … What’s Yours?

Tell a story, Capture a memory, or Commemorate a loved one in your life with a custom designed Living Locket.

Select your locket,Choose from over 300 special charms to uniquely express yourself or someone special.

Great gifts for Birthdays – Holidays – Special Occasions Weddings – Graduation – Mothers, Sisters, Teachers

Judy Schultz - Independent Designer • 203-449-7098 judyschultz.origamiowl.com • jbschultz7@gmail.com

Popowich Chiropractic & Acupuncture Center Over 20 Years in Practice

Care for Adults and Children: • Neck and Back Pain • Headaches • Stress • Accidents and Injuries • Allergies • Asthma • Arthritis • PMS • Digestive Disorders • Carpal Tunnel • Myofacial Disorders • Thyroid Disorders • Fatigue We also offer “Impulse Chiropractic Treatment” care without cracking, twisting or popping

Evening and Weekend Appointments Available Accepting Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, etc

71 South Main St., Office #2, Newtown

(203) 304-9037 w w w. M y N e w t o w n D o c t o r. c o m

The Graceful Planet for creative self exploration and continued learning is a moving arts center and believes movement should be fun and an expression of self and encourage selfdiscovery and self-confidence in all of its dancers and yogis.

Grace Barton Harvey is co-creator and director of the Dance and Performing Arts Program at the center.

Grace holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in dance from the University of Hartford Hartt School. Grace’s training includes extensive study with the School of the Hartford Ballet, and in the Martha Graham Modern technique. She is also a member of the adjunct faculty at The University of Hartford’s Hartt School in the Theater Department and has performed in New York City and the surrounding areas with Off Center Dance Theater performing various solo and ensemble roles. Grace is also the artistic director of The Karma Dance Project and is an award-winning choreographer. Grace believes within every individual there is a dancer.

Kathleen Barton is co-creator and resident yogini. In 2002 Kathleen left her executive sales position with Mattel Inc and created The Graceful Planet with her daughter Grace.

Kathleen had turned to yoga as a way to deal with the pressures of her job and hectic travel schedule and discovered a new way of graceful living. She is a 500-hour professional Kripalu Yoga teacher and holds certifications as a Yoga Ed teacher and a Circus Yoga teacher. She is also trained in Pilates and Yogilates and enjoys teaching fusion classes.

Kat is the creator of Yoga Together, a

multigenerational yoga for kids of all ages, and continues her training through attending workshops and conferences with nationally recognized teachers such as Todd Norian and Rodney Yee. Kat has led retreats in Mexico and Saint Lucia. In 2010, Kat volunteered in a nursery school in Tanzania and found yoga to be a universal language and an activity that added to the children’s experience as well as her fellow volunteers at home base. Her mission is to create a relaxed atmosphere wherever she is teaching and to make yoga and movement fun and accessible to all.

Other Graceful Planet instructors include Cody Yacavone, Kristine Bellemare, and Angela Tiru.

Cody is a dance teacher and studio coordinator/assistant to the director at The Graceful Planet. She has danced at Graceful Planet for more than a decade and has performed lead roles in several Graceful Planet productions. Kristine teaches Hip Hop and Tap. She has been dancing all her life, and joined The Graceful Planet as a teenager. Angela teaches Hip Hop and Contemporary dance. Angela is also the choreographer for the Teen Hip Hop Team, which has won multiple awards.

Programs include Creative Movement, Ballet, Modern (Graham), Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Yoga, and Joy! Registration is ongoing; Summer Yoga and Dance Camps are offered as well.

The Graceful Planet Moving Arts Center is at 7 Berkshire Road (Route 34) in Sandy Hook, across the street from the Newtown High School, and can be reached at 203-426-8215 or on the web at www.GracefulPlanet.com.

Explore At Webb Mountain Discovery Zone Webb Mountain Discovery Zone in Monroe opened in 2007 to promote outdoor exploration and learning, in a fun, hands-on environment. The Discovery Zone offers science-based school fieldtrips in partnership with Connecticut Audubon Society, weekly preschool and after school enrichment programs, nature-themed birthday parties throughout spring and summer, and is debuting a summer program, “Discovery Summer!”

In addition, the park offers hosted educational and community events with some of the state’s top experts.

This spring’s activities include a nighttime vernal pool investigation, bird calls for kids, and a full moon night hike.

A self-directed scavenger hunt created by Hank Gruner, vice president of programs for the Connecticut Science Center in Harford, with the assistance of Connecticut State Archeologist Nick Bellantoni can be enjoyed any time at no cost and offers clues to “How People and Animals Use the Land, Past and

Present.”

The Discovery Zone appeals to all ages and interests. The easy-to-walk, well-marked trails stretching over 171 acres are great for exercising, dog walking, or enjoying a leisurely stroll in the great outdoors. Stop by for a picnic lunch or spend a few meditative moments in the butterfly garden adjacent to the parking area. Or travel north to the Hay Field on a sunny day with your sketchbook for expansive views of the distant landscape.

The Discovery Zone is at 71 Webb Circle in Monroe (off of Route 111) and is open, free of charge, sunrise to sunset. For more information about the Discovery Zone or its programs, visit WebbMountainDiscoveryZone.com or call 203-556-9737.

Earth Day 2013 - 9

April 19, 2013 - The Newtown Bee

Waldorf Summer Fun

Waldorf Summer Camp is a day camp for boys and girls ages 3–12. Offering a full-day program with both before and aftercare, and a variety of quality activities and special events led by dedicated and talented educators, Waldorf will give your child summer days with the right balance of activities and relaxation — filled with discovery, creativity, imagination, and the opportunity to simply “be a kid.”

Nourish your child’s inherent connection to nature and enliven a sense of wonder! Activities are old-fashioned, wholesome and healthy: singing, handcrafts, art, free play and nature exploration, with plenty of time for children to discover, create and imagine among woodlands, gardens and playgrounds in this much-loved camp.

Other activities include organic cooking, gardening, watercolor painting, fencing, fort building, water play and cooperative games. Healthy organic snacks are provided daily and campers will enjoy a lunch brought from home.

Each one-week session ends with a festival day full of fun, games and laughter. The afternoon extended-care program includes a snack and ageappropriate activities such as breadbaking, storytelling, puppet shows, cooking, gardening, clay modeling and

more.

Waldorf Summer Camp is held on the spacious campus of the Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, 40 Dodgingtown Road, an independent day school in Newtown, offering Grades 1–8 and early childhood classes (parent/child, pre-K, and kindergarten). Founded in 1989, it is Connecticut’s only Waldorfaccredited grade school. At Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, education is brought to life through the arts, storytelling, movement, recitation, dramatic acting, music, drawing and painting.

An emphasis on oral expression in all subjects enables students to acquire confident public speaking skills.

Waldorf ’s carefully constructed curriculum includes a comprehensive humanities program based on the world’s great literature, history and cultures; the math program creates proficiency in arithmetic, geometry and algebra. Science offerings in biology, earth sciences, chemistry and physics contain a strong empirical component, allowing students to learn scientific principles through firsthand experience and observation.

Teachers play a distinctive role in Waldorf Education. Ideally, one teacher will lead a class through all eight grades. This unique aspect of

‫ﱺ‬ ‫ﱹ‬ Catering by Roxanne

Waldorf schooling allows the teachers to know each student personally and structure their lessons to meet the individual. HVWS graduates routinely go on to honors classes in the area’s best high schools; they are confident and capable, because they know who they are and feel they can make a difference. And they do.

The Housatonic Valley Waldorf

School is a fully accredited member of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America and the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools.

For more information about the Waldorf Summer Camp, contact Camp Director Carrie Reilly at 203-364-1113 or e-mail camp@waldorfct.org. For information about the school, www.waldorfct.org or 203-364-1113.

Come Celebrate Newtown’s Earth Day with Drink Water to Give Water and DIGDEEP Water

by taking the pledge to stop buying and drinking bottled water.

Be aware - Get involved - Do your part

Start using your Nubo reusable filter water bottle today!

Drink Water 2 Give Water Visit our table or contact David Plaue for more info: 203-297-3870

Join the movement for change

EnergyPRZ and Victory Energy Solutions

Weddings * Birthdays * Office Parties Showers * Communions

are two of the leading Home Energy Solutions providers in the state of Connecticut. Both companies work under the Energize CT program to bring energy efficiency into your homes through energy assessments.

Whatever the occasion ~ we can make your next event Spectacular!

Come stop by our booth on

April 27th

We also provide staff only if you choose to do the cooking

at the Newtown Earth Day Festival

203-512-1228

‫ﱺ‬

cateringbyroxanne@yahoo.com www.cateringbyroxanne.com

‫ﱹ‬

to sign up for your

HOME ENERGY ASSESSMENT!

10 - Earth Day 2013

The Newtown Bee - April 19, 2013

The Newtown Way: Buy Local First Recyled Art Show Calling All Artists — Reuse, Recycle, Reivent!

Any solution to the host of concerns facing our local ecology will rely, in no small part, on creativity. With this in mind, Newtown’s Cultural Arts Commission is proud to sponsor this open-invitation exhibition to coincide with the annual Earth Day Festival.

Artists of all ages are invited to turn trash into art!

Peruse through your garbage, recycling bin, or even those nagging piles in your garage or basement to seek inspiration and create something great out of trash.

Whether it is a mask, bird house, or sculpture – whatever inspires you – each entry needs to be made mostly (70% give or take) out of surplus packaging material, cardboard, newspaper or whatever you have in abundance on hand.

The Newtown Economic Development Commission (EDC) and Newtown businesses have launched The Newtown Way: Buy Local First campaign. The campaign’s objective is to inform the Newtown community of the various businesses and services available in town, educate the benefits of buying local and encourage the community to embrace The Newtown Way: Buy Local First campaign. A directory of Newtown businesses and services is available on the EDC website, www.Newtown.org.

Benefits of Buying Local First include: *Local businesses create jobs when they have more customers. *When you spend $100 with a local business, $68 of that money stays in Newtown. *Shopping online or driving out of town supports the community you are shopping in, not Newtown. *When you shop local you strengthen Newtown’s economy and maintain our character. *The money you spend locally will recirculate throughout our community, changing hands locally, enriching the entire community. *Businesses are owned or operated by your neighbors. *Celebrate our uniqueness. We have unique artisans, cafes, restaurants, shops, service providers, and retailers. *Local businesses give more to local

causes. *Save gas by shopping local merchants. *Shopping local reduces your carbon footprint and helps the environment.

Businesses are encouraged to own this campaign and make it their own.

They should tell the community they are proud to be a business in Newtown.

The community is encouraged to consider buying goods and services locally before leaving Newtown, to take advantage of the great businesses right here and support the local economy in Newtown.

Window signs and decals are available for all Newtown businesses to display in their business locations and for the public to display on their vehicles to help promote The Newtown Way: Buy Local First campaign.

For information or to obtain materials, contact Betsy Paynter, Economic Development Coordinator, at Newtown Municipal Building, 3 Primrose Street, or email betsypaynter@newtown.org or call 203-270-4281.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Open Donation Center In Newtown Newtown Parks and Recreation is very excited this year with many new programs and special events.

Rooster Run and Mad Dash is back along with our 4th annual Strutt your Mutt.

Don't forget to check out the victory garden.

Stop by our booth and see what we have going on Our fabulous Concert series is back on Thursdays and New this year we will be having a children summer concert series this summer.

Our Summer Day camp is going to be the best summer ever.

We are working on our schedule and curriculum to make this Summer's Camp experience even more supportive, inclusive, safe and fun. We have scholarships available for qualifying families, so we can offer our camp experience to any family in our community, regardless of income.

Camp is part of the heartbeat of our community in the summer and we want to see as many of our families and children involved as possible. This summer, more than ever, we want our camps to be a place for your children to feel safe, run, sing, laugh, and grow.

This is going to be our best summer ever!

Dr. Shawn m. Carney Naturopathic Physician • Wholistic Primary Care and Chronic Disease • Botanicals, Nutrition and Homeopathy • Physical Medicine and Low Level Laser Therapy

800-723-2962 Detox programs Weight loss - Laboratory testing In network with most insurance companies

33 Main Street, Suite 15, Newtown, CT 06870 www.northeastnatmed.com

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Connecticut Foundation announces the opening of a Newtown Community Clothing/Household Items Donation Center at 127 South Main Street. The location is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm and Saturday 9 am to 3 pm to take gently used clothing and household items. Foundation members will also be at the sixth annual Newtown Earth Day Festival on April 27 to accept donations as well as provide information on its efforts.

Donating gently used clothing and household items is an easy, no-cost way to have a positive impact on the life of a child and keep millions of pounds of clothing out of landfills.

Established in 2009, The Big Brothers Big Sisters SWCT Foundation assists Bridgeport-based Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Connecticut

by providing funding for its mentoring programs, enabling the agency to continue serving children and families across Southwestern Connecticut by providing kids with one-to-one mentors. To date the foundation has kept nearly five million pounds of materials out of landfills in Southwestern Connecticut, having a positive impact on reducing the local area’s carbon footprint.

Ken Kuntz, operations manager, noted, “We are excited to have opened this new location and offer the community a place to bring their household items and clothes to serve the local children who need mentors. We have only been open for a few weeks and have had hundreds of people drop off items; we appreciate the support very much.”

For addition information, www.bbbsswct.org or 800- 240-7186.

Earth Day 2013 - 11

April 19, 2013 - The Newtown Bee

There’s a Farmland “Crunch” in Connecticut!

It’s a Cause for Ice Cream!

Sourcing local food is important, but to produce local food, farmers need access to good agricultural land and Connecticut is losing its prime farmland to development. To bring attention to this “crunch” on local farmland, The Farmer’s Cow is making Farmland Crunch Ice Cream!

For every pint sold The Farmer’s Cow will make a donation to the Connecticut Farmland Trust.

49 Chappell Road Lebanon, CT 06249 TheFarmersCow.com

Be a Farmland Farm Hand!

Learn more at our booth!

• Tree Inspection and Pruning/Removal • Masonry Construction and Repairs • Full Property Maintenance

My Place Restaurant And Tap Room My Place Restaurant and Tap Room, 8 Queen Street, offers breakfast, lunch and dinner in the beautiful dining room or on the spacious patio and features weekly drink specials, happy hour and live music in the Tap Room.

Breakfast favorites include the three-egg, country-style omelets. Lunchtime offers a wide selection of sandwiches, burgers and entrée salads. However, the New Yorkstyle pizzas, baked directly on the stone, continue to be the most popular menu item.

Pull up a seat in the My Place Tap Room and try one of the ten rotating beers on tap, or more than 50 varieties by the bottle. The new pub menu offers delicious German pretzels dipped in beer mustard, bite sized sliders and more. Live music is featured Thursday and Saturday nights throughout the month.

Check the calendar on www.myplacepizza.com for more details.

“Beautiful Results, One Property at a Time”

203-515-8623 holmesfinegardens.com CT Sup/Arborist #S3733

a deeper approach to

EDUCATION that FEEDS

your child’s soul

ROOTED IN HANDS-ON LEARNING Academics are infused with visual and perfoming arts, music and movement. Students beautifully design their own textbooks.

CULTIVATING CREATIVITY Artistic teaching inspires the student’s imagination and love of learning. No standardized testing; no homework in the early grades; daily outdoor play.

40 Dodgingtown Road Newtown, Connecticut 06470 203.364.1113 • www.waldorfct.org Accredited by CAIS and AWSNA

12 - Earth Day 2013

The Newtown Bee - April 19, 2013

DigDeep Water Debuts At Earth Day Festival LET US EXCEED YOUR EXPECTATIONS!

Go Green!

Why use disposable when you can rent glasses, plates and Flatware!

2 Main Street Georgetown CT 06829 PH. 203-544-RENT (7368)

EventsCt.com

DigDeep Water and Drink Water 2 Give Water are teaming up to participate in their first Newtown Earth Day event. DigDeep is a registered 501(c)(3) human rights organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the human right to water for all people through innovative education and water access projects (like wells).

Last October 20 DigDeep ran its first local Walk 4 Water — its second is scheduled for this fall — at Fairfield Hills, in which participants carried two-liter bottles of water to simulate one form of water poverty. It was an educational experience and fundraising event.

With more than 150 walkers and the help of great local sponsors, more than $15,000 was raised, which funded three wells in South Sudan.

According to DigDeep, “We are also focused on changing the way people think about water and creating more awareness to water and environmental issues right here at home. With

Drink Water 2 Give Water, we are starting a movement for change. To protect our water resources and protect the environment, we are asking people to take the pledge to stop buying and drinking bottled water and instead use reusable filter water bottles.

“We will have Nubo filter bottles — made in the USA — for sale, which greatly reduce waste — both environmental and financial. So come take the pledge to give up bottled water: just one filter bottle can replace hundreds and hundreds of your plastic bottles waste reaching landfills. Did you know 60 million plastic water bottles are discarded every day? Come visit our table and see the incredible impact you can make. And what’s even better, a portion of the proceeds from every bottle goes to funding DigDeep clean water initiatives.”

For additional information on the organization, visit http://DigDeepWater.org.

Associated Refuse Haulers: Keeping Newtown Clean & Green

Summer Sessions at S.H.A.C.K.

Join us for art, music & theatre-based summer activities with special projects each day

8 week sessions June 24 through Aug 16 9-12 or 12-3 and extended play ( available until 6pm )

Ages 5-10 $125 per week* *includes supplies

Studio: 203-304-9555 • sandyhookartscenter@gmail.com

www.sandyhookartscenter.org

100 Church Hill Rd, Suite 104, Sandy Hook, CT

Stonehollow Inc. Fine Home Inspection Environmental Testing

Jason n Horn n Written Reports-Structural Damage Assessment-Roof Inspections ದ Oil & Gas Furnace Inspections ದ Water Testing-Radon Water Testing-Termite Inspections ದ Pool & Whirlpool Assessment ದ Central A/C & Heat pumps CT. # HOI 678 Newtown office : ( 203 ) 304-9140

Stamford: ( 203 ) 356-3-9611

Direct line: ( 203 ) 240-9877

Direct line: ( 203 ) 327-6824

Email: Jason@Stonehollow.com Call Jason Horn Your Newtown Home Inspector

Protecting Our Clients For Almost 30 Years

This year, Associated Refuse Haulers will be celebrating its 31st year of providing exemplary service to residents in the greater Newtown area. Associated Refuse the only Newtown waste removal company to supply uniformed trash collection bins utilizing enclosed, leak-proof automated collection vehicles designed to keep prevent litter and spillage during the collection process.

To further its commitment for a better and cleaner Newtown, Associated Refuse has invested fin ive EPA-certified clean burn diesel waste removal vehicles.

Safety is another concern, says Pat Caruso, president and founder. “Our full maintenance facility allows us to inspect and repair our vehicles daily, allowing us operate with a clear conscience when we are in your neighborhood. We have safety camera on the back and sides of the vehicles looking out for you safety.

“On board computer systems will

make sure we are operating in a timely fashion within the proper speed limits of our roads, and our participation in the National Solid Waste Association ‘Slow Down Go Around’ campaign will insure safety for our employees as well as those we share the roads.”

Associated Refuse Haulers is a member of the National Solid Waste Association and Newtown Chamber of Commerce, NFIB. It recently earned Business of the Year Award from the Newtown Chamber of Commerce and Newtown Rotary Club.

For additional information, call 203426-8870, view www.AssociatedRefuse.com, or visit the fully staffed office at 87 Enterprise Drive in Monroe.

Earth Day 2013 - 13

April 19, 2013 - The Newtown Bee

A Q&A With The Newtown Forest Association What Is The Newtown Forest Association (NFA)?

The NFA is a private land trust and is not a part of Newtown town government. We are a not-for-profit charity that has a mission of privately preserving land in Newtown. We preserve meadows, forests, and wetlands to promote a balanced ecosystem for animals and vegetative species and to provide riparian buffers to our community watercourses and aquifer (drinking water) and to maintain our community’s rural character. Many of the NFA properties also provide for passive recreation activities such as hiking and walking, fishing and canoeing, nature photography, mountain biking and geocaching in the great outdoors.

How does the NFA preserve land?

Since 1924, the NFA has acquired (primarily through private donations) and currently owns approximately 1,040 acres and is Newtown’s largest private landowner. The NFA also holds conservation easements over another 90 acres of property which requires those properties to be preserved in their current state and prevents those properties from ever being developed.

Why is it important to be a not-forprofit charity?

First, the NFA is a 501(c)(3) taxexempt organization, which provides most donors of land or money to get tax deductions for their gifts. Secondly, the NFA operates completely independent of the Town of Newtown and we receive no funding from the town’s taxpayers. The NFA is managed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors that can maintain our mission, generation after generation and not subject to the changes in the political structure. The NFA maintains a working relationship with the Conservation Commission and the town’s Land Use Department, as we have many properties with shared borders and to foster knowledge sharing. The NFA feels the community is better served by having both private and governmental teams working toward a larger community mission of conservation and preservation.

How does the NFA fund its operations?

The NFA is primarily dependent upon funds it receives from its generous donors and membership dues.

Over the years these donations have been used to fund period operations but also to grow an endowment fund

that generates annual earnings that are used to fund the NFA’s annual expenses. The endowment is critical to ensure future earnings are available annually to continue the current maintenance and preservation practices adopted by the board.

In addition, the NFA also applies for grants from other foundations, businesses, and governmental agencies.

These funds are generally restricted for certain projects. For 2012 the NFA received a grant from the Iroquois Pipeline Community Grant Program to purchase tree saplings that it will hand out at the Newtown Earth Day Festival and the Labor Day Parade.

Where does the NFA spend most of its time and money?

Most of our funds go toward property maintenance-related items, such as tree removal, nonnative plant species removal, and the mowing and haying of meadows. Much of the work is performed by our resident caretaker but we also hire interns who are college students with majors that are environmentally oriented. When projects require specialized services we do contract with local professionals. After property maintenance-related costs, our largest single expense is insurance, accounting for about 20 percent

of our budget. The Board of Directors and officers of the NFA are not compensated and volunteer their time.

What are the issues the NFA is currently confronting?

Managing the properties we currently own is our first and most critical priority. We also look for opportunities to increase the open space we own and protect. We frequently speak with large landowners and abutters of our existing properties about conservations options. In addition, we do look at market-driven opportunities, and have considered purchasing properties in the past. Just this past spring the NFA and others identified an opportunity to try to acquire the 136-acre Castle Hill property formerly owned by the Gretsch family. Even though we didn’t raise enough funds to acquire the property, we did accomplish making the public aware that this property was actively for sale, allowing for a private landowner who purchased it with the intent of preservation. As a result of these efforts the NFA has established and will be soliciting donations for a Land Acquisition Sinking Fund for use when opportunities present themselves to strategically acquire a targeted property.

As a result of our recent tragedy in

Newtown the NFA has established the Sandy Hook School Memorial Tree Fund for the purpose of creating a memorial garden and sanctuary in honor of the victims. We are coordinating our efforts with the town and others to help make sure we create place that will be a special place for reflection in the future.

One issue that we are constantly dealing with is encroachments.

Whether knowingly or accidental, we have many properties which neighbors have overstepped their boundaries on to NFA land by illegally dumping yard waste and branches, extending their yard onto to our property, building structures or gardens or creating unauthorized trails and using ATVs. This also costs a lot of time and money getting surveyors and experts involved to help remediate the situation. Fortunately, it rarely comes to litigation, as often just having discussions and showing our neighbors the maps and landmarks is sufficient to resolve the matter.

Another big issue facing the NFA is the rapid growth of nonnative plant species (invasives) and tree-borne diseases. The health of our forests have been greatly threatened by the uninhibited growth of invasives such as Japanese barberry, Russian olive, and multiflora rose that have out-competed many native plant species which are necessary to support a native ecology. Also on our watch list is the nearby Asian longhorned beetle and the emerald ash borer which have been getting closer to Newtown each year.

How do I donate or join and what does it mean to be a member?

Based on the organizational structure of the NFA, the members elect the Board of Directors and officers of the organization. The NFA collects annual dues from its members to maintain their voting eligibility. Donations are accepted from anyone or any organization and require the donor to voluntarily determine if they wish to have their donation be applied against their membership dues. To donate or join, complete the form included in our advertisement found elsewhere in this section and return as instructed or visit our website where you can now remit your membership dues via PayPal. How do I get more information about the NFA? Vist www.NewtownForestAssociation.org.

Come and Visit our Booth at The Earth Day Festival GET AN ENERGY INSPECTION FOR YOUR HOME TODAY! OUR FEE OF $149 WILL BE WAIVED WITH THIS COUPON

A fun outdoor learning center for the whole family!

We have just taken on two new energy inspectors and we need to keep them busy. So we will inspect your home for troubled spots where you are losing more money than you have to!

For more information about the Discover Zone or our programs visit:

CALL US TODAY FOR A FREE HOME ENERGY INSPECTION!

WebbMountainDiscoveryZone.com 71 Webb Circle, Monroe CT 06468

CT Reg. # 632948

1-855-618-0283 www.EvolutionaryHomeEnergy.com

MA Reg. # 172238

14 - Earth Day 2013

The Newtown Bee - April 19, 2013

Aquarion Water Company Seeks Nominations For Environmental Champion Awards

Come Together As A Community Join The Lions Club of Newtown and your neighbors, friends, classmates or work colleagues to help clean-up our Newtown roads.

Tackle the Trash Wake up early and meet us at the Middle School – we’ll provide garbage bags, gloves, and other supplies at our Newtown Lions Club booth. You can choose a road to clean-up or we’ll suggest one for you. If you cannot make it to the Middle School that morning, we can provide cleaning supplies in advance.

Uncover Special Prizes Your team may be the lucky crew to win one of many prizes hidden around town as you “tackle the trash”!

For the third year in a row, the Aquarion Water Company is looking for adults, students (grades 9–12), large and small businesses, and nonprofits doing outstanding, voluntary work on behalf of Connecticut’s natural environment.

The winning individuals, businesses, and nonprofit will be able to name an environmental nonprofit organization to receive a $2,500 grant from Aquarion.

The student winner will receive a $1,000 saving bond.

Nominations can be made for volunteer projects that have contributed significantly to the improvement of our environment through the protection, conservation, restoration, or stewardship of Connecticut’s natural resources.

Winners will be named on Saturday, June 8, at a special event taking place

at Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport.

Participating in the awards ceremony will be US Senator Richard Blumenthal; Daniel Esty, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; and John DeAugustine, Group Publisher for Hearst Media Services of Connecticut.

The nomination deadline is May 8.

For more information and a nomination form, stop by Aquarion’s booth at the Newtown Earth Day Festival or visit aquarionwater.com or facebook.com/aquarionwater.

Saving Energy With Real Goods Solar Real Goods Solar is one of the nation’s pioneering solar energy installers. Its comprehensive service includes solar electric system consultation, financing, engineering, permitting, installation, rebate acquisition, and maintenance, all based on the individual customer’s energy goals and budget. Real Goods solar power systems are built to perform for 25 years or more and its customer service works hard to ensure customer satisfaction.

Real Goods Solar, formerly Alteris Renewables, was recently selected as the installer for Solarize CT-Portland, an innovative new pilot project sponsored by the Connecticut Clean Energy Finance & Investment Authority (CEFIA) to encourage residential installations of solar photovoltaic (electric) systems. Portland is one of four Connecticut towns chosen to participate in this exciting program promoting the many benefits of “going solar” to save energy and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Solarize Portland resulted in 46 new solar projects, which, when installed, will produce 335.76 kilowatts of renewable energy in Connecticut.

“With offices in Wilton and Stonington, and more than 700 solar installations in the state so far, we are excited to continue our rich tradition of providing solar solutions to Connecticut residents,” explained Jim Oliva, director of sales for Real Goods Solar. “We strongly believe that Connecticut solar demand will continue to grow as the state continues to demonstrate clean energy leadership. Be sure to stop by our booth at Newtown’s Earth Day Festival to learn more about us.”

A publicly traded company, Real Goods Solar is one of the largest and most experienced solar installers in the United States, with 15 offices across the West and the Northeast.; customers include NASA, Disney, Vatican City, Yale University, Aetna, Timex, CBS, and Bigelow Tea. Beginning with the very first photovoltaic panel sold in the United States in 1978, the company has installed more than 14,500 solar power systems representing more than 100 megawatts of clean energy. For more information about Real Goods Solar, visit RealGoodsSolar.com or call 888-567-6527.

Biscotti Etc Debuts At Earth Day Event

THE GARDEN CLUB OF NEWTOWN RECYCLED CRAFT ITEMS FOR HOME AND GARDEN PLANTS FROM THE GARDENS OF OUR MEMBERS TERRARIUMS GREAT PRICES! - MOST ITEMS UNDER $ 5

Biscotti Etc LLC is a new business located in Sandy Hook. Its owner and baker is Stephanie Schneiderman, who has been baking biscotti for her friends for years.

The demand for her biscotti grew enough that she decided to turn it into a business.

All of the biscotti baked at Biscotti Etc LLC are made to order, in small batches so they are always fresh. Only the freshest ingredients are use; no preservatives are ever added. There are nine different flavors available

now, with more to come in the future. The biscotti are sold by the ½ pound, 1 pound or 2 pounds in attractive boxes, with ribbon, that make great gifts for all occasions. At Earth Day Newtown, attendees will be able to purchase individually wrapped slices.

Orders can also be customized to an individual’s or business’s needs.

For more information visit www.Biscottietc.com, e-mail Stephanie at biscottietc@gmail.com or follow her on Facebook at Biscotti Etc. LLC.

Saturday, April 27th FREE ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN FROM NOON TO 2 PM MAKING TERRARIUMS, BIRD FEEDERS AND COLORING BOOKS

10 AM – 4 PM Newtown Middle School Queen Street

Earth Day 2013 - 15

April 19, 2013 - The Newtown Bee

Saturday, April 27th 10 AM – 4 PM Newtown Middle School, Queen Street

Holmes Fine Gardens: Doing What Comes Naturally Holmes Fine Gardens brings beauty and sustainability as well as comfort and functionality to sites large and small. Established in 2002, the company is owned and operated by Dan Holmes. Through sound design and implementation practices, ecologically appropriate plant selection, and the use of natural materials, the company creates beautiful, healthy, self-sustaining landscapes for its clients to enjoy for years to come. Operations are committed to providing beautiful landscapes that protect the diversity of the land and its surroundings, approaching projects from a holistic standpoint that assesses an entire property as well as abutting neighbors’ to protect and enhance the natural elements of each property.

“As stewards of the Earth we strive to use only organic methods where applicable,” says Dan. “We work toward sustainable landscapes that are attractive, long lasting, save water, use less fertilizer to maintain, and are free of potentially dangerous chemicals and substances for the families we serve and the environment we share. Our goal is to maximize a property’s value while minimizing its environmental impact.

“And we don’t stop there,” he continues. “We strive to operate all aspects of our business in a sustainable manner — from careful selection of materials and equipment to the reuse and recycling of materials both on-site and off-site.”

Holmes Fine Gardens wishes to be regarded by its employees, clients, and peers as a company that excels because of the quality and integrity of its work and dedication of its staff. Offering design, construction and maintenance, the landscaping firm serves the towns of Fairfield and Litchfield Counties, including but not limited to Newtown, Easton, Fairfield, Litchfield, Redding, Ridgefield, Roxbury, Sherman, Southbury, Weston, Westport, Wilton, and Woodbury.

Dan has worked in the landscaping industry for more than 25 years and is a graduate of the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a BS in ornamental horticulture and landscape design. His passion for landscaping grew at an early age mowing lawns for neighbors in his Connecticut home town. He was inspired by one homeowner in particular who had Dan pruning ornamental plants and building retaining walls out of newspaper. Not long after completing his studies at Cal Poly, he returned to Connecticut where he knew he could employ more natural landscaping practices. After working for several nurseries and landscaping firms, including Young’s Nursery and Shemin Nurseries, Dan founded Holmes Fine Gardens based in Newtown, where he lives with his family.

Dan contributes his time and energy to several community-based organizations. He is on the board of the Pootatuck Watershed Association and is a committee member of the Newtown Sustainable Energy Commission, which works to inspire a greener approach to energy use, conservation, and renewable resources on a municipal, business, and household basis. Dan is also a co-founder of Newtown Earth Day, now in its sixth year, and is currently advocating for commercial plastics recycling for local nurseries through the Connecticut Nursery & Landscape Association. Dan is a frequent speaker on a number of topics related to sustainable and responsible landscaping and horticultural practices. Contact Dan directly regarding any speaking opportunities at dan@holmesfinegardens.com.

For additional information about Homes Fine Gardens, visit www.HolmesFineGardens.com or call 203-270-3331.

16 - Earth Day 2013

The Newtown Bee - April 19, 2013

Silent Auction To help raise additional funds to support our Newtown High School scholarship, we also host a silent auction during the day of the festival. This has been a great success with packages from various restaurants, local artists, and numerous businessess.

Guidelines for Silent Auction HOW TO BID 1. All items in the Silent Auction have bid sheets next to them or on a table nearby. When you want to bid, you do so by writing your name, phone number and email address on the bid sheet opposite the amount you want to bid.

2. You do not have to take the next available bid amount.

You may skip ahead on the sheet to find the amount you want to bid. The next bidder must pick an amount higher than yours to be a successful bidder.

3. You may bid on any items in any silent auction section

until the section is closed. Bidding for items in the silent auction sections will close at the times posted. A silent auction official will circle the top bid number and amount. You can see if you are the successful purchaser by looking at a copy of the silent auction bid sheet, which will be left in its place after the section is closed.

4. If multiple items are offered next highest bidder has the opportunity to purchase item at highest bid price.

5. In the event of a dispute, the Auction Chair will act as final authority.

RULES 1. By bidding in the silent auctions, each bidder agrees to these auction rules.

2. All sales are final. There will be no exchanges or refunds unless otherwise noted. All items are “as is.” Newtown Earth Day Festival, Inc. has attempted to describe and auction items correctly, but neither warrants nor represents and in no event shall be responsible for the correctness of descriptions, genuineness, authorship, provenance or condition of the items. No statement made in this catalog, or made orally at the auction or elsewhere, shall be deemed such a warranty, representation, or assumption of liability.

6. Following payments, you may pick up your purchases in the check out area. You must show your paid receipt for items to be picked up.

7. The purchaser must pick up all items the day of the auction, unless special arrangements are made. Any item left unclaimed, without prior arrangements, will be sold and proceeds will go to the Newtown Earth Day Festival, Inc. 8. Newtown Earth Day Festival, Inc. reserves the right to add or withdraw items, without notice, to or from the auction.

3. The value listed is an estimate of fair market value.

Items have not been appraised unless so noted.

9. Unless otherwise specified, all auction certificates must be used within one year of the date of the auction.

4. Restaurant certificates do not include alcohol, tax, or gratuities unless specified.

10. Each person bidding assumes all risks and hazards related to the auction and items obtained at the auction.

Each bidder agrees to hold harmless from any liability arising indirectly from Newtown Earth Day Festival, Inc., their elected and appointed officials, members and employees, the auctioneer(s), the auction company and its agents and employees, the event organizers, sponsors, and/or volunteers connected with the auction.

5. Payment for items purchased must be made in full on the day of the auction to the cashier. Newtown Earth Day Festival, Inc. will gladly accept cash, PayPal, or your check payable to Newtown Earth Day Festival, Inc. Please allow 30 minutes after the item has closed before reporting to cashier.

DID YOU KNOW? Newtown is lucky to have several organizations that work year round to preserve our environment: Newtown’s Sustainable Energy Commission is responsible for the Reed Intermediate School Solar Panel project.

The Newtown Forest Association, established in 1924, is the oldest private land trust in Connecticut. They are dedicated to accumulating and preserving open space and resources for public enjoyment within Newtown.

The Pootatuck Watershed Association‘s mission is clear: Clean and abundant water for Newtown’s future. The association

promotes this goal through water sampling, educational programs, and habitat restoration.

The Transition Network: a global initiative that supports a community-led process to help neighborhoods become stronger and happier. Scope of projects include supporting community gardens and local food production, building community resilience and connections with people, and making our community less dependent on fossil fuels. The US chapter’s website is http://transitionus.org/. Reach out to bhtoomey@yahoo.com to get involved in the Newtown chapter.