The Catskill Chronicle

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY (April 8, 2011) – The annual Earth Day takes place on April 22. In consideration of Earth Day and our relationship with the planet, Livingston Manor will be the place for a series of free events and films.

On Thursday, April 21, enjoy a discussion on electric vehicles with Looking at the Future of Energy Efficient Transportation With an Emphasis on Electric Vehicles and Dual-Mode Transportation, a presentation at the Livingston Manor Library by John Conway. The lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m.

If America’s Main Streets are to evolve, so must the vehicles that will travel those Main Streets. These vehicles must be designed to function as instruments of social change, and must be designed in the context of a society that is undergoing profound changes. They must be an important segment of a paradigm shift as "social products" designed to be an integral part of our daily lives. They must be compatible with our needs, our society and become a positive contribution to the sustainability of our environment. This presentation will look at electric vehicles and dual mode transportation as key elements of a new transportation paradigm in America.

John Conway has been the Sullivan County Historian since 1993 and has written seven books and more than a thousand newspaper columns on that subject, but he is also one of the Northeast’s leading experts on alternative fuel transportation. He owns and operates BUZZ Equipment Company with his brother, specializing in the sale, repair, and design of alternative fuel vehicles and battery technology. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and he speaks often throughout the region on sustainable transportation. 

The Livingston Manor Library is located at 92 Main Street, across from the firehouse. For more information call 845-439-5440.

On Saturday, April 23, from 10:00 a.m. – Noon, be a part of the Garden Prep crew in Pearl
Street Community Garden, a beautiful community space along the Little Beaverkill River.

Gardening gloves, trowels and shovels will be available, but please bring your own if you have them. Experienced gardeners will be on hand to share tips and tales while you work. The garden is located on Pearl Street, on the block between the stoplight on Main Street and the blinking light at Rock Avenue.

Also on April 23, Morgan Outdoors will host a free public screening of two acclaimed films apropos to Earth Day: Winged Migration and A Sense of Wonder.

At 3:00 p.m., children and adults will enjoy Winged Migration, an Academy Award-nominated film that opens eyes to the wonders of the natural world as viewers fly along with the world’s most gorgeous birds over Paris and New York to the Arctic and Amazon. Come in for a short segment or stay for
the whole film. 89 Minutes. Suggested for age 7 and up.

At 4:30 p.m., enjoy the compelling short film A Sense of Wonder – Rachel Carson’s Love of the Natural World and her Fight to Defend It. Carson, a pioneering environmentalist, published Silent Spring in 1962 and the backlash from her critics thrust her into the center of a political maelstrom. In A Sense of Wonder, actress Kaiulani Lee portrays Carson in the final year of her life as she emerges as America’s most successful advocate for the natural world. 55 minutes.

Morgan Outdoors is located at 46 Main Street, Livingston Manor. For more information about the Garden Prep or films, call Lisa at 845-439 5507.