January 2026
Sustainable Warwick Minutes
January 21, 2026
2025 - The Year in Pictures
Before we get too far into 2026, please check out SW’s 2025 year-in-review web page. Lots of photos and an impressive list of all we have accomplished in the last year. Congratulations to the membership for a job well done. We are truly making a difference in our hometown... and beyond!
Presentation
Electric Grid Crisis: Bill Makofske gave a very helpful presentation about the potential for a future grid electricity crisis. Demand for electricity is growing rapidly. While some of the growth is being offset by efficiency gains, new sources will be required, yet federal action has greatly reduced access to the most affordable and most rapidly deployable new sources of energy. Citizens should be aware of the potential for much higher energy prices and possibilities for grid unreliability. They should also be informed about how to protect themselves by using backup batteries and generators for example. Slides from his presentation are available here. Anyone with questions about this presentation for Bill may send them to the Climate and Energy Committee. CleanEnergy@sustainablewarwick.org
Action Reports
Waste Not, Want Not Survey: Kate advised the anonymous survey has been launched with the involvement of the Town, all the villages and all three libraries in town. There are 25 questions on the survey, which can be completed in just a few minutes. We prefer residents to take the online survey. You can take the survey online, but hard copies are available at (and may be returned to) the following sites: Warwick Town Hall, Village Halls in Florida, Greenwood Lake and Warwick, as well as each of our three local libraries.
We ask all SW members to help out in the following ways: (1) take the survey; (2) post the survey link in your social media feeds and comment on how quick and/or informative it is; and (3) ask other Warwick-based organizations you have connections with to likewise post links to the survey. For comments and questions about the survey, please email CleanEnergy@sustainablewarwick.org.
Pollinator Pathway: One of our members has proposed an interesting plan to help plant 50 or 100 native plants around Warwick – a high impact action. The project includes making and selling tree kits that will include (1) saplings purchased from the DEC’s nursery in Saratoga, (2) protective tubes, and (3) a doughnut-shaped cushion that would slowly water the sapling. According to Karen Emmerich, Shade Tree Commissioner, there are several challenges for the small saplings to grow into full size trees: deer browsing, weed whackers and lawn mowers, and insufficient watering. The plastic tubes can go a long way to avoid the deer and lawn-work challenges, while the watering device can greatly reduce the chance of underwatering. This project would require a sewing team to make the watering devices. It would cost Sustainable Warwick about $15 per kit, assuming we made 50 or 100 kits. Each kit could be sold to community members at an anticipated price of $25 kit, and community members could plant the trees in their own yard or at some designated place in one of the town parks. If not all of the trees are sold, we could contribute them to one of the town parks. Message to anyone interested in helping with this project: please contact us at
Pollinators@sustainablewarwick.org.
Coolest Recycling Drive: The 2026 Coolest Recycling Drive will once again collect refrigerant-containing appliances (for free!) at drop-off events scheduled from April 11th to the 30th. What started as a single event in Warwick in 2023 has already spread to include Chester, Woodbury and multiple municipalities in Ulster County. This year even more municipalities may participate. More volunteers are always needed for a variety of roles. Learn more about Coolest Recycling Drives on our website and contact us with any questions or to volunteer. CleanEnergy@sustainablewarwick.org
Book Club: Christina shared that we read “Vanishing Treasures” at the last meeting, a well-written book about various animals that have peculiar characteristics and are in danger of going extinct. Our members liked this book, but found it a bit superficial. Our next title is “The Climate Book” by a famous youth activist, Greta Thunberg, for our meeting on February 10th. BookClub@sustainablewarwick.org
Discussion
We completed the meeting with breakout groups to discuss past and ongoing SW initiatives, asking members what they particularly enjoyed, and what we might focus on going forward. A number of ideas and positive feedback were shared. High among the suggestions were to find ways to get the word out about the many accomplishments SW has achieved, more in-person activities, as well as the desire to grow our membership. Many SW members are very active in one or more of our activities, despite the low turnout for monthly meetings. We will continue to explore how best to inform, engage and grow participation. If you would like to share your thoughts about current SW activities, or what you would like to see us doing, please reach out and let us know. SteeringCommittee@sustainablewarwick.org
Our next meeting will be Wednesday, February 18th via Zoom at 7:00pm.
Hope to see you soon!