WHITE LAKE, NY — The Town of Bethel held the first Sustainable Bethel Forum on June 15 in the Duggan School in White Lake.  It was open to all Bethel residents and to others interested in improving the quality of local water, air and soil.

According to Jeff Allison, chair of Sustainable Bethel, the Sustainable Bethel Committee was formed in about 2010 after a town board resolution transitioned Bethel to a sustainable development practice.  

“We initially turned our attention to improving the Bethel government operations to reduce energy usage and save on energy costs, ultimately saving taxpayers money,” Allison said. This included a sustainable building for the highway department, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. 

At the open house, attendees visited tables where they spoke to representatives from more than a dozen public service organizations and companies and picked up helpful literature as well.  Representatives from Bethel Sustainability, Bethel Comprehensive Plan, Sullivan County Department of Public Health, Sullivan County Department of Public Works, Perennial Gardens and Meadow Energy were a few of those that participated.

These charts explain what Bethel Sustainability has accomplished so far and what still needs to be done.

Connecting to the county

At the Sullivan County Department of Public Works, Kassie Thelman is its recycling coordinator.  

“We coordinate all the solid waste that comes through the county,” she said.  “It all comes through the Monticello Transfer Station.  We handle recycling and solid waste and look for ways to divert materials from the landfills.”  

Trash comes from all over the county, and is sent to Republic Services where it’s separated and recyclable materials are sorted, bailed and sold.

Sullivan County Public Health’s Patricia Pelletier spoke to visitors about the cleanliness of their water. She told them about the New York State Department of Public Health Drinking Water Protection Program, where information can be found about the amount of chemicals the department found in its survey last year and what that means for each person.  

“They’ll show you what the breakdown is of all the different elements that were found in the drinking water sources,” she said. 

Gay Donofrio, who owns Perennial Gardens in Bethel, advised property owners deciding on plant placement.  

“Plant in relationship to what is going to happily work in that spot. If it’s a sunny spot, find a list of plants that really are happy in the sun. If it’s shady, go accordingly,” she said. “Certain plants are not wind resistant, so choose a spot that doesn’t require wind resistance.  Another really important consideration is the wetness or dryness of the soil.”

Meadow Energy of Callicoon, which builds community solar farms, was represented by Cat Scott, who said, “A lot of questions we get is how much money can Meadows save folks on their bills.”  The answer is five to 10 percent, Scott said. She tells people who don’t own their home that they are eligible as long as they have a utility account.

In all, visitors learned about what they can do to improve the quality of the water they drink, the air they breathe and the soil in which they grow their fruits and vegetables.