NEIGHBORHOODS
What’s going on in your part of Greenwich
Greenwich
Students across Greenwich Public Schools donned their pajamas earlier this month to help raise awareness and money for kids fighting cancer.
The drive was organized by Greenwich High School senior Sophie Lenschow, 17, a cancer survivor who organized the first Pajama Day in 2022, This year, she helped raise $22,781.
In 2022 she raised more than $14,000 and last year more than $19,000 was donated to help pediatric cancer patients at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford.
For more information about Pajama Day and to make a donation, visit give.connecticut childrens.org/team/550789.
Central Greenwich
New summer restrictions on the use of gasoline powered leaf blowers will go into effect later this year and the town will host an event for people to learn more about electric alternatives.
The Electric Landscape Equipment Expo will feature local equipment distributors who can answer questions about their technology and how it stacked up against gas blowers. There will also be both English and Spanish speaking professionals on hand.
The town adopted a new noise ordinance in January that includes a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers in residential zones from Memorial Day to Sept. 30 each year. For those with residential properties of 2 or more acres, the ban ends on Labor Day.
The free expo is on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Greenwich Town Hall in the meeting room, 101 Field Point Road. There will also be brief demonstrations starting at 11 a.m. Visit the town website for more information.
Central Greenwich
The Greenwich Sustainability Committee is seeking nominations for its second annual Sustainability Awards.
Nominations should include a statement of no more than 150 words describing how the candidate promotes sustainability in Greenwich. A photo of the candidate should also be included.
Nominees must be Greenwich residents or attend school in Greenwich. Awards will be given to individuals, not organizations or businesses. Greenwich Sustainability Committee members are ineligible for the award and a particular focus will be given to youth.
Honorees will be announced at the Rethink Waste Fair organized by Waste Free Greenwich on April 6 at Christ Church, 254 East Putnam Ave.
Nominations should be submitted no later than March 15 to Sustainability @GreenwichCT.org. For more information about the Sustainability Committee, visit the town website.
Backcountry
The Greenwich Land Trust will host Maple Sugar Day this weekend and show people how to tap maple trees for sap.
The land trust will host visitors at the Mueller Preseve and teach them about transforming sap to syrup. The Dough Girls pizza truck will also be on hand and families are welcome to attend.
Tickets cost $10 per person. Family packs for four people are available for $20 for members and $30 for non-members.
Maple Sugar Day is on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Mueller Preserve, 370 Round Hill Road.
Visit the Greenwich Land Trust website to purchase tickets.
Greenwich
The town’s Energy Management Advisory Committee and the Sustainability Committee will host a virtual discussion about geothermal heating and cooling systems this week.
Geothermal systems move heat from one place to another using electricity, according to the Department of Energy. The systems have been a major point of discussion recently as officials mull how to improve school HVAC systems.
Hamilton Avenue School has the school system’s only geothermal system, but it is not functioning after years of misuse. Officials are considering repairing the existing system or replacing it with a natural gas burning system.
The Sustainability Committee and EMAC will hold a panel discussion about geothermal energy and how other towns have successfully deployed it in schools and other municipal buildings.
Chris Till, facilities manager of Manchester Public Schools, will talk about the geothermal systems at three new net zero energy schools in his district alongside other panelists. Mike Richter, former Stanley Cup winning goalie with New York Rangers, will talk about his company Brightcore Energy and how he works with building owners to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
The discussion will be held on Zoom on Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m. For registration and additional information, visit the town website.