by Susan Hellauer

Here Comes The Sun is more than a classic Beatles song. For New York State, the Village of Nyack and community volunteers, it’s also a call to action – and economize -- energy usage. Solarize Nyack, a joint local and New York State effort that’s part of the three-year Sustainable Hudson Valley program, offers discounts to residential and commercial customers to expand clean energy. There’s a community workshop on the program for Rockland County residents on Wed May 4 at Orangetown Town Hall and May 17 at The Nyack Center. Consumers who want to take advantage of the negotiated discount need to register for a free site assessment by June 30. Here's the first part of a two part series on local and state efforts to use free energy from above to costs and greenhouse cases.

Annie Hekker crouches down on the Grace Church garden path, and sets out half a dozen green plastic bugs, each with a solar-cell carapace. They wiggle and jump in the bright sunshine, and the Sunday School kids, out celebrating Earth Day, gather around. Before the oohs, aahs and curious questions can start, Upper Nyack Elementary fifth grader Augustus Ashley-Wieners recites the solar energy facts he learned from his science teacher. The 11 year old sums it up neatly: “If we can save money on our electric bill, and send clean energy back to the power company, why not?”