SJAT will be hosting a table at the back of the Great Hall before and after services for the next few Sundays to share more about the Downstream Justice project and how you can get involved. We will gather after service onNovember 5th to walk along the park side of Hans Groot Kill, weather permitting.
Project Update: This month members of SJAT and Green Sanctuary met with Dr. John Garver of Union College, whose research team has been studying water pollution in the Hans Groot Kill (HGK), and Tom Werner, member of the GE Plot Neighborhood Association. We heard specifics about current monitoring by the City and by Union College students. Tom Capuano respectfully requested transparency regarding the progress of the City’s contamination water testing and reporting on the HGK, at Schenectady City Council meetings in both September and October.
Current data indicates significant sewage contamination in the creek running alongside our building that flows downstream into the water source for over 100,000 people in Cohoes and Colonie. In collaboration with other community stakeholders, SJAT will be advocating for solutions to the problem and advocating for further testing the creeks in other older neighborhoods in Schenectady.
Plans are in the works for a community wide presentation at UU Schenectady after the holidays. Join us for the planning!
At the SJAT table:
- Learn about the Downstream Justice project
- Create a sign: what should the warning for the creek say?
- Sign up to participate. There will be lots of opportunities!
If you have questions or concerns, please contact one of the Social Justice Action Team members: Lisa Jordan, John Reschovsky, Tom Capuano thomascapuano@