With spring weather finally emerging after a long winter, there are a number of environmental-focused events and activities to coincide with Earth Day this month. Earlier this month, I noted that in this year’s 2015-2016 budget, the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) saw a $15 million increase for a total of $177 million. However, funds from the carbon pollution reduction program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) should not be used to pay for this increase - and I'll continue to advocate for changes to this practice.

The following is a listing of activities and events taking place in the spirit of environmental conservation and sustainability across the 109th.

Earth Day Bicycle Parade. I'm looking forward to the 2015 Earth Day Bicycle Parade on Wednesday, April 22 starting at 11:45 a.m. The parade route will bike by organizations that have installed solar panels in the area. The ride will begin at Tivoli Park (corner of Judson and Livingston) in Albany. The end of the route will be at the Dormitory Authority (DASNY)'s headquarters at 515 Broadway. For more information, please visit their Web site.

Voorheesville Village Green Clean. The first Village Green Clean will be held Saturday, April 18, which is meant to compliment Earth Day. Residents and business owners can volunteer to clean up village streets, parks and neighborhoods from 10 a.m. to noon, along with recycling collections for several different items until 2 p.m. at the Voorheesville Volunteer Fire Department. A community gathering will also be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the firehouse as a thank you for volunteers, though anyone is welcome, with music, food, refreshments and activities for kids.

Giant Recycling Event in Delmar. On Saturday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Elm Avenue Park will host a recycling event where new or used clothing and other textiles, scrap metal, paper to be shredded, hard and soft covered books, appliances, scrap metal, and electronics will be taken in.

Sponsored by the The Delmar Farmers Market, the Town of Bethlehem, the Bethlehem Central School District Green Team, Senior Project Bethlehem. You do not have to be a Bethlehem resident to participate.

Cleanup effort in Bethlehem. Volunteers will meet at Bethlehem Town Hall (445 Delaware Avenue, Delmar) at 9 a.m. for instructions and safety guidance, then head out to the to the chosen destination to clean up roadside or park debris. Kids under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Event will be canceled in the case of rain. View more information via link.

Neighborhood cleanups across Albany. Albany neighborhood associations, schools, agencies, and business have scheduled volunteer clean up days throughout the city. The City of Albany has posted a schedule of these upcoming clean up events.

Electronic Recycling. The City of Albany’s Department of General Services will be sponsoring two free paper shredding, book and electronics recycling events this year. Due to the recently enacted state law prohibiting electronic disposal through traditional sanitation pick up, this is a way to get rid of certain obsolete electronics the right way.

Hard and soft cover books will be collected and recycled. Please note that the books will not be shredded. All documents brought by residents will be shredded on site by 3N Document Destruction.

The event will take place at the Washington Park Lakehouse on Thursday, April 30 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Events and Highlights from the 109th:

New president of the College of St. Rose installed. I joined local leaders and dignitaries to help formally install Dr. Carolyn Stefanco as the new president of the College of St. Rose in Albany. Stefanco will be the eleventh leader in the college’s 95 year history.

Lincoln in New York. The New York State Capitol will host, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, a set of activities and events. From 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, events will take place that will focus on the Civil War and the Lincoln administration. For more information, visit governor.ny.gov/lincolntribute.

Smoke Alarms. The Red Cross will be installing free smoke alarms in homes that need them in the City of Albany on May 16. To sign up to have a smoke alarm installed, please call Burgundy Magoon at (518) 694-5117.

Streetfilms festival. Great turnout for this past week’s Streetfilms mini-festival at the Madison Theater. The films intend to help spread public awareness about urban planning, cycling and other forms of public transportation.

Capital Region Homebuyer Fair. If you or someone you know is thinking about buying a house, make sure they attend the annual Homebuyer Fair on Saturday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Albany Public Library, (161 Washington Avenue, Albany). Free credit reports available on site, talk with lenders, inspectors, realtors, grant programs, attorneys and more. For more information, visit AHPhome.org.

Our Family Reads Day. It was wonderful to celebrate The Week of the Young Child "Our Family Reads" day with Sheriff Craig D. Apple and Assemblymember John T. McDonald III at Club Fed at the Leo O’Brien Federal Building.

Job Opportunities: New York State has setup a new job portal entitled Jobs Express, where thousands of private and public sector jobs are listed. Visit jobs.ny.gov for more information on how to apply for these opportunities.

As always, for the latest news or for upcoming events, please visit my office online, on Facebook, on Twitter, or my Times Union blog. If you would like to reach my office, please feel free to send us a note.

Sincerely ---

Pat