Winnakee Moves to New Sustainable Headquarters in Rhinebeck Village!
Earlier this month, Winnakee relocated to the heart of Rhinebeck Village at 7 Livingston Street (otherwise known as the historic house with pollinator gardens behind Terrapin).
Owned by Jeffrey Scales and sustainably managed according to Green America Green Business principles with his partner Leola Specht, this 1895 building has been beautifully renovated with a dedication to maintaining a green building with sustainable services.
the Birds and Bees Protection Act
Upon his recent retirement as a financial advisor, Jeff reached out to Winnakee to gauge interest in relocating to the site, to which our Executive Director, Bob Davis, gave a resounding, “Yes!”
“Winnakee is absolutely thrilled and grateful for this opportunity to have a larger presence in the Village of Rhinebeck, and in a sustainable setting that reinforces Winnakee’s environmental priorities for the future,” added Davis.
“Winnakee’s work aligns perfectly with the regenerative practices at 7 Livingston,” said Leola Specht.
Among the features that Scales and Specht have implemented at 7 Livingston are 100% electricity at the office from onsite solar and renewable energy sources, dark-sky compliant LED lighting, products purchased made from recycled paper or bamboo with brands dedicated to less packaging, insulation and energy-efficient heating and cooling, and sustainable land stewardship to increase biodiversity. Only bulk-refillable, plant based non-toxic cleaning solutions are used. With composting and recycling in place, the building proudly uses on average only one 13-gallon trash bag to discard per month.
In addition, Specht maintains 7 Livingston Street as a food scrap drop off for composting as well as a community drop off parking lot shed for “not normally recyclable” items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, razors, Brita, phone cases, pop sockets, wine corks and Lundberg family farms bags. (see below to participate!)
Winnakee staff are also super excited about the established pollinator gardens.
“We envision holding environmental education events on site,” said Uri Perrin, Senior Director of Advancement & External Affairs. “What better way to convey our ecosystem mission than to step outside to see pollinators in action in a native garden,” added Perrin. “We also love the proximity to the heart of Rhinebeck and are so grateful to Jeff and Leola in helping us amplify our mission presence in the community.”
“We have been frequent participants of Winnakee’s environmental events as well as volunteers over the years. We are thrilled to house an organization with the same passion and commitment to preserving and restoring our ecosystems, as we embrace in our own daily lives.”
Jeff Scales
Please drop in and visit Winnakee at our new sustainable headquarters. We look forward to seeing you!
To join the Neighborhood Drop-Off Compost program at 7 Livingston, please sign up at the O-Zone HV.
Below is a list of “not normally recyclable” items that can be dropped off for free in our parking lot shed.
