Member-Owners needed to invest time at Earth Month events! We need helpers 4/26 9:30am-3pm for our E-waste Recylcing & Electronics Upcycling Events!
Tasks Include:
-Directing Traffic in Parking Lot
-Passing out Coupons
-Removing Items from Vehicles
-Organizing Items Collected into Bins
Light Refreshments Provided!
Email AnastasiaRodgers@honestweight.coop to sign up for a time investment shift during these events, the more the merrier!!
Common Ground Educational Film Screening & Conversation with Farmers
Date & Time:April 14th 6pm
Location: HWFC Community Room
Join us for an inspiring evening centered on healing the Earth—one farm at a time. We’re screening the abridged educational version of Common Ground, a powerful and thought-provoking documentary that dives into the world of regenerative agriculture—an approach that not only restores soil health but also helps fight climate change by capturing carbon right beneath our feet.
Through beautiful storytelling and expert insights, Common Ground shows how moving away from industrial farming and toward more sustainable, soil-focused practices can boost food production, protect the environment, and even improve our own backyards. This film is for anyone who eats food, loves the planet, and wants to make a difference—whether you're a farmer or a gardener.
🌿 Special Guests & Farmer Panel
After the film, stick around for a conversation with local farmers who are walking the walk when it comes to regenerative farming:
👩🌾 Zack & Annie Metzger – Laughing Earth Farm (Cropseyville, Rensselaer County)
Zack and Annie have been farming at Laughing Earth for the past decade, growing certified organic vegetables and raising livestock using regenerative practices. Their farm serves a loyal CSA and sells at the Troy Waterfront Farmers Market. The land they steward has been farmed for over 200 years and is now permanently protected as Farmland Forever—thanks to the power of community collaboration and support from multiple preservation organizations.
👨🌾 Chris Cashen & Katie Smith – The Farm at Miller’s Crossing (Claverack, Columbia County)
Since 1994, Chris and Katie have grown certified organic vegetables, started a small grass-fed beef operation, and produced maple products on their farm. They’re also moving toward Regenerative Organic certification for their grain operation. Longtime Honest Weight partners, they’ve supplied us with organic bedding plants since the ’90s! In 2019, they protected 400 acres of farmland with a permanent conservation easement to ensure it stays in agriculture forever.
✨ Let’s gather for a night of meaningful storytelling, community conversation, and inspiration to grow a healthier, more sustainable future—starting right here in our region.
Electronics Recycling with GE's Elfun Team & HWFC Environmental Committee
GE Elfun's Computer Recycling Rehab will be joining us for a very special collection drive!
Donate your unwanted computer equipment for REUSE. This is preferable over recycling old computers for scrap. Elfun Computer Rehab refurbishes used computers and accessories, and donates them to schools or nonprofit organizations that cannot afford new computers.
Elfun Computer Rehab accepts computers of all kinds, including desktops, tablets, and laptops and peripheral equipment (chargers, cables, drives, accessories). printers, Flat Screen Computer Monitors OVER 19 inches, NO CRT monitors.
Our Environmental Committee has teamed up with Elfun to bring this event to HWFC!
We will be collecting items from above list under the tent on the HWFC Patio!
Elfun's Mission
Help bridge the digital divide by providing FREE computer systems to schools and nonprofit organizations that cannot afford to buy new equipment.
Extend the useful life of computers that are no longer wanted by businesses through REUSE rather than recycling them for scrap materials.
About Elfun:
An ongoing volunteer program of GE Volunteers. Started in 1993.
A Federally recognized 501(c)(3) New York based nonprofit corporation.
A Microsoft Registered Refurbisher.
A qualified partner with the National Cristina Foundation.
A member of Alliance for Technology Refurbishing and Repair (AFTRR), a nationwide network of computer refurbishers to promote technology reuse for schools and nonprofits who are in need.
33 retired GE employees (with over 1000 years of GE service) who donate over 8000 volunteer hours annually.
E-Waste Collection Item Guidelines
Saturday, 4/26/2025 - 10AM-3PM
First Come, First Served FREE Event!
Acceptable e-Waste:
- Batteries
- Business Machines
- Cables & IT accessories
- Cameras
- Computer peripherals (mice, keyboards, webcams, speakers, microphones)
- Computers
- Copiers
- Electronics Scrap
- Fax Machines
- Fluorescent Lamps
- Gaming devices
- GPS units
- Lab & medical electronics
- Laptops
- Mainframe/ Midrange
- Mobile devices (cell Phones, Tablets, PDAs, MP3 players)
- Monitors
- Networking Gear
- Phone systems
- Power supplies
- Printers & plotters (ink, toner, & cartridges)
- Routers & switches
- Scanners
- Scientific Equipment
- Security equipment
- Servers & server racks
- Stereo equipment
- Storage devices (external hard drives, solid state drives, SD cards, memory cards, card readers)
- Telecommunications Equipment
- Televisions -"Flat Screen" ONLY NO TUBE TVS
- Terminals
- Typewriters
- UPS
- Video & audio equipment
- Wiring & Cabling
Unacceptable e-Waste:
- Carbon monoxide detectors
- Dehumidifiers
- Devices containing liquid mercury (thermostats, switches, medical devices, thermometers)
- Freon containing devices/materials (refrigerators, air conditioners, dehumidifiers)
- Gas powered equipment
- Household hazardous waste
- Large appliances (stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers)
- Liquids
- PCB ballasts
- Propane tanks
- Radioactive materials
- Small appliances (toasters, vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, irons, hair dryers)
- Smoke detectors
Earth Month Clothing Swap
Drop & Shop Friday April 25th 12-6pm
Shop the Swap Satuday April 26th 8am-2pm
Refresh your wardrobe and celebrate our beautiful earth!
So many unwanted clothes end up in landfills, let's do our part to lessen the impact of clothing in our waste systems.
Drop off up to 10 Items Friday between 12-6pm for a $5 off $25 Coupon!!
Friday is the only day we are accepting donations!
🌎 5 Earth-Friendly Habits You Can Adopt Right Now
- Support Local Farmers. We love local—we work with over 150 farms within 100 miles. You can also support farmers directly by joining a CSA: buy a farm-share in spring, when overhead is at its highest for farmers, and enjoy fresh, local, and organic produce (some include meat and dairy, too!) all season long. For a list of CSAs from our vendors, see below.
- Rethink Your Need for New. Next time you find yourself browsing the web for things you didn’t know you wanted, think twice. Use what you have, borrow instead of buying, buy used, and when you do shop, do so with intention: carefully chosen and high quality items last longer, and you’re less likely to get sick of them before their time. Your local Buy Nothing group is a great resource (buynothingproject.org) for a hyper-local gift economy.
- If It’s Broke, Fix It. This ties into #2. Rather than tossing something out because it’s worn or broken, see if you can mend, reuse, or otherwise restore it. If not, see if you can rehome it. Disposing should be a last resort.
- Eat Less Meat. Challenge yourself to enjoy more meals made up of veggies, grains, fruits, and responsibly-sourced dairy. Start with Meatless Mondays or try going vegan or vegetarian for a week. When you do eat meat, see #1.
- Reduce Food Waste. We are living in an unusual time that is providing an opportunity to learn to be creative and resourceful. Utilize the ‘scraps’ (sauté those beet greens, save mirepoix scraps or bones in your freezer for stock later), dress up and eat your leftovers, and buy veggies that store well. Cabbage is your friend, you can always count on carrots, and nothing beats beets! 🥕
Supporting Local Farmers
Support farmers directly by joining a CSA: buy a farm-share in spring, when overhead is at its highest for farmers, and enjoy fresh, local, and organic produce (some include meat and dairy, too!) all season long.