Starflower Experiences
Long Island, New York
 
e-mail us at StarflExp@aol.com

Starflower Experiences, Inc. is a local not-for-profit educational organization that offers programs and experiences to help people understand, appreciate, and live more in harmony with the earth's life systems. Many of our public events and outdoor experiences have been at Sweet Hollow Hall in West Hills County Park, Melville. This past summer was our 16th year running the Earthkeepers program at this location. However, we are beginning to move more of our activities to our new location at Manor Farm at 210 Manor Road in Huntington.

Starflower Experiences runs an Accredited EarthkeepersTM program

at Magic Spots

Campers practice solitude--time alone to experience the natural world and reflect on their training

Next summer, Earthkeepers will be July 7-11 from 8:45 - 12:30. (Followed by Earth Explorers July 14-18 from 9:00 - 3:30.)

See us in Newsday: Our Natural World

The Earthkeepers program is run at sites around the world!

 
Rangers of the EarthTM

Starflower Experiences was lucky to be a pilot site for The Institute for Earth Education's newly published Rangers of the Earth program. This year is the fifth year at the Martin Luther King Jr School in Wyandanch. Last spring, we started a new group of trainees from Huntington, too.

Apprentice Earth Rangers on patrol look at ice on the pond
On patrol in the Carll's River Watershed in Wyandanch

This powerful program takes a whole year to complete, yet requires only 2 full days at an outdoor site plus opportunities for youngsters to explore natural places in their own community.


Check out our upcoming events:
    Our annual coffeehouse/auction is April 12.
    Trail work at Berkeley Jackson County Park Sunday April 13. Meet at 10 am at Manor Farm.
    The play, "The Man Who Came to Dinner" will be May 3 (evening) and May 4 (matinee) at Sweet Hollow Hall, West Hills County Park. Click here for an info flyer.
    Next Community Yard Sale is June 7. Scroll down for info.
    Long Island Naturally, our environmental fair is September 27, 2008.

Volunteers welcomed!

Green Living Seminars
Starflower Experiences is holding monthly Green Living Seminars the 2nd Thursday of each month (except July and August) from 7-9 pm. We want to help people think about their life choices and their impact on the earth and learn about ways they can personally lessen their impact. Come and learn how to live a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. These will be held at the Melville Branch of the Half Hollow Hills Library at 510 Sweet Hollow Road directly across from the Sunquam School. Click on the title above for details.

Community Yard Sale--June 7
We'll be holding a Community Yard Sale at Manor Farm on Saturday June 7 (raindate Sunday June 8) from 10 am to 4 pm. For a donation of $20 you can have a 10'x10' space to sell your unwanted stuff. If you love garage/yard sales, this is for you! If you want to reserve a space, click here: Yard Sale Reservation form

Get our Spring newsletter here!
Click here to get our spring newsletter as a pdf file. If you need the Adobe Acrobat Reader, it's free at adobe.com

Really Green
From our Spring 2008 newsletter: Debra Lynn Dadd lays out some basic principles to help us judge and decide if something is really green. She says that "green" is "supportive of life, both human and otherwise." She lays out a series of principles that include considering the design, purpose, manufacturing, transportation, and packaging involved in a product or service. She explains about a Life Cycle Analysis-considering everything from the raw materials, through manufacturing and use, to disposal. We must take responsibility for the impacts of our choices and this book is a great start. Since this book is not yet available in bookstores, to find out more or to order it, click here: Really Green by Debra Lynn Dadd

Really Green by Debra Lynn Dadd

“Choices for Sustainable Living”
“Discovering a Sense of Place”

Starflower Experiences will be hosting these discussion courses created by the Northwest Earth Institute (www.nwei.org). The Northwest Earth Institute believes that “individuals, motivated by their renewed recognition of Earth-centered values, are the true facilitators of change. Only through action by committed individuals will a sustainable future be brought to fruition.” These 8 session courses will meet on Thursday evenings at Manor Farm skipping holidays and the dates of our Green Living Seminars. “Choices for Sustainable Living” starts April 17. “Discovering a Sense of Place” starts September 18. Cost is $18 for the workbook. Groups are limited to 8-12 people. Sign up now!

Can you help?

We are looking for donations of:
      · cardboard egg cartons with solid tops
      · tree branches approximately 3" in diameter
      · trowels and shovels (used is fine)
      · garden gloves
      · garden hoses
      · watering can
      · clippers and loppers for trimming trails
      · natural history books for our Ranger Station
      · a data projector
      · storage space
      · a library-style step stool

We're seeking people to help keep trails trimmed in Berkeley Jackson County Park. If you are not susceptable to poison ivy, we especially need you! We also need someone to paint and cut egg cartons, someone to hem cloth napkins for our fall fair, and someone who can do some minor carpentry/constructon for a few interior projects at Manor Farm.

Thanks for the very generous help!

the Second Chance Players

For our school organic garden at the Martin Luther King Jr School in Wyandanch (Spring '05 Earth Rangers' culminating project):

Long Island Compost

www.carlsfence.net

You can phone us at 516-938-6152 or email us at StarflExp@aol.com.

Donations to Starflower Experiences are tax-deductible.