About us

Dutchess County, located in New York’s Hudson River Valley, is known for its natural beauty, outdoor recreation, and historic landmarks. Our team works to prevent environmental contamination of our precious air and water and to educate our community about the environmental problems we face and how to mitigate them. Note that our team includes men who share our values as we work to preserve Dutchess’s biodiversity, and move Dutchess toward a more regenerative and sustainable energy system that will advance all of our communities by reducing pollution and creating thousands of life-long jobs in energy efficiency and renewable energy infrastructure.

Our Values:

Just Transition
Sociocratic, member-led decision-making
Educating our community about environmental problems and how to find solutions for them

Current priorities:

Implement county-wide waste disposal systems without burning trash
Close the Dutchess County Incinerator
Support statewide climate smart legislation

Regular meeting time:

Usually the Third Thursday of the month at 7 PM EST

Latest News

On October 15, 2024, Mothers Out Front Dutchess County delivered nearly 900 petition signatures urging the Dutchess County Legislature to budget for a certified Zero Waste Consultant to guide the County away from harmful trash incineration. Inside the legislative chambers nine citizens gave public comments, all heartfelt and powerful. Statements included the following:

Anahi Lipton, Mother of Child with Asthma, Town of Poughkeepsie says, “I live in the Town of Poughkeepsie. As someone who considers herself environmentally conscious, I had no idea that we burn our trash and that the Dutchess County Incinerator is located here. My two-year-old has had respiratory issues since he was born here. It is not a coincidence that he suffers from asthma given that Poughkeepsie is ranked #6 in the U.S. as an Asthma Capital. I urge the county to take the necessary steps to eliminate incinerator pollution and to find alternative ways to manage waste that do not involve burning and sending pollutants that trigger asthma into the air.”

Dr. Alison Keimowitz, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Director of Environmental Studies, Vassar College. “Incineration is harmful to the climate, dangerous for air quality, and unjust for our communities. For each ton of waste, landfills emit less global warming gases than incineration. The other materials released by incineration are major sources of many types of air pollutants. These pollutants are dangerous to the health of our communities, especially the very young, the elderly, and people who are already sick. Poughkeepsie should not bear the burden of these harmful compounds for the entire county.”

John Rath, City of Poughkeepsie resident, asked “What is the price of your lungs?” He read the statement provided to him by City of Poughkeepsie Council Member Ernest Henry, who could not be present, who said that “I believe we need to explore better ways to discard our waste; it is the responsible thing to do for our city and the environment overall.”

Take Action

A Future Without Trash Incineration: Clean Air for Dutchess County

We citizens of Dutchess County are requesting that the County Legislature:

Recognize that no amount of pollution from the County Incinerator is safe.
Plan now and act with urgency to transition away from waste incineration.
Budget for a certified Zero Waste Management Consultant to guide Dutchess County to a future without incineration.
Design and implement zero waste strategies.