National Planning Excellence Award for Innovation in Best Practices for Sustainability Hilltop Hanover, A Westchester County Farm and Environmental Center Westchester County, New York Hilltop Hanover was previously a 180-acre dairy farm that was turned into a farm and environmental center to educate the residents of Westchester County about sustainable agriculture and environmentally sensitive practices. Acquisition of the old dairy farm also preserved open space and protected a public drinking water supply watershed. Programs offered at Hilltop Hanover are designed to expand awareness of the environmental impacts of human activity, offer alternatives to existing practices and demonstrate practical methods for implementing new strategies. Demonstration projects such as green roofs, rain barrels, and composting toilets are used to educate the public on how to create a more sustainable community and decrease carbon footprints. Seventy percent of the produce (7000 pounds) harvested at Hilltop Hanover is distributed to local food pantries, and the education center employs developmentally disabled adults from a nearby adult day care program. Hilltop Hanover is managed and operated by the Westchester County Department of Planning, which envisioned using it as a tool to physically demonstrate many of the county's sustainability goals.
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