Re-Elect Manna Jo Greene
Ulster County Legislative District-19
Keep--Ulster--Green
Meet Manna Jo
I am very proud of Ulster County and of District 19 in Rosendale and Marbletown for the leadership we have demonstrated and the progress we have made.
However, with the Trump Administration aggressively implementing the Project 2025 Agenda, the Ulster County Legislature needs someone who can get the results we need in this difficult political environment – now more than ever.
My unique experience and proven track record of success in creating community wide consensus and taking effective action is built on a lifetime of deep, detailed experience and knowledge in advancing – and defending – civil rights, social justice and environmental protection, while effectively balancing business and community interests to support a strong local economy that works for everyone.
Let’s work together to ensure success here in Ulster County, especially in these challenging times.
"When we needed information about key environmental issues in Ulster County, the Catskills, or the Hudson Valley, Manna Jo was always one of the first people we contacted. She is respected throughout the state for her knowledge and commitment to building a better world."
~Judith Enck, former EPA Region 2 Administrator and Founder of Beyond Plastics
~Mark Dunlea, author, Putting Out the Planetary Fire more...
"As a long-time resident of Rosendale, it is my pleasure to write this letter of support for Manna Jo Greene as Ulster County Legislator. I have known Manna for nearly 30 years through her community involvement. Manna is active, dedicated, and engaged in local and statewide issues." ~ Diana Zuckerman more...
Experience
I am one of the few County Legislators with specific expertise at the local and national level to ensure wise and effective implementation of truly sustainable development for our community.
Fortunately, the Legislature has many representatives with business and technology backgrounds.
But I am deeply knowledgeable in areas such as Sound Solid Waste Management, Affordable and Accessible Healthcare and Housing, Sustainable Business and Economy, Civil Rights and Social Justice and the implementation of Climate Solutions, including the transition to a renewable energy economy with storage and efficiency, municipality by municipality.
Let’s work together to ensure success here in Ulster County, especially in these challenging times.
Manna Jo's Story
Since 2014, Manna has served as the Ulster County Legislator from District 19, representing the Town of Rosendale and part of Marbletown.
Legislative Leadership
Manna chaired the Legislature’s Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee, was Deputy Chair of Public Works and Capital Projects, served on the Trail and Rail Advisory Committee, and previously served as Vice-Chair of the Ulster County Environmental Management Council.
She continues to serve on Energy, Environment and Sustainability, chairs the Ulster County Climate Smart Committee and coordinates Ulster County 70 by 30 Renewable Energy Implementation Working Group, which is developing a plan to achieve the State and County climate goals.
Prior to joining the Legislature, Manna served on the Rosendale Town Council for eight years and previously chaired the Rosendale Environmental Commission.
The Rosendale Rec Center Solar Array ~ Completed at NO COST to the Town thanks to a grant written by Manna Jo Greene
The equipment for this 10 kilowatt solar array was paid for by a NYS grant, which Manna wrote with Rick Lewandowski in 2016 to install renewable energy on municipal buildings and grounds. The labor was provided by local contractors and electricians, taking a solar installation training. The participants paid $600 for the week-long training under the supervision of Dr. Gay Canough, a NASA scientist and founder of ETM Solar. This project did not cost the Town anything, and it saved on the electric bills and provided renewable energy to the entire complex from the day it was connected to the grid -- demonstrating that Manna is both an environmental progressive and a fiscal conservative.
Committed to Service and Activism
A lifelong environmental and health professional and community activist, Manna cut her teeth as an organizer in the Civil Rights movement, as one of the founders of the Bridgeport, CT chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.), and has worked for social, environmental, and, more recently, climate justice ever since. As a teenager, Manna worked with Dr. King and other civil rights leaders of the day to lobby for the passage of the Civil Rights Bill, an event that has empowered her for life.
Manna Jo Greene served as Hudson River Sloop Clearwater’s Environmental Action Director from 2000 to 2023 and previously served as Recycling Coordinator/Educator for the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency for 10 years and as a Registered Critical Care Nurse for 22 years. She holds an AAS in Nursing from SUNY Ulster, a BA in Biology (pre-med) from SUNY New Paltz, and completed course work toward a Master of Science in Environmental Policy at Bard College.
Community Collaboration
Manna avidly supports collaborative land use planning and problem solving. Working to promote green building and renewable energy projects and practices, she teaches communities how to integrate environmental preservation, economic prosperity (based on quality of life indicators), and social equity using effective communication. She is trained in conflict resolution and mediation and the Natural Step for Business, and is Climate Reality Leader and a member of the Hudson Valley & Catskill Climate Reality Chapter.
She helped to create Citizens (now Communities) for Local Power’s Kitchen Cabinet, which works with communities in the Mid-Hudson region to transition to a locally based clean energy economy, and was a member of EPA's Community Advisory Group for remediation of Hudson River PCBs. She also formed the HV Green Building and Renewable Energy Working Group, served on the Board of the Hudson Valley Materials Exchange and the Hudson Valley Biodiesel Coop, was Vice-Chair of the Ulster County Environmental Management Council and is a long-standing member of the Mid-Ulster League of Women Voters and numerous other civic organizations. She has also served on the Hudson Valley Regional Packaging Task Force, the NY State Battery Task Force, the NYS Roundtable for Consensus on Tire Management, the Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance, EPA's Local Government Advisory Council, and for five years hosted the Recycling Hotline & Environment Show on WGHQ.
Building Sustainable Economies
Working with the Hudson Valley Sustainable Communities Network (which has since become Sustainable Hudson Valley) to promote sustainable agriculture and green building and landscaping practices, Manna helped create the Finding Common Ground process to restore a healthier working relationship between area farmers and environmentalists, which resulted in the Hudson Valley Harvest "buy local" campaign and a genuine shift in agriculture in the region.
Modeling green building and landscaping practices, she built a solar-powered Sustainable Living Resource Center to host seminars and workshops and house a large collection of resources on a variety of sustainability-related projects. Manna is also a trainer for the Natural Step Framework, a sustainability methodology for businesses and institutions.
Honors and Awards
Among many awards and other forms of public recognition, Manna was nominated as "Woman of the Year" by the Ulster County YWCA in 1996. She received the prestigious "Spirit of the Universe" award in 1997 for her commitment to Earth and to her community, the Mohonk Consultations' award for Distinguished Service and Environmental Sensitivity in June 2000, the US EPA's Environmental Quality Award in 2011, Sage Art's "Carrying the Torch: Songs of Remarkable Women and Female Wisdom" honors in October, 2018. Manna was inducted into the SUNY Ulster Hall of Fame in 2021, received an Ulster County Legislature Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024 and, most recently, the Sustainable Hudson Valley Lifetime Achievement Award in March 2025.
Listen to the beautiful tribute to Manna at the Sage Arts Awards by Vickie Russell entitled "If Our Cause Is Just ".
Manna is committed to the belief that humans can live in harmony with each other and the Earth, and that if your cause is just and you are persistent, you will eventually triumph. She lives in Cottekill with her son Ivan, daughter-in-law Hartje, and grandson Emmett. Her son Solomon, a Rondout Valley Hall of Fame alumnus, lives in Washington DC.
Manna received the Ulster County Legislature Lifetime Achievement Award in April 2024. Here, with Legislator Richard Walls, son Ivan Greene, grandson Emmett, daughter-in-law Hartje, Legislator Chris Hewitt and Chair Peter Criswell.
Goals
Prior Acccomplishments and Key Priorities for 2025 thru 2027
Agriculture
- Helped create the Hudson Valley Harvest Buy Local Campaign to bring environmental and agricultural sectors together to support area farmers, which supported the adoption of the Ulster County Farmland Protection Plan.
- Promote Agrovoltaics to generate renewable energy and provide needed income to area farms
Climate Change
- Chair the Ulster County Climate Smart Committee, including coordinating Climate Row at Ulster County Fair, which educates thousands of fairgoers about Climate Science and Solutions.
- Support hiring a Climate Smart Schools Coordinator and an Ulster County Renewable Energy Coordinator.
Economic Development, Workforce Development and Worker Protection
- Organized two union campaigns for nurses and allied health care workers.
- Supports Project Labor Agreements to ensure fair wages on taxpayer funded construction projects.
- Promote sustainable economic development for green building, ecotourism, business and labor.
- Bring community wide energy efficiency to Ulster County, building on successful pilot projects, such as the
- ARPA grant for RUPCO {$400,000) to do deep energy retrofits on low and moderate income homes and $90,000 for workforce and business development training by Communities for Local Power
Energy:
Building a strong economy based on renewable energy
- 2024 - 25: Facilitate Ulster County 70 by 30 Renewable Energy Implementation Plan Working Group to achieve State and County Climate Goals, municipality by municipality.
- Solar Mapping: Taught approx. 150 participants from 50 municipalities in Ulster County and the Mid-Hudson Region to ensure wise siting of solar and other renewables, with storage and efficiency.
Environmental Protection:
All environmental protections established since the 1970s now need to be defended.
- Build on successful advocacy to EPA requiring General Electric to clean up Hudson River PCBs. (Sponsored 2024 Resolution No. 506: Urging EPA Adopt A Not Protective Determination for Hudson PCB Cleanup)
Public Health and Safety:
Actively support access to affordable health care for all.
- Worked as OB/Gyn and then Certified Critical Care Nurse at Benedictine Hospital for 22 years
- Strongly defend access to Medicare, Medicaid and the full spectrum of individual and public health care.
- Ensure UC Emergency Communication Center solar generation has battery back up to ensure reliability.
Housing:
The right to affordable housing is essential to an economy that works for everyone in Ulster County.
- Implement county wide initiatives based on successful housing rehabs for moderate and low income residents.
- Integrate plans to ensure that every homeless person in Ulster county can transition to stable housing.
- Build on our business and workforce development efforts and add needed zoning changes and incentives for affordable housing so residents and industry have the resources needed to protect homeowners’ assets while welcoming newcomers as we build affordable sustainable housing for all in Ulster County.
Solid Waste:
As the Recycling Coordinator for UCRRA in the 1990’s, we used a collaborative process to take Ulster County’s recycling from 4% to 40% in less than a decade. Now I hope to help get to 80% to reduce waste going to a landfill by implementing a Zero Waste Implementation Plan developed by area experts and a Reuse Innovation Center, which is currently being actively pursued by UCRRA.
- Used a very collaborative process with all key stakeholders to develop and pass Local Law No. 1 of 2020: Food Waste Prevention and Recovery Act. Presently working with SUNY/Ulster and other business and institutional leaders to create a Composting Expo, featuring best practices, business opportunities and training to ensure maximum participation.
- Served on UCRRA Reform and Recycling Oversight Committees; ensure recommendations are adopted.
- Plan to sponsor a bill to require Construction & Demolition Recycling, once UCRRA has a processing center to handle these materials, starting with deconstruction projects, which receive public funds.
- Sponsored 2024 Resolution No. 7: Urging The Expeditious Establishment Of A New York State Stewardship Program That Includes Both Packaging And Printed Paper.
- Marie Beichert, Non-Profit Management Consultant, Ulster Landing
- Evelyn Clarke, Councilperson, Town of Esopus Town Board
- Rev. Dr. G. Modele Clarke, Pastor Emeritus, New Progressive Baptist Church, Kingston
- Sheila Brady Dixon, Campaign Treasurer, Rosendale
- Ted Dixon, Hudson Valley Artist, Rosendale
- Lisa Giannico, Member, Marbletown Environmental Conservation Commission and Climate Smart Communities Task Force
- Lori Gross, Massage Therapist, High Falls
- Donald Fraser, Historic Site Educator, High Falls
- Chris Hewitt, Ulster County Legislator, District 21, Towns of Rochester and Wawarsing
- Tom Konrad, Chair, Marbletown Environmental Conservation Commission and Climate Smart Communities Task Force
- Richard (Rick) Lewandowski, President, Direct Gain Consulting; NYSERDA Entrepreneur in Residence, Columbia Technology Ventures; Stone Ridge
- Gloria Waslyn, Professional Career Management and Community Photographer, Ruby
- Working Families Party
The countdown is over!
"In these troubled times I feel blessed to be represented by a candidate whose commitment to truth and social justice is beyond reproach, an experienced candidate with proven results. I'm voting for Manna Jo Greene."
~Big Joe Fitz, Blues Musician and Radio Personality, Rosendale
"I have known Manna Jo Greene and worked with her over decades – on issues that touch all of us – beginning with solid waste and recycling to sustainable food systems, renewable energy, clean water, clean air, healthy communities, housing and environmental justice among them. Always ready, willing and able to work toward real solutions to the complex problems we face, Manna is dedicated to healing our planet, finding ways to come together, building coalitions and tangible support to improve our communities, our environment and our economy – connecting the dots, and recognizing first and foremost that these challenges need to be addressed as they are – individually with heft and collectively as an interwoven fabric.
Manna touches all of us with her determination based on doing what is right today and tomorrow – building a healthy future for the Earth and for all people. Taking these principles and applying them in concrete terms with practical local solutions. Inspiring and engaging people to come together to take action.
As she stands for reelection to the Ulster County Legislature, Manna has and continues to embody service in the true sense of making people’s lives and the environment better for all. Manna’s lifetime of service, activism, dedication and beneficial results have been unwavering in the face of many challenges -- local and global -- and is a continuing inspiration to me and countless others. I wholeheartedly support Manna’s candidacy for the Ulster County Legislature."
~ Deborah Meyer DeWan
Deborah Meyer DeWan, Policy professional and advocate, Effective bridge builder
Agriculture, Food Security, Environmental & Economic Sustainability
“Ever since I moved to this community, more than 30 years ago, Manna Jo Greene has impressed me with her aggressive community advocacy. As a regional journalist, I became aware of her profound concern for the environment. And what I found most impressive was how she dealt with these concerns. Consequently, her deep concerns and moral grounding motivated MannaJo to act on correcting the issues, as she saw them.
Later, when I became pastor of an area predominantly African-American church, I had numerous opportunities to see this same quality of concerned sincerity in her role as an Ulster County legislator. Manna Jo always supports and is involved in community events. I am one of many county residents who rely on her genuine love for this region and the tenacity with which she defends and promotes Ulster County.
As a result, I unequivocally endorse the reelection of Manna Jo Greene to the Ulster County Legislature."
~ Rev. Dr. G. Modele Clarke, pastor emeritus, New Progressive Baptist Church, Kingston, NY”
“Manna Jo Greene will always have my vote. I can’t think of anyone who has devoted more of their time and energy to protect our beautiful Hudson River and all the people living in our communities here in the Mid-Hudson Valley region. She always keeps her eyes on the prize and with steadfast determination keeps leading us all forward.”
Lori Gross, Massage Therapist, High Falls
"As soon as a child is born, they should be issued a dog and a banjo" ~Charles Schulz
"Being generous of spirit is a wonderful way to live." ~Pete Seeger
“We urge Ulster County Democrat voters in District 19 -- the Town of Rosendale, and High Falls and Stone Ridge and Marbletown -- to vote for Manna Jo Greene in the June 24 Primary for the seat she has held for ten years in the Ulster County Legislature.
We have worked with Manna Jo for decades. Judith formerly served as Board President of Clearwater, where Manna Jo for years worked as a vital voice for environmental protection. We have often worked with Manna Jo on issues such as promoting recycling, solid waste reduction, cleaning up the Hudson River, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture. She has also devoted considerable time to attending numerous community meetings and events and talking to local constituents about their concerns.
When we needed information about key environmental issues in Ulster County, the Catskills, or the Hudson Valley, Manna Jo was always one of the first people we contacted. She is respected throughout the state for her knowledge and commitment to building a better world.
As a former Town Board member in our Rensselaer community, Mark is well aware that Manna Jo possesses the skills and qualities needed to be an effective legislative representative.
Please support Manna Jo for one more term on the County Legislature.
Thank you.”
~Judith Enck, former EPA Region 2 Administrator and Founder of Beyond Plastics
~Mark Dunlea, author, Putting Out the Planetary Fire
"Dear Ulster County District 19 Voters:
I'm writing to express my wholehearted support for reelecting Manna Jo Greene as our county legislator.
For 30 years, Manna has actively and selflessly served District 19. She listens, unites, advises, and advocates. Most importantly, Manna shows up. She lends her expertise but also her empathy. She sees our community's needs—affordable housing, food access, mental healthcare, environmental protection—and works passionately to address them.
Manna builds connections. She engaged our high schoolers, counseling them on civic participation. She aided a struggling neighbor, offering mental health support. She earned district-wide recognition, including the Mohonk Environmental Achievement Award.
Simply put, Manna Jo Greene represents the best of District 19. I cannot recommend her strongly enough for another term as our county legislator. Her continued leadership would tremendously benefit Marbletown, Rosendale, and all of Ulster County.
Please feel free to contact me with any other questions.
Best wishes, "
~Diana Zuckerman, Spanish Teacher and Interpreter, Rosendale
"Manna Jo Greene has done so much to enrich our local and global communities. Her work for 22 years with the Clearwater helped bring awareness to the need to clean up and protect the Hudson River from industrial toxins and nuclear power plant seepage (a major initiative of Pete and Toshi Seeger) as well as the need to educate young leaders of the future.
Her civil rights engagement from the time she was a young teen with Martin Luther King, Jr. serves to educate people with her personal stories and example that we are one beautiful rainbow race and we must always work together to end the injustices harming humanity itself and to the one source of life.
Manna’s lifelong commitment to uplifting and transforming mis-aligned mindsets to bring about social and environmental justice is her pillar of strength that she brings to the community. She has had a vision for solid waste management solutions, climate solutions, green building, renewable energy, affordable housing, sustainability, environmental protection, civil rights, social justice, and public service. Her experienced work is the leadership we need."
~Gloria Waslyn, Community Documentary Photographer
President, Ulster County Women's Network
Member, Mid-Hudson League of Women Voters
"When I first moved to New York from Chicago, I didn’t know a soul. Soon after moving I started asking around as to who the leaders were in the State and the Region regarding Renewable Energy and Environmental Stewardship. I was pleasantly surprised, shocked actually, to learn that the most active leader in the state lived about ½ mile away and on the same road as me. Now I got a chance to meet a new soul. And I don’t use that term loosely because this “soul” was moving amongst us as if she was just a human and not a real-life “Angel” with superpowers. When I contacted Manna Jo the first time I didn’t meet her at the futuristic building that she was building on her property with her organization. And I say futuristic because although I had been in the Solar Energy business for 20 years by that time, I was unaware of some of the new concepts that she had incorporated into this building. I had learned a lot in just a couple of days of knowing Manna. Instead of meeting her a half-mile from my home, I was asked to come to a festival that was new to me, but the region’s most famous. The festival was called The Great Hudson River Revival which was run by a team of volunteers under a Festival Director. Manna Jo coordinated the Environmental Action Tent. There was incredible talent like Pete Seeger (who was a personal friend of Manna’s and lived in the area). When I showed up at the festival, Manna took me by the hand and walked me over to one of the booth’s tables, handed me a stack of brochures and told me to hand these out to everyone who walked by. I immediately became a Clearwater volunteer. I was thrilled to see this huge festival with top talent and an incredible family/community feel that was so heart-warming. I knew I had found the right place to live and the right person to guide me and the thousands others that were almost magically directed to this place.
I think Manna had “guided” thousands of people, both local and distant, brothers and sisters, who all felt the same way about the world and the eco-system that Manna helped create. But this eco-system needed eco-soldiers to protect it and allow it to grow and stay healthy. The person guiding those soldiers was Manna.
I’m confident that our entire Hudson Valley Region would NOT be in the shape that it is right now had it not been for the tireless work of Manna Jo Greene.
Whether the topic was social justice, the environment, solid waste solutions, renewable energy, or affordable housing, the one person that has created a “nest” for us to roost is Manna Jo Greene. As I mentor start-ups from Columbia, Stanford, or a myriad of incubators or accelerators, I often use Manna Jo’s work as an example of how to overcome obstacles and get things done.
We all owe Manna a debt of gratitude for her selfless life’s work.
Feel free to contact me if you would like more information,
Kind regards,"
~Rick Lewandowski, Co-Founder – President, Direct Gain Consulting
Stone Ridge, NY 12484 USA
Cell: +1.914.466.8724
"In 1986 I wanted to have solar panels to power our home energy needs, but the pay back period was 17 years. That was Not do-able.
In the early 2000's we had a homemade electric car (Honda Del Sol rebuilt as an EV), and I proudly sent an email to Manna Jo to tell her that we had an electric car with zero emissions!!
But Manna re-lit that fire in me for solar panels when she asked, "Yes, it's electric and has no emissions, but what is actually powering the car? If you're using electricity from the grid, it's still powered by fossil fuels."
Of Course! So, now we finally have solar panels.
I've been a Fan Girl of Manna Jo for many years because her vision, experience and collaborative approach have won many hearts and minds for sustainable solutions."
~Leslie Raine Quick
Fan Girl of Manna Jo Greene
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Re-Elect Manna Jo Greene
Ulster County Legislature, District -19
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