Seacoast Climate Action NOW - Formally Searei

04/07/2026

Two sustainability events -

04/07/2026

Please join us for a NHSaves ButtonUP Workshop, Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott
Avenue, Portsmouth, NH, Thursday, April 9, 2026, 6:00pm

More information and Zoom link at: plymouthenergy.org/button-up

04/06/2026

Seacoast Climate Action Now (CAN) is looking forward to seeing everyone at the Seacoast Sustainability Fair this Friday the 10th, 4:30-7pm at the Connie Bean Center on Parrott Ave in Portsmouth, NH!! Stop by our table and share your ideas about climate action steps that we can work on together.

03/25/2026

Plant Based Tuesday with Veg'n Out Seacoast is highlighting this entree. Jackfruit is a delicious, meat-free alternative that captures the savory, tender texture of traditional corned beef—without the environmental footprint. Choosing plant-based meals helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water, and support a more sustainable food system.

03/24/2026

Seacoast Climate Action Now (CAN) would like to uplift this event, hosted by The NH Network for Environment, Energy, and Climate that links citizens statewide, to share information and implement actions for a sustainable New Hampshire.

Learn more at www.newhampshirenetwork.org.

Please share this message with your friends and other networks and join them to learn about the next steps forward...

REGISTER: bit.ly/OffshoreWindSolution

03/20/2026

Tomorrow is the awesome Seacoast Environmental Film Festival in Kittery hosted by Kittery Land Trust.

01/22/2026

The Cold Weather Coat Swap at the Portsmouth Public Library (NH) is still on until January 31st! Donations are closed, but with these cold temperatures please give one a new home. There's also scarves, hats, gloves, socks, and sweaters. Kudos to the library for sponsoring this landfill saver. ❄️☃️🧥

11/07/2025

PLANT RICH DIETS & THE HEALTH BENEFITS

Eating a plant rich diet really doesn’t mean that you don’t eat meat, fish, or dairy…It means that the bulk of our diet is plant based…lots of good fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds.

The health benefits are many.

https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/the-benefits-of-a-plant-based-diet.h00-159780390.html
Here is a link to an article written by Gina Thomme and Heather Alexander focused on the work of Andrea Murray, health education specialist for the MD Anderson Center at the Univerysity of Texas.

Short of your reading this article know a few researched facts:

1. Eating a plant-based diet can support your immune system, reduce inflammation, promote healthy weight and help your body fight diseases including cancer.

2. Plants contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants, which our bodies need.

It’s best to buy fresh vegetables instead of those that are processed. Often lots of sodium and sugars are added. If you can’t buy fresh, buy frozen without additives.

Here’s a recipe I cooked last night…I adjusted some of the ingredients…didn’t add red peppers because I didn’t have them, but the onions, carrots and the broccoli were perfect. If you don’t like a lot of heat, you can leave out the 2nd tablespoon of red curry and the sirocha sauce. I left out the latter…the heat was just right for me with 2 generous Tablespoons of red curry.

https://jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-thai-red-curry-with-tofu/ -video

Last week I made up my own recipe which I thought was smashing…
1 cup of red lentils
as much garlic as you like
an inch fresh ginger, diced
One medium Onion sliced and diced
cilantro
1 can coconut milk or cream

1 medium pie pumpkin, or round butternut squash, or other squash of your choice.
top removed but saved…seeds scooped out….sprinkle some olive oil inside the squash and rub on the outside…place on a pan with parchment paper.

Spices:
2 tsp of curry powder (I’m pretty sure I added a bit more)
1 tsp garam mesala
1 tsp tumeric
salt & pepper to taste
1-2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp of chili peppers or other hot spice of your choice…
I’m a mix and match type of cook…so I play with the amounts and might throw some other spices in here and there…part of the creative process.

I mix all the spices together in a bowl.

For cooking: prepare baking oven at 400

Heat 1 -2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and add onions…cook on medium heat until translucent…add ginger and garlic until aromatic…

add spice mixture stirring to avoid burning…then add the red lentils and mix to cover with the spices… add the coconut milk and cook until the lentils are cooked through. (If there is a need for more liquid…veggie bullion is a good option and if you don’t like the idea of coconut milk you can use the buillion, thickening it as you might with agar agar, or corn/or potato starch

There are several different opinions about what to do with the squash…some suggest cooking for about 10-15 minutes before stuffing, other recipes say stuff and place in the oven. I’ve done both, with good results both times.

Cook for about 25 - 35 minutes or until squash softens. If you saved the top you can bring the squash to the table with the top on for a ta dah presentation.
Add fresh chopped cilantro at serving and enjoy.

I have a Brussels sprout ragout I made a few weeks ago…I will pass on that recipe for another time. I hope you enjoy the creativity of cooking and sharing your creations with your family and friends.

In this time of food insecurity and the cruelty of our government’s refusal to fund snap, I encourage us all to bring non-perishable food to places like Gather, Black Lives Matters, and other organizations who are servicing our community with their hearts

If you have a favorite recipe, please let me know, and I will be happy to share it. `

This fragrant Thai Red Curry is packed with flavor so much better than takeout! We load an abundance of veggies and tender tofu to a fragrant curry base. Add your favorite grain and dinner is served!

10/17/2025

JOIN US FOR PLANT RICH TUESDAYS

Here’s the challenge! Starting Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. We all can to do one simple thing that will have a positive and enormous impact on our environment. How, does it have an effect you ask? AND what the heck does Plant Rich mean anyway?

Let’s start with what a Plant Rich menu means. It means NO MEAT or DAIRY Products! WHAT????no butter, no cheese, no milk? Yep... BUT the good news is that we live in a time where almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, soy products, butter substitutes and more are now easily available in all our markets
Why do it? Well, let me count some of the ways:
1. In 2015, the UN declared that plant-rich diets have the greatest and most immediate benefit to the climate. Research has concluded that a plant-based diet emits 87% fewer greenhouse gases into our atmosphere than meat and dairy diets.
2. If everyone in the US ate no meat or dairy just ONE DAY A WEEK FOR A YEAR, it would be like not driving 91 billion miles, or taking 7.6 million cars off the road according to The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org)
3. a person who follows a plant-based diet produces half the carbon dioxide and uses less than a tenth of the petroleum, water and arable land compared to a meat loving friend.
4. It’s something we can ALL do with little effort, and it will make a formidable difference in our environment.

We are witnessing stronger, more dangerous storms, raging fires, sea level rise, which is wreaking havoc with our seaside communities, there are growing fears of global food insecurity, water shortages, and the advent of climate refugees. These are neither fantasies nor imaginations gone awry, but rather scenes we’ve either experienced ourselves in our own community or have seen on the media.

We invite you to join us for this challenge being offered by Seacoast Climate Action NOW (Seacoast CAN) and York Climate Action (YCA).
Below, is a recipe that I, Ann Bliss, not a vegan, but an avowed plant-rich eater at least one or 2 days a week, has tried. It is super delicious and easy to put together. Plant based recipes are interesting, delicious, and once you get used to it, will feel easy and creative to make.

Butternut Squash & Lentil Curry...This fabulous recipe from Rainbowplantlife.com has instructions for both instant pot and stove top cooking.
https://www.seacoastnhcan.org/_files/ugd/acbffc_88f968c5c96f48ed9fd354bec83b55a.pdf


If you have your own wonderful plant rich recipes please share them with us at [email protected]

The Native American saying “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children" emphasizes our responsibility to act as a steward for the planet, ensuring it is healthy and sustainable for future generations. May it be so. Thank you for considering our invitation to join Plant Rich Tuesdays.

09/19/2025

Celebrate Sun Day on Your Bike -

Learn about Portsmouth's proposal to build a solar array on the capped landfill at Jones Avenue. Also hear about how new rules make it easier for property owners to install private solar. A first day of autumn bike ride is included! See the Sun Day site for more details.

07/25/2025

Portsmouth's new climate action dashboard -

As the city of Portsmouth works to implement its Climate Action Plan, it has also rolled out a dashboard (BrightAction) that enables residents to help achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. City staff and community members will be on hand at the library on July 31 to tell all about it.