Brooklyn Green Team

So Long from Brooklyn Green Team

2011-10-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Dear all-

It is with some sadness, but also optimism, that we write, fellow superheroes, to let you know about a big decision. Us 5 superheroes have decided that we aren’t able to devote the necessary resources, nay, superpowers to keep the Brooklyn Green Team at a level of activity and progress we can be proud of. We've accomplished so much over the years with your help but as of late for various personal reasons and professional obligations have slipped in our level of activity. (Please don't think it means we don't care about the environment: we work with our students, we spend more time volunteering outside, we contribute time and resources to community gardens etc.)

Brooklyn Green Team is such a great project – and provides such useful information for Brooklynites – that we want to keep it alive. We’re looking for new superheroes to take the reins. Would you or someone you know be interested in spearheading Brooklyn Green Team (at least our blog) and taking it to greater, new heights?

If so, please send sharkgirl65@gmail.com an email and let's get a conversation started.

Cool Roof Kick-Off Party

2011-05-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

We love these guys. Painting a roof white is a great way to reduce energy and the urban heat effect. They're kicking off a new season of, you guessed it, painting roofs.

Monday, May 23rd at 7:00pm for White Roof's 2011 Summer Kick-start party.

Just $20 gets you admission, complementary hors d'oeuvres, drink specials and environmentally friendly goodies. Plus, you'll be helping with White Roof Project make our city cooler this summer.

Details are HERE!

For the May Gardener...

2011-05-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

May is a frantic month in northern hemisphere gardens. Warm climates change rapidly to hot climates. Colder gardens suddenly appear out of nowhere and demand attention. You may not need a list of what to do in the garden in May, because it is staring you in the face every time you walk through your garden. But here are some reminders of what you can do. Don’t panic. The season is just beginning.

Vegetables

Keep harvesting cool season crops like asparagus, peas, and spring lettuce
Seed cool season vegetables and root crops after mid-month (beets, beans, cabbage, carrots, chard, lettuce, onions, potatoes, radishes, turnips...)
Start warm season melons and squash indoors, to transplant after Memorial Day, when the squash borer has moved on
Keep seeding lettuce. Start seeding squash, cucs and beans
Hold the heat lovers like tomatoes and peppers until the end of the month

Flowers

Finish seeding annuals
Resist the temptation to put out heat lovers until the end of the month, when night time temps remain above 50 degrees F.
Deadhead and begin replacing pansies and primroses as the blossoms fade
Summer bulbs can be planted
Plant new roses. Prune one-time blooming roses as they faded and feed.
Give fall bloomers like asters and mums, a first pinching

Trees & Shrubs

Plant or transplant trees and shrubs before the heat of summer.
Prune forsythia, viburnums and other spring blooming shrubs, before they set next year’s buds.
Cut older branches back to ground level to encourage new flowering branches.
Prune Clematis montana hybrids after blooming to control size and shape.

source: About.com

Envirosax

2011-04-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

We tested out the latest line of Envirosax. As you can see, the new line is super cute - they have lots of great patterns and they participate in 1% of the planet which is cool. The downside to the totes is that they don't have a structured bottom so your stuff can sometimes wind up in one big jumble.

Also, if you need to buy a tote bag (don't we all have about 50 by now?), you might look for one that's made from recycled materials (Envirosax are made from polyester). Though it looks like now the company has a new organic series which is cool.

The takeaway? Don't use plastic bags! Keep a tote on you at all times (these handy devils fold up in your bag and they're cute!)

Into The Cold

2011-04-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

One of us Green Team members had a chance to screen Sebastian Copeland's film Into The Cold.

In a nutshell, the film follows adventurers Sebastian Copeland and Keith Heger through intensive physical training before embarking on a harrowing journey to the North Pole, the first HD documentary showcasing such footage. From personal reflections to last minute preparations, the story shifts when the two men are dropped onto the ice and faced with temperatures in excess of -50F degrees.

This Green Team member liked it. It certainly called attention to the dire state of the planet but in a way distinct from the onslaught of enviro docs. The footage and the experience of the two hikers told the story of the environmental impact playing out in the arctic. Worth watching for the incredible scenery, watching the remarkable feat of Sebastian and Keith unfold, and for a reminder we all need that everything is, indeed, connected.

Film comes out on April 19.

Find out more about Into the Cold.

Interview with Miss Teen Earth NYC

2011-03-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

Q: How did you come to be Miss Teen Earth NYC?

A: I will be competing for Miss Teen Earth New York in the summer and hopefully moving on to Miss Teen Earth United States. I have been doing pageantry since I was seven and was really drawn to this pageant because of its focus "beauties for a cause". Besides the evening wear, swim suit, and interview competition, it is about giving back and getting involved with environmental issues.

Q: Tell us a Little About Yourself

A: I am 18 years old born and raised in New York. I was just featured in Supermodels Unlimited Magazine Most Beautiful Edition and took part in their runway show as well as shooting for their summer issue. I go to the Fashion Institute of Technology for Fashion Design. I do custom designs for proms, pageants, christenings, and am an intern for designer Rolando Santana. In high school I went to a fashion program half a day everyday and at the end of the year we put on a fashion show. One of our show themes was Go-Green and this is where my interest in sustainability in fashion began.

Q: Within the issues of environment, what are you most passionate about?

A: Wasted Wonders is a program that I have started and you can say that is my platform. It is broken down to three categories 1)Fashion 2)Beauty 3) Crafts. This program is about spreading the word of "going green" in our everyday lives but it focus' a lot on children and how they can help. The program is set up for going to schools in NYC and doing projects from one of the three categories. Fashion: men's shirts into skirts, t-shirts into reusable grocery bags, Jewelry and bags from scrap fabric or clothing, etc., and using sustainable fabrics or fabrics with finishings that are better for the environment. Beauty: Making lotions, face masks, makeup, ect. out of organic and natural materials. Crafts: Banks out of bottles, picture frames from cd cases, snack boxes from milk and juice cartons, etc.

Q: What are You Doing Locally to Make a Difference?

A: Besides Wasted Wonder, I also volunteer at Prospect Park for nature crafts with kids and have started a charity project/event called Runway To Recovery which I try and keeps as "green" as possible by selling tickets and sending information through the internet so we can cut down on paper and using scrap fabrics from my school's fabric lab and left overs from fabric stores. I also joined the sustainability club in my college so that I can learn more about this as well. I am also in the process of getting delis and bagel stores to send food over to homeless shelters that I would help them in deliver. My priority is to put use to what is being wasted in many different ways. I am always up for new projects and appearances in order to help out.

Q: What Can Any New Yorker Do themselves to Create a Better Environment?

A: It is so easy to create a healthier environment and there are a million ways to do it. Recycle! It is easy and can make a huge difference. Use what you already have there is no need to create waste. In regards to my project Wasted Wonders, there is so much you can do, like making your own laundry detergent, make a reusable grocery bag so you can cut down on plastic bags, decorating your room or your child's, or siblings with green crafts they are fun and easy and even better than that hand made and personalized. Everybody has a different lifestyle and can research ways be a part of this "green" movement in their everyday lives.

Thanks Brandi!

REMINDER: Green Team party this THURSDAY

2011-03-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

BROOKLYN GREEN TEAM 4TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY: Trim Your Waste-Line

Thursday March 24

7pm

Lowlands

Hosted by: Brooklyn Green Team and Brooklyn Green Drinks

Benefitting: GrowNYC for their efforts to help New Yorkers reduce waste through a variety of resources including textile recycling, composting and more.

Silent auction, DJ, Organic Wine and Beer specials and a special cocktail in honor of the celebration.

Bring cash or a check to bid on silent auction items in support of GrowNYC! Thank you Loomstate, San Vision Energy Technology, Brooklyn Tattoo, Ciao For Now, World Music Institute, Brooklyn Strength, Bad Ass Organics, Kaight, MODO Eyewear, Brucie, Dvir Salon, Laurence King Publishing and Vanessa Knight.

Get Dirty NYC!

2011-03-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ever feel like you want to contribute but can't commit the time to stay with one group. A new group is making that easier and the timing couldn't be better: spring!

Get Dirty NYC! is connecting new yorkers to green up projects be it urban farm or community garden.

Learn more about them.

Brooklyn Green Team 4th Anniversary Party: March 24

2011-03-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

Trim Your Waste-Line!
Find out about local resources that will help you divert as much as possible from the landfill.

Hosted by: Brooklyn Green Team and Brooklyn Green Drinks

Benefitting: GrowNYC for their efforts to help New Yorkers reduce waste through a variety of resources including textile recycling, composting and more.

Thursday March 24
7pm
Lowlands

Silent auction, DJ, Organic Wine and Beer specials and a special cocktail in honor of the celebration.

Bring cash or a check to bid on silent auction items in support of GrowNYC! Thank you Loomstate, San Vision Energy Technology, Brooklyn Tattoo, World Music Institute, Brooklyn Strength, Bad Ass Organics, Kaight, MODO Eyewear, Brucie, Dvir Salon, Laurence King Publishing and Vanessa Knight.

This Video is Awesome and Hilarious!

2011-03-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw

Enviro. Photo Exhibit featuring 5th Graders!

2011-02-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

Essie Green Galleries will be exhibiting the photographs of 18 fifth graders from Manhattan Country School in New York City and 12 fifth graders from Children's Hope India in Gujarat, India. The students participated in a 10-week sustainable photography exchange between New York and India. As part of their unit on sustainability, students collected and studied more than 200 pictures on how they use water, food, energy and plastic.

MCS' fifth grade class will be on hand to discuss the experience and what they've learned about natural resources and its availability internationally, nationally and domestically.

Sustainable Photography Exhibit
Saturday, March 12, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Essie Green Galleries , 419A Convent Ave., New York, NY 10031

Free and open to the public. Light refreshments.

www.essiegreengalleries.com

COMPOST Just Got Easier!

2011-02-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hooray!!! Thanks to a pilot program operated by GrowNYC and with funding from the NYC Council and Speaker Quinn, starting MARCH 5, BK residents will be able to drop their compost off at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn Borough Hall and McCarren Park.

Ft. Greene Greenmarket
Washington Park b/t DeKalb & Willoughby, Brooklyn
Saturdays, 8:30am-12pm
year-round, currently accepting scraps--hours expanding March 5 (see below)
Project managed by the Ft. Greene Compost Project since Oct 2005.

McCarren Park Greenmarket
Saturdays, 8am-2pm
Union Ave b/t Driggs & N 12th St

Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket
Saturdays, 8am-4pm
Prospect Park West & Flatbush Ave, NW corner of Prospect Park

Ft. Greene Greenmarket
Saturdays, 8am-3pm
Washington Park b/t DeKalb & Willoughby
currently accepting scraps at this site from 8:30am-12pm--hours extend beginning March 5

Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket
Saturdays, 8am-5pm
Plaza at the intersection of Court & Montague

learn about what to drop here.

Think Spring and Sharpen Your Gardening Skills

2011-02-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

Sustainable Flatbush is hosting...

GREENING FLATBUSH 2011
Spring is just around the corner!

Join us for a fun-filled & information-packed afternoon. Meet your neighbors and get your hands dirty. Come out for demonstrations and hands-on workshops on a variety of gardening and urban agriculture topics, including:

* gardening for kids
* starting seeds indoors
* growing mushrooms in your apartment
* vertical gardening
* composting with worms indoors
* how to join the Flatbush Farm Share CSA
* how to care for street trees
… and much more!

We will also have an information table featuring sustainability education opportunities specifically for youth.

Snacks and coffee will be available. Bring your own mug (BYOM)!

Sunday, February 27, 2011
2:00pm – 5:00 pm
Flatbush YMCA, 2nd floor activity room
1401 Flatbush Avenue (at Rogers Avenue)

$5 suggested donation. Space is limited, please pre-register HERE

Design Your Own Gowanus

2011-02-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Connections: The Gowanus Lowline is design ideas competition for the Gowanus Canal area in Brooklyn, NY organized by Gowanus by Design (GbD) and sponsored by the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation. It invites open speculation on the value of urban development of post-industrial lands, and the possibility of dynamic, pedestrian-oriented architecture that either passively or actively engages with the Canal and the surrounding watershed.

One of GbD’s goals is to generate a discourse about urban issues that are currently relevant to the local community. The competition is designed to generate a spectrum of possible solutions and the jury will look for designers to explore their own design sensibilities while tackling complex urban challenges specific to the canal.

GbD is proud to present an internationally renowned jury of industry professionals and experts in the areas of architecture, sustainable design, landscape design and community development:

Julie Bargmann, Founding Principal, D.I.R.T. Studio
David J. Lewis, Principal, LTL Architects
Gregg Pasquarelli, Founding Principal, SHoP Architects
Richard Plunz, Director, Urban Design Lab, Columbia GSAPP
Andrew Simons, Chairman, Gowanus Canal Conservancy
Joel Towers, Dean, Parsons The New School of Design

Our organization proposes a new strategy going forward for the development of the Gowanus area, showcasing different options for the canal and including the many voices of canal stakeholders. GbD will propose projects that speculate upon the potential for what the canal can be and will track the coordination of clean-up and development efforts between the many city agencies whose decisions impact those of us who live and work near the canal.

learn more.

Citywide School Garden Initiative Launches

2011-02-01T20:50:00.001-08:00

Growtolearn.org is now the place to go if you're part of a NYC school interested in establishing, maintaining and programming a school garden. Spearheaded by GrowNYC and the Mayor's Fund along with several other partners, the initiative serves as a one-stop shop, making it easier for schools to get the info they need. Check it out!

E-Waste Recycling: Get It While It's Cold

2011-01-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

Electronics Recycling Collections
Responsibly recycle unwanted or broken electronics at one of these upcoming events (no appliances such as microwaves or refrigerators). Find a list of acceptable materials here. Sponsored by the Lower East Side Ecology Center.

MANHATTAN

Tekserve: Saturday, January 15, 10am-4pm
119 West 23rd St. b/t 6th & 7th Aves

BROOKLYN

Prospect Park: Sunday, January 16, 10am-4pm
Prospect Park West and 3rd Street

Ft. Greene: Saturday, January 22, 10am-4pm
Fulton Street b/t S. Portland Ave & S. Oxford St

The Vote is In on Your Xmas Tree

2010-12-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

Real Trees are better for the environment (even when you cut them down and prop them up in your living room) than the fake stuff. We figured, but hear it from the Times.

Read all about it.

Think Outside of the Gift Box this Holiday Season

2010-12-17T21:24:00.000-08:00

This particular poster is for Mercy Corps (and came from GOOD), but you get the idea. Support a cause of your loved one. Do so much with your holiday generosity.

Belize Bans Trawling

2010-12-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

It's not Brooklyn-centric, but the state of our oceans is one of particular concern to us Green Team members and we all play a part. Every time we order shrimp at a restaurant or at the counter at our overpriced market, we are supporting (usually) the destruction of our oceans. It sounds dramatic, but it's true. Here's some good news though from our friends at Oceana:

All forms of trawling in Belize have been banned in the country’s waters including its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) when Fisheries Minister Rene Montero signed the Statutory Instrument effecting this legislative change today.

The ban, effective December 31, 2010, is a historic decision by Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s administration, which has been making these environmentally friendly decisions on the heel of the threat from UNESCO that it would strip the Belize Barrier Reef System of its World Heritage Site status.

Trawling can be compared to deforestation. It’s a destructive fishing practice where weighted nets are drug across the seafloor, destroying everything in their path - turning vibrant seafloor ecosystems to rubble in an instant and leaving baby fish with nowhere to call home. The reef system which lies in Belizian waters is the largest in the Western Hemisphere (second largest in the world) and is one of the U.N.’s World Heritage Sites.

Here's what you can do: not eat seafood, only eat seafood you get at the farmers market, ask how it was caught, and stop eating things that are trawled (that's the worst).

Whole Foods

2010-12-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Well, Whole Foods is set to open in Gowanus at the end of 2012. Based on urging from passionate Brooklynites, they've made several changes to make the store more friendly and green.

Read all about it.

Local Shopping Ideas from Brad Lander

2010-12-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

Here are a few ideas for shopping local this holiday season: Start locally: Before you head online or to a mall, think about how much you can get from neighborhood stores. Think especially about the people in your life who love Brooklyn, and how much they'll appreciate a gift that helps make it stronger.

From Brooklyn Green Team: plus, when you support small family owned businesses, it's easier to make suggestions to them on how to green thier operations rather than submit to a "contact form" on a corporation's website -- right...AND by keeping those businesses thriving you prevent 50 nail salons from descending in your hood.

IShopBrooklyn.com: Check out Borough President Marty Markowitz' "I Shop Brooklyn" website for neighborhood shopping ideas.

Small Business Saturday, tomorrow, November 27th: Tomorrow is the first national "small business Saturday." http://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday.

Join the 3/50 project: Pick three local businesses you'd most like to support, and commit to spend $50 per month at them. http://www.the350project.net/.

Share your favorite local shopping stories and ideas with us: Email me at lander@council.nyc.gov with your favorite stores and stories -- especially of those local businesses who are great employers & neighbors -- and we'll share some of them with others on our blog. You can also check out the web sites of our local BIDs and merchants associations:

-- Park Slope 5th Avenue BID, http://www.parkslopefifthavenuebid.com/
-- Kensington Area Merchant & Residents Association, http://karmabrooklyn.blogspot.com/

-- Court Street Merchants Association, http://www.courtstreetmerchants.org/

-- Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association, http://www.atlanticavenuebkny.com/

-- Park Slope Chamber of Commerce, www.shopseventh.com

-- Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, http://www.ibrooklyn.com/

Thanks Brad!

Film Biz Recycling comes to Gowanus!

2010-11-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

Film Biz Recycling (FBR), a non-profit that seeks to re-use, recycle, redistribute and re-purpose items from NYC’s film, television and commercial productions, is moving its warehouse from its present location in Long Island City to Gowanus, Brooklyn.

To welcome them to the neighborhood, GreenEdge NYC is inviting you to a Sneak Preview Holiday Sale at their new home. Film Biz Recycling has offered to unpack their treasures from those great holiday commercials and TV Specials so you can grab those cool, colorful, Christmas decorations directly from the sets – you’ll find mini-trees, lights, ornaments, candles, wrapping paper and more! In addition, there will be an assortment of one-of-a kind gift items perfect for the people on your gift list – jewelry, frames, art, mirrors, junktiques, decor, vintage and modern. So if you’ve begun shopping—or are at least shopping for ideas—this is the place for everyone on your list - even the hard to shop for types.

What’s more, you can pick up what you like at half the price of retail stores and you’re helping Film Biz Recycling keep these “as-seen-on-TV” props out of the local landfill.

WHEN: Thursday, December 9th 4:00-8:00pm
WHERE: 540 President Street -- between Third and Fourth Avenues. (Home of the Brooklyn Creative League where we host our Supper Clubs.).
WHAT TO BRING: Your holiday shopping lists, your family and friends. Children welcome - stroller parking available.

BK Vintage

2010-11-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn Based, a great blog and sender of emails, sent one last week about vintage shops in Brooklyn. Many were ones we didn't include in our eblast so check them out.

New Challenge Launches!

2010-11-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

We're going old-school (is 3 years old school?) and digging in our closets to bring back our

No New Clothing Challenge!*

Join us in going vintage, thrift, recycled, hand-me-down or eco-friendly. Every single action has an impact in some way somewhere on this planet. Because of globalization, we are often disconnected from the impact of our everyday choices. For example, our new fall shirt might be made with cotton that requires 1/3 lb of chemicals to produce and manufactured in a pollution-emitting factory far away. Let's make a positive impact and equal the balance. Support local shops owned by locals that dig out wearable treasures from the past and present. This will make you more stylish because five other people aren't wearing it to work. Unleash your inner fashionista, while helping the planet.

Worried about bedbugs? Us too. Throw your clothes in a dryer right away to kill them off OR you could put them in the freezer for 2 weeks (really)!

More compelling reasons to do it:
The average American throws away about 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per year.
10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of insecticides in the U.S. are used to grow cotton.

The 12 to 15 percent of people who shopped at consignment and thrift stores in 2006 saved 2.5 billion pounds of clothes from re-entering the waste stream.

The manufacturing of nylon emits nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas with a carbon footprint 310 times that of carbon dioxide.

According to the USDA, in one year alone over 50 million pounds of pesticides were used on U.S. cotton fields. Pesticide and fertilizer use on cotton has been linked to ground and surface water contamination, and the pollution of drinking water.

In California, cotton ranks third in the state for total number of pesticide-related illness. Fish and wildlife and also impacted, with pesticides causing migration die-offs and diminished reproductive capacity.

For those of you living in the New York City area, we've attached a list of vintage and second-hand clothing stores in our area.

Resources:
Brooklyn is Vintage Store Mecca. Here are a few we know and like:
Beacons Closet (Park Slope + Williamsburg)
Buffalo Exchange (Williamsburg)
Black Bear (Park Slope South/Windsor Terrace):
BK Flea (Fort Greene)
Mesihmar (Park Slope)
1 of a find NYC (Prospect Heights)
Almost New (Park Slope)

There are also clothing swaps:
Brooklyn Clothing Exchange
S.W.A.P.P.
Five Boroughs Clothing Swap

Want to host a Clothing Swap? Rachel Avalon lays out the fundamentals in this video.

If you would like to join the Challenge, email brooklyngreen@gmail.com and say, "Yes! I'm ready to join the No New Clothing Challenge !"

*Challenge does not apply to underwear or environmentally friendly clothing. We think it's only fair.

Mayor Breaks Ground on Recycling Facility

2010-10-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

FACILITY IN SUNSET PARK THAT WILL PROCESS ALL OF CITY'S METAL, GLASS AND PLASTIC RECYCLABLES
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today broke ground on a new Sims Municipal Recycling Facility that will serve as the principal processing facility for all of the City's metal, glass, and plastic recyclables. The recycling facility is part of the City's landmark Solid Waste Management Plan, which establishes a cost-effective, equitable, and environmentally sound system for managing the City's waste for the next 20 years, and it is a key part of the City's effort to achieve PlaNYC's goals of improving air quality, cutting traffic and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The new, state-of-the-art facility located at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park will minimize the distance that collection trucks travel between pick-up sites and receiving centers, allow Sims to expand its barge and rail-based transport systems, eliminate over 260,000 vehicle miles traveled annually from City roadways, and create 100 new jobs when the facility is opened, which is expected in December 2011.

Learn More.

Unclogging Your Drain

2010-10-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of green team members were in standing water for weeks. A drain that's not draining isn't pleasant. It's tempting to go for drano when a snake just isn't cutting it, but it's SOOO bad for water.

After bubbly cleaning liquids disappear down our drains, they are treated along with sewage and other waste water at municipal treatment plants, then discharged into nearby waterways. Most ingredients in chemical cleaners break down into harmless substances during treatment or soon afterward. Others, however, do not, threatening water quality or fish and other wildlife. In a May 2002 study of contaminants in stream water samples across the country, the U.S. Geological Survey found persistent detergent metabolites in 69% of streams tested.

PLUS... (according to Organic Consumers Association) The most acutely dangerous cleaning products are corrosive drain cleaners, oven cleaners, and acidic toilet bowl cleaners, according to Philip Dickey of the Washington Toxics Coalition. Corrosive chemicals can cause severe burns on eyes, skin and, if ingested, on the throat and esophagus. Ingredients with high acute toxicity include chlorine bleach and ammonia, which produce fumes that are highly irritating to eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and should not be used by people with asthma or lung or heart problems. These two chemicals pose an added threat in that they can react with each other or other chemicals to form lung-damaging gases.

WHAT TO DO...
Instead, try using a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of white vinegar down the drain. Let it sit for a half hour and then follow down with 2 quarts of boiling water. You may have to do it more than once. You can also go at it with a hanger (as we wound up doing) b/c the all-natural product we were using truthfully didn't cut it. Or call the plumber!

Gowanus Garbage

2010-10-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Watch this disturbing video depicting trash and sewage flowing freely in our beloved Gowanus Canal.

What can you do about it? Volunteer with Gowanus Canal Conservancy! Email volunteer@gowanuscanalconservancy.org to volunteer and be a steward of this waterway.

Let Companies You Care About Thier Green-ness

2010-09-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

A fellow blogger from softwareadvice.com posted this interesting survey, asking readers if their purchasing decisions would be influenced by a company's efforts to go green. You can find the survey here: http://www.softwareadvice.com/articles/scm/does-going-green-matter-lessons-from-5-eco-friendly-supply-chains-1092110/.

This survey coincides with an article I've written about five companies that are greening their supply chains. In the article, I discuss the efforts of IBM, Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, Patagonia, and Pepsi to reduce their impact on the environment, which are certainly commendable. But should they be doing more? What are the real motivations behind a greener supply chain? Are consumers even aware of these efforts?

Let them know it DOES make a difference!

Green Clothing Store Comes to BK

2010-09-14T14:42:00.001-07:00

It's a little expensive, but for those of you who can afford it...

It's official: Kaight has opened a second location in Brooklyn! Help celebrate by popping by next Saturday for the opening party and toasting to a new space. Cava and a few nibbles and offering 15% off all purchases that night.
When: Sat., Sept. 18, 6 p.m - 9 p.m.
Where: Kaight (382 Atlantic Ave., between Bond & Hoyt)
What: Toast the opening & shop new fall collections. Cava and nibbles. Tunes by DJ Sonny Choo of Sidewalk TV.

Visit Kaight online.

Recycling Update

2010-09-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

our friends at GrowNYC tell us...

Mayor and City Council Update NYC Recycling Laws
On August 16 Mayor Bloomberg signed a series of new laws to update and expand recycling. The law of most interest to our readers is likely the expansion of plastic recycling to include all rigid containers like yogurt cups and take out containers. But don't go piling up your plastics just yet! This change won't go into effect until a new recycling facility is built in Brooklyn, scheduled to open in 2012.

Other laws include the addition of 700 more public space recycling bins over the next 10 years, household hazardous waste collections for residents, expanded clothing and textile recycling, improved recycling at city schools and agencies and more leaf and yard waste composting.

Get all the news, including e-waste and textile recycling dates here!

Another Natural Gas Controversy

2010-09-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

From Gotham Gazette

Melissa Checker Aug 2010

While New Yorkers hotly debate the safety of hydraulic fracturing, a controversial method for extracting natural gas from upstate rock formations, a second natural gas issue has quietly started to simmer.

Houston-based Spectra Energy filed a preliminary federal application to construct approximately 20 miles of new natural gas pipeline across northern Staten Island and southwestern New Jersey, under the Hudson River and into Manhattan's trendy meatpacking district where it will connect to Con Edison lines around Gansevoort Street and the West Side Highway.

The project will expand and diversify an existing natural gas pipeline system between Staten Island and New Jersey. According to a Con Edison spokesperson, Chris Olert, the expansion will help meet growing customer demand for natural gas and improve the reliability of gas delivery. Currently, Con Edison delivers 225 billion cubic feet of natural gas a year to residential and commercial buildings. New pipelines will increase that capacity by 8 million cubic feet per day. In addition, Spectra estimates the project will create 100 new construction jobs when it launches in 2012 and 500 in 2013, when it goes online.

However, some communities along the new pipeline route, which include Staten Island's North Shore, Bayonne, Jersey City and Manhattan's West Village, have rallied to protest the project.
Safety ConcernsAlthough natural gas explosions are relatively rare (the US Department of Transportation reported only 47 serious incidents across all US pipeline systems in 2009), they can be dangerous. Project opponents point out that just this summer, natural gas leaks led to explosions and deaths in Michigan, Texas and South Los Angeles. Closer to home, last February, a natural gas explosion in Middletown, Connecticut killed five people and in 1994 a natural gas pipeline ruptured in Edison, New Jersey, causing damage in excess of $25 million.

Competing for Space
Part of the problem is that in dense urban areas, pipelines vie for space with other infrastructure. Last month, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection expressed concerns that the pipeline would have serious impacts on water and sewer lines along its routes in both Manhattan and Staten Island. In a January letter to U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy argued the pipeline would complicate city's ongoing efforts to service its aging water and sewer infrastructure.

On Staten Island's North Shore, which has the borough's highest asthma rates, proposed project construction would re-route heavy truck traffic from Richmond Avenue to residential streets. Traffic effects are less clear where the pipeline crosses the West Side Highway, but at this month's scoping meeting, Gonzalez promised to "minimize traffic interruption."

A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission spokesperson confirmed that it will accept comments by phone, mail and email until Spectra submits its formal application, which they project for December. Until then, Spectra stated that it would continue to adjust its route and respond to public input. For instance, just before the scoping meetings, they announced that they were considering moving the pipeline from Staten Island's heavily trafficked Richmond Terrace into the water around Shooters Island -- a World War I shipyard turned bird sanctuary.

Read the full article.

SORRY!

2010-09-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

We're sorry to have been so delinquent in our posts. Summer is hard, us green team members are flying around trying to reduce carbon (not on planes of course, just with our capes).

We're back online now.

Now that we have your attention...mark your calendar for

NEW GREEN CITY
Wednesday, Sept. 29 @ Union Square (south of Greenmarket)

Want to Find Green in the City?

2010-07-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Green Sky Designs, a Brooklyn-based landscape architecture firm, came up with their GardenSpace NYC application for the iPhone, iPad and and iPod Touch. Users can green-thumb their way through this comprehensive directory of New York City’s hidden parks and secret gardens.

Using GPS, GardenSpace NYC maps the location of the nearest publicly accessible gardens – a handy tool for urban explorers, romantics looking for a quick green hideaway, or tourists hunting for the Big Apple’s flowery underbelly. The app also allows users to search green spaces by neighborhood. This interactive field guide, replete with stunning photographs of the gardens, along with a description and history of each space, give users key information about access, garden vibe and facilities present at each garden.

Though GardenSpace NYC currently features gardens in Manhattan, this gardening duo have plans to extend their app into New York City’s other boroughs in the near future.

check out the app.

BK District 39 Energy Challenge Launches Aug. 1

2010-07-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn Green Team gets lazy in the summer. But on the bright side, we're on our computers less and instead are spending time outside. Which we hope you are too.

That means we've been lagging on our challenges but we'll pick up this fall!

From Brand Lander...

To help lessen the burden, I'd like to remind you to sign up now for our Reduce Your Use - Green Homes Challenge. It's the perfect way to reduce your energy consumption, learn about how to maintain a more sustainable home, and win prizes.

The challenge begins on August 1st, so please sign up today! In partnership with the NYS Energy Authority (NYSERDA) and ConEd, we are signing folks up by the day to compete with one another on energy savings. All it takes is filling out this quick online sign-up form: (www.surveymonkey.com/ReduceTheUseD39).

You will need to enter your ConEd account number, so please have it ready (you can begin the survey without your account number if you don't have it handy). Winners will be announced in two categories at the end of the challenge--the home with the lowest overall per capita electric bill, and the home with the greatest overall reduction in usage over the course of the competition. We'll also be keeping track of how different neighborhoods stack up against one another, so we can see which is the greenest neighborhood in our district.

Also, I hope you will join me at the kick-off event for the competition on Sunday, August 1st at 2pm at the Old Stone House in Park Slope. NYSERDA, ConEd and vendors of energy efficient equipment will be there to offer some good starting tips on greening your home. If you are not yet a part of the challenge, you will be able to sign up at the event. The Old Stone House is in J.J. Byrne Park at 5th Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets. Food and refreshments will be served. You don't have to attend to join in the challenge, but it will be a great way to get started.

SIGN UP HERE.

Print This Poster!

2010-07-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

An Invite from the North Brooklyn Compost Project

2010-07-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's NBCP Potluck Picnic Social time, so break out those deviled eggs, potato salads, pies, ice cream and lemonades!

On Sunday, July 18th starting at noon, we will be gathering in McCarren Park in the leafy area along Driggs Avenue (right across the street from the dog run and compost site). It is a potluck affair so bring a dish/cold beverage to share.

This will be a casual get-to-know your fellow composters event, and is totally and absolutely open to non-NBCPers, so bring friends, families, and foes. Ball games, Frisbees, bocce, horseshoes, guitars and banjos, and anything else that's playable should come with you, too.

Check out North Brooklyn Compost Project in New York Magazine!
Learn more about NBCP.

Protect New York City's Drinking Water

2010-07-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

Call State Senate Majority Leader Sampson TODAY at (518) 455-2788 to protect New York's drinking water from toxic gas drilling. There will be a vote for a moratorium on drilling this month. Lend your support!!!

The oil and gas industry wants to drill in the region that supplies tap water for 9 million people. Drilling can leach toxic chemicals into drinking waters and can create millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater. Flammable methane gas can also wind up in our tap water causing it to catch on fire.

For more info, check out: www.environmentNewYork.org

Lend Your Talents

2010-06-23T14:16:00.001-07:00

Do you care about the environment but toil in your apartment focused on peak oil and melting glaciers rather than taking action? Then this communication is for you, potential superhero...

"Most people don’t know that the nation’s largest and best known environmental organization has a local volunteer group. With the advantage of national Sierra Club’s excellent reputation and capacity, the NYC volunteer group has long had the opportunity to be a leading voice for green activism in one of the world’s cultural and media capitals. Unfortunately, that potential has been unrealized, although the need for that activism has never been greater.

The NYC group, one of 11 eleven volunteer groups in Sierra Club’s New York State Chapter, is governed by an Executive Committee, elected by the 10,000 Club members living in NYC. Because the activities of the NYC group have been so limited, hardly any Sierra Club members pay any attention to it. Two years ago, only 100 members voted. Because participation in Executive Committee elections is so low, Executive Committee members have been able to remain in office indefinitely, without any scrutiny of their record.

You can make a more active Executive Committee a reality – today. A group of enthusiastic new Sierra Club NYC volunteers have launched multiple new programs to catalyze a big jump in the City’s sustainability. We’re dedicated to using the power of the Sierra Club to get New Yorkers involved. We’re partnering with the City to paint the roofs of buildings white, which cuts air conditioning bills and carbon emissions at the same time. We’re recruiting volunteers to paint the roofs of nonprofit buildings and find nonprofits who want to get their roofs painted. We’re setting up neighborhood sustainability events to link residents with green programs that can benefit them. We’re organizing oil spill response forums, collaborating with MoveOn and the New School. You can read the full plan at http://www.nyc.sierraclub.org/pdf/SC%20NYC%20Newsletter%205-07-105.pdf."

For more information, or to get involved, please contact Dan Miner at 917.319.2924 or beyondoilnyc@yahoo.com.

2010-06-22T14:26:00.001-07:00

From artist Chrisina Kelly who is working on a project called Maize Field you might have stumbled upon in BK...

"This summer I'm growing blue corn in two areas of Brooklyn as part of a public art project called Maize Field. The gardens are located in Boerum Hill and Canarsie. I hope you'll have a chance to visit them over the course of the growing season.

Each garden is located in an area that was documented as Indian maizeland in the 17th century. They are traditional three sisters gardens (corn, beans and squash) using crop varieties that are part of the heritage of the Lenape and Haudenosaunee from this region. The gardens are a meditation of the change and displacements that have been a part of New York's history. The project participates in the continual change that defines the city by highlighting a historical past then integrating that history back into the present landscape.

You can learn more about the project on my website and follow the gardens on my blog.I hope you'll enjoy watching the corn grow."

Visit the site.

Visit the blog.

Shop Seventh blog launches

2010-06-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

This week, the Park Slope Chamber of Commerce launched a new blog site called "Shop Seventh" (shopseventh.com or parkslopechamber.com). The site will be regularly updated with the latest news and events taking place in the stores, bars and restaurants along 7th Avenue. We're always happy to see a local economy thriving. It's a win-win to support your local boutique which probably features stuff made by locals vs. say Big Box store XYZ.

What else is there to say?

visit the blog.

Calculator to Test Out

2010-06-18T07:22:00.001-07:00

One Green Team member just read a New Yorker about the guy behind this great tool. Give it a whirl...WattzOn is a free online tool to quantify, track, compare and understand the total amount of energy needed to support all of the facets of your lifestyle with the goal of helping you find ways to reduce your personal power consumption.

Learn More.

check out their blog.

2010-06-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

from our friends at GCC...

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy join forces with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to beautify the Gowanus!

11am - 2pm on June 26th at the Gowanus Canal, 2nd Ave between 5th St & the Canal.

We'll be constructing a compost bin and holding a composting workshop and education seminar in partnership with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. We will also be planting trees, shrubs and flower beds as well as mulching, weeding, removing trash and debris, relocating, preparing and maintaining Conservancy nursery plants and finally, installing bird houses.

To volunteer for the June 26th event please email: volunteer@gowanuscanalconservancy.org or call us at (718) 541-4378. Volunteers under age 18 must have a parent or guardian on site to sign a release and available to supervise them (please call if you need more information).

Learn more.

Planet Connections Theatre Fest

2010-06-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you for those who came out on Saturday for our Extravaganza. Our partner was Planet Connections and they are doing a month-long theatre fest. Tickets are $18 and performances are in three theaters downtown.

We like them because they are NY's premiere eco-friendly theatre fest, striving to help the environment in any way they can. Each production is challenged to make their shows greener in at least one way - from marketing techniques, costume or set design, or the rehearsal process. Each production partners with a nonprofit of their choice so they are shedding light on what's out there that people should get involved in. Some of the plays are about the environment but many aren't. Anyway, a good excuse to go out and see some theatre.

Learn More.

Dispatches from the PS 295 Edible School Garden

2010-06-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Fresh off our Urban Garden Challenge, we thought this project was worth following...

At PS 295 The Studio School of Art and Culture in BK, they are building an edible garden! Garden education is so important for kids, particularly in an urban environment where they are often disconnected from the food they eat.

The school’s librarian, Susan Weseen, is spearheading several initiatives to educate all students at the school about gardening and the importance of knowing where nutritious food comes from. Through Ms. Weseen’s efforts, PS 295 was recently adopted by Slow Food NYC to participate in their Harvest Time Program, which provides schools with financial assistance to support good food education.

Beginning June 5th, PS 295 will be building 10 raised garden beds in the schoolyard and creating a mobile kitchen cart that will enable students to plan, grow, harvest and cook the food and herbs they’ve grown. In addition, she continues to co-facilitate a gardening class in the school’s after school program, which has planted and tended to two local community gardens, and was instrumental in planning an upcoming visit from Truck Farm, a Wicked Delicate Film and Food Project.

Slow Food NYC connected Ms. Weseen with Hans Hesselein, a Park Slope-based landscape architect who designed the garden beds.

Ms. Weseen, Gardening students, and volunteers including parents and members of Slow Food NYC began building out the raised beds on Saturday, June 5th. Compost will be delivered later in the month and starting in the last few weeks of school, students will begin planting the first crops including lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, nasturtiums, cilantro, swiss chard, peppers, and basil.

All students at PS 295 who have been involved with gardening over the past four years will be meeting with the filmmakers and will then share their experience with the rest of the school later this year.

This Saturday Come Find Us...

2010-06-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

The Know Your Sustainable Community Extravaganza

We've teamed up with Planet Connections Theater Fest to host this green-themed carnival that is free and open to the public.

details:
JUNE 12
12pm (get there on time - it's not an all day event!)
440 Lafayette in the Robert Moss Theatre

This promises to be a fun event with groups such as GrowNYC, South Street Seaport, GRACE, Louisa Shafia, author of Lucid Food, a green photo booth, raffle and more! If you are interested in attending this FREE event please RSVP to planetevents2010@gmail.com or RSVP on facebook HERE!

Support the Guys Who Collect Your Food Scraps!

2010-06-04T05:47:00.000-07:00

Celebration by the East River
with the Lower East Side Ecology Center
Saturday June 5, 2010 5-8PM
East River Park Amphitheater

Activities for the whole family & silent auction
Master of Ceremonies Reverend Billy Talen
Live music by the Rude Mechanical Orchestra

Honoring:
Charlie Bayrer, Earth Matter NY, Inc.
Bill de Blasio, NYC Public Advocate
Jennifer London, Xoom
Kate Sinding, Natural Resources Defense Council

the Amphitheater, located at the southernmost
part of East River Park, across the FDR Drive from Corlear's Hook Park
at the intersection of Jackson and Cherry Streets.

In case of rain, Celebration by the East River will be at
Fontana's, 105 Eldridge Street, and we will
announce the change of venue on our website.

For more information please contact:
info@lesecologycenter.org or 212.477.4022

News Round-up

2010-06-02T20:30:00.001-07:00

Creating a Plan to Connect New Yorkers and their Harbor [Gotham Gazette]

Can the City—and the Oyster—Save Jamaica Bay? [Gotham Gazette]

Pharmaceuticals in the Water Supply [Report-- The New York City Department of Environmental Protection]

Air Quality [Ranking-- American Lung Association]

Health Commissioner Now Bikes to Work [Daily News]

Older Downstate Pedestrians at Risk [Report--Tri-State Transportation Campaign]

Rooftop Farm Gets OK [Wall Street Journal]

Lights Kept on in Closed Subway Stations [am New York]

Cleaning New York’s Soot-Spewing Buildings [Gotham Gazette]

City Halts Rooftop Farm in Queens [NY Times]

Manufacturing Jobs on the Rise [Wall Street Journal]

EPA Ripped Over Schools PCB Testing [Daily News]

Study Says Gowanus Cleanup Could Lead to New Housing [NY Post]

City Garbage Gridlock Plan Falls Short of Goals [Gotham Gazette]

Compiled by Rebeccah Welch

If You Know a Restaurant Owner...

2010-05-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

We just found out about this company called Upstate Wine Co., wholesalers of NYS wine (there's some good stuff out there, in fact you can get some at Greenmarkets across the city). Their mission is to only carry wines harvested, produced, and bottled in Upstate New York, to minimize environmental impact, and to choose only the highest quality, award winning wines for patrons in New York City. Currently we are representing Thirsty Owl Wine Co. and Atwater Vineyards, and will be picking up more wineries in July.

So if you have a friend that owns a restaurant, why not recommend they start sourcing locally (cuts down their carbon footprint and supports regional agriculture!)

Learn More.

For You Birds Out There...

2010-05-24T20:47:00.001-07:00

Sheri Ann Richerson, expert gardener and co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Year-Round Gardening (ISBN: 9781592579709, February 2010, $19.95) will field gardening questions live from her garden via a video Twitter chat Thursday, May 27 at 11:00 am CT. Log on to Twitter and search #AskCIG to participate. Please include #AskCIG in all questions. Take an early look at the live feed of Richerson’s garden at Experimentalhomesteader.com.

Have fun and keep up the gardening!

Onward.

Help Out Gowanus Canal Conservancy This Saturday!

2010-05-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

"Please join us for our next event on Sunday May 23 from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. We will be located on Degraw Street @ Bond Street (west side of the canal). We will be cleaning up trash, debris, weeding, pruning, planting, and mulching GreenStreets beds and beginning work on a small sidewalk garden project. We recently received 100+ plant donations from Pleasant Run Nursery located in Allentown, NJ which we will be installing around the canal throughout the season! We hope that you will join us as we work to Clean & Green the streets of the canal and the community...

You must wear closed shoes; we suggest you wear long pants and a long sleeved shirt. Tools and gloves will be provided but if you have heavy-duty work gloves or specific clean up/gardening tools that you'd like to use, please feel free to bring them (make sure they are labeled with your name). Please bring drinking water for yourself. To volunteer for the May 23rd event please email: volunteer@gowanuscanalconservancy.org or call us at (718) 541-4378. Volunteers under age 18 must have a parent or guardian on site to sign a release and available to supervise them (please call if you need more information)."

Urban Garden Challenge Dispatches

2010-05-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

From our friend Micki J., co-founder of UFT Green Schools Committee. Check out her blog.

"I'm trying to garden in my backyard in Flatbush (got the compost cooking at least, but the squirrels are totally tormenting me by digging up whatever I plant!!)... but even better I have my 9th graders gardening at our local nyrp garden in Williamsburg. We have okra, peppers and tomatoes growing in reused yogurt containers reclaimed from the Park Slope Food Coops Plastic Recycling Shift (we drilled holes in the bottom)..."

Attention Williamsburg Garden Enthusiasts

2010-05-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN. The North Brooklyn Gardening Club - launched by Town Square Inc. - just had its first meeting and will be dedicated to nurturing budding plant and flower enthusiasts as well as a place for experienced gardeners and designers to share their knowledge. Whether your garden is big, small, or simply a window box, and whether you know a lot, a little, or nothing about gardening and flowers, all are welcome.

Future events may include garden tours, seed and plant swaps, a fall harvest contest.

Learn More.

One Bag One Earth

2010-05-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

These guys' business cards have been sitting on a Brooklyn Green Team desk for about two months. this company One Bag One Earth makes bags similar to chico-bags, but here's how they difer

"We're trying to get to a place where all the materials we use are either recycled from other waste (like RPET, a fiber spun from recycled plastic bottles) or made out of existing materials that are sitting there doing nothing or on deck for the trash dump. We've come up with a new quest that is truly looking for mileage: go find premium materials that already exist so we don't light the fires of manufacturing to create new ones. This ultimately keeps us (and you) treading lighter on our precious resources. While the creation of materials has its impact, it doesn't do anyone any good if what was created just winds up in the dump, especially if it's not recyclable.

So here's our deal: we're currently combing through textiles and fabrics that some factories aren't using. The materials we choose are only of the finest quality. Then we apply a healthy dose of love, sewing them into something that looks good, and that people should use every day, instead of churning through disposable bags that serve no one in the long run."

very cute bag, they fold up very small. we probably all have more totes than we can use but if you or someone you know is using plastic at the grocery store, a couple of these in your purse/messenger bag/man bag/fanny pack/wagon wouldn't hurt to have on hand.

learn more about one bag one earth.

Duane Reade Gets Into the Act

2010-05-13T20:05:00.001-07:00

So NY based drug store chain Duane Reade has wised up to demand for better options. We recently spotted some eco-friendly products at the store like method laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, recycled tp, ecostore brand lotions, organic cotton tampons, recycled aluminum foil (which we ALL should be using) and organic snacks. So while we of course think it's best to either make your own cleaning solutions or to refill your shampoo and lotion at the 4th St Co-op, it's still nice to know that when you're in a bind, you can get something that won't pollute the river when you rinse it down the drain!

The World's First LED for the World's Most Common Lightbulb

2010-05-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

Philips Unveils the World’s First LED Replacement for the 60 Watt Incandescent Bulb – The Most Common Household Light Royal Philips Electronics unveiled today the world’s first LED replacement for a 60 watt incandescent light bulb. For the first time, consumers will now have an alternative to replace their most common household light bulb with a viable LED replacement that will deliver up to 80% energy savings and last 25 times longer. The new lamps will be available for sales in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of this year.

Why should we care?

Replacing 60-watt bulbs (when they run out we suggest) with LEDs will help eliminate 5.6 million tons of carbon emissions annually.
The new lamp will give the same soft white light and similar shape they are accustomed to with an incandescent bulb.
Latest technology will deliver up to 80% energy savings and could save households $120 per bulb in electricity costs
An LED Bulb can last 15-20 years based on average use (4-8 hrs per day)

good news.
click here to watch the video.

Green News Round-Up, compiled by Rebeccah Welch

2010-05-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

How “Transit-Oriented Development” Will Put More New Yorkers in Cars [Gotham Gazette]

Lead Poisoning - A Stubborn Nemisis [NY Times]

Trial of Officer Accused of Assaulting Cyclist to Begin Today [NY 1]

Population Boom Clogs Staten Island Roads [Staten Island Advance]

More Than 200,000 a Day Now Cycling [NY Times]

Alewife Herring Found in Bronx River [Daily News]

Borough President Calls DOT Commissioner a Bike "Zealot" [Daily News]

Spending Freeze Deals Another Blow to Ailing Roads and Bridges (Gotham Gazette]

PlaNYC at Three: Time to Include the Neighborhoods [Gotham Gazette]

Plan to Make 34th Street More Pedestrian Friendly [NY Times)

Flip the 'Switch' [Game- Gotham Gazette]

An Index of Open Space [Report- New Yorkers for Parks]

PlaNYC 2030 Progress Report [Report-PlaNYC 2030]

Gillibrand Wants More Grocery Stores [Crain's]

New Laws Would Expand City’s Recycling Program [NYT]

Don't Trash Your Corks!

2010-05-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

According to our friends at GrowNYC, you can drop your wine corks (only the natural cork ones) to any Whole Foods store! They will be made into new products by Jelinek Cork group. Good news.

Volunteer With Us!

2010-04-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

As part of NYC Wild Flower Week pitch in with us and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Green Team

Time: Tuesday, May 4, 6:00 - 8:00pm
Location: Meet at the entrance to the park at the corner of Main and Plymouth Streets in Dumbo, Brooklyn (across from 1 Main Street)
Contact: Kara Gilmour, Education and Stewardship Director (kgilmour@bbpc.net, 718.802.0603 x 18)

Get your hands dirty by cleaning and preparing garden beds and planting a variety of native wildflowers. Also get a guided tour with Sara Stopek, who will be talking about the native wildflowers and plants in the park.

Hope to see you there!

Recycling Awareness Benefit

2010-04-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

This is a great event if you care about recycling. BUY TICKETS! nonprofit, govt. and student rate

May 11

6-9pm

South Street Seaport Water Taxi Beach

live music. good food. drinks. fun. all while supporting recycling education and outreach across the five boroughs.

Learn More.

Dispatches from Urban Gardening

2010-04-26T14:17:00.001-07:00

Longstanding Brooklyn Green Team challenger Justin V. shares with us the following:

"Rooftop Strawberries are going bonkers! 25 plants purchased from a nursery last year, have doubled into 50+ flowering plants this year. Berries are already growing. It is soooo easy to do............a little bit of nice topsoil gardening mix to plant in, a few planting containers, plenty of light, and the berries are absolutely loving it."

"Next up, Raspberries! 5 Raspberry 'canes' purchased from a nursery last year for about $16. Potted and well watered on the roof, they all produced the tastiest raspberries that you can imagine that summer. Left these babies out over the winter, they are a very hardy bush, and this spring? The 5 canes have multiplied into 50+ new canes for this year. Within 2 years, not only could you begin selling raspberry plants for people to grow themselves, you can get to the point where you would never have to buy a plastic clamshell filled with week-old raspberries ever again! Picking a perfectly ripe berry from the roof is completely transformative on the consciousness in such a profound way."

Thanks Justin for the inspiration!

Edible's New Book

2010-04-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

We so rarely do product reviews so sorry for two in a row, but...

We have looked through a copy of the beautiful Book Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods. You probably have seen Edible Brooklyn in stores and picked up a copy. You might know that Edible focuses on the joys of eating locally - whether shopping at your local farmers market or joining a CSA or a local pickler winemaker or bread baker (that's starting to sound like a song, isn't it?).

Their book delves deeper into stories of farms or what they dub "local heroes" across the country. Locally, you'll learn about Red Jacket Orchards and their quest to bring heirloom apples into the mainstream. There's a huge recipe section in the back which will make your mouth water. The images starting right on the cover are amazing and bring to life the farms, farmers and recipes.

If you're a food lover, it's a great addition to your coffee table.

Learn more about Edible.

Better Than Rocks

2010-04-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

Celeb gardener William Moss was using Better Than Rocks last week. It's great for container gardens (large pots). It's a netty plastic roll that is made from 100% recycled plastic. You cut Better Than Rocks to fit in the bottom of container (one layer for indoor houseplants; two or more for outdoor planters)

Then put the soil on top, the plants, and water thoroughly.

After growing season you can rinse, store and reuse!

Makes your planters much lighter and roots can grow through them.

Check out Better Than Rocks!

Plants

2010-04-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Are you participating in our Urban Garden Challenge? we hope so. you've got until May to plant a garden. your tree pit, your windowsill, your window box, your backyard, wherever you can.

Two simple points

An annual will only last one season.

dianthus, pansies, nasturtiums are nice ones.

A perennial comes back each year.

lavender, phlox, ivy, and forget-me-nots are good choices.

if you plan to stay at your place for a while we suggest the latter. they grow stronger every year.

Go Green Greenpoint Earthday Fest

2010-04-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 25th from 11-4 (rain date May 2nd) at McCarren Park.

highlights: NYS Assemblyman Joe Lentol will kick off the festivities at 11 am with his inimitable rendition of a song of his choice!

Over 70 schools, community groups, companies, and government agencies will offer exhibits and merchandise, designed to enhance our understanding and appreciation of ourselves, our environment and the Earth that we all share.

Children’s Center. Activities for kids and kids at heart including soccer tips by FC Select Soccer, tumbling games by the Gym Park, chess challenges by the IS 318 Champions, an obstacle course by Ms J, interactive art projects by NY Creative Arts Therapists, judo activities by Sylvester Gawel Judo Club, earth-friendly arts & crafts by Spacecraft, and Box City.

Greencycle Swap. With the view that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” we urge you to drop off your cleaned and gently used clothes, shoes, bedding, toys, and books. Taking in bicycles & electronics (in working order please!) and computers (both working and non-working). All remaining items will be donated to Goodwill.

Live Music & Performances featuring Alex Smith and Mike Mizwinski, Baby Soda, Jonathan Samson, the Gym Park Gymnasts, Pat Hull, the Polish American Folk Dancers, and Sylvester Gawel Judo Club.

Learn more.

BBG Announces Important Plant Biodiversity Findings

2010-04-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

New York Metropolitan Flora Project (NYMF) data, gathered over the course of the last 20 years, provides the first hard evidence on how native species are faring, and how non-native species are spreading, in counties within a 50-mile radius of New York City, including all of Long Island, southeastern New York State, northern New Jersey and Fairfield County, Connecticut.

While much of the botanical community concentrates on researching and tracking the threats to biodiversity in the tropics, scientists at BBG have chosen to undertake an unprecedented study of its own region.

At least 50 varieties of native plants are locally extinct or nearing elimination. Nuttall’s mudflower (Micranthemum micranthemoides), last collected from the region in 1918, is likely extinct throughout its range. Scarlet Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea), pennywort (Obolaria virginica), sidebells wintergreen (Orthilia secunda), and sundial lupine (Lupinis perennis) are among the wildflower species to have seriously declined in the region. Black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) is locally extinct, without a trace of a population remaining today in the metropolitan area.

At the same time, “A number of invasive species introduced from distant areas, with climates similar to ours—such as parts of Asia, Europe, and the southeastern United States—are newly thriving in the New York area,” says Dr. Gerry Moore, director of science at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and coordinator of the New York Metropolitan Flora Project. “Camphor weed, native to the southern United States, is common in Brooklyn now; however, at the time of the Garden’s founding a century ago, it was considered to be quite rare.”

Although agencies and municipalities may wish to restore native species to particular habitats, the NYMF findings suggest that some native species can no longer survive in their native region. “How do you restore the flora original to, say, a coastline, when you know that the sea level is rising each year?” asks Dr. Moore.

Some native plants, like Britton’s violet (Viola britoniana), are rare in native habitats but thrive when brought into cultivation in the metropolitan area. Some non-native cultivated plants, such as Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), can escape from cultivated landscape and dominate natural areas. Efforts are now underway to better recognize and manage for these invasive plant species, which thrive and spread aggressively outside their natural range and can be particularly invasive when introduced to a new habitat, due to the absence of insects, diseases, and animals that naturally keep its population in check in its native region.

Learn More.

Planet's First Low-Carbon Restaurant?

2010-04-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

A trip to the grocery store or the farmers market can be daunting because you've just got so many choices. organic. local. biodynamic. is it better to eat local cared for meat or far away tofu?

Turns out the carbon footprint of even heavily packaged tofu from the other side of the world has a smaller carbon footprint than local beef (not that we are endorsing one or the other).

That's what new chain restaurant Otarian is trying to make easy for us. At their opening (attended by Vanessa Williams and one of those Olsen Twins), the founder of Otarian talked about how they spent a couple of years researching every ingredient (and worked with 18 chefs around the globe to choose the menu) to determine the carbon footprint - from growing practices to travel miles. The interior of the Bleecker Street Restaurant was decked out in recycled materials and they promise that a "whopping 98% of our restaurant waste, including packaging and food waste, is recovered as compost, recycled or re-used." Must say the food - ranging from spinach tarts to apple cobbler - was excellent.

Of course we have mixed feelings, is a fast food restaurant actually saving the planet or saving carbon? However, we at Brooklyn Green Team are also grounded in reality. People aren't going to stop going out for lunch. And so, they may as well eat vegetarian from a place that's thinking about these things and more importantly, educating the customer.

Learn More about Otarian.

Greenmarket Plant Sales This Weekend!

2010-04-16T07:54:00.001-07:00

2010-04-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

Free Play

2010-04-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

The Anthropologists are thrilled to partner with the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center and Mayor Bloomberg's Immigrant Heritage Week for a limited-engagement run of "Give Us Bread," about the food riots in NYC. 2 free performances are tomorrow Saturday April 17th at 8pm and Sunday April 18th at 2pm.

The Milagro Theater/CSV
107 Suffolk Street (between Rivington & Delancey).

Learn More about Give Us Bread

1oo Years of Brooklyn Botanic Garden!

2010-04-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

60 Brooklyn school-children from Mosdoth Daycare, PS 503, and St. Frances de Sales School for the Deaf planted a tree in celebration of BBG's 100th Anniversary. Go to the garden this weekend! Become a member and go free all year! (photo: Joseph Holmes)

Damn, NYU!

2010-04-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

NYU put together a great Earth Week April 2010 Line-Up. We picked some highlights...

Walk for Water - Over the Brooklyn Bridge 9:30 am-12:00 pm, The Aveda Walk for Water is a 6 kilometer walk held in cities around the world to raise awareness and funding for clean water organizations. Join NYC in walking 6 kilometers – the average distance women in developing nations have to walk every day for clean water. Walks Begins/Ends at 1 Centre St (4, 5, 6 Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall Subway Station). For more information please see www.aveda.com.

Earth Day Street Fair 10:00-2:00 pm On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, come rock the block with us! In true street fair/block party fashion, there will be local artists, musicians including Total Slacker, green organizations, interactive booths, and food. Bring your whites for free tie dying, and grab some free dosas from the famous NY Dosas cart! (Washington Place between Greene and Washington Square East)

Friday, April 23, 2010 7:00-9:00 pm Green Student Showcase, Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South, 400 Series (405/406). The Green Student Showcase is a panel of undergraduate students, presenting environmental projects they have worked on over the past year. Come get informed, come get inspired, come support your fellow students in their environmental endeavors!

Saturday, April 24, 2010 3:30-8:00 pm Off the Grid 2010: A Sustainable Music Festival @ Solar One, 23rd Street and the East River, NYC. Off the Grid 2010 is outdoor music festival run "off-the-grid" on a solar-powered, recycled stage on the East River. Come join us for a day of fun and environmental education! Student clubs, nonprofit organizations, and partners will be on hand providing educational exhibitions and giveaways. There will also be an art exhibit featuring local, environmentally minded artists. Music lineup: MCing by Andrew WK, Cold Cave and featuring a Special Guest. Co-Sponsored by the NYU Program Board.

Sunday, April 25, 2010 1:00-7:00 pm Swap-A-Palooza Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South, 8th Floor; COST: one bag of clothing. Swap-a-Palooza is a clothing swap focused on reducing your environmental impact through exchanging gently used clothes and accessories instead of buying new things. Bring a bag of clothes to swap and leave with something new! The Swap will also feature do-it-yourself design stations to make your new wardrobe one-of-a-kind.

Learn more.

The Gowanus Canal Wants You!

2010-04-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

GOWANUS CANAL CONSERVANCY
2010 CLEAN & GREEN PROGRAM KICKS OFF APRIL 24TH

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy Clean and Green Program is a Volunteer based program that meets on Saturdays or Sundays from April to October from 11am to 2pm to clean and green the banks of the Gowanus Canal. The dates for 2010 are:
— Saturday April 24
— Sunday May 23
— Saturday June 26
— Sunday 25
— Saturday August 28
— Sunday September 26
— Saturday October 23

All volunteer efforts will help the NYC Parks Department’s GreenStreets areas and street ends thrive, while improving both the health and beauty of the Gowanus Canal. Volunteer tasks will include planting, weeding and picking up trash and debris. Locations TBD. Interested parties should email volunteer@gowanuscanalconservancy.org to sign up for location details.

The 2010 Clean and Green program will strengthen community gardening interests, improve the streetscape aesthetic, encourage social interaction, and celebrate the canal as a destination. The scale of the need was known last year at a Clean and Green event done in concert with the American Littoral Society, when in one five-hour period the volunteers collected 22 car parts, 84 bottles, 13 car batteries, and assorted other junk. The next month we also found evidence of organized illegal dumping, including a pile of air conditioners and a mound of 30 jugs of used cooking oil.

Pitch in, won't you?

Contact:Brett Wallace @ 646.289.2759 or @ volunteer@gowanuscanalconservancy.org
gowanuscanalconservancy.org

Could It Be True??

2010-04-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

yeah, yeah there's a million "green" or "organic" dry cleaners out there (do your research)...but this is different.

Now open in Park Slope, Clean n Green is Brooklyn’s first eco-friendly Laundromat. While organic dry cleaners are gaining in popularity, Clean n Green is the city’s first laundromat that aims to lessen the environmental impact of washing our clothes by using highly energy and water efficient machines, monitoring water and energy use daily, and using eco-friendly, phosphate and hydrocarbon free soaps. Plus they do green dry-cleaning with a soluation made from silica (or sand?)

In addition to lessening the impact on the environment, Clean n Green is making it easier to do laundry with some great amenities:
card-operated laundromat so no quarters required
Free eco-friendly soap
Washes are $2 bucks each, and on site staff will change over laundry from wash to dry free of charge.

504 5th Avenue, between 12th & 13th streets, Park Slope, Brooklyn.
open 8am - 11pm
check them out at: www.cleanngreenlaundromat.com. Fill out this page to win a free wash on them.

As Matthew McConaughey says in Dazed and Confused, "all right, all right, all right"

Speaking of Urban Gardens...

2010-04-07T20:29:00.001-07:00

Order a Window Box Kit from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden (by Friday, April 23rd): The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is offering block associations and neighborhood organizations the opportunity to order window box kits-with a choice of either flowers, herbs or salad greens-to help make our blocks greener and more colorful. You can order your kit through this website through April 23rd.

How perfectly timed with our challenge!

Plastic Bags Drop Off in DC

2010-04-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

The Most Effective Tax Ever? Washington DC's 5 cent tax on plastic bags, instated just this past January, has already proven to have a phenomenal impact: the number of plastic bags handed out by supermarkets and other establishments dropped from the 2009 monthly average of 22.5 million to just 3 million in January. While significantly reducing plastic waste, the tax simultaneously generated $150,000 in revenue, which will be used to clean up the Anacostia River.

Learn More at Treehugger.

"I'm not sure... about automobiles.... With all their speed forward they may be a step backward in civilization..."

2010-04-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

Who Killed the Electric Car is a documentary by Chris Paine, and if you want a little background info on the inception, manufacture and subsequent recall and destruction of the battery-powered automobile, this is a good place to get an overview.

Why did we pull the plug on the electric car, especially when it seemed like a step forward for us as a car-dependent society?

The documentary mostly deals with the EV 1, made by GM and the first electric car in over a century. Despite the many benefits of owning an electric car, not the least of which is that they are better environmentally and would also drastically reduce our oil dependency, the EV 1 was taken out of production and all current owners and lessees were forced to return their cars, which where destroyed.

So, who did kill the electric car? Lack of consumer interest? The oil companies? The car companies? The government? The advent of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle?

Watch the documentary and find out. There are many interesting interviews with politicians, EV1 owners, scientists and activists.

Enjoy!

Obama Announces Plans for Offshore Drilling

2010-03-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

During an appearance at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland today, President Obama discussed plans to “open vast expanses of American coastlines to oil and natural gas drilling.” His plan would open up drilling “along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska.”

The new areas would be open to drilling “only after the completion of geologic studies, environmental impact statements, court challenges and public lease sales.” There is a chance that studies will prove the cost of drilling too expensive to take seriously and President Obama stressed that offshore drilling is one small part of a broader strategy to develop alternative sources of energy and wean the United States from dependency on foreign oil.

Read the full New York Times article here.

Read responses on CNN here.

And responses posted by Reuters here.

And don't forget:

Join us for tonight's screening of End of the Line, a documentary about the impact of overfishing on our oceans. The event - co-sponsored by GreenEdge Collaborative NYC - will take place on Wednesday, March 31st, 6:30 - 10:00 p.m @ Green Spaces (394 Broadway, 5th Floor). $10 suggested donation to benefit the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance.

Get Your Free Helmets!

2010-03-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

Ah the weather warms and the desire to spend more time outdoors grows.

Every year Pratt Institute holds its annual Green Week celebration, promoting green design, sustainable living, and environmentally conscious community. As part of Green Week and for the last three years in a row Envirolution has invited the Department of Transportation to give away FREE bicycle helmets.

This event is free and open to the public, as with all of this year's Green Week events.

DOT Free Helmet Giveaway
Tuesday March 30th 11am - 3pm
Center of Pratt Campus** In the Student Union in case of rain

A parent or legal guardians must come with children under 18 to receive a free helmet

Learn More.

Upcycle all by Yourself!

2010-03-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

100 Amazing Upcycling Ideas Anyone Can Do

One does not have to be an environmentalist to enjoy the benefits of upcycling projects. Anyone who derives enjoyment from DIY projects and other creative endeavors will love looking at the following instructions for ideas and inspiration for undertakings of their very own. Or, of course, they can follow along at home as a means of learning new techniques and nurturing their innovation.

1. Bike Innertube Wallet : Learn how to transform the innertube of a bike tire into a durable, waterproof wallet that only requires a bit of simple cutting and sewing.

2. Travel Trunk Rolling Bar : An old travel trunk makes for an elegant, vintage (or, at least, vintage looking) rolling bar/conversation piece perfect for entertaining.

3. Old CD Jewelry : Smooth, shiny CDs can make for some stunning, relatively simple and understated jewelry pieces – and with their rapidly escalating status as obsolete technology, there will be plenty stacking up for these creative DIY projects.

4. G4 Cubequarium : Fans of Macs and technology will delight in this amazing fish tank made from an old G4. It requires a bit of work, but the instructions are all laid out in detail.

5. Newspaper Mulch : With this simple project, homeowners and gardeners can re-appropriate newspapers to serve as effective, biodegradable mulch.

6. Birdseed Packaging Lunch Bag : Turn a simple birdseed bag (or bit of trash of a similar composition) into an interesting, easy-to clean lunchbox suitable for everyday use.

7. Plastic Bag Headband : Using this technique for creating viable, sewable fabric from plastic bags found at most grocery stores, the green fashionista can whip up a quick headband or bracelet in no time.

8. Barrel of Monkeys Bowl : Plastic toy soldiers and the beloved Barrel of Monkeys both make for quirky, fun decorative bowls that add a unique flair to any home.

9. Soda Bottle Lamp : 2-liter soda bottles can be fashioned into incredible lamps and electric candles that imbue a room with a startling elegance.

10. Plastic Bag Laptop Case : Upcycle those ubiquitous plastic bags – many of which fail to biodegrade at an agreeable rate – into a workable, eco-friendly laptop case.

get more ideas at Engineering a Better World.

From one of our eco-challengers

2010-03-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

Sheena Y. tells us:

This year on the fire escape outside my apartment I will be growing lots of herbs, a few veggies and a couple flowers.

Good luck Sheena. Send us your story about the Urban Garden Challenge and sign up!!

Two Days Until Earth Hour

2010-03-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY MARCH 27 AT 8:30

3,100 CITIES, 121 COUNTRIES, 31 U.S. STATES ON ALL 7 CONTIENTS SET TO UNITE IN A CALL TO ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is in the final stages of preparing for Earth Hour 2010, the single largest call to action on climate change in history. hundreds of millions of individuals, businesses, governments and iconic landmarks around the world will turn off their lights for one hour, making the switch to a cleaner, sustainable and more secure planet.

highlights:
31 states have signed on at this time, for official participation in Earth Hour 2010, FIVE times as many as were on board last year. The states are; Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin

More than 150 U.S. cities and municipalities are officially taking a stand on this important issue. Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Huntsville, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sioux Falls, Spokane, St. Louis, and Winston-Salem lead the list of supporting cities in 2010.

More than 50 national monuments and iconic landmarks will go dark across the U.S. in observance of Earth Hour 2010, including: The Las Vegas Strip, Mt. Rushmore, Niagara Falls, National Cathedral and Smithsonian Castle in Washington D.C., Golden Gate Bridge, the Space Needle, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, all 39 Broadway Theater Marquees, Sears/Willis Tower, the Queen Mary hotel in Los Angeles and Santa Monica Pier.

www.myearthhour.org.

2010-03-23T14:59:00.001-07:00

NAIROBI’S KNAPSACK CLOTHING SWAP, CO-SPONSORED BY GOGREENBABYGO
Saturday, March 27
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
744 Franklin Avenue (b/w Sterling and St. Johns)Brooklyn, NY

Free if parents bring items to swap, otherwise $10/person Spring is right around the corner, and instead of buying a whole new children’s wardrobe for the season, parents will have a chance to save money and recycle by bringing in their new and gently used infant and children’s clothing (sizes 0-7 yrs), small toys and books to swap. Exciting raffle giveaways and refreshments available while they last! For more information, contact the store at info@nairobisknapsack.com.

NOTE: Swappable items must be clean, free of stains, pet hair and in good condition. Early drop off is suggested and available during our normal store hours beginning March 23. Unclaimed items will be donated to a reputable Haitian relief effort and a local non-profit organization serving children in need.

Shark Lady! We like the sound of that

2010-03-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

The Lady and the Sharks: An Evening with Legendary Ichthyologist Eugenie Clark
Monday, March 29, 2010

6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

The NY Academy of Sciences @ 7 World Trade Center at 250 Greenwich Street, NY, NY 10007 40th Floor

Eugenie Clark (The Mote Marine Laboratory) The world-renowned ichthyologist, Eugenie Clark, known as "the Shark Lady," describes her fantastic and distinguished 60-year career studying deep sea sharks and tropical fish.

For information & registration, please call (212) 298-8600 or email info@NYAS.org

2010-03-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Do you know about People's Garden NYC? Here's the deal:

"To Mayor Michael Bloomberg:

We, the undersigned people of New York City, respectfully request that a vegetable garden be planted in front of City Hall.

This garden will represent New Yorkers’ commitment to education, public service, healthy eating, and environmental stewardship. This garden will be tended by NYC public school students, in collaboration with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and our region’s talented gardeners and farmers. The harvest will be donated to a nearby food pantry to feed the hungry.

This garden will represent the vision of a more sustainable, livable City for all New Yorkers, and will contribute to achieving the intents of PLANYC by 2030."

click here to sign the petition and learn more.

We Leave This to You

2010-03-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

Tour of Yonkers Sewage Treatment Plant, Saturday, April 10, 2010, 10 am, Yonkers

Ever wonder what happens to water after it leaves your house? Here is your opportunity to find out. There will be a tour of the Yonkers Sewage Treatment Plant on Saturday, October 24. Come along as we "follow the flow" of sewage as it gets treated in the plant and find out what finally happens to it. Preference is given to educators and ecology workers.

Contact Matt Malina mm1566@nyu.edu for information.

This Weekend

2010-03-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

Lower East Side Stop N Swap - Sunday

11am - 3pm @ Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center (107 Suffolk)

Kick off spring cleaning season, clean out your closets and bring wearable and reusable items that you don't need anymore and feel free to take whatever you like. Organized by GrowNYC.

Go Green Expo - Saturday and Sunday
The nation's largest eco-friendly trade and consumer lifestyle showcase, returns to NY. Go Green Expo invites business leaders, eco-minded consumers and their families to explore the latest in every aspect of green living and sustainable business practices including energy, home and building, transportation, electronics, food, and health & beauty. Keynote speakers this year are actress Mariel Hemingway, award-winning actor/director Ed Begley Jr. and activist Matthew Modine. Yeah, we know, but it's still worth checking out to see what new things are on the horizon.
Pier 92
12th Avenue and West 55th Street - on the Hudson River
(646) 778-3211

or hit up Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Prospect Park (which needs your support as tons of trees got knocked down), or go for a bike-ride.

Bee-Keep To Your Heart's Content!

2010-03-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

It's now legal in NYC!

This morning, the NYC Board of Health voted in favor of lifting the ban on beekeeping in Health Code Article 161, which previously rendered beekeeping illegal. Today's vote is an important victory for all of those who support bees, beekeepers, urban agriculture and a greener, healthier and more sustainable New York City.

Just Food launched a city-wide campaign to legalize beekeeping in New York City in 2008 and has since been working with a coalition of beekeepers, gardeners and community members to encourage the NYC Department of Health to lift its beekeeping ban (read archive of our beekeeping campaign below).

Folks involved are: the NYC Beekeeping Meetup Group, NYC Beekeeper's Association, Gotham City Honey Co-Op, our 2009 Pollinator Week Committee, individual beekeepers and supporters, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, former City Councilman David Yassky, and the NYC Department of Health.

check out Sunday's NYTimes article on the matter.

Hooray!

E-Waste Recycling!

2010-03-15T17:34:00.001-07:00

from our friends at Lower East Side Ecology Center!

Electronic Waste Collection Events

The Ecology Center is partnering with Earth Day NY to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day by holding 7 electronic waste ("e-waste") recycling events this spring. Full event details can be found on our calendar.

March 28, 2010 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
Union Square, 17th Street and Broadway

April 03, 2010 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
Roosevelt Island, Good Shepherd Plaza, 543 Main Street, Roosevelt Island

April 10, 2010 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
Tekserve, 119 W 23rd Street, Chelsea

April 11, 2010 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
Travers Park, 78th Street between Northern Blvd & 34th Avenue, Jackson Heights

April 17, 2010 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
Habana Outpost, South Portland Avenue and Fulton Street, Ft. Greene

April 18, 2010 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
Morningside Park, Morningside Avenue between 113th Street and 114th Street, Harlem

April 25, 2010 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
PS 29 School Yard, Baltic Street Between Henry Street and Clinton Street, Cobble Hill

A list of acceptable materials can be found here. We do not accept home appliances such as microwaves or refrigerators and cannot accept any electronics from businesses.

We like to thank Con Edison for their on-going support of our e-waste program and Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America and Vizio for co-sponsoring these events.

Urban Garden Challenge! Calling all superheroes

2010-03-13T07:33:00.001-08:00

email us and write "I Grow" to brooklyngreen@gmail.com to JOIN THE CHALLENGE!

"But each spring...a gardening instinct, sure as the sap rising in the trees, stirs within us. We look about and decide to tame another little bit of ground." -- Lewis Gantt

Many people, especially us New Yorkers, have long since lost this instinct as we spend less and less of our lives in nature.

Spring has come once again and for those of you who think that gardening and city life don’t mix, the Brooklyn Green Team is here to help you see how they can.

Community Gardens add to the diversity of the urban world, and therefore, grant a deeper sense of place and connection with the larger community. (Rough Terrains Urban Gardeners)

And according to the American Community Gardening Association, gardening:

• Improves the quality of life for people in the garden
• Provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development
• Stimulates Social Interaction
• Encourages Self-Reliance
• Produces Nutritious Food
• Conserves Resources
• Creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education
• Reduces city heat from streets and parking lots

There are many community gardens and even a few farms right here in the five boroughs and now we challenge you to bring a little gardening into your own urban life, even if the only little bit of ground you tame is a window box of fresh herbs.

FACTS

A pack of tomato seed costs about a dollar. Planting these can yield 20 tomatoes in one harvest. 4 vine-ripe tomatoes from your grocery store cost between $4 - $6. You can also use these tomatoes to make tomato sauce, paste, salsa or home-made ketchup. That's a lot of savings

If you grow your food organically, without pesticides and herbicides, you’ll spare the earth the burden of unnecessary air and water pollution. You’ll also reduce the use of fossil fuels and the resulting pollution that comes from the transport of fresh produce from all over the world (in planes and refrigerated trucks) to your supermarket.

Americans throw away about $600 worth of food each year! It's a lot easier to toss a moldy orange that you paid $0.50 for than a perfect red pepper that you patiently watched ripen over the course of several weeks. When it's "yours," you will be less likely to take it for granted and more likely to eat it (or preserve it) before it goes to waste.

According to a study posted by the Community Food Security Commission, "Urban gardens and farms produce surprising amounts of fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, and meat. In a 130- day temperate growing season, a 10’x10’ meter plot can provide most of a 4-person household’s total yearly vegetable needs, including much of the household’s nutritional requirements for vitamins A, C, and B complex and iron."

The same report states that, "Community and residential gardening, as well as small-scale farming promote nutrition and free household income for non-garden foods and other needs. Approximately every $1 invested in a community garden plot yields $6 worth of vegetables. Cooperative buying partnerships with urban area farmers, called Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA), maximizes food quality at stabilized prices. Household garden donations and farm gleaning projects increase emergency food providers’ access to their scarcest commodity, fresh fruits and vegetables. "

STARTING A GARDEN

Organic Gardening Magazine online is an easy way to get things going.

GrowNYC lists gardening resource sheets specific to urban dwellers, including plants for tree pits and window boxes.

Check out this gardening guide from Treehugger.

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden has a sweet Gardener's Resource Center. You can even call their Gardener's Help Line on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 1:00 – 4:30 p.m., at 718 - 623 - 727.

Visit a garden near you on the Oasis Map.

Want to volunteer to build gardens? Contact Green Guerillas.

Green Thumb (NYC Parks Dept) has a great page of resource links

WHERE TO BUY WHAT YOU NEED

Rather than run out and spend all your money at some big box store, seek out independent stores in your neighborhood. Here are some Brooklyn suggestions:

Chlesea Garden Center: (718) 875-2100

Gowanus Nursery: (718) 852 - 3116

Green Thumb Nursery: (718) 646 - 8303

Kings County Nurseries, Inc.: (718) 493 - 2363

Liberty Sunset Garden Center: (718) 858 - 3400

Sprout Home 388 - 4440

Tamilio Nursery: (718) 934 - 1355

HELPFUL VIDEOS

How-to Grow a Garden in a Small, Urban Space

Window Farms Introduction

Gardening Tips: How to Build a Vegetable Garden

Urban Gardening

New York Urban Agriculture

And: We like this website a lot.

Town Square in partnership with PS 132 Present

2010-03-12T06:21:00.000-08:00

GREENCYCLE SWAP!

Saturday, March 13, from 1 to 4 pm @ PS 132 320 Manhattan Ave (entrance near Conselyea St)

Bring Some!

Take Some!

BOOKS, TOYS, SHOES, CLOTHING, PHONES, COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

Drop off your cleaned gently-used & working items – donate $5 to check out the selection and take away as many “riches” as you can carry!

forget to bring a bag (or cart) to tote them all!

upcoming swaps:

April 10 - Greenpoint Reformed Church (138 Milton)

May 8 - School Settlement (120 Jackson St)

June 12 - Greenpoint View (82 Oak St)

Map Your Cycling Route on Google Maps

2010-03-12T05:32:00.001-08:00

Google Maps now complete with bike lanes. Avoid hills, heavily congested areas and find bike lanes.

learn more.

Off the Hook: Sustainable Seafood Event

2010-03-09T20:10:00.000-08:00

Greenmarket’s Educated Eater series presents

Off The Hook: Why Local Seafood is Sustainable

Saturday, March 13th from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm at 92 Y Tribeca

Do you want to know what fish are sustainable to eat? Are you confused by pocket seafood guides and competing certification labels? Do you wonder if any fish sold at farmer’s markets are overfished? Greenmarket will bring together fishermen, a regulatory agent, a marine advocate, and a chef to help untangle these questions and talk about what’s being done to promote sustainable fishing practices and why it’s important to support our local fishing families and communities.

Panelists include, Alex and Stephanie Villani from Blue Moon Fish in Mattituck, NY; Christopher M. Moore Chief of the Partnerships and Communications Division in the office of Sustainable Fisheries at NOAA Fisheries Service and Niaz Dorry, Director of the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA).

Moderated by Colin Alevras Chef of the former acclaimed restaurant Tasting Room and now Beverage Director for David Chang's Momofuku restaurants.

Light local snacks and New York State wine will be served.

Tickets are $10. Get them here.

92Y Tribeca is located at 200 Hudson Street, at Canal.

Test Your Ocean Knowledge and Win a Prize

2010-03-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

Visit Oceana.org to take an ocean quiz and see if you know what fish could swallow an entire person or which animal has a heart the size of a small car. Brush up your skills by studying the Explore section, with content provided by leading reference publisher Dorling Kindersley.

Oceana will fly one lucky grand prize winner round-trip with the ecotourism organization SEE Turtles on an exclusive eco-travel adventure to observe sea turtles.

Three first prize winners will receive Nintendo Wiis with a copy of the ocean exploration game Endless Ocean. Second prize winners will receive Dive watches from Nautica, third prize recipients will receive $100 gift cards from Nautica and fourth prize winners will receive Nautica rope bracelets.

To take the Ocean IQ Quiz for your chance to win a trip to watch sea turtles in the wild, visit www.oceana.org/IQ.

Mayor commits to Water Quality Improvements in Jamaica Bay

2010-03-06T06:56:00.000-08:00

Mayor Bloomberg, the City Department of Environmental Protection, the State Department of Environmental Conservation, and four environmental groups today announced an agreement-in-principle to significantly improve the health of Jamaica Bay through major sewage treatment plant upgrades and investments in marsh restoration.

This announcement follows months of intensive negotiations among the city, state, and environmental groups represented by the Natural Resources Defense Council as legal counsel—including Jamaica Bay Eco Watchers, American Littoral Society and NY/NJ Baykeeper—over alleged permit violations at four city sewage treatment plants, which currently discharge levels of nitrogen pollution into Jamaica Bay that are among the highest in the world.

The groups will continue to work with the city and state to finalize the agreement, in a way that ensures long-term implementation of a 10-year water quality improvement plan.

Commitments from the city include to:

Upgrade four sewage treatment plants to drastically reduce nitrogen discharges to the bay, on a schedule running through 2020
Spend at least $15 million on marsh restoration over the next five years, which could leverage nearly $30 million in additional federal funding through the Corps of Engineer
Resolve a long-running dispute over the city’s Clean Water Act permits by agreeing to new, stricter permit terms that will lock in the treatment plant upgrades, and the resulting water quality improvements, into the future
Improve water quality monitoring in the bay, which may include using new equipment to provide continuous, real-time information on conditions in the bay.

Nitrogen discharges from the sewage treatment plants are the biggest cause of the severe water quality problems in Jamaica Bay. The plants discharge nearly 40,000 pounds of nitrogen into the bay daily, which cause harmful algae blooms that frequently render portions of the bay inhospitable to marine life and unusable for people. There is also mounting evidence that elevated nitrogen levels contribute to the rapid and accelerating loss of the bay’s signature marshlands, which provide not only invaluable wildlife habitat but also shoreline erosion control and a protective flood barrier to the neighborhoods ringing the bay.

Jamaica Bay has more than 25,000 acres of water, marsh, meadowland, beaches, dunes and forests in Brooklyn and Queens, all accessible by subway. It contains a federal wildlife refuge the size of 10 Central Parks, a portion of Gateway National Recreation Area, Bayswater State Park and nearly a dozen city parks. It provides a nursery for the region’s marine life, including valuable recreational fisheries like summer flounder, and a critical bird habitat area that is visited by nearly 20 percent of North America's bird species annually. It is also home to various endangered and threatened species – from sea turtles to peregrine falcons. More than a half million New Yorkers live in the Jamaica Bay watershed/sewershed, and the bay is a popular fishing and boating area.

We bet opportunities to volunteer abound with these groups:

Learn more about National Resources Defense Council.

Learn more about the Jamaica Bay Eco Watchers.

Learn more about the American Littoral Society.

Learn more about NY/NJ Baykeeper.

Local Green News Round-Up

2010-03-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

Borough President's Proposal for Food System Overhaul [Crain's]

Prospect Circle Makes Way for Bikes, Walkers [NY Times]

Closings Loom for State Parks, Historic Sites [Associated Press]

Uncertain Future in Privately Funded Parks [NY Times]

Recycle That [Green In Brooklyn]

Traffic Experiment to Be Permanent [NY Times]

Panel Suggests Ways to Build Green [NY Times]

Zone Defense: Streetsblog on Greening NYC Zoning [gbNYC]

Talking Trash [Gotham Gazette]

A Federal Ally for Threatened Parks [Albany Times Union]

A New Food Plan [Report-Office of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer]

State Ranks Low on Mercury Thermostat Collection [Report-Mercury Products Campaign Partners]

The Urgency of Resurrecting Congestion Pricing [Report-DMI]

complied by Rebeccah Welch

Lefferts Gardens Charter School Information Session

2010-03-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY March 6th @ 2:30 P.M
Crown Heights Library, 560 New York Ave. & Maple St.

The Lefferts Gardens Charter School is a new public K-5 elementary
school starting in September 2010 for K and 1st graders in District 17 within PS 92 (601 Parkside Ave btw Bedford and Rogers)

OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS. LOTTERY HELD ON 4/13. APPLICATIONS DUE ON 3/31

Some details:

-Science and the environment is the heart of our unique program,
designed to teach children to become critical thinkers

-Children will learn by doing, with regular opportunities for hands-on
exploration through community institutions like Prospect Park, the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Prospect Park Zoo

-Teachers will build connections among reading, writing, math, the
arts and sciences to create an educational experience that engages
every child

4th Annual Day of Climate Awareness - March 7

2010-03-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

Join Parents for Climate Protection and Beth Elohim Environmental Committee for their

4th Annual Day of Climate Awareness (free)

Sunday, March 7

2pm

@ Congregation Beth Elohim, 271 Garfield Place, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY

For young children: Tiffany Threadgould of RePlayGround will show kids how to turn scrap materials into fun and useful objects.

For teens: The Alliance for Climate Education will present a spirited multi-media presentation, including music, live narration, video and animation to educate and empower teens to take action on climate change.

For grown-ups: a panel discussion sure to enlighten and inspire, entitled:

After Copenhagen: The Science and Policy of Climate Change

This year's expert panel features the authors of Climate Change: Picturing the Science:

Gavin Schmidt, Ph.D., climatologist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and co-founder of www.RealClimate.org

Joshua Wolfe, photographer and founder of GHG, a leading photography agency focusing on climate change

Frank Zeman, Director of the Metropolitan Institute for Sustainability at the New York Institute for Technology

Sean Sweeney, Ph.D., Director of Cornell University's Global Labor Institute, who will deliver a policy update. He has been an an observer at all UN Climate Gatherings, including the recent talks in Bali and Copenhagen.

Lauren Schuster, Environmental Campaign Director at 1Sky/NYPIRG, has agreed to be this year's moderator

This event is presented by Parents for Climate Protection in conjunction with Beth Elohim Environmental Committee.

Children's activities: Please make reservations for childcare by March 1st with Judy Schneier at parentsforclimateprotection@gmail.com or call 347.451.6498

For more information, please visit us on the web at www.climateactivism.org, contact us at parentsforclimateprotection@gmail.com or call us at 347.451.6498

Co-sponsors: NYPIRG/1Sky, Brooklyn Food Coalition, New York League of Conservation Voters, The Alliance for Climate Education, The Green Team at P.S. 154, Brooklyn for Peace.

End of the Line

2010-03-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn Green Team members hunkered down on a Saturday to screen The End of the Line - a documentary about world-wide overfishing. Because the ocean and the tuna in our chopsticks cannot talk to us, the downward spiral of once healthy vibrant oceans goes largely unnoticed.

The OVERVIEW: Imagine an ocean without fish. This is the future—in less than 40 years—if we do not stop, think and act. Narrated by Ted Danson and based on the acclaimed book by Charles Clover, THE END OF THE LINE shows firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food. It examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, the huge overpopulation of jellyfish and the prospect of certain mass starvation. Filmed over two years across the world – from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska to the Tokyo fish market – featuring top scientists, indigenous fishermen and fisheries enforcement officials, THE END OF THE LINE is a wake-up call to the world. Endorsed by National Geographic and Greenpeace, THE END OF THE LINE premiered at 2009’s Sundance Film Festival and went on to a limited national theatrical release. In January 2010, the filmmakers launched a nationwide “Fish ‘n’ Flicks” dinner/screening campaign with some of America’s most renowned and ecologically conscious chefs to educate guests about what they can do to end overfishing.

Our Verdict:
We highly recommend seeing The End of the Line. Spend two hours and educate yourself on the problem in our oceans, the impact of overfishing, which species are most endangered, and most importantly, what Charles Clover is doing about it and what we all can do about it. (Plus Ted Danson narrates it, and if you're like us, any chance to hear Sam Malone's voice.... ) Get your copy and strongarm all your sushi, fish taco guzzling friends into seeing it!

Brooklyn Green Team plans to do just that so stay tuned for details on a screening.

Go to the official End of the Line site.

Get the widget and easily find out the status of the fish you're thinking of eating.

Hear what witty journalist/author/environmentalist and brainchild behind the film, Charles Clover, who wrote the book of the same name, had to say about the project.

Support Environmental Education for Just 20 bucks!

2010-02-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

Council on the Environment of NYC is kicking off it's 40th anniversary with Rock N Grow which supports great education programs like: teens managing their own farm stand; farmer visits in schools and tours of the Greenmarket; kids building solar ovens and planting trees, you get the point.

GET YOUR TIX HERE.

Our Latest Video!

2010-02-21T13:56:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SixuA73vMQA