milliontrees nyc announces volunteer opps

[Tree and me]

Just the other day as I stared out my apartment window, I thought about how lovely it was that the trees back there have grown closer our building. The lush green branches and perching birds were a great comfort to me, considering we have no outdoor space in our place. This morning I awoke to the sound of chainsaws. Half the tree is gone. I just hope they made a clean cut at the branch collar so the tree will "heal" properly (tomorrow I have my field day with the Trees NY Citizen Pruner course). 

If you appreciate trees and wildlife as much as I do, maybe you'll be compelled to help the city take care of our little bits of green habitat. MillionTrees NYC just announced their upcoming schedule of events. Maybe I'll see you at one of them...

SPRING INTO ACTION WITH MILLIONTREES NYC
Natural Resources Group: Forest Stewardship Days: Citywide
This spring take part in the restoration of forests in natural areas in NYC. We will be removing invasive weeds, watering and mulching. Volunteers will learn the history and ecology of the sites and help ensure the future of the forest!

Registration is currently open to volunteer with MillionTreesNYC in our reforestation areas!

• Saturday, May 30, 2009, 9:00am-2:00pm: Ocean Breeze, Staten Island Kissena Corridor Park, Queens
  
• Saturday, June 20, 2009, 9:00am-2:00pm: Pelham Bay Park, Bronx Canarsie Park, Brooklyn Idlewild Park, Queens Clove Lakes Park, Staten Island Mt. Loretto Unique Area, Staten Island Randall’s Island, Manhattan
  

Sign up at http://milliontreesnyc.org/html/involved/nrg_registration.shtml
Children under 16 must be accompanied by a guardian. Not recommended for children under age 12.
Contact Ellen Arnstein Ellen.arnstein@parks.nyc.gov with questions

Conference House Park, Staten Island: Forest Stewardship Volunteering
Looking for interesting and meaningful activities in the great outdoors? Experience nature, learn plant and animal species and volunteer at Conference House Park. Activities will include planting, invasive plant removal, and tree-care activities.

• Saturday, May 16th, 2:00-5:00pm 
  
• Wednesday, May 20th, 9:00am-12:00pm 
  
• Saturday, May 30th, 2:00-5:00pm 
  
• Saturday, June 27th, 2:00-5:00pm 
  
• Wednesday, July 8th, 5:00-7:30pm 
  
• Sunday, July 26th, 9:00am-12:00pm 
  
• Monday, July 27th, 9:00am-12:00pm
  

Stewardship events begin at the Conference House Park Visitors’ Center. For questions, directions, and to RSVP, contact Cheri at:cheri.brunault@parks.nyc.gov or 718-390-8021.

rally to stop coal plant financing

Join Dozens of activists with the Sierra Club, Rainforest Action Network, and New York Public Interest Research Group this coming Tuesday - May 19 - to rally against the financing of dirty coal by JPMorgan Chase. Be sure to bring your banners, signs, and voice to let CEO Jamie Dimon and other JPMorgan Chase shareholders know you won't stand for dirty coal plants and mountaintop removal coal mining. Full details below:

Groups to Rally at JPMorgan Chase Shareholder Meeting on May 19th
New Yorkers Ask CEO Jamie Dimon to Stop Financing Coal Plants

WHEN: May 19th,
Rally, 9:30 am - 10:30 am
JPMorgan Chase Shareholder Meeting - 10 am

WHERE: One Chase Manhattan Plaza, New York, NY [map]

WHAT: Rally outside the JPMorgan Chase annual shareholder meeting, questioning Jamie Dimon, one of the leading financiers of coal plants and mountaintop removal coal mining. Despite Mr. Dimon’s rhetoric on the need for clean energy and strong environmental policies, JPMorgan Chase continues to underwrite Massey Energy, one of the biggest and most heavily criticized mountaintop removal coal mining companies in the country. JP Morgan Chase also continues to fund expensive and highly polluting coal plants throughout the United States, including the proposed AMP-Ohio coal plant, one of the most financially risky coal proposals in the country.

WHO: Dozens of activists with the Sierra Club, Rainforest Action Network, and New York Public Interest Research Group.
- Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director of Ohio Citizen Action,
- Larry Gibson, President of Keeper of the Mountains Foundation
- Dana Clark, Director of Global Finance for Rainforest Action Network

this saturday, the great american book drive!

This Saturday, May 16 from 10am to 3pm at the Brooklyn Public Library, it's the Great American Book Drive. Bring your old, your tired, your weary books to the steps of the grand ol' library in Grand Army Plaza and give them a new home. Full details from BPL below:

As many of you know, this Saturday, May 16, is our second Great American Book Drive, held in conjunction with Better World Books (BWB). Better World Books, is an environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible company that collects and sells books to fund literacy initiatives worldwide. This event at Central Library offers you a chance to clean out your bookshelves and donate unwanted materials to a good cause -- your library!

But before you pack up that shopping back full of old textbooks and Windows '98 user manuals, we wanted to clarify our policy regarding donations:

1) Our first step when we receive a donation is to check the ISBNs of the books we receive with BWB's database to see if they're "sellable"
2) We send "sellable" ones to BWB, which they sell and give proceeds back to us
3) We recycle those books BWB cannot sell
4) We also weed our collections so that we recycle worn-out books, or those that do not circulate to make way for more popular materials

So before you come, please review our donation policy as it would be a shame for you to herniate a disc carrying old items to Central that we ultimately can't use.