happy halloween!

Related post
an eco-friendly halloween

how to live sustainably in nyc: part 2

Part 2 of 3 in a series, how to live sustainably in nyc.

A class I recently attended at Borough of Manhattan Community College helps New Yorkers find simple ways to live more sustainably. Led by Les Judd of Green Boroughs, the class consisted of an initial classroom session, two walking tours, and finally a panel discussion with green business leaders.

My favorite part of the class was the panel discussion. Four green business owners and four leaders of sustainability in the non-profit sector spoke about their work creating or maintaining their organizations and the challenges they face. Here's a little taste of what the panelists had to say.

Panel 1: Green biz

David Kistner
CEO
Green Apple Cleaners

Green Apple is no ordinary dry cleaner. And they're not one of those so-called "organic" cleaners either. To clean clients' clothes they use liquid CO2 that was recaptured from processes like beer brewing. In a Consumer Reports study, CO2 dry cleaning was found to be the most effective dry cleaning method, beating out conventional, toxic perchloroethylene (PERC)-using dry cleaners.

They also skip the disposable plastic bag to cover your freshly cleaned clothes in favor of reusable garment bags.

Green Apple's pick-up and delivery service, which is powered by biodiesel, is so far only available in Manhattan and North Jersey. David hopes to open a Brooklyn location early next year (I hope so!).

According to David, Green Apple is more than a dry cleaning operation. They do interior work for clients such as ABC Carpet & Home, they sell cleaning products, and they also have a not-for-profit educational program for school-aged children. David also consulted on the Greenopia guide.


Mark Caserta
Owner
3R Living

Mark was an environmental lobbyist and his wife, Samantha was a buyer for Fishs Eddy. So it was only natural for them to open a store like 3R Living. It's a great resource for eco-friendly gifts and housewares, with two locations: Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Maplewood, NJ. Though the towns aren't so near to one another, Mark said it was a fairly easy decision to open the second Maplewood store, since so many Park Slope transplants now live there.

You can also shop through their online store.


Catherine Barton
Corporate Director of Business Development
Green Depot

Green Depot is an amazing source for green building supplies. Some of the notable projects they've supplied include the new Brooklyn Center for Urban Environment building, the platinum LEED certified Bank of America Tower, and Entourage star Adrian Grenier's Brooklyn townhouse.

They also work with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to create affordable, sustainable homes for New Yorkers.

According to Catherine, one of the biggest challenges with green building is the installation learning curve (I know this from experience!*). To solve this problem, Catherine works directly with builders to educate workers on how to use their materials.

*When we were having coconut palm composite (DuraPalm) flooring installed in our kitchen last year, it didn't go so smoothly. The carpenter laid down the entire floor using traditional wood floor nailing methods. Almost every board ended up cracked or split. He had to rip up the entire floor and we had to checked every single board for damages to see which pieces were salvageable. Not fun!


Mark Ehrhardt
Co-founder
Movers, Not Shakers

Back when Mark was a stock broker, the moving business was the furthest thing from his mind. When the dot com bubble burst, a friend suggested that helping people with moves was an easy way to make a buck. So Mark started small, using rented trucks to relocate people. Now he runs the sustainable moving company, Movers not Shakers.

His trucks run on biodiesel and instead of wasteful cardboard boxes, Mark's company uses reusable plastic ones he calls GothamBoxes.

At the end of the business year, Mark gave part of the company's proceeds to the Prospect Park Alliance to support a New York City green space, and in a way, offset carbon. He plans on contributing to environmental organizations as a regular business practice.



Look for part 3 of how to live sustainably where I highlight the non-profit green business panelists.

Read part 1.

byob @ kaight

A discount -- what better incentive for bringing your own bag? (Well, aside from knowing you're not creating waste.) If you BYO bag to eco-fashion store Kaight, you'll get 10% off any purchase in the store. Love it!

Dear Friends,

In these times, even the smallest things can make a big difference. For instance, being wasteful simply isn't good: not for our wallets and certainly not for our environment. So, going forward, refuse a bag with your next purchase at Kaight, and we'll give you 10% off, no matter how tiny or large the purchase.

We've got some incredible scarves, mittens, coats, shoes -- the list could do on forever -- in stock. So grab one of the gazillion totes you've got lying around and receive 10% off your next, and then your next, and your next (see where we're going with this?) purchase.

See you soon!

Sincerely,

kate mcgregor
kaight inc.


Kaight
83 Orchard Street
New York, New York 10002
212-680-5630
www.kaightnyc.com

how to live sustainably in nyc: part 1

A class I recently attended at Borough of Manhattan Community College helps New Yorkers find simple ways to live more sustainably. Led by Les Judd of Green Boroughs, the class consisted of an initial classroom session, two walking tours, and finally a panel discussion with green business leaders.

The basics
In class 1 we talked about the basic steps to living sustainably, including shopping at the farmer's market and community supported agriculture (CSA), plus reducing meat in our diets as ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

I learned a little something about recycling in this city -- just because the plastic has a #1 on the bottom doesn't necessarily mean it is recyclable. City recycling only processes plastic bottles with a #1; this excludes iced coffee cups, salad takeout containers, and the like.

We also discussed switching to alternative energy resources such as wind power through ConEdison Solutions.

The walking tours
Les took us to some great businesses in downtown Manhattan. We went to both the East and West Village locations of Birdbath Bakery and shops such as Sustainable NYC, Moo Shoes, and Organic Avenue. We also walked through community gardens like Toyota Children's Garden, one of the green spaces saved by New York Restoration Project which was founded by Bette Midler.

Look for parts 2 and 3 of how to live sustainably where I highlight the green business panelists, including the CEO and founder of Green Apple Cleaners and the Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx.

thoreau, climatologist

[Photo: Image design by C. Davis and C. Willis.
Photographs depicting those groups in decline
courtesy of K. Cerrudo, A. Miller-Rushing,
J. Novak, T. Barnes, and C. Rushworth.]

Unbeknownst to him, Henry David Thoreau was a climatologist. His recordings of plant flowering patterns from 1851 to 1858 are helping modern climate scientists determine plant abundance and decline in New England. They can then, in turn, link those patterns to climate change.

One of the things they've discovered is that flowers are blooming seven days earlier now than in Thoreau's time. And they could only find 7 of the 21 species of orchids Thoreau recorded. An excerpt:

Henry David Thoreau endorsed civil disobedience, opposed slavery and lived for two years in a hut in the woods here, an experience he described in “Walden.” Now he turns out to have another line in his résumé: climate researcher. He did not realize it, of course.

Thoreau died in 1862, when the industrial revolution was just beginning to pump climate-changing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In 1851, when he started recording when and where plants flowered in Concord, he was making notes for a book on the seasons.

Now, though, researchers at Boston University and Harvard are using those notes to discern patterns of plant abundance and decline in Concord — and by extension, New England — and to link those patterns to changing climate.

Read the rest.

[New York Times]

eco skivvies

What do you hold closest to your nearest and dearest parts? How about pesticides or polluting synthetic materials? Next time you're in the market for unmentionables, make the switch to pure organic cotton, bamboo, recycled polyester, or eco-friendly silk instead.

For the Guys

Boxers or briefs from Patagonia ($25 - $32)
(organic cotton or recycled polyester)

Hemp boxers at BuyGreen.com ($24)


Boxer briefs by Red Dog Sportswear ($50 for 3)
(organic cotton)




For the Gals

Bras and undies from Patagonia ($20 - $50)
(recycled polyester)


Perfectly Imperfect undies at The Greenloop (sale $15)
(organic cotton and lace)



Louella Bloom boyshorts ($22)
(soy & organic cotton, made in USA)



AngelRox wing brief ($30)
(organic cotton, made in USA)


Bra and pantie set by On the Inside ($58)
(organic cotton, sourced and made in USA)


Bra & pantie set by On the Inside ($70)
(organic cotton, sourced and made in USA)

new york times covers proposition 2:

support for humane farm animal treatment


[Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States.
Image: Michael Kelley for The New York Times]

In the Barnyard Strategist, Maggie Jones for the New York Times details all sides of the story on Proposition 2 -- the measure that will provide farm animals with an incremental improvement in their living conditions.

Proposition 2, co-sponsored by the Humane Society and Farm Sanctuary, the biggest farm-animal-rights group in the United States, focuses on what are considered the worst animal-confinement systems in factory farms. The ballot initiative, which voters will decide on Nov. 4, requires that by 2015 farm animals be able to stand up, lie down, turn around and fully extend their limbs. In effect that translates into a ban on the two-foot-wide crates that tightly confine pregnant pigs and calves raised for veal — a space so small that they can’t turn around. And it would eliminate so-called battery cages where four or more hens share a space about the size of a file drawer.

Read the rest.

The election is almost 1 week away!

But you still have time to help.

All I'm asking is that you help me reach my goal of having 20 friends donate $20 each to help 20 million animals. So far, 4 friends have showed their support.

Please click on the graphic below to donate to my $20/20 Campaign.

podcast interview at greenblogosphere.com

This afternoon, I spoke with Tom Tucker, the managing editor at GreenBlogosphere -- an online community for green bloggers and anyone who's interested in participating in the green movement. We talked a little bit about how I got started and where I hope to take supereco, as well as some specific topics that I've blogged about.

Click on the widget below to listen to the conversation:

tomorrow at brooklyn indie market

I won't be able to make it, but maybe you can go and support some local artisans tomorrow from 11am to 7pm at the Brooklyn Indie Market (Smith & Union, Carroll Gardens).

The theme tomorrow is Steampunk, which according to wiki editors at Wikipedia is a "subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s." Think Victorian England mixed with sci-fi fantasy (Jules Verne, HG Wells).

Two designers of note:

• Sylvia Holden whose deconstructed fashion is made from recycled materials
• Wren of Purevile whose often macabre one-of-a-kind jewelry is fashioned from antiques and such (like bones and doll parts)

Looks like I'll be missing out!

[via Brooklyn Based]

most fuel efficient vehicles for 2009

Ready to make an upgrade to a fuel-efficient vehicle? Jalopnik's got a list of the most efficient cars out there, broken out by best city and highway mileage, and by category. No surprise, Prius still tops the list for both city and highway MPG.

Make Model: City or Highway

By City

1.) Toyota Prius: 48
2.) Honda Civic Hybrid: 40
3.) Nissan Altima Hybrid: 35
4.) Ford Escape/Mariner Hybrid 2WD: 34
5.) Smart Fortwo: 33
Toyota Camry Hybrid: 33
7.) Volkswagen Jetta/SportWagen Diesel: 30
8.) Toyota Yaris: 29
9.) Mini Cooper: 28
Honda FIt: 28

By Highway

1.) Toyota Prius: 45
Honda Civic Hybrid: 45
3.) Volkswagen Jetta/SportWagen Diesel: 41
Smart Fortwo: 41
5.) Chevy Cobalt/Pontiac G5 XFE: 37
Mini Cooper: 37
7.) Toyota Yaris: 36
Honda Civic/Civic CNG: 36
9.) Chevy Cobalt/Pontiac G5: 35
Toyota Corolla/Honda Fit: 35
Ford Focus: 35


The Most Fuel Efficient Cars By Category

Two-Seater Cars
Smart ForTwo: 33/41

Minicompact Cars
Mini Cooper: 28/37

Compact Cars
Honda Civic Hybrid: 40/45

Midsize Cars
Toyota Prius Hybrid: 48/45

Small Station Wagons
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen Diesel: 30/41

Midsize Station Wagons
Kia Rondo: 20/27

Small Pickup Trucks
Ford Ranger 2WD: 21/26

Standard Pickup Trucks
Chevrolet C15 Silverado/GMC Sierra Hybrid: 21/22

Cargo Vans
Chevrolet/GMC G1500: 15/20

Minivans
Mazda Mazda5: 22/28
(pictured, right)

Sport Utility Vehicles
Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner/Mazda Tribute Hybrid 2WD: 34/31

[FuelEconomy.gov via Jalopnik]

energy (and money) saving tips for winter

Having a drafty home is (pardon the cliché) like throwing money out of the window. And saving energy is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Union of Concerned Scientists offered up these helpful tips for winterizing on a budget. I've added a few of my own energy saving tips below as well.

While there are many ways in which you can reduce your home’s energy use, these five projects can deliver the quickest payback on your purchase:

• Insulate your attic. It is relatively easy, yet very cost-effective, to add insulation to your attic. The Department of Energy (DOE) suggests a minimum attic insulation level of R-38 (R-value is a measure of resistance to heat flow), equivalent to 12 to 15 inches of insulation. The DOE provides a map on its website (see the Related Resources below) that lists recommended insulation levels for U.S. climates.
• Seal air leaks. Weather stripping, door sweeps, window shrink wrap, and other materials can be purchased at your local hardware store for $50 or less, and can save you as much as 10 percent in energy costs. If you have an old fireplace, consider installing glass doors (which can cost a couple hundred dollars or more) to help prevent heat from escaping out the chimney when not in use.
• Seal heating ducts. Leaky ducts from forced-air or heat pump systems can allow up to 20 percent of the warm air to escape. While most ductwork is hidden in walls and floors, you can seal duct leaks on your own in attics, basements, or garages, and in areas where ducts meet floor or wall vents. The DOE estimates that sealing leaky ducts can save you up to $140 annually.
• Install a programmable thermostat. An Energy Star-qualified programmable thermostat can cost as little as $30 but save you $100 or more each year on heating costs by automatically turning the heat down when you are asleep or away (so you don’t have to remember to do it yourself).
• Upgrade your furnace. If your heating system is more than 10 years old, consider replacing it with an Energy Star-rated model to cut your energy costs by up to 30 percent. Before you buy, make your home as efficient as possible first (following the tips above) so you can purchase the smallest system to fit your heating needs.

Homeowners can save even more money on energy efficiency improvements through tax breaks and other incentives offered by your utility or state government. And as part of the federal government’s recent economic bailout legislation, certain home improvements made in 2009 will be eligible for a tax credit (see the Related Resources).

Related Resources

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—Fight the Frost This Winter
• U.S. Department of Energy—Sealing and Insulating
• Energy Star— Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency

A few more energy saving tips:

• Let the sun shine in! If you're lucky enough to get direct sunlight, keep your drapes open during the day to let the sun's rays add a little heat. If your windows are drafty, close the drapes at night to keep the cold air out
• If you have a window air conditioner, take it out for the season
  
• When you bake or use the oven, keep it open after your done (and it's turned off, of course!) to add a little extra warmth to your home
  
• Wash your hands in cold water -- don't worry, you'll kill as much germs as with warm water
• Also, wash your laundry in cold water. This can also extend the life of your garments
  
• Keep lights off during the day and only use lights in the room you're in at night. And switch from incandescents to
• CFLs!
  
• If you have a programmable thermostat, have it set to 55°F when you're not home and at night when you're sleeping, and raise the temperature to 68°F for when you're at home and awake
  
• If you have control over the hot water heater in your home (unlike many apartment dwellers!) set it to 120°F. According to the US DOE, for each 10ºF reduction in water temperature, you can save between 3%–5% in energy costs
• Layer! Keep the thermostat low and wear warmer clothes

Take it from Jimmy, wear a sweater!

• Unplug the energy vampires, those appliances you only occasionally use like the toaster, microwave oven, DVD player
• Use power strips where multiple appliances are used (think TV, DVD player, stereo, etc.); switch the power strip to off when you leave the house
• Power down your computer when not in use

Get yourself a thermostat

• Honeywell RTH230B 5-2 Day Programmable Thermostat ($29.56)
• Honeywell RTH7500D Conventional 7-Day Programmable Thermostat ($78.99)

millions of good things

Bette Midler, the founder of the New York Restoration Project, planting a Carolina Silverbell tree.
(Image: Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times)


If we are going to beat global warming, we are going to have to weatherize millions of buildings, install millions of solar panels, manufacture millions of wind-turbine parts, plant and care for millions of trees, build millions of plug-in hybrid vehicles, and construct thousands of solar farms, wind farms, and wave farms. That will require thousands of contracts and millions of jobs -- producing billions of dollars of economic stimulus.

~Van Jones
The Green Collar Economy

It's only the beginning...

Million Solar Roofs [Cali.]
The plan will provide 3,000 megawatts of additional clean energy and reduce the output of greenhouse gasses by 3 million tons which is like taking one million cars off the road.
~Arnold Schwarzenegger

Million Trees [NYC]
Trees help clean our air, and reduce the pollutants that trigger asthma attacks and exacerbate other respiratory diseases. They cool our streets, sidewalks, and homes on hot summer days. Trees increase property value, and encourage neighborhood revitalization. And trees make our City an even more beautiful and comfortable place to live, work, and visit.

Million Building Retrofits [S. Bronx... coming soon]
Drafty buildings create broke, chilly people -- and an overheated planet.
~Van Jones

help me end inhumane factory farm practices

On Election Day in November, people in California will have the chance to vote on a commonsense measure that will help animals suffering inside factory farms. These animals are crammed into cages and crates so small that they can't even turn around, lie down, or stretch their limbs. Proposition 2 will give them these basic freedoms.

If passed, Prop 2 is expected to have a huge impact on reforming factory farming practices nationwide -- which is why you don't need to live in California to help. It's also why the agribusiness industry is spending millions to fight this reasonable reform, making it critical that animal protection advocates raise money needed to reach voters.

So what I'm asking is that you join me in reaching my goal of having 20 friends donate $20 each to help 20 million animals. Will you join me, and help me reach my goal?

This is a very important cause to me, so thank you -- from me, and the animals!

The election is less than 2 weeks away!

Please click on the graphic below to donate to my $20/20 Campaign.




Please watch the following video from Jennifer Fearing, campaign manager for YES! on Prop 2:

signs of change

[Image: J. Schnakenberg/AMNH]

Starting this Friday at the Union Square Greenmarket, leave your mark on the world by adding your name to the traveling "Signs of Change" globe. It's an awareness activity related to the recently opened exhibit, Climate Change: The Threat to Life and A New Energy Future, at the American Museum of Natural History.

Stop by to sign the 5-foot-diameter white acrylic globe, choose your color -- browns and greens over the continents and blues and purples over the oceans. Signing the globe is a commitment to reduce your carbon footprint. Seeing the globe with so many signatures is a reminder that every voice counts and contributes to positive change on a large scale.




Related posts
climate change exhibit @ AMNH
learning events @ AMNH

can nyc be an exemplary eco city?

That was the question posed last night at the Open Center, in a lecture of the same name. The panelists approached sustainability from both an individual and governmental perspective.

Rohit Aggarwala
Director of the Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability in NYC

According to Rohit, PlaNYC started out as an economic plan. But with population projected to reach 9.1 million residents by 2030 (it's currently over 8 million), it became clear that the focus needed to be on sustainability.

One consideration led to another: if you think about land use patterns, especially with regard to housing, you can't ignore transportation infrastructure; when you consider transportation, air quality becomes a factor; a contributor to poor air quality is the city's current energy resources -- yet another layer; and those energy resources also pollute our waterways, so there's water quality to think about.

Its population growth makes New York City unique among old American cities. There was no model to follow. So the mayor's office turned to other cities around the world. For example, London was the model for congestion pricing, which is up for reconsideration. Or as one NYTimes reporter put it, Governor Paterson is "rescuing the controversial program from the brink of death."

Read the full PlaNYC report.


Starre Vartan
One of the original green bloggers (eco chick), author of The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green, and managing editor for the Greenopia guide

Starre offered up 7 of her top 10 ways to live sustainably in NYC (her time was cut short).

In general, she says to consider what you do most in your daily life, and then figure out how you can make changes to reduce your impact.

[NB. I've paraphrased a bit]

1. Food. Support farmer's markets and local food, as our food miles add a considerable heft to our carbon footprint.

2. Goods. Buy local. There are many great designers of furniture, clothing, and other goods right here in NYC. When you consider a simple article of clothing like a t-shirt, think about all that went into it. The cotton, grown with chemical fertilizers and treated with pesticides is grown in one country. Then it's shipped to another place to be dyed. Then the fabric is sent somewhere else to be sewn together. The tags may be sewn on in an entirely different place. The carbon footprint of a t-shirt is astronomical! (Read about the perfect t-shirt ever made [!])

3. Transport. Keep using public transportation. Bike if you've got one. There are bike advocate groups you can join or support (like Recycle a Bicycle). Limit cab rides or share with a friend (or try a service like Ride Amigos).

4. Toxins. Get them out of your life. One of the simplest, easiest, and least expensive ways to do this is to swap your cleaning supplies. Toxic chemicals from cleaning products pollute our waterways and our bodies. Waste treatment facilities only filter out bio-organisms, so those cleaning biproducts are mixing together in our water. Another way to eliminate toxins is changing your beauty products.

5. Energy. Switch to clean energy through services like ConEdison Solutions, which offer wind and hydroelectric power that feeds into the grid (which unless you're off the grid, and you'd know if you were, you're hooked up to). It may cost a little more per month, but what you're paying for is clean air and health. It's really the one place you should spend a little more to help save our health and the planet.

6. Junk mail. Sign up for services that stop junk mail, like GreenDimes or DMAChoice (I know it works, 'cause I've used it!).

7. Office. Green your workplace. Some motivated employees may already be volunteering to help reduce the carbon footprint of their office. But many businesses still have along way to go to achieve eco-friendly status. Implement recycling, start a campaign to eliminate paper cup use (bring your own!), encourage printing on both sides. These steps will make the office more sustainable and help the bottom line!

Visit Eco chick for more green living tips.


Janna Olson
Sustainability consultant and NYC market manager & researcher at Greenopia

I was excited to see Janna there, as I'm currently taking a class with her (which I'll write about soon). She had some technical difficulties (her Mac couldn't communicate with the overhead projector), but Janna raised some really compelling points -- many of them directed at Rohit Aggarwala.

One of the concepts Janna discussed was distributed energy generation, specifically solar empowerment zones -- a term coined by City Councilmember and Infrastructure Task Force co-chair Daniel Garodnick [OnEarth]. Essentially, buildings in areas of the city that have been identified as suitable for photovoltaic solar panel installation (“low-density areas that have buildings with large rooftops to create a synergy for an entire neighborhood to become solar-powered,” according to Garodnick) would be given incentive to invest in solar. This method makes solar more cost-effective through sharing of maintenance responsibility, tax incentives, and the potential for a consolidated connection to the grid within the zone.

Janna also talked about the usefulness and importance of the Greenopia guide. While helping consumers living in cities like New York find green businesses, the guide helps green businesses -- some of which might have a limited marketing budget -- get the attention they deserve. She also stressed that living green should not be a chore, it can and should be a fun endeavor.

Read an interview with Janna [alldaybuffet].



Sign up for an upcoming eco event at the Open Center:

How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint, and Still Have a Great Life
with Colin Beavan (No Impact Man) and Janna Olson
Friday, January 16 2009, 7:00pm - 10:00pm

cooper-hewitt people's design award

Really good design should be more than just functional, and more than just sustainable (that of course is key!). It needs to look good, too.

Cooper-Hewitt, as part of The National Design Awards, is letting you be the judge of what's good design in their annual People's Design Award show. There are many eco-friendly designs to vote for, from gDiapers to the Green Map System (which I've mentioned before). But if you want to get your two cents in, ya gotta act fast. Judging ends today at 6:00pm (you can also vote on facebook).

Winners will be revealed on their site on Thursday, the 23rd at 10:00pm (there's also an after party if you're interested).

Bonus!
Get free admission to Cooper-Hewitt all week long in honor of National Design Week (through October 25th).

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, a subsidiary of the Smithsonian Institution, is the only museum in the US that focuses solely on design.

nau is back!

Eco-activewear makers Nau are back! Check out some of their new designs (see Flection Wrap Skirt and Men's Riding Jacket below), as well as some of their classics, like the Urbane Jacket (for women, last pictured below).





Related post
welcome back, nau!

vimeo climate change video contest

Brighter Planet and 1Sky put together a video contest to inspire the next president to take action on climate change. Climate Matters winners will be announced tomorrow, October 21st.

Here's one of the finalist videos. Go to Vimeo for more.


Climate Matters from Brighter Planet on Vimeo.


The top videos will be delivered to Washington just before the November elections to ensure that our next president and next Congress receives the message loud and clear: America is ready for bold leadership on climate change!

[Vimeo]

upcoming program explores adaptive reuse

The Municipal Art Society of New York City (MASNYC) presents...


A Second (and Green) Career for Industrial Buildings

New York City was once the nation’s power house for manufacturing, and many of the buildings and factories that fueled that industry remain. Preserving these buildings and using them to foster green-collar industries or adapting them to new housing, cultural, and retail uses is the most sustainable action New York could take.

This program will explore two approaches to preserving industrial buildings: keeping them for manufacturing uses (which also means retaining good-paying jobs) or adapting these buildings to new uses.

Panelists include Andrew Kimball, president & chief operating officer of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, home to traditional maritime uses and new green jobs, Robert Powers, preservation consultant on the tax-certified rehabilitation of the Austin-Nichols Warehouse, Norma Barbacci of the World Monuments Fund, with news of imaginative projects from Latin America, and Lisa Kersavage, MAS director of advocacy and policy. Moderated by Mary Habstritt, president of the Society for Industrial Archaeology.

Recycling New York’s Industrial Past: Inspiration From Home and Abroad
Wednesday, October 22, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Reception to follow.
$15, $12 MAS members/students. Purchase tickets online or call 212-935-2075.

For details of upcoming MAS programs, visit www.mas.org/programs, and for a downloadable version of our fall program calendar in PDF form, click here.

appetizing arts

Also at the Red Hook Harvest Festival were Elizabeth Johnson and Ludie Minaya of Conscious Cravers.

At the Harvest, Elizabeth and Ludie were selling some adorable and provocative t-shirts, with messages focused on healthy eating and farm practices.





What is Conscious Cravers all about?

[Conscious Cravers] are performance art food educators who use interactive skits, role plays and visuals to empower people to be conscious about their cravings and gain the skills they need to take responsibility for their health. We travel throughout the New York tri-state area (and beyond) with knives, cutting boards and portable burners in tow bringing the message of sound food for a sound mind and a sound body to anyone who is willing to listen to us.

Check out their workshop offerings.


The Appetizing Arts Exhibit

Be sure to catch this "exploration of food as fuel for artistic expression" on display at The Rising Arts Gallery in Brooklyn. The exhibit will feature photography, painting, and mixed media works by artists who use food as inspiration. Full details below:

Appetizing Arts

The Rising Arts Gallery
35 Claver Place #1
(btwn Fulton and Jefferson)
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Opening reception
Thursday, November 13th, 2008
6-9pm

On view until December 12th, 2008.

Read more about Appetizing Arts here.

red hook harvest

This past Saturday my friend Anne and I hopped on our bikes (after the helpful guys at Bicycle Station put Anne's bike chain back on) and headed down to the Red Hook Harvest Festival hosted by Added Value and Herban Solutions at Red Hook Community Farm.


Truer words were never written

We arrived just in time to get a tutorial from Classie Parker on canning for the leaner months. She showed us how to "put some love into" pickled onions and dilly beans and we sampled some of her delicious canned peaches. Spectators were able to participate by canning their own veggies.

Classie's puttin' her love into it


Classie shows them how to can-can

There were all kinds of activities for kids: pumpkin picking and a carving contest, bite the apple on the string, and Halloween costume making from fabric scraps. Families had the opportunity to pet the farm's chickens (whom, I'd like to add, were extraordinarily handsome).

Pickin' pumpkins at the pumpkin patch


Here chickie-chickies


That's one handsome chicken!


Swaying and bobbing for apples

Local restaurants including Applewood, The Good Fork, iCi, and Rice were serving up delicious soups and savories. I was happy to see that Rice sends their compost to the farm in these buckets.

Rice's compost buckets

Companies like Tri-State Biodiesel, orgs like Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (we rode on part of the new bike path on the way to the fest), and nonprofits like Heifer International were on hand to answer questions and provide information to the public.

Local musicians provided entertainment, local students offered up African dance lessons, and the local farm stand was set up to sell fresh produce and meats.

Some of the entertainment

It was a beautiful, sunny day that brought together an urban community in an agrarian way.


Learn more about canning farm fresh food

• FreshPreserving.com
• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (new edition)
  by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine