skills to pay the bills (or at least save a little dough)

Got a hankerin' to make stuff, but don't know how? In a time when people are pinching pennies out of necessity or just to consume less for the good of the planet, it helps to know there are some free ways to learn a few new tricks.

Check it out...

Thursday, August 27 (that's tomorrow!)

Lori Gibbs and Atom Cianfarani want to teach you how to GreenIt Yourself this Thursday with a green roof and gardening in small spaces Workshop. At the Toyota Children's Garden (one of New York Restoration Project's babies) from 7 pm to 8 pm. And there will be refreshments!

Toyota Children's Garden
603 East 11th Street, New York, NY


Friday, August 28 (in prep for Saturday, October 10)

Okay, this one's a little bit preemptive, and maybe not so free, but it comes pretty darn close. This concert, featuring local bands, will help fund a day of skill sharing on October 10 at the Brooklyn Skillshare.

On Saturday, October 10, you're gonna learn all kinds of crazy stuff: ricotta-making, liquor-infusing, kombucha-brewing, screenprinting, and a whole lot more. The door price is based on a sliding scale ($10 suggested), so pay what you can.

The fundraising show that's this Saturday, on the other hand, is $7 and features local acts like The XYZ Affair and Gunfight!.

Get all the details for the event and the fund-raising-music-show at the trusty e-newsletter of my favorite borough, Brooklyn Based.


Monday, August 31
So you want to use a reusable shopping bag but don't want to shell out the dollars to get one? How's about making one for yourself? Learn how at this free workshop - 3rd Ward's Sweatshop Social. You supply the fabric (an old t-shirt perhaps?), they supply the notions and the (cheap) beer. Bring your own cup and the suds are just a buck.

[via Brooklyn Based]


And for all you green thumb wannabes...
More free events coming soon to Brooklyn Botanic Garden through their GreenBridge Program (these are free, but ya gotta register - so sign up right quick!).

Street Tree Care
Thursday, September 17, 6 to 8 pm
Thursday, November 5, 6 to 8 pm
Street trees do much to improve our environment, but they often receive little care. In this class, learn the benefits of street trees and how to improve the health of a street tree by caring for its bed. Get tips on amending soil, mulching, watering, pruning, and tree-bed gardening. Bring your street-tree care questions and find out more about the city's efforts to increase and protect the urban forest canopy.

Starting a Children's Garden
Thursday, October 15, 6 to 8 pm
Would you like to develop a children's garden at your school, block association, or neighborhood organization? This workshop will provide tips for adult leaders who want to organize a children's gardening program. Learn how to plan your program and what tools and plant materials are needed to get growing. You will receive a free activity booklet and visit our children's education greenhouse for hands-on activities.

Getting to Know Your Soil
Wednesday, October 28, 6 to 8 pm
Interested in knowing more about your soil? Concerned about safely growing food in urban soils? This class will demonstrate several easy diagnostic activities for learning about your soil. How to take a soil sample for testing will be demonstrated as well as interpreting lab results. You'll also receive tips on improving urban soils.

Rainwater Harvesting
Thursday, October 22, 6 to 8 pm
Learn the benefits of reducing your dependence on NYC water and minimizing storm water flows into our sewers by collecting rainwater for use in your garden. It's easy to use roofs from nearby buildings and garden sheds to harvest rainwater. Come learn about the different types of rainwater harvesting systems being used throughout NYC community gardens from simple pickle barrels to large tanks, and get tips on how to build your own.

Introduction to Permaculture
Tuesday, November 10, 6 to 8 pm
Permaculture is a design approach based on interpreting natural patterns for human benefit. Learning how to read the land and planning for long-term development are two objectives of this workshop. Permaculture works on all scales and levels. Discussion will cover topics ranging from choosing and using plants in groupings to observing and utilizing the elemental forces of wind, water, and sun.

pimp my dump

What happens when a landfill retires? Find out how the city turns buried trash into public treasure -- or a park that trumps Central Park in size -- in this video from Thirteen's series, The City Concealed.

The City Concealed: Freshkills Park Project from Thirteen.org on Vimeo.

revisiting the 3 Rs

[Furoshiki design by Candy Chang]

Maybe you've heard this before: "I'm green, I recycle."
And maybe you've thought to yourself: "I don't think so, fatboy."

The third R in the magic three - reduce, reuse, recycle - is in that position for a reason. It's the last resort of conscious consumption.

So why is it that so many place a bigger emphasis on recycling, or even worse, ignore the 3 Rs altogether? Are the other Rs not sexy enough? Do we have to disguise them like parents sneaking vegetables into their kids' food?

Or maybe we could all just use a little refresher course on how to practice the first 2 Rs in our daily lives.

reduce
The most virtuous and oft overlooked R. Reducing is about resisting temptation. It's about re-examining what we already have and making the best of it. The great thing about reducing is that we can save when we do it -- save resources, save money, save our butts (yeah, maybe even that).

Here are some no-sweat ways to reduce:

Energy (fuel)
turn off the lights, turn down the shades when it's hot, hypermile... more

Water
turn off the faucet, take quicker showers, shower with a friend... more

Paper
print on both sides, increase the margins, use cloth instead of paper towels... more

Plastic
say yes to reusable bags, bring your own utensils, drink from a canteen and travel mug, avoid goods with lots of packaging

Fabric
mend torn clothes, reimagine your wardrobe, hang your clothes to dry, more (fabric care)

Food
rekindle your romance with the kitchen (i.e., less takeout), buy only what you need, can and freeze in abundant months, compost the leftovers and scraps

Just buy less stuff
Need I say more?

reuse
Now here comes the fun part. Reusing is the most creative of the 3 Rs. It's all about re-imagining everyday items as something new. Kind of like Don Quixote and the windmills. It's an adventure waiting to happen (yes, I'm a big nerd).

Here are some fun ways to reuse:

Jars
These jars originally held honey, peanut butter, and jam. Now they're home to beans, quinoa, and rice. Just wash and reuse. Easy peasy.


Bottles
Some stores offer bulk cleaning supplies, sold by the ounce. Green Depot has a refilling station where you can take any empty spray bottle or container (even those from your pre-eco cleaning days) to fill it up with safer, non-toxic cleaners. Or you can fill those sprayers with your own cleaning concoctions (get recipes here).


Egg cartons
Plastic egg cartons are great for sorting beads and buttons when you're crafting. They also make great paint trays.


Paper egg cartons are perfect for starting seedlings. Just fill with soil and plop in your seeds. When the sprouts are ready, cut out the individual section and transplant the whole thing into your garden.

Get more ideas for reusing egg cartons at Family Corner (via Food on the Food)

Plastic takeout containers
These also make great paint trays and craft organizers. You can even reuse them to store food (Caveat: I don't put them in the microwave, even if they say 'microwave safe'... I think this just means they won't melt, not that they won't leach chemicals into your food).


Plastic bags
There are so many great ways to reuse these scourges of society. Make plarn and knit or crochet them into something fabulous. Some more plastic bag craft ideas here.

Check out this crazy chip-bag chicken:


And if you think you're not the creative type, you can simply reuse plastic bags as trash bags, or funnily enough, to carry things.

Clothing
Are your duds starting to feel like, well, duds? Remake 'em. Books on the subject abound. Websites, too. Get ideas on Threadbanger, Wardrobe Refashion, Etsy.


Buttons
Here's one way I've renewed some old buttons:

(The little one on the right is me)

Yoga mats
The reuse of your old yoga mat is as limitless as your imagination. We've used my old PVC mat to keep our indoor veggie garden from overflowing on stuff below (it's on a chef shelf in the office).


Here's a tutorial on how to make yoga mat flip flops. Learn 50 more ways to reuse your yoga mat here.

Furniture
Fabric on your couch wearing thin? One word: reupholster. Or do it on the cheap and make or buy slip covers.


Repaint or refinish furniture with no or low-VOC varnish and paints, like I did with this bookcase using Milk Paint:


Light bulbs
Check out this wild repurposing of incandescent light bulbs from Crafster:


recycle
Here's the one everyone is comfortable with... until ol' Debbie Downer (that's me) tells it like it is. Recycling seems like the right thing to do. And, while it's a heck of a lot better then just tossing everything in the trash, often, that's where your good habits of recycling end up. It's a complicated story, but the gist is that, what you put in the recycle bin doesn't always get recycled, and even when it does, the recycling process is very resource (fuel, water) intensive. And it's often polluting. Here's a great article, featured on elephantjournal.com (one of my favorite sites) that sheds light on the realities of recycling:

What you Need to Know about Recycling: It’s More than Putting Stuff in Bins by Tom Kemper, CEO of Dolphin Blue

Okay, with all of those depressing facts out of the way,
here are some practical ways to recycle:

Electronics

• Look for ewaste recycling events or centers in your area using Earth911.
• In Brooklyn, 3R Living takes ewaste, or you can bring it directly to this place, ePlanet/eWaste.

Textiles

• Bring your old clothes, fabric, furniture, toys, etcetera to Goodwill or sell it on eBay
  
• In NYC, Wearable Collections, a textile recycling company, will outfit your building with a collection bin (if you're in an apartment)
• Also in NYC, find places to recycle your old textiles (they'll even take old bedding, shoes, accessories, etc.) from the Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC)
• Or, again, check out Earth911 for textile recycling in your area

Get reacquainted with recycling rules in your area

• For NYC recycling rules, check out NYC Wastele$$
• Not in NYC? Find out what your town recycles at Earth911

Odds and ends

Bottle caps
Believe it or not, these are not recycled, at least not in NYC. Luckily, Aveda has come to the rescue. I just dropped off a whole bag of plastic caps (ranging from laundry detergent to shampoo bottles)

Old cosmetics containers
Cosmetics company, Origins, accepts old (cleaned out) cosmetics containers. Read about my experience with their recycling program here.


Got any other ideas on how to reduce, reuse, recycle?
Leave 'em in the comments box below!

a whole lotta stuff going on this weekend

Oh man, this is what I live for. Stuff swapping, supporting local arts, enjoying the great outdoors of the urban jungle. Unfortunately I won't be around for the fun this weekend. Hopefully you'll get to enjoy some of these tasty events...

Saturday May 30

"Score!" Freecycling Event
@ BKLYN Yard
11am - 6pm
FREE!


Start gathering your old Twisted Sister albums, ill-advised sample sale purchases, well-intentioned gifts from grandma, those jeans that just don’t fit anymore, etc, and get ready to exchange them for new treasures.

MeanRed Productions is teaming up with FreeNYC, Newmindspace and RefugeNYC (the same folks who brought you the Wall Street Pillow Fight) to transform the waterfront venue, BKLYN Yard, into an open-air free boutique.

Over hundreds of records, clothes, household items, and regretful “impulse buys” will find new homes. This one-day event celebrates the joys of finding treasure in some one else’s trash.

Also:

• Enjoy delicious sweets from the Treats Truck
• All leftover stuff goes to Rock and Wrap It Up – an anti-poverty “think tank” that distributes donations to worth non-profits throughout the city

Full details here.

Sunday May 31

Brooklyn Bike Jumble
@ JJ Byrne Park & Old Stone House
10am - 2pm

On May 31st, JJ Byrne Park and the Old Stone House will host the 1st Brooklyn Bicycle Jumble, New York's only outdoor bicycle flea market and celebration of New York City bike culture.

At this one-day-only-event, private, non-professional vendors will be on hand to sell bicycles, bicycle components, and clothing to the public. If you're looking for kid's bikes, cruisers, BMX, mountain, racers, fixed gears, or any wheeled, pedal-powered machine, or any part for one, come to the Brooklyn Bicycle Jumble.

Click here to send us an email.

[via Brooklyn Based]

All weekend: Friday May 29 to Sunday May 31

Local Produce
You won't find locally grown veggies here - more like fresh food for the creative spirit. Park Slope's own creativity and performance art haven, Spoke the Hub, is putting on one heck of a weekend full of dance, music, stilt walking, hula hooping, you name it. Activities for kids and adults. Let the good times roll. Full details here.

And coming soon, every Sunday in June

Summer Streets
Vanderbilt Ave in Prospect Heights
(this is my 'hood!)


[Not my shot. Image via Brownstoner]

During four consecutive Sundays in June, three blocks of Vanderbilt Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic and transformed into a temporary pedestrian plaza.

Summer Streets on Vanderbilt is designed to encourage the community to come together to shop, stroll and socialize. There will be music, art and gardening, face painting, sun and trees, eating and relaxing, biking and performances, people watching - and whatever else you might like to do. Plus a few surprises.

This temporary, experimental street closure, organized by the Vanderbilt Avenue Merchants District and the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council in cooperation with the NYC DOT, is a smaller version of the successful Summer Streets program that ran along Park Avenue in Manhattan last August and is part of the city’s efforts to create a healthier, more livable and sustainable city as envisioned by the PlanNYC initiative.

How can you help?
You can help by: setting up and clean up on any of the days of the event; distributing flyers and postcards; supervising activities in the "kids zone"; arranging musicians and performers; making a donation to help cover expenses and spreading the word to friends and neighbors. See our contact here.

What if you want to perform?
We welcome musicians, acrobats, visual artists, etc. We'd appreciate it if you could contact us in advance – especially if you are interested in using our sound system and stage. Otherwise, don’t hesitate to bring out your acoustic guitar, juggling balls or hula-hoops.

Can you sell merchandise or promote your business?
No. This is different than a street fair; we will not have outside vendors.

[Streetsblog via Brownstoner]

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.

introducing the first LEED-certified bowling alley in the US

[Not my shot: images via Brooklyn Bowl flickr page]

Manhattan has Chelsea Piers, Bowlmor, and the Port Authority bowling alley. But what about Brooklyn? The only bowling alley I know of in Brooklyn is Melody Lanes in Sunset Park, and the miniscule lane or two at Brownstone Billiards in Park Slope. Until now - and this one will blow all of those other alleys out of the water. 

It's not open for business yet, but Williamsburg's Brooklyn Bowl looks like a great place to knock down some ten pins and a few pitchers of local beer. The great thing is, it's not just a fun spot to recreate with friends, it's also got eco cred.

Brooklyn Based got a sneak peek of the new bowling alley/music venue, and here are some of its sustainable features:

• Salvaged Brooklyn Navy Yard windows that decorate the banquettes and tables fashioned from the former Woodhaven Lanes in Queens (by Ferra Designs)
• A stage made from recycled truck tires
  
• Salvaged or sustainably harvested wood throughout
  
• ...plus many other green details that make Brooklyn Bowl the first LEED-certified bowling alley in the country

And if that's not enough, some more eco features (from their site):

• 100% Wind-powered electricity
  
• Pin-spotters use 75% less energy than a typical pin-spotter
  
• No bottles, no cans. All our soft drinks and beers are on tap
  
• Our 10 draught beers are all brewed locally in Brooklyn, New York
  
• LED stage lights use 90% less energy than the typical draw
  
• Energy Star Certification wherever possible
  
• HVAC Johnson Controls are the most efficient units available
  
• HVAC also features CO2 sensors, variable frequency drive motors, air-side economizers
  
• Four “Big Ass Fans” brand ten-foot fans to augment HVAC system
  
• 100% reclaimed cork floors in Bowler’s Lounge
  
• 30+ capacity bike racks
  
• 16 trees planted in and around property
  

All this from Peter Shapiro and Charley Ryan of Wetlands, an environmentally conscious music and activist venue.

I'm not a great bowler, but I can't wait until they open, just to check out the space.

Brooklyn Bowl * 61 Wythe Ave Brooklyn, NY 11211 * 718.963.3369

freemeet this saturday!

Does your home look like this? [not my shot, image: smoke & mirrors]

Have you been decluttering and Spring cleaning like I have? If so, you probably have a pile of stuff that needs a new home. Relocate your stuff at a Freecycle FreeMeet!

This Saturday, in Flatbush, Brooklyn, free your home of clutter and maybe find something "new" you can use (I'll have to use all of my strength not to bring anything home!). Any unswapped items will be donated to local charities or recycled.

Flatbush FreeMeet

Saturday, May 9, 2009
11am - 3pm
P.S. 217 Playground
(1100 Newkirk Avenue at Coney Island Avenue)
Flatbush, Brooklyn

Co-sponsored by: Sustainable Flatbush

Closest Public Transportation
SUBWAY: Q train to Newkirk Ave or F train to 18th Ave
BUS: B68 to Coney Island Avenue and Newkirk.

You will find the FreeMeet on the playground next to the school.
Check out HopStop.com or Mapquest.com to find the best route for you.

Not in Brooklyn? Find a Freecycle group near you!

tomorrow's earth day

(If the sun hugged a tree you could kiss that tree goodbye... sizzle sizzle. Ok, maybe I'm being too literal.)

Yeah, big deal, tomorrow's Earth Day. I kind of agree with the sentiment expressed by environmental mag Grist: "Screw Earth Day." By now we should all be doing our part, or at least trying to take small steps daily toward cultivating a healthier planet (and selves). I guess it's easy for me to have this attitude since I'm one of those people who's trying her darndest to lighten her impact on the planet. But there are plenty of people and policies that haven't been infected by the green bug that's been sweeping the nation over the last few years. It's really for them that we still need Earth Day.

Not sure how to honor Earth Day #39? Here are a few ideas:

get outside!
Been cooped up inside so long you've forgotten how? Listen to the Nature Conservancy's urging to Spring Outside! and learn about ways to find nature near you.


bid on Leo's stuff
Leonardo DiCaprio is auctioning off some of his goods, and his time, on eBay to benefit Global Green USA.

Global Green USA is greening America's schools, affordable housing, and cities to combat global warming, lower energy bills, and create green jobs. Global Green is the US affiliate of Mikhail Gorbachev's Green Cross International, and is leading the green rebuilding of New Orleans.


volunteer
A few great ways to do so, via Grist (with a few edits):

• EarthDay.gov
• Volunteer Match
• Serve.gov
• Earth Day Network
• Student Conservation Association
• Sierra Club
• National Park Service
• World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF)

get on the bus - to Albany
Join the Audubon Society of NY for a big environmental lobbying event, Tuesday, May 5th from 9:30am to 4pm.

Earth Day Lobby Day is New York's largest annual environmental event, bringing together people from all over New York to hear from government and environment leaders, learn about current legislation, and lobby elected officials on environmental issues that are important to you. We'll be focusing on global warming, e-waste recycling, wetlands protection, and SEQRA standing (aka the "environmental access to justice act").

The all-day event is free and open to all, but you must pre-register by Friday, May 1st.

Please put "Audubon New York" in the organization line when filling out the form. We will send out directions and more detailed information to all registrants in advance of the event. Sign up for Earth Day Lobby Day today by clicking here!


clean out the closets and recycle your e-waste
Two events in NYC are coming up -

Sunday, April 26th, 10AM - 4PM, Central Park, Manhattan
W 67th Street and Central Park West

Saturday, May 2nd, 10AM - 4PM, at Tekserve, Manhattan
119 W 23rd Street (btwn 6th and 7th Aves)

Not in NYC, not to worry. Check out Earth 911 for electronics recycling in your area.


support local recycling efforts (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
The Park Slope 5th Avenue BID has partnered with the Park Slope Chamber of Commerce to launch a new recycling campaign. Green Grows in Brooklyn, will take place from April 20th-April 22nd — right in time for Earth Day. For more info on this initiative, check out Green Brooklyn.

rainy day, bright idea

We're having a string of rainy days here in NYC. Of course we need the rain - the street trees need it, the urban gardens need it, the reservoirs upstate need it. But there's a phenomenon that occurs every time it rains here. And I'm not talking about the trashy run-off that pollutes the waterways. I'm talking about the broken umbrella pandemic.



I'd guess that for every rainy day we have, there are hundreds of umbrellas abandoned. They litter the sidewalks and streets, they fill the trash cans, they even end up in the gutter. All I can do is shake my head as I pass all of that wasted metal, nylon, polyester, and even wood.

Or can I do something about it?

Every time it rains here, an opportunity is overlooked.

After the storm, couldn't someone (or a bunch of someones) go around collecting all of this neglected material and do something with it?

I know of a shop that once lived in Park Slope (ai ai gasa) that makes clothing out of old umbrella material. Here's a recipe for making an umbrella skirt from RePlayGround (via Treehugger and ReadyMade).

How about the metal parts? Maybe someone could make a chandelier with the frame, string some LEDs (like Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn) or wire up some bulbs a la Rody Graumans.

Any other bright ideas for ol' broken umbrellas?

cosmetics consumption and conflict

There was a time in my life when I wasn't a terribly conscious consumer. I would compulsively buy things like inexpensive clothing and makeup without really thinking about where it came from or what it was made of. Those days have long since passed, but I still hold onto some small reminders of that less mindful time. What were these little reminders? A crapload of makeup sitting in bags in my closet.

I don't even really wear makeup. Maybe a little mascara every once in a blue moon. That's about it. So why was I still holding onto these whispers of habits past collecting dust, taking up physical and mental space? Because I simply didn't know what to do with them. I have a really hard time throwing things out that will just end up in a landfill.

Until... I got a tip-off from a fellow twitterer (thanks, Melissa!) about a place I could recycle these wastes of space.

An Origins store.

So inspired was I by this news (and by the book I'm currently reading Throw Out 50 Things - more on that in a later post) that I collected all of this old makeup and brought it to the Origins store on West Broadway and Spring Street. Before I made my way over there, I had to clean out all of the lipstick tubes, eyeshadow palettes, and blush compacts. When I was through, my hands were covered in nasty makeup and the trash can looked like a fairy threw up into it - all pastel and glittery.

When I got to the store, the sales woman was so enthusiastic about my decision to turn in these old conveyances. She rewarded me with the news that this weekend, the store was holding an Earth Day event offering free mini facials to its customers. She also gave me a couple of samples of products from their Perfect World line.

I didn't think much about the exchange, other than feeling good about ridding myself of that old makeup and not having to resort to just tossing it all in the trash.

When I sat back down in front of my computer however, I had to look up the new samples I had acquired to see what their contents really held (ingredients lists don't fit on those tiny tubes of product). Much to my dismay, they're full of all the no-nos in beauty products today: parabens, petroleum, and some other nasty fillers. Check out the full list of what Origins uses at CosmeticsDatabase.com. Not such a Perfect World after all.

So I'm left with mixed feelings. I'm glad that Origins accepted all of my old cosmetics vessels for recycling, but can't really support their products because of the dubious contents. I've even taken down the banner I used to have promoting them (in the right-hand column).

What are your thoughts on this beauty product paradox?

expensive flotsam and jestam

[Image: Brett Flashnick for The New York Times]

When I heard about this problem it really irked me. People who bought boats in boom time and can no longer afford them are abandoning them. They remove all identification, sand off their cutesy vanity names (like Pier Pressure or Sea-N-Red, a little too appropriate now), and run the boat aground or just push it out to sea.

Of course it bothers me that these people are treating the ocean like a dump. Boats are full of (and covered with) toxic chemicals and made of ingredients that are not always so biodegradable. But there's something deeper than the disregard for the environment here. There's an opportunity going unnoticed.

It's true that the boats have become a financial burden, they can't be sold because the market is flooded, and proper disposal is costly. But couldn't the materials used in these unwanted boats be reutilized elsewhere? We've all seen those tote bags made from repurposed sail cloth. Why can't the same idea be applied to the whole boat?

We live on a planet of finite resources. We take from the earth and repay it with trash. Why can't we give old goods a new life so that we don't end up living on a giant garbage dump?

Have any ideas for how old abandoned boats can be reclaimed and reused?
Drop a line in the comments section.

[inspired by this NY Times article]

read 'em and swap

We've all got a pile of books that we've either read or abandoned just collecting dust on the shelf. So why not give them a second life at the Desk Set’s Writer/Reader Mingle and Book Swap at Pacific Standard this Monday at 7pm?
(Pacific Standard: 82 4th Ave, BKLYN)



[illustration by Sara Varon]

While you're at it, you can pick up some new wordy friends to curl up with... for free. That's what this swapping thing is all about.

All unswapped books will go to Books Through Bars, a program that donates books to prisons.


[via Brooklyn Based]

green your school

Are you a teacher, a parent, or someone who just cares about education and the environment? Check out Greening Your School: From Green Roofs to Recycling Projects (and How to Fund Them!) tonight at the Brooklyn Center for Urban Environment (BCUE). Full event details below:

Greening Your School: From Green Roofs to Recycling

Join this crash course on greening your school from the issues you’ll encounter installing a green roof, to creative ways of incorporating sustainability themes into the classroom. Join local experts to discuss easy to implement projects, ways of getting environmental projects funded, opportunities for nonprofit partnerships, and what has (and hasn’t) worked in local schools.


Panelists Include:

• Alive Structures
• Center for the Urban Environment
• Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education
• NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
• United Federation of Teachers, Green Committee

Where:
Center for the Urban Environment
168 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215 (btw 2nd and 3rd Aves)
718-788-8500

When:
Thursday March 19, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

How:
Train: Take F train to 4th Avenue or R train to 9th Street. Walk over 2 blocks north to 7th Street and 1st Avenue west to 3rd Avenue.

$10 Suggested Donation [tickets]

Limited Space. Pre-registration recommended

Every Third Thursday of the Month, New Yorkers from across the boroughs converge in the Center's state-of-the-art green building to learn, laugh, and live sustainably. Drop in and join these exciting screenings, workshops, and discussions and be inspired to take action! On-site recycling: CFL lightbulbs, cell phones, and alkaline batteries accepted. Find out more about what we do at http://www.thecue.org

developments: eco stuff from around the web

New growth forest promising, but not as plentiful as the real thing [NY Times]

All-in-one home recycling center saves space, but at a price [Gizmodo]

Light on the horizon: new LEDs that are affordable and built to last [TreeHugger]

Bad news for old king coal (good news for the planet) [Daily Kos]

phonebook shmonebook

Who needs 'em anyway?
Unless you're artist Long-Bin Chen, and have the skill to carve up these polluting wastes of ink and trees into the beautiful Buddhas below, you probably don't even look at a paper phone book anymore.


[Psst... you can catch some of his work as part of the exhibit Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary at the Museum of Arts & Design now through April 19, 2009]

Laura, a supereco follower from Mohegan Lake, NY, asks:

Is there something I can do about the 547 (and counting) phone books I've collected? It makes me sad to think of all the yellow and white trees that are killed.

Yes, Laura, there is...

Just a couple of months back I recall getting an Ideal Bite tip with the answer to this exact question.

To stop receiving phone books, register at yellowpagesGoesGreen.org. A note to city dwellers: in that big ol' pile of yellow pages stacked up in your building lobby is a phone book with your name on it, help make the pile smaller by registering and then telling your neighbors.

To recycle those behemoths, check out Earth911 (or just put them with your paper recycling)

Get more tips for stopping phone book delivery [Huffington Post]

nyc recycling events this weekend

Mulchfest!
Chip in! Mulch your tree! Help NYC grow!

What: Bring your droopy, naked tree to a mulch center near you. At some locations you can bring home your very own pile of mulch.

When: Saturday, January 10 and Sunday, January 11, 2009
10am - 2pm

Where: Various locations in NYC. Look here for yours.

Who: Brought to you by the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.


e-waste recycling
Keep your old pollutin' electronics out of the landfill -- at two locations (see below)

What: Bring your tired, weary computers and peripherals, TVs, DVD and VCR players, stereos and more to the following locations this weekend.

When: Saturday, January 10, 2009
10am - 4pm

Where: West 23rd St btwn 6th & 7th Aves, Manhattan


When: Sunday, January 11, 2009
10am - 4pm

Where: Fulton St & S. Portland Ave, Brooklyn

Who: Brought to you by The Lower East Side Ecology Center (LESEC).


textile recycling
Give your old clothes and other textiles a second chance at two locations (see below)

What: Bring that old shirt you haven't worn in 5 years, the jeans that don't fit, holey shoes, really any old rags (wearable or not) to give them another life.

When: Saturday, January 10, 2009
9am - 4pm

Where: Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn


When: Saturday, January 10, 2009
8am - 2pm

Where: Inwood Greenmarket, Isham St @ Cooper St (West of B'way and 211th St), Inwood

Who: Goodwill, Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC)

old christmas tree, old christmas tree...

...how lovely were your branches.



The ornaments are starting to spontaneously fall off your now droopy branches, so it's time we kick you to the curb. A bit harsh, yes, but you'll serve a new purpose now. Like mulch. You'll help other plants grow and thrive. Or maybe you'll be used to prevent beach erosion.

But your new life will only be realized if we put you out on the curb naked -- no ornaments, lights, garland, plastic bags -- and from January 5th to January 16th (in NYC).


Not sure when and where to recycle your Christmas tree?
Find out at Earth911.

real or fake?

And hopefully what popped into your head was, Christmas tree, right? It's an age old debate -- okay, maybe only since fake trees entered the market -- which is better, a real or fake tree?

If you've already purchased a fake tree, or have had one for years and it still looks decent, stop reading.



But if you're contemplating whether to go to:

a) Tar-zhay or Treasure Island (do those exist anymore?) to pick up a plastic tree
or
b) a tree farm or nursery (or street corner like we do in NYC) to get a fresh cut or live tree

here are some of the pros and cons of both.

Fake Trees
Pros: can be reused over and over again; seemingly cheaper than a real tree
Cons: (most) made from PVC, an evil cancer-causing plastic; (most) made in China, burning lots of CO2 to get here; may contain lead

Real Trees
Pros: renewable resource; absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and release oxygen during growth; can be mulched, composted, used for beach erosion prevention; farming of trees preserves green spaces
Cons: may be treated with pesticides, which end up in the waterways during farming and after disposal

If you've got a yard to plant it in, a live rooted tree is a great option. Or if you don't have a yard and are feeling ambitious, you can try to contact someone who will plant it for you (more info).

In our home, we choose the real tree every year. I despise PVC and just love the pine scent of a fresh cut tree. I also love finding all of those fallen needles in the crevices where the vacuum doesn't go -- it always reminds me of happy Christmases past.

[Sources: ChristmasTree.org, EarthTalk]


When the holidays are through, be sure to recycle your real tree

Live in NYC?
Check with the NYC Department of Sanitation to find out when they'll be picking up trees for recycling.

Don't live in NYC?
Go to Earth 911 for information on recycling in your area.


And what about the trimmings?

LED Holiday Lights save energy ($26.99 at Amazon)



Safari Wool Animal Ornaments (set of 4) are handspun, handknit,
fair trade, and adorable (on sale $35 at VivaTerra)

Gourd Ornaments (set of 3) are each unique, hand carved and engraved in Peru ($18 at Global Exchange)



Connect and Reflect Ornament fair trade and handmade in India ($11.95 at OriginalGood)

what's on in sydney

Writing from Sydney, Australia
(11pm Sydney, 7am NYC)



Some great earth-friendly events are happening here in Sydney right now. I hope to make it to a few.

National Recycling Week
Mon 10 Nov - Sun 16 Nov
Various times and locations

Several events take place all over the city, including waste and recycling facility tours, swap parties, and lightbulb giveaways. The initiative encourages community involvement and brings awareness to the issue of waste as it impacts the environment.


Bicycle Film Festival
Thu 13 - Sat 15 Nov 10am-10pm
Various locations

The Bicycle Film Festival celebrates the bicycle. We are into all styles of bikes and biking. If you can name it - Tall Bike Jousting, Track Bikes, BMX, Alleycats, Critical Mass, Bike Polo, Cycling to Recumbents - we've probably either ridden or screened it. What better way to celebrate these lifestyles than through art, film, music and performance? We bring together all aspects of bicycling together to advocate its ability to transport us in many ways. Ultimately the Fest is about having a good time.

[Sustainable Living Calendar]


The Water Project -- Part of Riverbeats 08
Fri 14 Nov 10am-2pm
at Riverside Theatre, Parramatta
Free

It's the great environmental debate - a free youth-orientated symposium hosted by our favourite scientists, Adam Spencer and Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. They'll be exploring issues on Sydney's water resources and sustainable future.

[TimeOut Sydney]


The Rocks Farmers' Market
Every Fri 10am-3pm and Sat 9am-3pm
Jack Mundey Place (cnr Argyle & George Sts)

At The Rocks Farmers’ Market you’ll only find authentic growers and producers who display their food miles so you’ll know just how local their produce is. The Rocks Farmers’ Market is also plastic bag free.


Intro to Permaculture
Sat 15 - Sun 16 Nov 9:00am - 5:00pm

Camden St, Newtown

$165

by Milkwood Permaculture

Over this weekend you will learn how to apply pro-active, sustainable design techniques to your immediate environment - whether you live in an inner city apartment, a quarter-acre block, or a rural property. Covering organic food production, system design (and re-design) for comfort and lower energy consumption, and ideas on how to approach a sustainable and positive community existence within your neighbourhood.

Come and learn practical strategies to better care and provide for yourself, your family and the planet. A jam-packed weekend of information, techniques, a site visit to Angel St Permaculture Garden and great piles of organic food, all within a comfortable walk from an inner-city train station.

This course will be taught by Nick Ritar, an award-winning educator of community technologies and strategies for communication, and co-founder of Milkwood Permaculture, providing practical, ecological, do-able solutions for sustainable living and development. All previous editions of this course have sold out quick smart - so come along, and start your process of skilling-up for adaptation in a changing world.

[Sustainable Living Calendar]

Sadly, I won't be around for this one...

Earth Festival
Sat 29 Nov, 12pm-10pm
Centennial Park, Moore Park
$35

Celebrate the planet through creative arts and entertainment. Music, outdoor movies, art, and dance are just a few of the media for the environmental message. The event coordinators strive to be seriously eco-friendly through practices like using only biodegradable plastics for all food and beverage, vermicomposting biodegradable waste, supplying free drinking water, and using biodiesel in event generators.

a little reminder

A friendly little reminder from Whole Foods:
what we throw away doesn't just go away.