You may have already heard about NYC Summer Streets, the car-free celebration coming up in August. On the 16th we will be hosting a “feeder” ride from Flatbush to join the party, stay tuned for details! For now, enjoy this promo video courtesy of our friends at Streetfilms:
More wisdom from my favorite Soho street vendor:
Barrel of Oil vs. Bubble Gun
Yes folks, the bubble is about to burst!
Barrel of Oil = $142
Bubble Gun = $5
On a hot summer day, which sounds like more fun??
Check out last winter’s version, with oil at $90/barrel…
For those of you who are interested in following New York State environmental politics, a great online resource is Environmental Advocates of New York. I also receive their email alerts, and was pleased to learn that my State Senator, Kevin Parker, supported all four Environmental Super Bills that were being considered in the state legislature this year:
Dear Anne,
Your New York State Senator is one of 18 legislators who showed exceptional leadership when it came to protecting the health of the environment this year by supporting all four of the environmental community’s priority Super Bills.
The Super Bills include:
*The Wetlands Protection Act
*The Bigger Better Bottle Bill
*The Global Warming Pollution Cap/Greenhouse Gas Pollution Control Act
*Net Metering Reforms
Please thank your New York State Senators for supporting these critical measures. Without his or her leadership, these bills may never have gotten as far as they did in the Senate. By taking the time to recognize your Senator’s support of the Super Bills, you’re telling our lawmakers that the environment is an important issue to you and to thousands of New Yorkers across the state. Click here to thank your Senator.
I believe I will! It is important to note that only one of these four Super Bills actually became law (the Net Metering Reforms) so we have a long way to go. More details on the bills, including their Assembly supporters, are available here.
“America must commit to producing 100% of our electricity from cheap, clean renewable energy sources, like solar and wind, within 10 years.”
If you are onboard with Al Gore’s challenge, let Obama, McCain, and your elected officials know by signing the MoveOn petition here. Let’s do this!!
Our Sustainable Flatbush Neighborhood Solar Forum on Wednesday was a great success. This was the first of what I plan to be a series of forums on energy-related topics, and the timing is clearly right: the very next day Al Gore made his speech urging the United States to Repower America – convert our entire electricity grid to carbon-free sources in 10 years. If you haven’t checked this speech out yet, do it now! He minces no words about the urgency of the situation:
…our dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuels is at the core of all three of these challenges — the economic, environmental and national security crises,” Mr. Gore said. “We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that has to change.”
He also points out that the more oil we use the higher the price goes, while the more solar we use the lower the price goes. The goal of our neighborhood solar forums is to inform homeowners interested in solar about the new tax credits and higher net metering limits just passed in New York, and encourage networking so they can share best practices and potentially approach installers as a group to negotiate costs. Stay tuned, we will definitely be doing more of this neighborhood-oriented energy education.
Wondering if you can convert your house to solar?
Come to the…
Neighborhood Solar Forum
for single family homes
sponsored by Sustainable Flatbush
July 16th @ 8pm
Ditmas Workspace
535 East 17th Street (corner of Ditmas)
http://www.ditmasworkspace.com/
Peter Landy will speak about his experience converting his house to solar power.
Chris Neidl of Solar One will speak about current legislation and initiatives to make residential solar power affordable.
RSVP requested (but not required) to anne@sustainableflatbush.org
Special Thanks to Liena Zagare and Ditmas Workspace
*Spread the word to friends and neighbors!
**The next Solar Forum will focus on multi-family apartment buildings, including co-ops.
IMPORTANT DATE CHANGES:
There will NOT be a meeting for the Flatbush (Comm)Unity Garden tomorrow (July 8th).
Sorry for any confusion and inconvenience!!
The next Sustainable Flatbush monthly meeting
will be held on Tuesday July 22nd… and it’s gonna be a BARBEQUE!
Come out, meet your environmentally-inclined neighbors, and bring something to eat, drink, or toss on the grill.
