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Last week I attended a special hearing of the New York City Council’s Infrastructure Task Force, on the topic of Distributed Energy Generation in NYC - essentially, how to encourage it.

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 [...]

Thanks to a reader for sending in this very good news: Home Depot announced on Tuesday that they will start accepting CFL bulbs for recycling. Any instance of producers and retailers taking responsibility for the end-of-life disposal of the products they make and sell can only be a good sign; this will ultimately drive the [...]

Lots going on (or trying to!) in Albany and beyond on environmental issues. Here are just a few links to support important legislation being considered:
Solar Energy
This week the State legislature approved new tax incentives to encourage the installation of more solar electric (photovoltaic) panels in New York. This is great news, but the lack of [...]

I’ve received a number of inquiries lately from folks wondering where to recycle CFL bulbs locally (the bulbs contain a small amount of mercury, and shouldn’t be thrown out with the trash). This Wednesday the answer is at Brooklyn Green Drinks, hosted by Center for the Urban Environment at their beautiful new home, a showplace [...]

Sustainable Flatbush has just endorsed a new report on NYC energy policy and climate change response from Sierra Club NYC Group. The report praises PlaNYC while declaring that we need to go much further in order to address the increasing pace of climate change along with energy volatility:
Government sustainability initiatives may have greater success when [...]

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Oil vs. Pashmina, originally uploaded by Sustainable Flatbush.
One Soho scarf vendor’s take on Peak Oil.

Our friends at Green Map System are involved in a fundraising challenge:
America’s Giving Challenge will award $50,000 prizes to the eight non-profits that receive the greatest number of unique $10 donations this month. Each donation must come from a different person and a different credit card to count. Anyone in the world can contribute, and [...]

WHAT: Making Solar Happen in NYC
How you can help remove legislative barriers to solar energy

* Why is it easier to install solar panels on Long Island than in NYC?
* Is funding available?
* How will PlaNYC2030 affect permits for solar?
* Why is energy efficiency so important to installing [...]

Next Sustainable Flatbush monthly meeting:
Monday January 7th, 7pm
462 Marlborough Road (between Ditmas and Dorchester)
Our regular meetings on the first Monday of every month are for newcomers and committee members alike. We will report on projects in progress and plan for future activities. Everyone is welcome!