Visualization: PowerBike at Park(ing) Day

WE NEED YOU to visit the website, rate our proposal, and  leave a comment! Your ratings and comments give us a better chance of being selected as one of the 10 finalists.

Here’s what we will build if we win:

Sustainable Flatbush off-grid solar PowerBike!

Mobile, clean power

Solar PowerBike Diagram

• * Anybody can charge their laptops, phones or mp3 players at Sustainable Flatbush events
• * The system cranks out enough power to run a small sound system and lights for outdoor programming
• * Local businesses “host” the PowerBike, attracting customers and highlighting their sustainable business practices
• * Our community garden has clean electricity where there is no access to the electrical grid
• * Of course, the PowerBike provides backup power in emergency situations

Turn the crank to point it toward the sun!

An education station makes the PowerBike ideal for teaching school kids about energy and the environment. Through appealing readouts and data-collection software, students monitor system performance like power output and avoided greenhouse gas emissions.

Why:

The residents of Flatbush, Brooklyn are showing what we can do on the neighborhood level to reduce our carbon footprint, fight global warming, and foster community at the same time.

This project is a long-term investment in local renewable energy for our community. Day after day, year after year, the neighborhood PowerBike keeps harnessing clean power, keeps teaching the skills that are the foundation of our new green economy, and keeps modeling a way of life that does not jeopardize future generations.

Visualization: PowerBike at the Flatbush FreeMeet

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* Learn about the projects and plans of Sustainable Flatbush’s Urban Gardens and Farms Initiative, including the Flatbush CommUNITY Garden

* Connect with others from the community who want to get their hands dirty greening our neighborhood

* Find out how to get involved

Your ideas, energy, and hands-on help are an essential part of our sustainable community. Any amount of participation is welcome! We hope to see you there!

Please RSVP to let us know if you’ll attend.

Light refreshments will be provided.

The Brooklyn College Arts Lab (BCAL) is located in Brooklyn College’s Roosevelt Hall, 2946 Bedford Avenue, south of Campus Road.

View Map.

Directions from Q train Avenue H station

Directions from 2/5 train Flatbush Avenue station

WHAT
Orientation for the Sustainable Flatbush Urban Gardens and Farms Initiative

WHERE
Brooklyn College Arts Lab (BCAL)
2946 Bedford Avenue
Roosevelt Hall, 3rd floor
Brooklyn, NY  11210

WHEN
Tuesday, June 16th at 7:00pm

photos by Flatbush Gardener (Daffodil Project)  and Inside Urban Green (Fire Escape Peppers)

Bus Rapid Transit has the potential to substantially upgrade Brooklyn’s public transportation system, particularly in areas that have limited or no subway access. It could also vastly improve travel between the boroughs, currently a time-consuming and frustrating experience on public transit.

Here is the DOT’s invitation:

Bus Rapid Transit Phase II Workshop

MTA New York City Transit and the New York City Department of Transportation are looking for ways to continue to dramatically improve transit service through a comprehensive Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network across New York City — complete with links to subways, ferries, and major destinations. NYCT and DOT invite the public to take part in interactive workshops that will lay the groundwork for the next phase of a BRT program for New York City. Given the magnitude of the MTA’s current fiscal constraints, it is even more imperative that we work together to expand this high performance bus service – an approach that will allow for cost savings realized from improving bus speeds, attracting more customers, and providing more efficient bus operations.

Brooklyn’s B44 bus line is under consideration for conversion to Bus Rapid Transit. BRT systems typically consist of all or a combination of seven main elements, which include the following:

* System identity and branding which bring a unique and distinguished visibility to the BRT service
* Bus ways where the road is dedicated to the exclusive use of buses
* High capacity vehicles
* High visibility stations
* A service plan that provides an easily understandable route map and schedule
* Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that provides information on next arriving bus at the bus stations, and the next stop on-board buses
* Traffic Signal Priority (TSP) which gives buses priority at traffic lights

NYCT and DOT invite your feedback on where new BRT routes should be established and how they should operate.

This event will take place in the Brooklyn College Brooklyn College Student Center (East 27th St. and Campus Rd.), Jefferson-Williams Lounge, 4th floor

More info available at:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/selectbusservice.shtml

Safety in Numbers
Bicycle commuting pack
Meet in front of the Flatbush Food Coop
1414 Cortelyou Road
Wednesday, June 10th, 7:30 am

If you would like to ride to work, you’re comfortable riding on streets, and you are a little scared, this is your opportunity to try commuting by bike.

Join me on my normal workday commute. We will leave from Cortelyou Road, ride through Prospect Park and go over the Brooklyn Bridge. The route is almost entirely on bike paths, the pace will be slow-ish, and we will be conservative with regard to traffic regulations.

Please be prompt, we will leave at 7:30.

This ride is not sponsored by any group or organization. Rain cancels.

If you have questions, please leave a message for Deb at 347-249-9667

Streetfilms are short videos that show living examples of streets and public spaces designed for people, where walking, biking, public transit, and fostering community are the priorities. Locations range from Copenhagen, Paris, Curitiba and Bogota to our own New York City. Discussion and party to follow, bring your friends!

Hosted by Vox Pop, cafe/bookstore/community space on Cortelyou Road in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Admission is free, food and drink will be available for purchase.

WHAT
An Evening of Streetfilms

WHEN
Wednesday June 10th at 8pm

WHERE
Vox Pop Cafe and Bookstore
1022 Cortelyou Road (corner of Stratford)
Flatbush, Brooklyn

I just learned about this 40 KW solar installation at 925 Bergen Street (aka the Monti Building) – the first commercial net-metered solar array in New York City — from Solar One’s excellent email newsletter. This is one of two projects developed by Big Sue LLC in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (the other is a residential building on Dean Street); both have solar panels, along with other environmentally-conscious features such as radiant heating, green roofs, and extensive reuse of original construction materials.

Solar One’s education and advocacy campaigns played a big role in changing New York State’s net metering laws last year; commercial buildings are now able to sell the excess power generated by their solar panels back to the grid, which is a huge step for renewable energy development in New York City. As mentioned in the video, the Network for New Energy Choices upgraded its rating of our state’s net metering policy from “D” in 2007 to “B” in 2008!

Michelle wanted to donate the proceeds from her film’s debut screening to a New York City-based environmental group, and chose “one-of-a-kind grassroots community organization” Sustainable Flatbush as the beneficiary! Many thanks to Michelle and her collaborators for making us part of this event and project. The evening will include multiple showings of the documentary, and the filmmaking team will be present along with several of the business owners. Purchase your ticket here and join us! Here are the details:

An exciting new documentary by Brooklyn filmmaker Michelle Vey, From Elegance to Earthworms, takes viewers on a journey through New York’s growing eco-consciousness. The opening, May 29, will benefit Sustainable Flatbush, a not-for-profit that promotes green living in the city. Tickets are $20.

From Elegance to Earthworms sheds light on the creative ideas and cutting-edge business practices that are paving the way for a greener economic and ecological future in New York. The film also features an original score, composed by Vey’s husband, Elio Schiavo.

Please Join Us for this celebration of the Greening of New York.
The event will include complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and plenty of mingling.

When: 7 p.m. to midnight, Friday, May 29

Where: Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick Street, Manhattan, 10013

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.michelleveyproductions.com

Contact: Michelle Vey (917)-435-3772
michellevey@mac.com

Don’t throw it away! Bring it to the

FLATBUSH FREEMEET

sponsored by Sustainable Flatbush and Freecycle™ New York City

WHEN
Saturday, May 9, 2009
From 11AM – 3PM

WHERE
P.S. 217 Playground
1100 Newkirk Avenue
(at Coney Island Avenue)
Flatbush, Brooklyn

Directions: Q train to Newkirk Ave, F to 18th Ave, or B68 bus to Coney Island Avenue and Newkirk.

WHY
Help reduce waste and keep our environment clean by finding new homes for your old stuff, and getting some things you can use in the process. Leftovers will be donated or recycled to every extent possible.

WHAT
Bring unwanted clothing, housewares and other reusable items to share* OR simply bring a tote bag to fill. Bring friends and family too!

Everything at the FreeMeet is FREE!

Got wire hangers? Bring ‘em to the FreeMeet so we can hang clothes and recycle the hangers afterwards.

* No furniture or heavy items, please. Bring portable items only and log on to http://www.Freecycle.org to give away furniture and other heavy stuff. More info on FreeMeet guidelines available here.

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Sustainable Flatbush’s Media Team has created our first set of e-Cards: animated messages you can send to friends (or anyone, really). We had a lot of fun making these, and were fortunate to have the very talented copywriter Naila Costa as our collaborator. We will be adding more e-Cards in the future that you can use to spread the word about sustainability issues!

This first set of cards are invitations to a fantastic event coming up next Saturday, May 2nd: the Brooklyn Food Conference. Sustainable Flatbush is one of the diverse group of partner organizations working on the Conference; the goal of this ambitious project is to promote a more democratic and sustainable food system. There will be workshops, demonstrations, panel discussions, exhibits, film screenings, activities for kids, and more! It’s going to be amazing, you should come and invite all your friends… so  send them an e-Card!

Cortelyou Greenmarket Returns on Sunday, May 3rd!

Thanks to popular demand, the Cortelyou Greenmarket is back for its sixth year! Every Sunday, May through December, this market provides the diverse Cortelyou community with a bounty of fresh picked fruits and vegetables, beautiful plants and flowers, grass-fed meat and dairy products, wild-caught fish, amazing eggs, and delicious baked goods. We are also planning fun, free events such as cooking demonstrations, raffles, and kids & family friendly activities all season long. Come talk to the farmers who grow your food, meet your neighbors, bring a friend, and taste the difference at your neighborhood Greenmarket!

The Cortelyou Greenmarket is located at Cortelyou Road and Rugby Road, and is open from 8am – 4pm every Sunday, May through December.

*EBT/Food Stamps (June ? November) and WIC & Senior Farmers Market Nutrition checks are accepted

Greenmarket is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Program of the Council on the Environment of New York City.  Greenmarket’s mission is to promote regional agriculture by connecting local farmers with city residents ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to locally grown, foraged, caught and baked products. Shopping at Greenmarket is not only good for you, it’s good for regional economies and helps to preserves farmland, support clean water and soil, encourage food security and diversity, and contributes to neighborhood revitalization by providing a safe and fun community gathering place.

(photos by Flatbush Gardener)