Foreign Correspondent
Okay, so I’ve been a rather bad blogger for a week or two, but I have a really good excuse: I’m in Recife, Brazil for Carnaval! Needless to say it’s crazy here (in a good way), but I have a few photos to post that […]
Recent Posts
More Supporters for Congestion Pricing
City Room reports that yesterday’s public hearing on congestion pricing at Hunter College placed two more groups on the supporting side: the Transit Workers’ Union, and a coalition called Communities United for Transportation Equity (aka CommUTe). Representatives of the latter group presented strong arguments for […]
STREET RENAISSANCE: How You Can Transform NYC Streets
For the transportation geeks among us (yes, I’m one!), this should be a very interesting panel discussion coming up on January 28th. I am familiar with the work of Aaron, Christine and Elizabeth, and those three alone are worth the “price” of admission.
Moderated by Aaron Naparstek of Streetsblog, this panel discussion featuring New York City’s most successful neighborhood change-makers will provide inspiring and practical lessons about how New Yorkers can transform the public realm.
Panelists include Christine Berthet (Clinton Hells Kitchen Coalition for Pedestrian Safety), Joshua David (Friends of the High Line), Penny Lee (Department of City Planning), Milton Puryear (Brooklyn Greenway Initiative), Paul Steely White (Transportation Alternatives), Robert Witherwax (Grand Army Plaza Coalition), Elizabeth Yeampierre, (UPROSE) and Chauncy Young (Highbridge Community Life Center).
New York Historical Society, 2 W. 77th St.
January 28th
6pm Panel
8pm Reception and ExhibitSeating is very limited; please RSVP at nycstreets.org/uws
This event is free and open to the public.The NYC Streets Renaissance Campaign, a partnership between Transportation Alternatives, The Open Planning Project and Project for Public Spaces, is committed to inspiring and engaging New Yorkers to reclaim their streets as the core of healthy communities where individuals of all ages can safely walk, play and gather
Check Our Calendar!
The Sustainable Flatbush calendar will now include “Recommended Green Events” happening all around NYC. Basically anything that makes me say “wow, I’d like to go to that!” will end up on the calendar, in case you’d like to go too and just hadn’t heard about […]
Support GreenMap!
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 […]
2007: Second Warmest Year on Record
In case anyone had any doubts, I present this news from the Earth Policy Institute:
2007 SECOND WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD
Northern Hemisphere Temperature Highest EverFrances C. Moore
With the record for 2007 now complete, it is clear that temperatures around the world are continuing their upward climb. The global average in 2007 was 14.73 degrees Celsius (58.5 degrees Fahrenheit) — the second warmest year on record, only 0.03 degrees Celsius behind the 2005 maximum. January 2007 was the hottest January ever measured, a full 0.23 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous record. August was also a record for that month, and September was the second warmest September recorded.
Looking at the northern hemisphere alone, 2007 temperatures averaged 15.04 degrees Celsius (59.1 degrees Fahrenheit) — easily the hottest year in the northern half of the globe since the record began in 1880, and more than a degree warmer than the 1951–80 average…
(Entire text available here. Data available here. Index of Earth Policy Institute resources related to Temperature and Climate here.)
The way this month has gone, including last night’s failed Nor’Easter (see Brooklyn Junction’s proposed temporary — we hope! — ban on the term), 2008 may prove to be the new hottest January. While it is difficult to imagine how this trend can be reversed and what we as individuals can do, the aforementioned Earth Policy Institute offers direction based on their vision of a sustainable economy. What’s the weather got to do with the economy? “Eco-Economy Indicators are the twelve trends the Earth Policy Institute tracks to measure progress in building an eco-economy. Taking the earth’s temperature tells us about the relative health of the planet.” (Well, yes!) The EPI website has videos, podcasts, and a library of articles with the appropriate mix of urgency, guarded optimism, and concrete suggestions:
The Earth’s capacity to support the economy continues to deteriorate. The gap between what we need to do to arrest the deterioration of the Earth and what we are doing continues to widen… Somehow we have to turn the tide. The purpose of the Earth Policy Institute is to provide a vision of what an environmentally sustainable economy will look like and a plan for how to get from here to there.
Highly recommended.
Making Solar Happen in NYC
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 […]
Weekend of Recycling in Brooklyn
Last weekend was a big one for Reuse and Recycling here in Brooklyn! 2008’s first Saturday Greenmarket in Grand Army Plaza began a series of textile recycling events called “Second Chance Saturdays” (acceptable donations include used clothing, shoes, boots, hats, jackets, towels, bedding, and linens). […]
Zoning out the Chain Stores?
I just read about this on a blog called Community Based Planning, where the question is posed: “Could Formula Retail Zoning be in NYC’s Future?” A group called the East Village Community Coalition is spearheading an effort to protect their neighborhood from further takeover by Starbuck’s et al.
Since commercial uses in NYC are already regulated by zoning, and considering the recent attention to this issue and concerns that chain stores are pushing out small businesses and causing NYC to lose its character, is this an idea whose time has come?
Zoning has proven to be a hot topic around our area these days, as the recent Imagine Flatbush 2030 community visioning meetings have illustrated. Landmarking vs. no landmarking, upzoning (denser development near transit, generally perceived as sustainable) vs. downzoning (preserving century-old Victorian homes, generally regarded as an asset even by us apartment dwellers), more/different amenities vs. retaining the neighborhood’s diversity and character… similar conflicts and discussions are taking place all over the city. What’s your view?
photo by Community Based Planning
2007 Recap
2007 was the first fully operation year for Sustainable Flatbush, and I must say we accomplished a lot. Starting with our Kickoff Meeting on March 16th at Vox Pop Cafe/Bookstore, the goal was to find people in the neighborhood who wanted to work on sustainability […]
