sustainableflatbush.org

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.

Pink Maraca (photo by Themis Boaventura)

Saturday’s Newkirk Avenue Block Party was a great day of fun. In addition to a full schedule of live music (courtesy of Make Music New York, and coordinated by Mannix Gordon), we had Solar One, Brooklyn Compost Project, Alive Structures, and Transportation Alternatives represented; plus a paper casting workshop by Flatbush artist Kathy Levine, fitness activities with Midwood Martial Arts, and the ever-popular Recycling Game.

Recycling Game (photo by Themis Boaventura)

But the best part of the day was the simple fact that the street was closed to traffic, allowing everyone to enjoy a new (albeit temporary) public gathering place.

Street Games (photo by Anne Pope)

Midwood Martial Arts (photo by Themis Boaventura)

Face Painting (photo by Themis Boaventura)

More photos here at our Flickr Gallery!

I Love Brookln!, originally uploaded by Sustainable Flatbush.

Yesterday’s Newkirk Avenue Block Party was a great success. More photos and story coming up… but I just couldn’t wait to post this one!

News from Stacey McCarthy, director of the Cortelyou Greenmarket:

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Hello Flatbush Community -

New this Sunday at the Cortleyou Greenmarket will be eggs and chicken from Knoll Krest Farms in Hyde Park, NY. Jorge Carmona of Amantai Farms will be bringing asparagus and strawberries, plus his lettuce, spinach, greens, zucchini, honey and other items.

Curious about composting? Stop by the greenmarket table between 9am to 1pm and check out Bruni Torras’ worm composting demonstration. See the worms in action and a sample outdoor composting bin.

Farmers in June 8th:

* Hodgson’s, Walden, NY — plants, rose bushes, HERBS
* Red Jacket Orchard’s, Geneva, NY — apples, rhubarb, juices
* Knoll Crest Farm, Hyde Park, NY — Eggs and chickens
* Jorge Carmona, Breinigsville, PA — asparagus, strawberries, lettuce, spinach, greens, zucchini, honey
* Bread Alone, Boiceville, NY — bread, pies, muffins
* Meredith’s Bakery, Kingston, NY — bread, pies, muffins

Coming next week

* Muddy River Farm, New Hampton, NY — Vegetables
* El Mirador Farm, New Jersey — Vegetables

The market is located on Cortelyou Road between Argyle and Rugby Streets. We’re open from 8am to 4pm.

See you Sunday. Thanks so much, Stacey

Some months ago Sustainable Flatbush was approached by New York City Streets Renaissance to sponsor a Livable Streets Block Party here in the neighborhood (this request was likely inspired by our success with last year’s Park(ing) Day event). Two weeks from tomorrow, Saturday June 21st, the party is on! We will have live music and DJs all day long, courtesy of Make Music New York, plus traditional NYC Street games, and environmental activities and info. Our fantastic local co-sponsor is Flatbush Development Corporation.

Flier design by Keka

Here’s the concept:

Block Party NYC is a new program by the New York City Streets Renaissance which is helping neighborhoods around NYC come together and enjoy their street for a day, free from the usual hazards and distractions of automobiles. This summer alone, we’re providing mini-grants to over 30 block parties throughout the 5 boroughs. Each of these parties also gets the services of a professional urban planner for a day, who will help find community solutions to community problems like traffic, speeding, and noise and air pollution. They will also talk to residents about what they like and dislike about their street, what they want to preserve, and what needs to change.

Yes, we will discuss all of these serious issues with our neighbors, but we will also hang out and have a great time! Here are all the details:

Newkirk Avenue Block Party, a Livable Streets celebration co-sponsored by Flatbush Development Corporation, New York City Streets Renaissance, and Make Music New York, with participation of Solar One, Brooklyn Compost Project, Council on the Environment of NYC, Transportation Alternatives, Alive Structures, Midwood Martial Arts, and Newkirk Area merchants. Join us for:

Live Music and DJ’s all day!
Traditional NYC Street Games:
Handball, Skully, Hopscotch, Double Dutch, Jacks, and more!
Food Vendors!
Environmental Info and Activities:
Solar Power, Composting, Green Roof/Garden Design, Cell Phone Recycling, etc.,
plus Recycling Games and Art Projects just for kids!

WHEN: Saturday, June 21st, 11am - 6pm, Rain or Shine!
WHERE: Newkirk Avenue between East 16th and East 17th Streets

See you there!

Okay, so I’m late on this one.

photo by Flatbush Gardener

Last Sunday was the season opener for the Cortelyou Road Greenmarket, and it was a very festive occasion! Kids and parents crowded the playground, a klezmer band played, and the market manager cooked up apple-rutabaga compote while conducting a color-coded survey about what additional products people would like to see at the market. It already looks like there will be a greater variety of vendors than in past years, and starting this weekend Brooklyn Compost Project will conduct worm composting demonstrations.

Last night was the first meeting to brainstorm and plan for the new Flatbush Community Garden, renamed the Flatbush Unity Garden. A group of 20+ people met at P.S. 217 to share their ideas of what they’d like this community resource to become. In addition to growing vegetables and fruits and flowers, what many of us expressed was the desire for a place where we can meet our neighbors, form ties to our community, and enjoy a peaceful outdoor environment. New York City has many examples of gardens that serve as hubs of neighborhood cultural and social interaction as well as providing beautiful green spaces (and in some cases food as well). Clearly there is a longing for such a place here in Flatbush, and our goal is to create one.

East 4th Street Community Garden, Kensington, Brooklyn, photo by Flatbush Gardener

Campus Road Garden at Brooklyn College

East Village community garden, Manhattan

There was also talk of composting, rainwater harvesting, permaculture, urban agriculture, and many of the other sustainability concepts that I for one have been hoping for a location to demonstrate and educate the community about (myself included!). It’s great to learn that other folks in the neighborhood share the same goals.

A tour of the site is scheduled for this Sunday afternoon… stay tuned for details.

(Click for link to full-size printable version of flyer)

The folks who’ve been bringing organic food to our neighborhood since 1976 are holding the official celebration of their large and beautiful new store tomorrow! Here’s the details:

All are invited to the grand opening celebration to mark Flatbush Food Coop’s move into our newly renovated space at 1415 Cortelyou Rd. The FFC is a community-owned natural foods store that has been providing Brooklyn and greater New York residents with quality organic and natural foods since 1976. The beautiful new space is diagonally across the street and three times the size of its former location, at 1318 Cortelyou Road.

Sunday, May 18, 2008
Noon to 5 p.m.
Ribbon Cutting: 1 p.m.

Buying Fair Trade Coffee at the Flatbush Food Co-op, photo by arimoore

Our neighbors to the north at Hawthorne Street blog in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens (part of Flatbush? You decide…) have been discussing the horrifically dangerous entrance to Prospect Park at Ocean and Parkside Avenues for some months now, and have formed a local Livable Streets group called PLG Public Works to address this and other traffic-related issues. Today they provide details on an upcoming public meeting to discuss potential re-design ideas for the dreaded intersection:

Some help may be on the way for the Ocean & Parkside intersection at Prospect Park: park reps have informed us that the entrance will be redesigned as part of a massive Park development project due to begin next year.

Of course, how it will be redesigned remains to be seen. We’d urge anyone and everyone concerned about the Park entrance to attend the upcoming public meeting: Monday, May 19, 6:30 p.m. at Wollman Rink.

The current situation is a nightmare for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike, and Transportation Alternatives has lobbied for improvements here in the past. But new opportunity for change exists due to an upcoming project called Lakeside Center, which will be replacing Wollman Rink. While the green design principles described on their website sound nice and all (LEED Gold buildings, rainwater retention basin to irrigate landscaping, passive ventilation, recycled and local materials, native trees and shrubs), for starters I’d be happy just to be able to get across the street and into the Park without risking my life! Once again, the public meeting is on May 19th at 6:30, Wollman Rink.