Trash Matters to WastEDNY Dan Barber

You might wonder why a subway performer is blogging about trash, but trash matters to me.  All kinds of trash like e-waste and packaging come to mind. How we consume and how we discard has always held my attention in ways ranging from being curious to being enraged. I also love food. I am constantly distressed by the amount we trash, especially in an Urban environment. It's unsustainable. Coming up with solutions grabs my attention.

Blue Hill Farm chef Dan Barber has created a pop-up restaurant within Blue Hill Restaurant in the Village for the next 2 weeks.  It is called WastEDNY and they will be creating food from scraps and what would normally be trashed. 

Food critic and author, Ruth Reichl calls WastEDNY "The most exciting culinary event of 2015." I agree because if a major chef like Dan Barber can make the gourmet food world stand up and pay attention to a system change, it would be amazing. 

The hold music at the restaurant in a lovely sense of humor, has the wonderful classic Sesame Street song by Oscar "I Love Trash" 

I had fun creating my own spoof adaptation from the song about WastEDNY. Take a listen:

Oh, we love trash!  Anything moldy or measly or musty

Anything cragged or rotten or crusty yes we love trash

There's carrots and beets and ends from a Kale

bones from a fish and some animal tail, Dan doesn't' care if the color is pale

He loves it because it's trash

Oh, we love trash! Anything moldy or measly or musty

Anything cragged or rotten or crusty yes we love trash

Katie will make us a lemony drink, from something we used to just pour down the sink

nothing will perish or eventually stink, we love it because it's trash 

Oh, we love trash! Anything moldy or measly or musty

Anything cragged or rotten or crusty, Yes we love trash

we'll make dinner from scraps that we usually wasted    

no need to compost it 'cause it's already plated, turn into the best meal that you ever tasted

we love it because it's trash

Cause  we love trash Yes, we love, we love, we love trash

Stand With Me + my Pups

A follow-up to the massive march on Sunday where 400,000 were counted not including at least 2 poodles (and the countless other canines that were there):

The impactful 350.org has created a petition to ask world leaders to stand with us in finding a common goal in carbon reduction to stave off negative Climate Change:

I stand with the People's Climate March because I am ready for action, not words. I will take the action necessary to create a world with an economy that works for people and the planet – now. In short, I demand a world safe from destructive fossil fuels, and the ravages of climate change.

here's the link, please consider signing

Their amazing campaign to support the People's Climate March was very succinct.

"In order to change everything, we need everyone."

and a People's Climate wrap-up clip they created from the worldwide event

if you've been following my posts you know how much I care about the future of this planet. I even have a sustainability category here on this site where I post important information.

Stand with me. Think about your daily efforts to reduce waste and energy consumption. and if you don't have at least one thing you do to help, it's time to start.

and speaking of the canines in the march, I received this wonderful image of my pups by canine photographer Alice Su

images by Alice Su

400,000 in the streets of NYC

the march was quite an experience. I am still exhilarated by the showing of awareness to get in the street and be counted. The amount of young people there was amazing. It means a lot to see youth concerned about their future. I had a chance to be interviewed for an article in The Epoch Times. So many slogans caught my eye, my favorite being "Change the System Not The Climate."

Nousha Salimi photographer

I went with my poodles and was joined by friend photographer Nousha Salimi (you see many of her shots of me throughout my site).  And here's one she took of me and The Epoch Times journalist Shannon Liao as she was interviewing me.

Nousha Salimi photographer

link to the article

People Climate March

I care about the environment, living in a metropolis like New York City, on the surface it's hard to believe we ever will run out of anything. Scientists aren't making up the negative impact humans are having on our planet. Our global consumption (hunger) for natural materials, our industrial waste, our carbon emissions have a huge cause and effect. Oxygen and water is what we are made up of, we need to care more about ensuring it is plentiful and clean.

We live like we don't care what will happen to our planet in the next 50 years. The time is now to step up and show support for figuring out what we can do to mitigate the problem and find real solutions. With the UN summit on climate change beginning next week and world leaders attending the annual U.N General Assembly meeting, it will be an important statement to show a massive rally of support.
People's Climate March is in my city. I'll be there. Won't you join in?
350.org

the march will begin at 11am at Columbus Circle, show up early, the planet is tried of waiting.

Earth Day NYC

April 22, 2014

Today is Earth Day, I rode my bike to Union Square to the Earth Day celebration. I remembered the very first Earth Day, celebrated in my childhood town of Middlefield, CT. There we learned about recycling newspaper and how to compost.  We're still teaching children how to be better steward's of this planet. At Union Square, Anti-Fracking information and petitions to the Mayor and Governor were available, which I signed. Surprisingly there was a lot of corporate presence, Toyota, Zip Car, Enterprise, United Airlines. Some games for the kids learning ways to recycle. There were recycling depots for everything from plastic to E-Waste.  I watched a guy push a cart quite a few blocks with about 8 old computers stacked ontop of each other to be recycled!

Here in NYC the trash is unbelievable and sometimes overwhelming to think how any recycling could make a difference. I am often times disheartened by the lack of recycling by office buildings and restaurants, they can do so much more, but there has to be a willingness to do it and an educational point about cause and effect.  One only has to spend a (sleepless) night in NYC to hear the 100's of Garbage trucks to understand just how much we waste,

Earth Day NY info for events throughout the week

I've been riding a bike in the city since 1996, it's a wonderful way to get around town. The city now has an incredible amount of bike lanes and a bike share program.  When CitiBank created the program, it was not without an amazing effort from City Government to give up so much prime real estate to be able to station and park bikes throughout the city. When I heard there were cries that the program was losing money to the tune of 2 million, I thought, but can you put a price on the advertising that Citibank gets everyday?  Plus the numbers came in after a late fall start and a very cold winter.  Today by the looks of the amount of empty bike stations and the increased amount of people zipping around the city on bikes. I'd say CitiBank has a win win situation. I would have preferred the program be sponsored by the City of New York and not "The Citi of Bank" and I am sure there are amazing not for profits that could benefit from taking over the program, should Citi decide it's too expensive, but hopefully not with another subsidy -bailout from the City.

Bike riding is Green, but dangerous. To ride a bike on the streets of NY is an exercise in full on attention and sometimes very close calls of accidents. I can't believe the bike riders I've seen without helmets, texting, riding the wrong way, riding on sidewalks. 

Still and all, I love riding my bike in the city. 

My building has a bike room. I'm lucky.

Happy Earth Day, get out and explore the outdoors of this amazing city. And do think about how you'd like to be a better stewart for our planet.  Consider starting a electronics waste e-waste collection at your work and building.

NYC and recycling E-Waste programs sponsored by Lower East Side Ecology Center can help.

past blogs:

Earth Day 2013 free download of my song Jungle

Earth Day 2012 My 10 Actions for Earth Day every day

Earth Day 2011 commentary about Japan's earthquake and BP Deep Water disaster 

Earth Day 2010 Thoughts for Earth Day the 3 R's- Reduce ReUse Recycle

Spring E-Waste events sponsored by LES Ecology Center

NYCSubwayGirl isn't all about music in the underground of NYC. It's about community and sharing. It's about stories and experience in the urban concrete jungle. It's important to celebrate and post about organizations like the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Their efforts in educating and working towards a more sustainable future, has made a huge impact on the quality of life here in NYC. See below for some Spring Electronic recycling events near you.

Electronics Recycling with the LES Ecology Center

Responsibly recycle unwanted or broken electronics (no appliances such as microwaves or refrigerators) at spring events sponsored by the Lower East Side Ecology Center. All events 10am-4pm. March collection dates below. Check www.lesecologycenter.org for the full spring schedule. Click here for a list of what's accepted. 

* Saturday, March 22 - Chelsea, W. 26th b/t 8th & 9th Aves 
* Saturday, March 22 - Dumbo, Pearl Street Triangle (at Water & Front Sts) 
* Saturday, March 29 - Park Slope, 5th Ave b/t Sterling & Douglass 
* Sunday, March 30 - Staten Island, JCC parking lot, 1466 Manor Rd

TreeCycle MulchFest

Recycling your Christmas tree is a simple way to do more than just buy a tree and throw it away without any sustainably conscious consideration.  Obviously I'd prefer people to find other ways to celebrate the holiday without having to cut a tree down, but I don't want to be a grinch.  The NYC sanitation department picks up trees curbside.  Maybe next year you can come up with another way.

sort of a sad looking Urban Pine Tree forest, but it sure smells lovely

Recylced last year's wrapping paper

Every year I try and save as much paper and ribbon from gifts to reuse the following year. It's a very simple thing to do. I am also saving money and the environment.  Okay so there might be a few creases, but to me that gives it a charm because I care. You might consider the same.  

Here's my little packaging.  Looks pretty good to me.

Broadway Green Alliance Collection Drive

Broadway Green Alliance Collection Drive: Wednesday October 23rd 11:00-1:30pm

Gimme 5 recycle #5 plastics

I've been saving my #5 plastic containers with the hope that one day I can recycle them. In searching the web I found a recycling organization based in Cortland, NY.  I learned they have partnered with many organizations with drop off locations.  I'm excited that all my saved yoghurt and take out containers can be dropped off at Whole Foods. It's a lovely feeling to know my waste will be recycled into another product. follow the links below to find where you can recycle your #5 plastics.

Check it out:

• From The Gimme 5 website:

Finally, a recycling solution for your yogurt cups, hummus tubs and other #5 plastic containers! If you’re serious about recycling, you know that most communities don’t accept these common containers for recycling. There’s not enough money in it for them to make it work. And those communities that do accept #5s are generally forced (by poor economics) into bundling them with other plastics to form a mixed plastic bale. This mixed plastic bale is of low value and is often shipped overseas to an unknown end of life.

Preserve and our partners created the Gimme 5 program to offer a simple way to save these plastics and make sure they have a second life. Now you can enjoy all of the great products that come packaged in #5 plastic, save them up, clean them out and drop them at a participating retail location, or mail them back to Preserve for recycling. And as a thank-you for your recycling efforts with us, we have partnered with Recyclebank, a company that rewards people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from local and national businesses. You will now get rewarded for recycling your #5s in the Preserve Gimme 5 program! Learn more here.

FALL E-Waste Program

Lower Eastside Ecology Center

Upcoming E-Waste Recycling Opportunities

We have another 21 events coming up this fall to round out this year of e-waste recycling. Thank you to all of our partners and sponsors who have supported this program and to everyone who has come to an event or the E-waste Warehouse.

For a complete list of what materials we accept and what we cannot take, click here. For more information about our program overall, including data security policies, click here. For special offers for those who recycle with us this fall, click here.

E-waste Warehouse -- Open year-round!
469 President Street (at Nevins Street), Brooklyn 
Tues/Th/Fri | 10:00am - 5:00pm 
Wed | 12:00pm - 7:00pm 
Sat | 10:00am - 4:00pm

Looking for affordable electronics? We now have a Reuse Store at the E-waste Warehouse. You can see a selection of our inventory here . If you are looking for a specific item, send your wishlist to sales@lesecologycenter.org.

 

Fall E-waste Recycling Events:

Tekserve (Chelsea) October 05, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm119 West 23rd Street (between 6th and 7th Avenue), New York, NY 10011  Upper West Side October 06, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmAmsterdam Avenue between West 74th and West 75th Streets, New York, NY 10023 Corona October 12, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmNew York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th Street, Parking Lot, Queens, NY 11368  Astoria October 12, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmBroadway Library, 4020 Broadway (between Steinway and 41st Street), Queens, NY 11103  Kips Bay October 13, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmAsser Levy Recreation Center, Asser Levy Place at East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010  Stuyvesant Town October 13, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm14th Street Loop (enter at East 14th Street and Avenue A), New York, NY 10009

Park Slope October 19, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmJ.J. Byrne Playground, 5th Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets, Brooklyn, NY 11215  Flatbush October 19, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmFlatbush Food Coop, Cortelyou Road between Marlborough and Rubgy Roads, Brooklyn, NY 11226 Cobble Hill October 20, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmPS 29, Baltic Street between Henry Street and Clinton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201  Williamsburg October 20, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmMcCarren Park, Bedford Avenue just north of North 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211  Upper West Side October 26, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmChurch of the Holy Name of Jesus, Amsterdam Avenue between 96th and 97th Streets, New York, NY 10025 Jackson Heights October 27, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm37th Avenue between 78th Street and 79th Street, Queens, NY 11372  Lower East Side October 27, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmGrand Street between Pitt Street and Bialystoker Place, New York, NY 10002  Park Slope December 07, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pmPS 321, 7th Avenue between 1st and 2nd Streets, Brooklyn, NY 11215

 Special Offers

Tekserve is offering recyclers who come to events a "Green Karma" Coupon worth between $5 and $500 off any products or services from Tekserve and entry into a raffle to win a MacBook Air.

Zipcar is offering existing Zipcar members a $15 driving credit for bringing electronics to these events.

We would like to thank the following for being involved in the fall 2013 e-waste event series:

Asser Levy Recreation Center, Battery Park City Authority, Battery Park City Parks Conservancy, Broadway Library, Bushwick High-School for Social Justice, Bushwick Eco-Action Network, Carnegie Hill CSA, Carnegie Hill Neighbors, Church of the Heavenly Rest, Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Cobble Hill Association, Columbus Amsterdam BID, Department of Parks & Recreation, EcoStation, Flatbush Food Coop, Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, Grass-roots, Hattie Carthan Garden, Henry Street Settlement, Magnolia Tree Earth Center, New York Hall of Science, Park Slope Civic Council, PS 29, PS 29PTA, PS 321, PS 321 PTA, Showplace Entertainment Center, Stuyvesant Town & Peter Cooper Village, Tekserve, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assembly Members James Brennan, Brian Kavanagh and Joan Millman, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Councilmembers Gale Brewer, Brad Lander, Margaret Chin and Stephen Levin.

The fall 2013 events are sponsored by Tekserve. The E-waste Recycling Program is made possible by support from ConEdison, New York Community Trust, and Tekserve.

Recycling gets easier BGA knows

Summertime is a great time to learn new recycling tips.  Broadway Green Alliance is leading the way to help make our tiny island and outer Boroughs filled with millions of people with tons of trash a more thoughtful and sustainable place to live in. 

As a guitarist I've always been bummed about trashing my old strings. BGA has one of my favorite initiatives the Guitar Strings Project, where recycled guitar strings are turned into cool jewelry. 

Here's BGS's latest newsletter, if you can do one thing imagine the difference it will make:

AT THE OFFICE

Employee Encouragement

• Encourage the use of public transit through TransitChek or other programs.
• Where public transit is unavailable, encourage carpools by sending an email to staff members.
• Investigate a paperless direct deposit system for your employees.
• Give your employees a mug or reusable water bottles with the company logo for their first day, a holiday or any occasion.

Procurement

• Start buying 100% post-consumer recycled paper for your office.
• If you provide lunch at your office, consider purchasing locally grown organic foods.
• When you can’t buy office supplies and equipment locally, buy in bulk to reduce shipping pollution and packaging waste.
• Reuse shipping boxes whenever possible.
• When replacing appliances around the office, look to replacements with Energy Star ratings.
• When purchasing company vehicles or using a car service, consider electrics or hybrids.
• Consider consulting green architects, designers and construction companies for any renovations.
• Evaluate HVAC systems and upgrade for greater efficiency if necessary.
• Inquire with your energy provider about buying into an energy portfolio consisting of energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydro.
• Consider investing in high quality alternative energy carbon offsets.

Office Initiatives

• Designate a place where employees can leave their paycheck envelopes for reuse.
• Use washable plates and silverware instead of paper plates and plastic utensils.
• Arrange for a company to pick up your paper, metal and plastic recycling.
• Set thermostats to turn down (or off) when the office is closed.
• Mandate double-sided printing and explore paperless options.
• Utilize video conferencing systems instead of traveling to a meeting.
• Mandate that all computers and printers be turned off at the end of the work day.

General

• Develop an internal Green Team to develop green initiatives and goals.
• Establish a green policy for the office.

IN THE HOME

• Avoid plastic water bottles by keeping a reusable one with you.
• Use your own coffee mug or tumbler and save hundreds of paper cups!
• Carry a reusable bag with you (they’re a perfect fit in a purse or bag) to avoid plastic bags – many stores also offer discounts if you use your own.
• Plug your major electronics into power strips that you can switch off to avoid phantom energy.
• Load up the dishwasher instead of washing by hand to conserve water.
• Choose Energy Star appliances, they use 10 to 50 percent less energy.
• Screen savers use energy, set your computer to sleep after 20 minutes.
• Whenever you’re buying paper products, look for the highest percentage post-consumer recycled paper.
• Shop at your local farmers’ market for locally grown organic foods.
• Ask to receive and pay bills online, it saves time and paper.

ATTENDING THE THEATRE

• Print your tickets at home – and on recycled paper of course!
• To stay informed about your theatre, subscribe to an e-newsletter instead of printed brochures.
• Take public transportation to the theatre, or carpool and make it an evening out with friends!
• Share the show’s program and only take one. And if you’re not going to keep it as a memento of your evening, be sure to recycle it at the theatre in the proper receptacle.
• Looking at souvenirs? See if they have organic cotton shirts, reusable water bottles, reusable bags or other green options.
• Inform an usher if you find a leaky faucet in the restroom; they can arrange to get it fixed.
• If you purchase refreshments in a bottle or can, don’t forget to find a recycling container – there’s probably one right in the lobby!

Resources:

NYC WasteLess | www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/home/home.shtml
Your one-stop recycling, waste prevention, and composting resource for NYC residents, schools, institutions, and businesses.

NRDC Greening Advisor

NRDC Greening Advisor | http://bit.ly/Wfkkwn 
The NRDC Greening Advisor is a guide that can help any commercial business or organization to reduce its environmental impacts.

BGA Pinterest

BGA’s Recycled Crafts Pinterest | http://pinterest.com/laurelann/bga-crafts/
Our Pinterest Board of recycling ideas, crafts, tips, and everything green. Maintained by BGA members.

Other Helpful Resources.

Documents:

NBCUniversal Sustainable Production Guidelines

Earth Day free song Jungle

Earth Day is every day in my world, but this week and especially today Monday April 22nd is the 'official' Earth Day, now 43 years in existence.  I remember the first one back in the 1970's and thank my Mom for opening my eyes to being more mindful and earth friendly. 

Why bother with Earth Day? Living a life with consideration for our planet's sustainability takes time, takes conscious effort and intent.  My take is the effort is well worth the time well spent, it’s good to feel good about caring about our world!!

In time, even one thing done to help make a difference, does make a difference.

In thoughtful celebration, here's a free Download of my song Jungle  

words + music C. Grier SESAC Singerfish publishing

Below are 10 actions for My Earth Day is Every Day: Call it sacrifice, learn to embrace it, or better yet, find a solution. But….Doing nothing is the wrong option.

!0 Actions to consider: it's not if but when you...

1) ...will decide it's too expensive to drive alone for one trip you could easily consolidate with other trips.  Rethink your relationship with your car and consider some kind of commuter transportation.

2) ...unplug all the electronics in your home when not in use, and do anything you can to truly understand your energy consumption.  Then make adjustments.

3) ...reduce, reuse and recycle.  How many bags do you throw away,  how many items could you reuse but find too time consuming to do anything about.  What do you do with all your now obsolete gadgets?  Find an e-waste depot near you.

4) ...ask local and national government to consider next generations, not next election cycles. If you find resistance, vote for change.

5) ...switch to homemade or non-petroleum based cleaning products (yes most household products from dish detergent to shampoo use petroleum).  And no fooling, switching is much healthier for your home environment.

6) ...support your local economy.  There is a reason you can get cheap goods at big box stores-off shore corporations pay labor cents per hour and get huge tax breaks to do so.  

7) ...eat out less and use what you have in your cupboard more.

8) ...update appliances and recycle the old (do not reuse those energy guzzlers). 

9) ...take advantage of state and national tax credits for updating your energy systems and home weatherizing.

10) ...teach a child to care about the environment and they will carry it with them throughout their lives.  It's their future.

One thing is certain: the world of today will be different tomorrow - and the day after that, and on and on ad infinitum. The question is not whether we must learn to live sustainably, but how fast we can do so. from University of North Dakota 

E-Waste events in NYC this Spring

Spring Electronic Waste Recycling Events

Spring (cleaning) is here and the Lower East Side Ecology Center is helping you clear old and unwanted electronics out of your closets without trashing the environment! Drop-off your tech gear at locations in all five boroughs during March, April and May to have it responsibly recycled.

A list of acceptable materials can be found here and we accept electronics from households, not-for-profit organizations, and small businesses. We do not accept home appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators, or air conditioners and we also do not accept carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.

We know that data security is important to, well, everyone and you can find out more about which recyclers we work with and how we handle data-containing devices in our FAQs.

All events will be held rain or shine.

Spring 2013 Events

March 16, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

5th Avenue between Douglass and Sterling Streets, Brooklyn, NY 11217

March 17, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Sephardic Community Center, 1901 Ocean Parkway (at Avenue S), Brooklyn, NY 11223

April 06, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Tekserve, 119 West 23rd Street (between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenues), New York, NY 10011

April 07, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Jewish Community Center, 1466 Manor Road, Staten Island, NY 10306 

April 07, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Delancey Street (north side) between Chrystie and Forsyth Streets, New York, NY 10002

April 13, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Maria Hernandez Park, Knickerbocker Avenue between Starr Street and Suydam Street, Brooklyn, NY 11237

April 13, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Habana Outpost, Fulton Street between South Portland Avenue and South Oxford Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217

April 14, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Landmark Courthouse, Third Avenue and Brook Avenue, Melrose, Bronx, NY 10451

April 14, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Van Cortlandt Park, Broadway between Manhattan College Parkway and Post Road, Bronx 10471 

April 20, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Old Stone House/JJ Byrne Playground, 5th Avenue between 3rd and 4th Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215

April 20, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Poly Prep Country Day School, 9216 Seventh Avenue (b/w 92nd St and Poly Pl), Brooklyn, NY 11228

April 20, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

St. George Day, Victory Boulevard and Bay Street, St. George, Staten Island 10301

April 21, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Amsterdam Avenue between West 74th and West 75th Streets, New York, NY 10023

April 27, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

P.S. 101Q, Standish Road between Slocum Crescent & Childrens Lane, Forest Hills, Queens, NY 11375

May 19, 2013 | 10:00am - 4:00pm Directions Flyer

Stuyvesant Town, 14th Street Loop, enter at 14th St & Ave A, New York, NY 10009

Special Offers

Tekserve is offering recyclers a "Green Karma" Coupon worth between $5 and $500 off any products or services from Tekserve and entry into a raffle to win a MacBook Air.

Zipcar is offering existing Zipcar members a $15 driving credit for bringing electronics to these events.

The spring 2013 events are sponsored by Tekserve.

We would like to thank the following partners for being involved in the spring 2013 collection events:

Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, Bushwick Eco Action Network (BEAN), Councilmembers Gale Brewer and Rosie Mendez, Department of Parks and Recreation, Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, Habana Outpost, Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, Nos Quedamos, Park Slope Civic Council, Poly Prep Country Day School, P.S. 101Q and the P.S. 101Q PTA, Sephardic Community Center, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village, Tekserve

Here's a clip I made from a trip to an E-Waste drive:

NYC Recycle tips + E-Waste events

Throughout the year the Lower Eastside Ecology Center sets up E-Waste drives at multiple NYC locations. The next Electronic Waste Recycling Day is April 06, 2013 10:00am - 4:00pm  

at Tekserve  119 West 23rd Street (between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue), New York, NY 10011  

info@lesecologycenter.org

Here's a link to find out what you can bring to these events. 

Remember the 3 R's Reduce, ReUse and ReCycle

I love the Broadway Green Alliance and what they are doing little by little to make a huge effort in not only how theatrical sets are recycled, but how to change day to day habits, helping to reduce the enormous amount of waste we produce in NYC and beyond. Read more below and consider joining (it's free).  also connect with Rebekah Sale, rsale@broadwaygreen.com who can fill you in on all you need to know and how to become an active recycler. It will change your life. I've been saving chip bags wondering where I can recycle them, read on.  Corks? you bet. Batteries?  No one should consider throwing into waste bin.  EVER! So here's the deal, yes it takes a little effort and maybe a visit to one of the drop off locations, but BGA is working hard to make it easy for us all. Boradway Green Alliance office is located at W. 46 St., #1312, 13th Fl.. I love their newsletter so much I want to share it, so read on..... Dear friends of the Broadway Green Alliance, Trying to find a better way to dispose of batteries, corks, toner cartridges, or old makeup containers? The BGA operates more than a dozen collection bins for items like these to make sure they get properly recycled or even up-cycled. We also operate a binder exchange and twice yearly electronic waste and textile collections in Times Square.  See below for a complete list of our collections. Broadway Green Alliance Collections Batteries  Rechargeable: Recycled through the 4th Bin (4thbin.org).  Collected at the Gershwin (242 W. 51 St.) and Minskoff (200 W. 45 St.) Theatre Stage Doors. Regular: Recycled through WeRecycle! (werecycle.com)  Collected at our twice yearly E-waste events in Times Square (January and July) or at the BGA office (165 W. 46 St., #1312, 13th Fl.) year-round. Binders  All kinds and sizes are accepted at this exchange; great for readings and workshops! You can drop off or pick up as many as you need.  Collected at the BGA Office and soon at Actors' Equity too (165 W. 46 St. -- 15th Fl.). Bottle caps, plastic Recycled through Aveda (aveda.com).  Accepted at the BGA office or at any Aveda store. (Please note: metal bottle caps are recyclable through NYC Residential recycling or by all theater waste haulers) Candy wrappers  Upcycled through Terracycle (terracycle.net). Collected at the Majestic Theatre (247 W. 44 St.). Individual candy wrappers, large candy bags and multi-pack candy bags. Chip bags  Upcycled through Terracycle. Collected at the Majestic Theatre. Any size, brand, style of chip bag. Cleaner Packaging Upcycled through TerraCycle (see terracycle.net for complete list of accepted items). Collected at BC/EFA (165 W. 46, Suite #1300, 13 Fl.).  Pumps, triggers, pouches, and flexible cleaner product packaging. Corks Upcycled through Terracycle. Collected at the Gershwin, Majestic, and Minskoff Theatres All natural or synthetic corks as well as cork stops. Electronic waste (e-waste)  Recycled through WeRecycle! Smaller items collected at the BGA office year-round or wait for our twice yearly drives. Inkjets Upcycled through TerraCycle. All Inkjets accepted. Collected at BC/EFA. Makeup containers   Upcycled through Terracycle. Collected at the Imperial (249 W. 45 St.) Theatre. See terracycle.net for a complete list. Includes most tubes, bottles, jars, cases and old makeup. Stuffers --cast change notices for Playbill insertion. Upcycled into scrap pads through Genie Printing by the BGA. Contact the BGA to drop off boxes of stuffers.   Textiles  Recycled by Wearable Collections (wearablecollections.com).  Collected at the BGA office, at Actors' Equity--14th Floor Credit Union, and Local 764 Wardrobe Union year-round. Or bring to our twice yearly Textile Drives in Duffy Square (March and September). Toner Cartridges  Upcycled through TerraCycle.  See terracycle.net for a full list. Collected at BC/EFA.  Some Brother, Canon, Dell, Panasonic, Xerox, Apple and all HP types of toner cartridges accepted.   Writing Instruments  Upcycled through TerraCycle. Collected at the BGA office. Pens, mechanical pencils, markers, highlighters, permanent markers, and all related caps. Thank you for being a member of the Broadway Green Alliance! Please contact us with any issues, questions, or green ideas. Rebekah Sale, rsale@broadwaygreen.com

Habitat For Humanity Benefits

Columbia County Habitat for Humanity is in the midst of a ground breaking (pun intended) build in the heart of Hudson, NY. A Passive Townhouse.  What is a Passive house?  It's a highly energy efficient home built using a super tight building envelope and insulation. It stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter with minimal additional heating source.  Dennis Wedlick architect has partnered with Habitat to build the first affordable housing Passive home.

In support of Columbia County Habitat For Humanity, on Sunday January 27th at the popular Club Helsinki, local yet internationally known bass players, a cellist and me will perform. read on:

HOME BASS: 4 Strings, 4 Hearts for Habitat, will be a once-in-a-lifetime cabaret concert on January 27, 2013, at Helsinki Hudson in Hudson, NY. Hosted by Melissa Auf der Maur (Hole/Smashing Pumpkins), HOME BASS will feature special guests (in alphabetical order), Melora Creager (Rasputina), Meshell Ndegeocello, Tommy Stinson (The Replacements/Guns ‘n Roses) and friends, with a special appearance by NYC Subway Girl Cathy Grier. The event will be a unique and intimate evening celebrating the worldwide work of Habitat for Humanity, which is founded on the conviction that every family should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live.
These internationally-acclaimed, Hudson-based musicians – three bassists and a cellist – have never joined artistic forces before, and have chosen to come together for Habitat. HOME BASS will follow a cabaret style format, with rotating cast of players and special guests playing original songs and covers.  
The concert will benefit Columbia County Habitat and its innovative project, the Columbia Passive Townhouses. Now being built in Hudson at 244-246 Columbia Street, these revolutionary homes will reduce their owners’ energy consumption and costs by 90%. They are the first affordable housing to be built in New York State according to Passive House design and construction standards.

Supporting this type of organization brings community together, through volunteering, donated services and other types of involvement.

Habitat For Humanity also has a Re-Store: 829 Route 66, Hudson (Intersection of Route 66 and 9H, behind Village Dodge) Hours: Friday, 9-5 pm & Saturday, 9-4 pm

What is A ReStore?
A Habitat ReStore is a retail outlet selling donated, quality used and surplus building materials at a fraction of normal retail prices. Many Habitat organizations have successfully started ReStore operations. In addition to raising funds for home construction, our ReStore will also help the environment by encouraging the recycling of usable materials rather than their disposal.  Our goal is to keep materials out of landfills, while making home improvements affordable.

Columbia County Habitat invites the general public to shop, browse and buy surplus and reusable building materials. As a home improvement retail shop, ReStore attracts anyone looking for good bargains. Discounts can be significant, and all homeowners on a budget, as well as builders and contractors who want a good buy, can shop at our ReStore.

How ReStore works
ReStore’s operations consists of receiving (and selectively picking up) merchandise, pricing, displaying and selling merchandise, as well as data tracking for all the above. Volunteer staff runs the operation under the supervision of the Habitat’s Executive Director.  Receiving, pricing and displaying are done largely from Monday through Thursday, when the store is not open for retail business.

ReStore materials donated and sold include:

• Appliances: less than 5 years old
• Lumber
• Building/architectural items
• Insulation
• Cabinets/countertops
• Paint, stain and wall covering
• Doors, windows and screens
• Plumbing fixtures and hardware
• Electrical supplies and fixtures
• Roofing: shingles and flashing
• Flooring: tile, wood, laminate
• Tiles
• Hardware working tools

ReStore requests that donors call ahead to confirm which items we are currently accepting.

Volunteering at ReStore
The ReStore offers a casual, friendly retail environment. Volunteers play a major role in helping to keep the store stocked, clean, neat and functioning efficiently and professionally. Safety is important, and is emphasized no matter what task a volunteer performs.

Individuals  are needed on our operating days to assist with sorting and preparing donations, pricing, re-stocking and tidying up shelves and the sales floor, and with assisting customers with loading purchases or finding their way around the store.

what can you do?

• Volunteer to build- really- swing a hammer or......

Where? 244-246 Columbia Street, Hudson, NY Between September 2012- February 2013, there is a call for volunteers: Individuals, businesses, schools, faith-based groups or community organizations.To volunteer, Volunteer Coordinator  email volunteer@columbiacountyhabitat.org.

• Donate materials including paper goods, cardboard etc to the Re-Store's recycling bins by GreenFiber (a local manufacturer) who then recycle into cellulose insulation. Habitat Executive Director Brenda Adams explains, “Thanks to GreenFiber, we now have a new revenue source. It’s also another way for Columbia County residents to support Habitat. From August through October, we recycled 11.76 tons of material, which made 917 bags of insulation and earned us $294.” There are two GreenFiber recycling containers at the ReStore, located at Route 66 and 9H in Greenport. GreenFiber accepts cardboard boxes, paper of any color, magazines, books (with covers), newspapers and corrugated cartons. The only materials that can’t be accepted are pizza boxes and greasy paper. Look for the frog on the green dumpsters in the ReStore parking lot. It’s ALWAYS open.

GreenFiber’s blow-in cellulose insulation is a natural fiber product made of 85% recycled content, providing homeowners with an environmentally-friendly choice for building, renovation and re-insulation projects. The company’s manufacturing process is low impact, because cellulose is produced in electrically driven mills that consume relatively little energy when operating and none otherwise.
GreenFiber products use locally available raw materials, further reducing its corporate carbon footprint. Established in 2000 and headquartered in Charlotte, NC, US GreenFiber LLC is the largest manufacturer of natural fiber insulation, fire and sound products. To date, GreenFiber has diverted nearly 3 million tons of recycled materials from landfills. One ton of recycled paper: saves 17 trees, saves 4,000 kilowatts of energy and provides enough GreenFiber blow-in insulation to cover the attic of a 2,500 square foot home. GreenFiber sells to building supply retailers, manufactured housing builders and insulation contractors in the U.S. and Canada

For more information: 518-828-0892 | 829 Route 66 Hudson, NY 12534 

And if you're not in the area find a local chapter and get involved.

For a Greener Holiday

Here's some ideas on how to be more environmentally thoughtful for the Holiday shopping, gift giving season.

In the NYC area there are 2 champion organizations who know about the 3 R's -  Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. I urge you to check them out and learn more about how you can make a difference in dealing with reducing, reusing and recycling your waste:

Broadway Green Alliance great tips on where to recycle things

Lower East Ecology Center, in January they kick off a multi-location "After The Holidays E-waste Drive" to collect unwanted electronics that should be disposed of with thoughtful concern for our health and environment.

and the NRDC has a great blog called This Green Blog by Sheryl Eisenberg check out her latest, Green Your Holidays

Shopping has an environmental cost, especially online shopping with extra packing and shipping cost of transporting those gifts door to door.  Did you know that 25% more waste is produced between Thanksgiving and New Year's? Be mindful of how to reuse packing boxes and materials.  When shopping, bring bags with you so you don't arrive home with so much unnecessary waste.

Recycle old wrapping paper, cards, boxes and packing materials.  I collect throughout the year and reuse.  What to do with the plastic bubble wrap shipping envelopes?  I reuse those too, either covering over the address to add the new one, or filling a box with them as packing materials.

Most wrapping paper and cards use toxic paint and dye.  I try and reuse those as much as possible. I also take last years Holiday cards and cut off the covers and find a creative way to send a "new" card to family and friends. Or make Christmas tree ornaments by cutting out shapes and holiday images. 

For wrapping paper, I save and trim off any old tape or ripped sections.  This year I used all old paper to wrap gifts.  In our family with people as far away as Oregon, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan and Florida, we were happy to pack our Christmas packages with boxes and packing that we reused from previous packages.  In our apartment with little space, I do break down the box and store flat in the back of the closet.  Sure I need to use extra packing tape that way, but it's better than throwing the entire box out.  so much better to use an already existing box. Imagine the energy used to take a cardboard box and turn it into a new one.  I'd rather just use the old one.

When I get those pesky Styrofoam packing peanuts I fill up a small plastic bag like one you can get at the veggies aisle at the grocery store. With an old twist tie from a bag of bread, I tie off the bag.  These small packs of packing I reuse to fill my boxes and more importantly the recipient doesn't get to open a box with Styrofoam peanuts flying all over the place. If I can't use them, then I donate to a local shipping store. 

My thoughts:

1-Reuse wrapping paper. Think twice before crunching up wrapping paper, take a moment and fold and save for next year.

2-Reuse boxes and packing materials.  If you can't reuse, find a local shipping store and donate your boxes and packing materials.  They are happy to have them.

3-create new creative cards and ornaments form old Holiday cards.

4-Bring your own shopping bags with you to the store to reuse multiple times instead of gathering more waste.

Not bad, all these gifts were wrapped with reused paper!

Happy Solstice,

Cathy NYCSubwayGirl 

If You Care

tip of the week: A shout out to household product company If You Care 

their mission statement:

If You Care kitchen and household products are carefully and deliberately crafted to have the least environmental impact and the lightest carbon footprint possible, while at the same time, delivering to the consumer, the highest quality and most effective results.

For Climate Change Bloomberg endorses Obama

A Vote for a President to Lead on Climate Change

By Michael R. Bloomberg Nov 1, 2012 

The devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to New York City and much of the Northeast -- in lost lives, lost homes and lost business -- brought the stakes of Tuesday’s presidential election into sharp relief.

The floods and fires that swept through our city left a path of destruction that will require years of recovery and rebuilding work. And in the short term, our subway system remains partially shut down, and many city residents and businesses still have no power. In just 14 months, two hurricanes have forced us to evacuate neighborhoods -- something our city government had never done before. If this is a trend, it is simply not sustainable.

Our climate is changing. And while the increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it might be -- given this week’s devastation -- should compel all elected leaders to take immediate action.

Here in New York, our comprehensive sustainability plan --PlaNYC -- has helped allow us to cut our carbon footprint by 16 percent in just five years, which is the equivalent of eliminating the carbon footprint of a city twice the size of Seattle. Through the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group -- a partnership among many of the world’s largest cities -- local governments are taking action where national governments are not.

Leadership Needed

But we can’t do it alone. We need leadership from the White House -- and over the past four years, President Barack Obama has taken major steps to reduce our carbon consumption, including setting higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks. His administration also has adopted tighter controls on mercury emissions, which will help to close the dirtiest coal power plants (an effort I have supported through my philanthropy), which are estimated to kill 13,000 Americans a year.

Mitt Romney, too, has a history of tackling climate change. As governor of Massachusetts, he signed on to a regional cap- and-trade plan designed to reduce carbon emissions 10 percent below 1990 levels. “The benefits (of that plan) will be long- lasting and enormous -- benefits to our health, our economy, our quality of life, our very landscape. These are actions we can and must take now, if we are to have ‘no regrets’ when we transfer our temporary stewardship of this Earth to the next generation,” he wrote at the time.

He couldn’t have been more right. But since then, he has reversed course, abandoning the very cap-and-trade program he once supported. This issue is too important. We need determined leadership at the national level to move the nation and the world forward.

I believe Mitt Romney is a good and decent man, and he would bring valuable business experience to the Oval Office. He understands that America was built on the promise of equal opportunity, not equal results. In the past he has also taken sensible positions on immigration, illegal guns, abortion rights and health care. But he has reversed course on all of them, and is even running against the health-care model he signed into law in Massachusetts.

If the 1994 or 2003 version of Mitt Romney were running for president, I may well have voted for him because, like so many other independents, I have found the past four years to be, in a word, disappointing.

In 2008, Obama ran as a pragmatic problem-solver and consensus-builder. But as president, he devoted little time and effort to developing and sustaining a coalition of centrists, which doomed hope for any real progress on illegal guns, immigration, tax reform, job creation and deficit reduction. And rather than uniting the country around a message of shared sacrifice, he engaged in partisan attacks and has embraced a divisive populist agenda focused more on redistributing income than creating it.

Important Victories

Nevertheless, the president has achieved some important victories on issues that will help define our future. His Race to the Top education program -- much of which was opposed by the teachers’ unions, a traditional Democratic Party constituency -- has helped drive badly needed reform across the country, giving local districts leverage to strengthen accountability in the classroom and expand charter schools. His health-care law -- for all its flaws -- will provide insurance coverage to people who need it most and save lives.

When I step into the voting booth, I think about the world I want to leave my two daughters, and the values that are required to guide us there. The two parties’ nominees for president offer different visions of where they want to lead America.

One believes a woman’s right to choose should be protected for future generations; one does not. That difference, given the likelihood of Supreme Court vacancies, weighs heavily on my decision.

One recognizes marriage equality as consistent with America’s march of freedom; one does not. I want our president to be on the right side of history.

One sees climate change as an urgent problem that threatens our planet; one does not. I want our president to place scientific evidence and risk management above electoral politics.

Of course, neither candidate has specified what hard decisions he will make to get our economy back on track while also balancing the budget. But in the end, what matters most isn’t the shape of any particular proposal; it’s the work that must be done to bring members of Congress together to achieve bipartisan solutions.

Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan both found success while their parties were out of power in Congress -- and President Obama can, too. If he listens to people on both sides of the aisle, and builds the trust of moderates, he can fulfill the hope he inspired four years ago and lead our country toward a better future for my children and yours. And that’s why I will be voting for him.

(Michael R. Bloomberg is mayor of New York and founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/nyregion/bloomberg-endorses-obama-saying-hurricane-sandy-affected-decision.html?hp&_r=0

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-01/ny-mayor-bloomberg-endorse-obama-in-presidential-race.html

And on the same subject, here's a compelling article We Are Not Powerless To Confront Climate Change  by Democracy Now's Amy Goodman