City College of NY to Offer Masters in Sustainability

The Eagle received the following press release:

The City College of New York (CCNY) will offer a new, interdisciplinary graduate program, “Sustainability in the Urban Environment,” that incorporates emerging approaches from the disciplines of architecture, engineering and science. The program will enroll its first students for the Spring 2010 semester. It will award a Master of Science degree in Sustainability to its graduates.

The 30-credit program is designed to respond to the increasing demand for a workforce equipped to meet the sustainability challenges of the 21st century. Students in the program will be prepared to adapt old and advance new generations of buildings, urban infrastructure and open spaces using approaches that take into account rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, peak oil and climate change.

The program’s core curriculum lays a foundation in sustainability values, strategies and metrics through coursework in urban and natural systems, environmental economics and industrial ecology. It draws upon approaches such as ‘whole systems thinking’ and life cycle analysis to understand and evaluate complex urban ecosystems.

An interdisciplinary capstone project, requiring teamwork and interchange among groups of architects, engineers and scientists, will develop experience with the processes and dynamics of integrated design.

This new program is designed to meet employment demands in the Tri-State area as well as nationally.

For admissions information and other questions about the new graduate program in Sustainability in the Urban Environment call (212)650-6977 or write to graduateadmissions@ccny.cuny.edu. An online application is available here.

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Greenway Party Tonight!

The Brooklyn Greenway Initative is throwing a party from 7 – 10 p.m. tonight at FIND Home Furnishings at 59 Ninth St. near the Gowanus Canal. Join fellow greenway supporters for great food and drink, live music from the Hot Johnsons, and lots of raffle prizes, all in support of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. Tickets are $25, or two for $40.

Food and drink will be provided by Alma, Joya, Rocky Sullivan’s, Union Market, Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies, Nine Cakes, Bee Desserts and Sixpoint Craft Ales. Raffle prizes were donated by Bar Tano, Fort Defiance, Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, Sophie Lair-Berreby Photography, Metal and Thread, Olive Design, Perch Design, Massage Therapy by Gerald Pulis, Tom Rupolo Urban Landscape Photography, and FIND Home Furnishings.

Directions: F/G to Smith-9th, B75, B77, or take the bike lane along Ninth Street. Bike parking will be available.
 

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Botanic Garden Trees Named State Champions

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has named two trees at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden state champions — meaning they are the largest of their species on record in the state. The Kansas hawthorn and the Carolina holly are the first trees in New York City to receive this honor. The awards will be presented at a ceremony tomorrow in the shade of the champion trees.
 

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March for Climate Leadership Over B'klyn Bridge

Hundreds of New Yorkers joined environmental advocacy group Greenpeace this past Saturday in the March for Climate Leadership across the Brooklyn Bridge. The march was part of the largest global day of climate action ever as one of more than 4,500 events in over 170 countries to call on President Obama and other world leaders to secure a fair, ambitious and binding global deal in Copenhagen this December at the UN Climate Change Conference.
There were more than 50 events throughout New York City, as reported by the New York Times. Why was the number 350 on so many signs carried by demonstrators? According to the report, 350 parts per million is the upper limit for heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
 

Photos by Michael Nagle courtesy of Greenpeace


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Enviromedia Mobile Unveils at Borough Hall

Yesterday at Borough Hall Plaza Park, the Enviromedia Mobile, a traveling urban nature maritime museum on wheels, was officially unveiled. An 11-year project of the Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy under the direction of Ludger Balan, the museum is a way for New Yorkers to “think of our urban environment as a habitat,” Balan said. Students visiting the museum can learn about species native to New York’s waterways and how climate change will impact them.

Pictured here in front of the mobile museum, left to right, are Jay Kaplan of Waste Management, who presented the Enviromedia Mobile with a $10,000 check; Balan; students Robert and Margaret Ellis; Dan Wiley representing Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez; Assemblyman Bill Colton, who funded the Mobile with a $100,000 grant; and Rachel Amar of Waste Management.

Here is a view of the entire Enviromedia Mobile from the entrance. Some photos of exhibits are below, including models of two cormorants, which are birds native to New York. Another feature of the Mobile is an authentic dugout canoe used by Lenape women, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Hudson River.

"The success of our environment begins with young people," Belan said. "If they are not connecting, the stewardship will not be there."

For more information visit www.urbandivers.org. For bookings call (347) 224-5828.

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Chamber Tours Award-Winning Green Buildings

Three winners in this year’s Building Brooklyn Awards were toured this week by members of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s Real Estate and Development (RED) Committee. The tour focused on how each project achieved LEED certification, according to Lori Raphael, RED director.

Traveling in a Con Edison-sponsored bus, the group started at Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO, went on to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and ended up at the Brooklyn Navy Yard — first at the Perry Building to view its rooftop solar panels (pictured here), and then to see the future green manufacturing site.

Photo by George Kwong, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce

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Bay Ridge Leads Brooklyn in Recycling

Out of all the Brooklyn neighborhoods, Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights are leading the borough in terms of recycling. Three out of every five of the area’s residences and businesses recycle paper, plastic, glass and metal — a fact that garnered the areas the Department of Sanitation’s highest rating. Read Eagle writer Harold Egeln's report here.

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First Bay Ridge 'Green' Festival

Last week's Third Avenue Festival in Bay Ridge was the 36th annual, but the first ever with a green theme. About a dozen booth entered themselves into a "Green Pioneer" contest, the winners of which will be announced at the 16th Annual Third Avenue Pioneers and Civic Awards Reception on October 26 at Café Remy.

Pictured here are the three "Green Judges" at the Festival: Home Reporter arts columnist Liz Gassimi (second from left), Bay Ridge Courier Marketing Director Jeanne Eisenhardt (second from right) and myself (right), with Festival Chairman Chuck Otey (left).

Stay tuned for details on the festival entrants with photos, and also for the winners!

Photo by Giancarlo Annese

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