James Cameron Coming to Brooklyn Tech

This Saturday, as reported in the New York Times Local blog, James Cameron will be visiting Brooklyn Technical High School to present the first annual "Avatar Award." The student who gives the best two-to-three minute speech on how to best apply the environmental lessons from the blockbuster film will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship. Cameron will also give a presentation on environmental issues and projects he is currently working on, according to the Local.

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Scenes of Spring at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

I had a chance to stop by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden this morning, where Hanami, or the Cherry Blossom viewing season, is in full force. Flowers and plants are blooming all over the garden. It's open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free guided tours are offered on Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m.

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Free Trees in Clinton Hill

On Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Green Fort Greene & Clinton Hill and the FAB Alliance, in partnership with MillionTreesNYC and the New York Restoration Project, will be giving away 200 free trees at the “Putnam Triangle” in Clinton Hill (Fulton Street and Grand Avenue).

All trees will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. All you need is a place to plant and access to water. The trees will be available to individuals, families and community groups for planting on private property only, and not in containers or on rooftops. Limited quantities are expected for certain species: Eastern Redbud, Dogwood, Cherry, Oak and Sweet Gum

Tools will be available to borrow, help will be available for those who need it to get a tree home, or don’t know how to plant the tree. Horticulture specialists will be on hand to answer questions and provide species selection recommendations. Simple tree planting and care instructions come with each tree.

Volunteers are needed to give out trees, transport trees, help neighbors plant their free trees, publicize the event in surrounding neighborhoods and answer questions about tree planting. To volunteer, contact Marilyn Shaw at volunteer@greenfgch.org

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National Grid Provides Grant to Garden's Project Green Reach

Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) received a $250,000 grant from National Grid for Project Green Reach, which provides hands-on lessons in science and botany for Brooklyn’s Title I schools, many with large numbers of children from low-income families. Project Green Reach annually serves 2,500 students in grades K through 8 and 80 teachers. The grant is part of National Grid’s “Engineering Our Future” initiative to inspire and encourage youth to study science, technology, engineering and math. Shown here, left to right are: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, National Grid Chief Executive Steve Holliday, BBG Chairman Emeritus Earl Weiner, and BBG Vice President of Development Leslie Findlen.

Photo courtesy National Grid

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First Greenway Workshop 'High-Energy, Productive'

Thursday night was the first of four workshops hosted by the DOT in collaboration with the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) and the Regional Planning Association to hash out details for the 14-mile route with community members. It was held at Borough Hall in Downtown Brooklyn.

“We had a high-energy, productive workshop,” said BGI co-founder Meg Fellerath in an e-mail message. She explained that there were about 60 community participants, who worked in facilitated groups to come up with route preferences for the Greenway in the Downtown Brooklyn area.

“Lots of thoughtful ideas were presented during the report-back to the large group, and DOT will be taking all of this into consideration as they look at different route alternatives. DOT will present their synthesis back to the community in a few months for comment,” Fellerath continued. “DOT felt that it was a great turnout and level of excitement, and they’re looking forward to the next meeting.”

The Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway is a 14-mile, multi-use, off-road path spanning from Greenpoint all the way down to Bay Ridge. It was envisioned by Brian McCormick, Milton Puryear and Fellerath, who incorporated as the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative in 2004. They celebrated BGI’s sixth anniversary this month.

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Lights Out. One Hour. This Weekend.

This Saturday March 27, at 8:30 p.m. local time, join millions of people around the world to take action and send a message about climate change by participating in Earth Hour. Started by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness about climate change, Earth Hour is a way to demonstrate how working together can have a positive impact. Last year, almost one billion people in more than 4,000 cities turned their lights off for one hour, as well as some New York City landmarks, including the Empire State Building, and the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges.

Above, the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges before Earth Hour last year. Below, the bridges during Earth Hour. 

Visit www.myearthhour.org to get involved and spread the word.

Photos courtesy of the WWF

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DOT Announces Workshops For Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it will host a series of community workshops on the future of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway — a planned 14-mile bicycle and pedestrian path stretching from Sunset Park to Greenpoint. When finished, it will connect many existing parks and public open spaces along the waterfront.

With funding from Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez, the Greenway will enhance waterfront access, improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and increase recreational opportunities in these areas, many of which are along underused and difficult-to-access corridors. While portions of the plan have been implemented in sections — including along Columbia Street in Red Hook — DOT is currently conducting a master planning process to refine the project elements and to target gaps in the network. Feedback from the workshops will help the city identify goals for the DOT to work on with other agencies as it develops a long-term vision to implement in the coming years.

The series of four workshops includes one in each of the four waterfront community districts spanned by the Greenway. They will be held in collaboration with the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) and the Regional Planning Association and are scheduled from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at these locations:

Downtown Brooklyn
Thursday, March 25
Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St.

Sunset Park
Thursday, April 8
St. Michael R.C. Church, Fourth Avenue and 42nd Street

Red Hook
Tuesday, April 13
Red Hook Recreation Center, 155 Bay St.

Greenpoint/Williamsburg
Thursday, April 22
Brooklyn Brewery, 79 North 11th St.

RSVP to brooklynwaterfrontgreenway@dot.nyc.gov.

This announcement comes in conjunction with BGI’s sixth anniversary. Milton Puryear, Brian McCormick and Meg Fellerath incorporated as the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative in 2004. They envisioned the 14-mile off-road path spanning from Greenpoint all the way down to Bay Ridge to be multi-use and have different components.

According to BGI’s plan, the path will be between 20 and 30 feet wide in total, encompassing a 4- to 8-foot landscaped buffer between it and the street, a 10- to 12-foot bike bath, and a 6- to 10-foot pedestrian path.

BGI hosts monthly cleanups along the Columbia Street section of the Greenway. The next one will be on Saturday, April 22.

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