Environmental Scorecard Released — Brooklyn Congressmembers Score High

New York Outperforms Nation

Thursday the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) released the 2010 National Environmental Scorecard, which evaluates how members of Congress vote on environmental, public health and energy issues. There were six different Senate votes and nine different House votes on the 2010 scorecard on issues ranging from clean energy to public health protections to lands conservation.

"Unfortunately, the most important votes of 2010 are the ones that didn’t happen: the Senate failed to even begin debate on a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill and also failed to respond to the greatest environmental disaster in our nation's history — the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico," said LCV President Gene Karpinski. "The 2010 National Environmental Scorecard clearly illustrates that there is much work to be done."

However, New York’s members of Congress outperformed the nation in terms of their scores, with a few exceptions. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand both scored 100 percent (the national average for the Senate was 48 percent), while New York’s average for the house was 88, compared to a national average of 57.

Brooklyn Congressmembers scored above average. Jerrold Nadler (D), who represents parts of the waterfront neighborhoods, scored 100. So did Yvette D. Clarke (D), who represents neighborhoods in central Brooklyn, and Nydia M. Velázquez (D), who represents neighborhoods in northern Brooklyn and some along the waterfront.

Congressmen Anthony D. Weiner (D), who represents much of southern Brooklyn, and Edolphus Towns (D), who represents parts of northwest and east Brooklyn, both scored 90. So did Mike McMahon (D) who used to represent southwest Brooklyn. He was replaced in the 2010 election by Congressman Michael Grimm.

"Both of New York’s senators and 17 of our House members achieved perfect scores on the 2010 National Environmental Scorecard. Their efforts underscore just how much New Yorkers care about clean energy and a more sustainable future," said Marcia Bystryn, president of the New York LCV. "We look forward to working with members on both sides of the aisle in the New York delegation to keep making environmental progress in 2011."

Bed-Stuy Artist Works With Found Styrofoam

I recently interviewed Bed-Stuy artist Chris Spadazzi at his studio at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, who works with styrofoam he collects from the East and Hudson rivers. "For anyone who loves the ocean, or nature for that matter, it's terrible to see how we've irreversibly polluted our environment. The foam pieces are just tangible evidence," he said.


Spadazzi is pictured above with his current project, a piece that is about five feet tall, four-and-a-half feet wide and two feet thick. He says it's the biggest he's worked on thus far.


Read the full story here.


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City Tech Professor's Solution to Climate Change: Resources From Space

City Tech physics Professor (and Bed-Stuy resident) Gregory L. Matloff recently released a new book he co-authored called Paradise Regained: The Regreening of Earth.

The book outlines how space resources and space-based power generating systems can work together with Earth-based conservation to meet industrial needs and forge a sustainable future.

Matloff co-wrote the book with Les Johnson, deputy manager of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Advanced Concepts Office at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Al.

“With an ever-increasing share of the human population making the transition to the ‘developed’ world,” said Johnson in a press release, “will come increasing stress on the Earth’s environment, natural resources and ability to produce enough food. The modern environmental movement is tackling these problems head-on by promoting energy efficiency, recycling and renewable resources. While these strategies and technologies are vital, they will be woefully insufficient to provide for a prosperous, long-lived global society with a moderate-to-high standard of living.”

The solution to a progressively worsening environmental situation and its negative impact on society will require “drawing upon the vast energy and material resources that space alone can provide,” said Matloff in a press release. “Doing so will enable us to create a cleaner, healthier environment essential to sustaining life on Earth far into the future.”

Paradise Regained is published by Springer Science & Business Media and is available on Amazon here.

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Brooklyn Green Team to Host Second Anniversary Party

This Saturday, Jan. 30, the Brooklyn Green Team will celebrate its second anniversary with an 80s-themed party at Bar Reis on 375 Fifth Ave. in Park Slope. For a $10 cover charge, sample local and organic drink specials and participate in a silent auction. Items in the silent auction include a gift certificate to Park Slope restaurant Aunt Suzie's, a $100 gift certificate to Green Apple Cleaners, a nature photograph donated by Green Team founder Amanda Gentile, a “greenmarket” basket donated by the Council on the Environment of New York City, a free yoga class, and more.

City Council Member Brad Lander will speak at the party, and a DJ will spin 80s music starting at 11 p.m. Attendees will receive $20 gift certificates to Green Apple Cleaners, while supplies last.

Money raised at the party will benefit Haiti relief efforts and will also aid local electronics recycling, according to Gentile.

The Brooklyn Green Team is comprised of a group of friends — sisters Amanda and Noelle Gentile, Melissa Browning, Jennifer Bartels, Johanna Voutounou and Robert Weinstein — who got together after seeing the film The 11th Hour and wanted to inspire positive change. They hold regular eco-challenges to raise environmental awareness.

Photo above is from the Green Team's first anniversary party. From left to right: Noelle Gentile, Johanna Voutounou, Amanda Gentile, Jennifer Bartels, Melissa Browning and Robert Weinstein. Courtesy of the Brooklyn Green Team

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Bloomberg Releases PlaNYC Study of Future of Electric Vehicles in NYC

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the results of a study of what the city government and other sectors can do to foster the use of electric vehicles and what factors would lead New Yorkers to drive them.

Developed in partnership with McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, the study found ways to facilitate adoption of this technology in the short-term. Transportation emissions currently account for 22 percent of New York City’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

The study found that there is a potentially large group of New Yorkers in all five boroughs who are willing to change their behavior to accommodate electric vehicles and become “early adopters.” Market research projects that by 2015, up to 16 percent of all new vehicles purchased by New Yorkers could be electric.

The study found that early adopters are willing to change their habits to adapt to an electric vehicle, including switching from an on-street parking space to a parking garage that has a charging station (see New York's first — in Brooklyn — here). The research also found that consumers’ attitudes, rather than their driving or parking behaviors, are strong indications of their willingness to adopt electric vehicles.

Early adopters also understand that electric vehicles will cost more than a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle — and they appear willing to pay that premium for the benefits that electric vehicles will offer them. This suggests that in the short-term tax incentives may not be necessary to attract additional demand.

Manufacturers have announced more than a dozen highway-capable electric vehicle models for introduction between 2010 and 2012, in limited global production. Because the demand of early adopters is projected to outstrip the available supply of electric vehicles to the New York market for the next five years, the study suggests targeting early adopters and delaying a focus on the “average driver” for several years.

Ways to help early adopters enter the electric vehicle market include providing clear information on the benefits and challenges of using an electric vehicle and developing a convenient and easy-to-understand process to install charging equipment.

The study also found that the projected level of adoption of electric vehicles will not unduly tax the electrical grid as long as most chargers are configured to allow charging to take place during off-peak hours.

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Rudolph, Eco-Conscious

Happy holidays.

Courtesy of Cagle Cartoons

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New Brooklyn Green Team Eco-Challenge

The Brooklyn Green Team is back with a new challenge: reconsidering red meat. Join them and eat less beef! According to Treehugger, red meat is the most resource-intensive food on the table and eating less of it can be the single most green move a person makes.

A couple of alarming facts the team shares with us:

A study in New Scientist magazine reported that the production of one kilogram of beef produced as many greenhouse gases as three hours of driving.

Experts predict that by 2050 nearly twice as much meat will be produced as today, for a projected total of more than 465 million tons. (Worldwatch Institute)

Other types of meat (chicken, fish, pork, turkey, and venison) are excluded from the challenge, sign up by emailing brooklyngreen@gmail.com. Visit the Green Team's blog for more information, resources and encouragement.

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Green Mountain Energy Company Launches in New York City Neighborhoods

The Eagle received this press release:

Residents and businesses in Brooklyn now have a new option for choosing renewable energy. Green Mountain Energy Company, the nation’s leading provider of cleaner energy, is now available in the Con Edison service territory and offers customers a choice of competitively-priced renewable energy products. With the company’s entrance into the market, Green Mountain becomes the first and only electric services company in New York City that is focused solely on providing cleaner electricity products to customers.

Customers in Brooklyn can choose their supplier of electricity because the state’s electric industry is open to competition. Only 15 percent of Con Edison’s nearly 4 million customers have shopped for electric service since energy competition began in New York City in 2005.

“Not only can Brooklyn residents and businesses choose who supplies electric service to their homes, schools and workplaces, they can also chose how their electricity is made,” said John Holtz, director of East Region Markets for Green Mountain Energy Company. “Green Mountain was founded 12 years ago with a mission to ‘change the way power is made.’ That mission is at the center of everything we do, because cleaner energy is all we do.”

The traditional production of electricity from fossil fuels is the largest source of industrial air pollution in the U.S. Purchasing Green Mountain Energy electricity is one of the easiest things Brooklyn residents can do to help reduce their household’s share of CO2 emissions — even easier than recycling.

Holtz noted that if every household and business in Brooklyn used Green Mountain Energy electricity products for one year, it could prevent over 439 million pounds of CO2 emissions (Based on approximately 884,000 residential and commercial electric accounts in Brooklyn). That avoids as much CO2 pollution as recycling about 175 million newspapers — a stack as high as over 11,000 Empire State Buildings on top of each other!

Green Mountain Products in New York City:

Residential Customers:
Green Mountain is offering New Yorkers the choice between two electricity products that use clean renewable sources like wind and water: Pollution Free electricity and the 100% Wind product.

• Pollution Free electricity is made from New York wind and water sources. An average New York City household choosing the Pollution Free product for one year can offset almost 500 pounds of CO2 (Based on average household usage of 500 kWh per month in the Con Edison service territory). That’s like not taking 128 cab rides, or recycling almost 200 pounds of newspaper.

• 100% Wind product helps support the development of renewable energy in America. With the 100% Wind product, Green Mountain matches 100% of the customer’s electricity usage with clean energy generated from wind power sources in the U.S. An average New York City household choosing Green Mountain’s 100% Wind product for one year can offset nearly 8,000 pounds of CO22. That’s like not taking over 2,000 cab rides, or recycling nearly 20,000 aluminum cans.

Commercial Customers:
Green Mountain’s Commercial Services division is offering small and medium commercial class customers in Brooklyn customized cleaner energy solutions that include national or regional wind resources.

“More and more businesses in New York City want to use cleaner electricity to offset their carbon emissions,” added Holtz. “The City has instituted policies promoting renewable energy. Purchasing Green Mountain Energy electricity can help businesses in Brooklyn and throughout New York City reduce their carbon emissions and make their businesses greener.”

Greenmarket:
Green Mountain plans to have a regular presence at different Greenmarkets in Brooklyn. Local residents can talk to Green Mountain representatives in person to learn more about the company and sign up for Green Mountain Energy electricity.

Enrollment Information:
• Residential Customers: 877-216-GMEC (4632)
• Commercial Customers: 866-767-5818
• Online at www.greenmountain.com/newyork

The Con Edison service territory is the second electric market Green Mountain is serving in New York State. Green Mountain has been serving cleaner electricity to National Grid customers in Upstate New York since 2002, through the utility company’s “GreenUp” renewable energy program.

Green Mountain, the nation’s leading provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions, was founded in 1997 “to change the way power is made.” The company is the longest serving green power marketer in the U.S. Green Mountain offers consumers and businesses the choice of cleaner electricity products from renewable sources, such as wind and water, and carbon offset products. Green Mountain customers have collectively helped avoid over 4.9 million tons of CO2 emissions. For more information, visit greenmountainenergy.com.

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Williamsburg Bars Powered By Wind

While new hotspot Brooklyn Bowl has made headlines lately with its eco-friendly features and commitment to energy efficiency, did you know that the other Williamsburg bowling alley, The Gutter, at 200 N 14th St, gets its electricity through wind power, and has been since it opened two years ago?

Owner Paul Kermizian, who also owns Barcade at 388 Union Ave (in Williamsburg), was "concerned about the energy drain" his bars would have, I read in a report on the Mother Nature Network. He switched Barcade to wind power after opening it, serves local and regional beers, and the decor is secondhand. Read more about the eco-friendly features of the two bars in the full story here.


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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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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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Robert Redford in Brooklyn At BAM

Robert Redford was at BAM this past Sunday to speak about his career in film as well as his environmental activism. And while he didn't have enough time to talk about the environment, you can read my story about it anyway, because, well, isn't he awesome?

And since this is an eco blog, check out Redford's own environmental blogging at the Huffington Post.

Credit: BAM/Elena Olivio

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Solar-Powered Film Series Starts Thursday

This Thursday evening, solar advocacy group Solar One and social network GreenEdge Collaborative NYC will pair up for the second year in a row to deliver an eco-themed solar-powered film series, putting a local spin on global issues.

The six-film series will be shown over six nights: Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week and next. Film topics range from the World Water Crisis to electric cars. Each film will be paired with a relevant segment from Brooklyn filmmaker Michelle Vey’s From Elegance to Earthworms, a documentary about New York-based environmental groups.

Screenings will be followed by one or two guest speakers and a question and answer session. The speakers are from local environmental groups and businesses, said Judy Harper, New York City chapter director of GreenEdge. “The movies are about big issues,” she explained. “We want to bring them back to the local area.”

Doors will open each night (figuratively, since the screenings are outside) at 7 p.m. with the films starting at 7:45. The projector and audio will be powered by a solar system on the roof of Solar One, at 23rd Street and FDR Drive in Manhattan, where the screenings will take place. Chris Neidl, outreach and advocacy coordinator at Solar One, said that the solar power is collected and stored in a battery bank, allowing it to be used after dark.

Though the film series will be shown in Manhattan, the event has a strong Brooklyn influence. GreenEdge Collaborative NYC was founded in 2006 by then-Park Slope resident Carolyn Gilles. She wanted to connect businesses and residents who live sustainably. Since then, GreenEdge has expanded to include a Kentucky chapter, and a San Francisco chapter is in the works. Gilles has relocated to Kentucky — “I moved five weeks ago and I miss [Brooklyn] dearly,” she said — but GreenEdge still has a strong connection to Brooklyn.

“We’re very much born and bred in Brooklyn,” said Harper. “It’s where we have built the most support.”

In a nod to these Brooklyn roots, several of the guest speakers are from Brooklyn organizations. For Thursday night’s film, Addicted to Plastic, a documentary about solutions to plastic pollution, speakers will be Vey and also Amanda Gentile, a co-founder of the Brooklyn Green Team. On Sept. 18, The Garden, about a community garden in Los Angeles, will be shown, followed by speakers Juventino Avila, co-owner and Chef of Get Fresh Table and Market in Brooklyn, and Stacey Murphy, founder of BK Farmyards. Gilles said the films were chosen to emphasize current topics in environmentalism and she hopes attendees will gain something from the screenings. “I hope that they walk away inspired to take action and make changes in their daily lives.”

Neidl — who happens to be a Brooklyn resident — hopes to “build the reputation and understanding of solar power” through the film series, demonstrating “the message and the medium” at the same time.

The series should also be a good time. Previous years have seen as many as 400 people in attendance, said Neidl, noting that though this is the second year GreenEdge has been a partner, it’s the fifth year Solar One has hosted film screenings.

“It’s a fun way to learn about the environment and what’s happening currently,” said Gilles.

Screenings for the Solar-Powered Film Series will be on September 10, 11, 12 and 17, 18 and 19. The event is free. Doors open at 7 p.m.

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Brooklyn Heights Solar Panels, Before and After

This month, a roof on Columbia Heights in northern Brooklyn Heights was retrofitted with solar panels. At left, workers are seen beginning the installation. At right, a few days later, the installation is complete but the sun has not risen high enough to eliminate the shadow from a taller building across the street, not shown here. However, the sunlight has still reached part of the mansard roof to the right of the solar panels. The roof where the panels have been installed will receive sunlight for much of the day, but many brownstones don’t receive sufficient sun to cover the cost of putting in solar panels.

Photos by Henrik Krogius

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Waterpod Comes To Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 5

Brooklyn Bridge Park has announced the arrival of the Waterpod at Pier 5 (Furman and Joralemon streets) yesterday afternoon, one of several stopovers on its journey through the waterways surrounding the five boroughs of New York City. The Waterpod is a sustainable sculptural art and technology habitat where four artists will live, work, and hold events to further the artistic, ecological, scientific, and cultural richness of New York through October 2009.

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Clearwater Lecture Tonight

Tonight at 7 p.m. at the Waterfront Museum in Red Hook (290 Conover St.), Captain Samantha Heyman and Captain/Shipwright Nicholas Rogers of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater will present "Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Launching and Restoration of the historic Hudson Sloop Clearwater."

Launched in 1969 after years of fundraising by singer Pete Seeger, the Clearwater sails the Hudson river, hosting public tours and school groups. The historic vessel's purpose is to educate about New York's waterways and the environment.

Next week, from July 30 to August 2, the Clearwater will be docking in Red Hook. For more information about the lecture or the ship, visit www.waterfrontmuseum.org or www.clearwater.org.

Photo courtesy of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

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Enviromedia Mobile Tours Brooklyn

This summer the Enviromedia Mobile, the "traveling nature and maritime museum on wheels," has been touring Brooklyn. On Saturday it visited Governors Island, and on Sunday it visited IKEA/Erie Basin Park. This photo was taken at Erie Basin Park, and shows Urban Divers members preparing a tipi for the day’s "Urban Trekker Tour 2009." The festival featured a variety of environmentally oriented activities, including an eco-cruise, birds of prey demonstration, catch-and-release fishing, live underwater video exploration and eco activities under the tipi.

Upcoming festival dates are: August 30 and September 27 at Governors Island, August 16 at Valentino Park, August 15 and September 13 at IKEA/Erie Basin Park, and July 26 at Bensonhurst Park. For more information about each day, visit www.urbandivers.org.

Photo by Mary Frost

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Time's Up! Weekend Events

Time's Up!, New York City's direct-action environmental group, has a few bike-related events in Brooklyn listed on its web site for this coming weekend:

Tonight

Brooklyn Critical Mass, 7 p.m., with two meet-up points: the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Prospect Park or the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge. Critical Mass is a bicycling event that was originated in 1992 in San Fransisco to raise awareness about how unfriendly the city was to cyclists. Now, Critical Masses are held in over 300 cities around the world. The Brooklyn Critical Mass started in 2004, and is a monthly celebration of bicycles and other nonpolluting means of transportation.

Coney Island Cyclone Ride, 7 p.m., with three meet-up spots: 7 p.m. at the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge (southweat corner of Chambers and Centre Street/Park Row), 7:25 in Brooklyn at the Carroll Street Drawbridge (between Nevins and Bond), or 7:50 at the 69th Street Pier in Brooklyn at the Shore Parkway bike path entrance. The Cyclone Ride goes to Coney Island Amusement Park from Manhattan, in time to see the fireworks. Once at Coney, the group spends about an hour and a half in the park, on the beach and on the boardwalk. Some people return on the subway, others ride.

Brooklyn Critical Mass After Party, 9 p.m., at the East River Bar, 97 S. Sixth St., off of Bedford Avenue, next to the Time's Up! Brooklyn Space.

Rage of Nature Benefit Party, 10:30 p.m. Ride from the party at the East River Bar, 97 S. Sixth St., to the benefit at Wow Haus, 37 Grand Ave. Live bands, B-movies, games, performances, and much more, $15.

Saturday, July 11

XUP Mechanics at Williamsburg Walks, 12 - 7 p.m., North Seventh and Bedford. The Time's Up! Mechanics will be tabling all day Saturday as part of the final Williamsburg Walks event in Brooklyn. The Co-op mechanics will be conducting free bike repair lessons, safety checks, and answering any bike related questions throughout the day.

Prospect Park Moonlight Ride, 9 p.m., meet at Grand Army Plaza, the northern entrance of Prospect Park. The ride is opened to bikers and skilled skaters, and is not a race.

Sunday, July 12

Bike Repair Class: Brakes and Gears, 2 - 4 p.m., 99 South Sixth St. off Bedford Ave. Learn how to fix your bike. All bike workshops and classes are free.

Fix Your Bike Workshop, 4 - 6 p.m., 99 South Sixth St. off Bedford Ave. Learn how to fix your bike. All bike workshops and classes are free.

For details and information, visit times-up.org.

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Saving the Environment, Scoop by Scoop

Sometimes, a sweet tooth and concern for the environment go hand in hand. Such is the case for Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream (VLAIC) started last year by brothers Ben and Peter Van Leeuwen and Laura O’Neill, Ben’s wife, who are not only committed to offering the best ice cream possible, but also to reducing their carbon footprint.

What began from testing recipes in their Greenpoint home has evolved into a business that includes three trucks (soon to be five) that are stationed around the city and a presence in Whole Foods Markets in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Various independent markets, such as Get Fresh and Foragers Market in Brooklyn and Pioneer Supermarket in Manhattan, also carry VLAIC.

“We always wanted to have a smaller impact on the environment,” said O’Neill, who went on to explain that one way this is achieved is by keeping the trucks stationary, “like more of a storefront.”

The ingredients are all fresh, and local or organic wherever possible. The ice cream is made from hormone-free fresh milk and cream from farms in upstate New York. Other ingredients in the ice cream base are egg yolks and pure cane sugar. O’Neill explained that they don’t use condensed milk or preservatives or corn syrup in their ice cream, giving it a clean taste.

“It sets us apart from other ice creams,” she said. “It’s just like the kind of ice cream you would make at home.” She noted that their product has 19 percent butterfat and 30 percent less sugar than other high-end ice creams.

Also minimizing VLAIC’s carbon footprint are the disposable goods used, which are made from 100 percent renewable resources. The cups and napkins are Bagasse, a fiber made from sugar cane husk; and the drink cups, spoons and straws are made from corn husks.

The freezers in the ice cream trucks are plate freezers and charge overnight, meaning they don’t need to be plugged in every day. “We just have a very small generator to run the lights and cash register,” said O’Neill. “This means our trucks are nice and quiet and not burning unnecessary fuel all day.”

When creating their 10 flavors, O’Neill and the Van Leeuwens searched worldwide for the best ingredients possible. For the vanilla ice cream (VLAIC’s most popular flavor), they use organic Bourbon and Tahitian vanilla orchids grown in Papua New Guinea. French company Michel Cluizel is VLAIC’s chocolate supplier, and they use Piedmont hazelnuts for their hazelnut flavor.

“All of our ingredients are to the standards of organic or above,” O’Neill said. She noted that the red currants for the “Currants & Cream” flavor are local — grown in the Hudson Valley — and that the pistachios for the pistachio flavor are the only ones certified by the International Slow Food Institute, which supports food that is produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment.

VLAIC just introduced — six days ago, in fact — its newest flavor: Earl Grey tea, made with organic Rishi Tea and using only tea leaves from ancient tea trees. Later this summer, O’Neill will introduce a cinnamon flavor.

Currently, the Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream trucks stop in Brooklyn on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope and Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. One of the trucks has a permanent location on Greene and Prince streets in SoHo, and another stops under the High Line park at West 13th and Washington streets. VLAIC’s Twitter feed posts daily locations under the tag “VLAIC.”

Out of all their locations, O’Neill says she prefers Brooklyn. “We like working in Brooklyn because it’s our neighborhood,” she said, adding that she sees a lot of regular customers. She and Ben were in the truck at Bedford Avenue on the Fourth of July, where they sold so many banana splits that she had make a few trips to buy more organic bananas.

VLAIC’s commitment to the environment goes beyond daily business practices: to help preserve the Mountain Gorilla, one of the world’s most endangered species, one percent of all profits are given to Wildlife Direct, a grassroots organization that actively protects endangered species. VLAIC also donates to the WSPCA and the World Wildlife Foundation.

For more information about Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, visit www.vanleeuwenicecream.com.

Photo by Marc Hibsher

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Weekend Gowanus Cleanup

Eagle photographer Mike Plotz caught up with John Muir (pictured), vice chairman of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy’s Board of Directors and longtime Brooklyn environmentalist, at this past Saturday’s “Clean and Green” event sponsored by the conservancy.

Muir is the founder of the now-closed Center for the Urban Environment (CUE).

At the cleanup, volunteers collected large bags of debris and weeds and also planted wildflowers and other plants on the banks of the Gowanus Canal. Organizers say that when it rains, heavy metals from car runoff will then be absorbed by the plants instead of polluting the already troubled canal.

Photo by Mike Plotz

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