Third Thursday Tomorrow At CUE

The Center for the Urban Environment holds a monthly "Third Thursday" event, and this month it's focused on post-election strategies and campaigns around environmental issues.

Two panelists — Josh Nachowitz, New York State policy director for the New York League of Conservation Voters, and Dave Shukla, organizer with the Student Environmental Action Coalition — will discuss the recent election's impact on national, state and local environmental politics. This includes the role youth will play in ushering in a new clean energy economy by holding our newly elected officials to their campaign promises and demanding real solutions to the climate crisis.

The event is tomorrow from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at CUE, 168 Seventh St., between Second and Third Avenues.

For additional information, visit www.thecue.org.

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NYC Christmas Tree Goes Green

Even though Christmas is over, one Brooklyn family was granted (part of) their Christmas wish this week. On Jan. 10, the Rockerfeller Center Christmas Tree was taken down and milled into lumber that will be incorporated as shelving in Habitat-NYC’s new affordable condominium complex in Brooklyn.

Esther Huambo, a future homeowner at the Brooklyn complex, was at Rockefeller Center as the 72-foot trunk of the Norway spruce was cut into lumber in preparation for its new role. Her children, Dalila Santiago, 12, and Jose Santiago, 4, looked on as a large saw slicked the trunk into planks (family is pictured above).

“Now, every day will be Christmas at my house,” Dalila laughed.

A single mom, Esther works full time as a Student Accounts Assistant at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan, raises her children, is active in her church and has already completed 300 hours of sweat equity, helping to build her Habitat home.

The Habitat-NYC home at Atlantic Avenue, Eastern Parkway and Sherlock Place is the organization’s first large-scale building. When finished, it will house 41 New York families in need — double the number of homes Habitat produces in a typical year.

The residence includes a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units in three four-story buildings. Eleven ground-floor residences will be handicapped-adaptable.

Including wood recycled from the Rockerfeller Center tree will not be the only green feature of the complex. The project is being constructed with healthy and environmentally friendly materials and will strive to meet strict LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. Energy-efficient building methods will enable future Habitat homeowners to save up to 30 percent on their energy bills.

And the tree was green on its own. It was lit with 30,000 energy-efficient LEDs, powered in part by energy generated by a solar roof.

Photo by Anthony Collins

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Holiday Tree Recycling: Remove the Lights!

I came across this holiday tree on Henry Street between Love Lane and Clark Street while walking in Brooklyn Heights today.

As usual, NYC's Department of Sanitation has been doing curbside collection and recycling of trees, which began on January 5 and will last through this Friday, January 16. In a statement issued in December, Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty said the following:

"The Department is very pleased to offer this special recycling service. Providing collection and recycling options for residents is environmentally valuable and benefits our neighborhoods. Working in conjunction with the City's Parks & Recreation Department allows residents to take part in the recycling process and permits them to even reuse their composted Christmas trees to fertilize for the spring. Compost is a natural fertilizer and is an excellent soil enrichment that promotes the healthy growth of plants and grass."

The Brooklyn Heights resident who put out this tree had the right idea, but didn't remove the lights! I hope the Department of Sanitation still takes the tree and recycles it.

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Splashing for Global Warming

Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) New York Aquarium Director, Jon Forrest Dohlin (right) made a splash at the annual Coney Island Polar Bear New Year's Day plunge along with Polar Bear member Capri Djatiasmoro (left). Dohlin joined in this fun event to create awareness of global warming and the plight to polar bears in the wild. In the last 50 years, global climate changes have dramatically decreased the sea ice on which polar bears depend. There are currently an estimated 25,000 polar bears in the wild, but their extinction within this century is possible. See polar bears at the world-famous Bronx Zoo or Central Park Zoo and visit www.wcs.org to learn more about what WCS is doing to protect wildlife and wild lands around the globe.

Photo and press release courtesy of the NY Aquarium

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Tree Recycling at Green-Wood Cemetery

The most recent Borough Hall Christmas tree is fed into a mulching machine at Green-Wood Cemetery on Saturday by, left-right: Scot Medbury, president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden; Borough President Markowitz; and Richard Moylan, president of Green-Wood. The Christmas Tree Recycling and Wood Chip Giveaway is co-sponsored by both the Botanic Garden and the cemetery.

Photo by Georgine Benvenuto

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"I Don't Need A Bag"

Five simple words that could seriously impact the environment if everyone got in the habit of saying them. Unfortunately, sometimes it's difficult. Either you don't have a plastic bag alternative, or the cashier at the grocery (or other) store has already bagged your items before you even finish unloading your cart. More than once I've had to ask for my items taken out of the plastic bag they're already in. And more than once, whoever does it has an attitude about it. But as more and more people use reusable bags, the assumption that everyone wants a plastic bag will happen less and less. So stay strong and resist the plastic bags, no matter how inconvenient it might be.

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Shorter Showers: A Green Tip

I came across the Brooklyn Green Team's blog yesterday, and one feature on it is a series of "eco-challenges." Some of the challenges look fairly easy, like the "No Water Bottle" challenge, the "No Plastic Bag" challenge and the "Bring Your Own Mug" challenge. But I found one a little daunting: the "Five-Minute Shower" challenge.

I take long showers. It's something I've always been embarrassed about and tried to change. I've never been able to trim my shower down to five minutes and always thought it was an impossible feat.

But the Brooklyn Green Team had the following advice:

"Turn your shower on and get yourself soaked. Then turn off the water while you lather, shampoo and shave, then turn on the water for a quick rinse.

"Try using an eco-friendly shampoo and conditioner — not only better for the environment, but washes out faster — cutting your time."

I tried this in last night's shower, and I definitely used less water and took less time.

Thanks, Brooklyn Green Team!

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