Reduce, Reuse, Re... Cyclone?

Now through July 18th, the Brooklyn Cyclones and National Grid present Going Green Week at KeySpan Park.

The Cyclones’ Going Green Week will feature National Grid expo tables on the ballpark’s concourse level to educate and motivate fans, regarding ways to be more environmentally conscious.

National Grid also offers a variety of energy efficiency tips, valuable rebates for the installation of energy efficiency products and information on its web site, www.thinksmartthinkgreen.com.

At last night's game, the first 2,500 fans in attendance received Going Green tote bags, presented by National Grid.

On July 18th, the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a 100% Organic Cotton T-shirt, presented by National Grid. That night, the Cyclones will also be wearing Bamboo Jerseys, made of all-natural fibers.

Tickets to Cyclones games are available at the team's web site.

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Green Job Workshops at Brooklyn Public Library

The Brooklyn Public Library is hosting two green job workshops in the upcoming weeks. Attendees will learn about the next generation of jobs that will have a positive impact on the environment, find out which types of businesses need green workers, and what skills and training is needed to land a great job.

The first meeting will be Tuesday, July 28, from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at the Business Library at 280 Cadman Plaza West. The second will be Tuesday, August 18 from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at the Central Library, at 10 Grand Army Plaza in the second floor meeting room.

Register online here or call 718.623.7000 (select option 4).

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The Waterpod Project: Sustainable Living In the Waters of NYC

If you’ve ever wanted to escape city life without being too far from the city, you might take some cues from artist Mary Mattingly. After several years of planning, she is now living on an inland deck barge — dubbed Waterpod — currently docked at Governors Island’s Yankee Pier.

Built from recycled materials and eco-friendly products, Waterpod is a sustainable living space, with its inhabitants (all artists) living almost completely off the barge itself. Chickens and a garden supply the food, and the barge relies solely on solar power, bicycle power and a picohydro system (water power).

Designed as a public work of art, since it launched in late May (it was first docked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard), it has showcased artwork and served as an educational tool, with visits from three to four school groups a week, said Mattingly.

Waterpod has open hours for the public to take tours. This past weekend, inhabitants of the barge hosted a yoga session, after which participants were encouraged to tour Governors Island’s green landscape.

The barge will be touring the Hudson and East Rivers, docking in each of the five boroughs. So far, it has had a strong presence in Brooklyn. Along with the Navy Yard, Waterpod was previously docked at the Sheepshead Bay Marina. For almost two weeks in August, the barge will visit Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Sustainable Living

Waterpod measures about 120 by 18 feet. It is made up of four separate spaces: a public area; space for the garden; an area that includes a bathroom, kitchen and gathering space; and a structure of 10 by 60 feet that’s broken up into sleep spaces.

Although the space to sleep is small and the barge is sometimes shared by up to five people, Mattingly (pictured left with Alison Ward and Eve K. Tremblay, artists and residents of the Waterpod) says it wasn’t that hard of an adjustment. “My apartment in Long Island City was quite small as well,” she laughed.

A typical day for the Waterpod occupants — all volunteers — starts at around 6:30 a.m., said Mattingly. Morning activities include visiting the chickens, cleaning their pen and watering the garden. The group then makes coffee with a “rocket stove,” which is a steel drum in which scraps are burned, made for the Waterpod Project by students in California.

Mattingly explained that for the remainder of a day, inhabitants clean the deck, check e-mails, make phone calls, work on the systems on the boat that aren’t yet complete, and take some leisure time.

The experience of living on the Waterpod has been good so far, Mattingly noted. “It’s really nice to sleep here at night. It’s peaceful.” But, she said, “it’s more isolating than I had imagined.”

There have been some challenges that Mattingly didn’t anticipate before moving on to the barge. “We don’t have enough food,” she said, because the chickens only produce one to two eggs a day and the vegetables — although getting fuller, particularly because of the rain — haven’t been able to feed the entire group. So they have supplemented with produce from local CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture groups) and gifts they have received.

Mattingly said the group has also decided to incorporate visits to surrounding neighborhoods, something that wasn’t planned before. They would take between 20 and 40 dollars a day out to explore.

Mattingly previously thought the group would be able to rely on bicycle power, but this has also proven difficult. “I have to pedal for half an hour to get half my cell phone charged,” she said. So they’ve placed more of an emphasis on solar power, which has been good despite the rain, and a machine that generates power from rainwater. Mattingly noted that she hopes to get a wind turbine installed on the barge, but that’s also been a struggle, as the Department of Buildings doesn’t allow them in New York City.

Still, “every day I’ve been learning something new,” Mattingly says. She hopes that people who visit and learn about the Waterpod will make changes in their own lives. “We’re pushing the limits for New York City. I hope it inspires people to implement [sustainable practices] in their own lives.”

Photos by Georgine Benvenuto

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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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Greenway Cleanup This Weekend

Join the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) for its monthly cleanup of the Columbia Street section of the Greenway. It will be this Saturday, July 11, from 10 - 11:30 a.m. Tools, trash bags and work gloves are provided, and all ages are welcome. Meet at BGI's office, 145 Columbia St. between Kane and DeGraw. RSVP to bmccormick@brooklyngreenway.org.

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Botanic Garden Unveils Plans For 'Green' Visitor Center

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) last week released plans for its new Visitor Center pavilion, which is slated to replace the current entrance adjacent to the northern parking lot at 900 Washington Ave. The project will break ground this summer and is planned to open in spring 2011.

As the first new structure built at the garden in 20 years and designed by architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi — architects of the Seattle Art Museum’s celebrated Olympic Sculpture Park — the 22,000-square-foot complex will house a new garden shop, an orientation room for tours and classes, an information desk, an event space, a refreshment bar and restrooms.

Visitors will cross a welcoming plaza, accented with plantings, to enter the new building. From the entrance, the center will extend westward toward the Cherry Esplanade.

Conceived as a seamless extension of the Garden’s landscape, the sinuous glass building, nestled into an existing berm at the Garden’s northeast corner, will serve as a three-dimensional continuation of the garden path system, framing a series of views into and through the Garden.

“Some of the world’s best buildings take their cues from natural settings,” said BBG President Scot Medbury. “Our vision for the new Visitor Center is that it should be an extension of the landscape, not just serving as a physical entry to the Garden but creating opportunities to enrich the visitor experience so that even before they begin their Garden tour, they will be transported.”

While the form and materials of the new building will echo historic structures at the Garden, its design and function will belong to the 21st century as the Garden’s first green structure, certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. The Visitor Center will apply to receive a LEED Gold certification.

Sustainable design elements featured in the new center will include recycled building materials, passive solar components, geothermal heating, and bioswales (recessed catchment zones filled with water-loving plants) that will improve storm-water management and relieve the burden on the municipal sewer system.

The design will also feature a “living roof” that will utilize a wide range of native and/or drought-resistant plants, offering both energy savings and seasonal displays.

“We are in awe of both the exceptional beauty and the environmental sustainability of this innovative design,” said Medbury. “The new Visitor Center will physically embody our institutional commitment to conservation. We hope it will also inspire our neighbors and visitors to think about how they can incorporate green solutions into their own homes, businesses and lives.”

Weiss/Manfredi’s design was presented with a prestigious Award for Excellence in Design by the Public Design Commission of the City of New York. The award recognizes the superb integration of form, function, and sustainable practice in the design of the Garden’s new Visitor Center.

“A botanic garden is an unusual kind of museum with a living collection that is constantly changing,” said Marion Weiss, principal at Weiss/Manfredi. “The new Visitor Center is conceived as inhabitable topography, defining the threshold between the city and the Garden. Like the Garden itself, the building is experienced cinematically and is never seen in its entirety.”

“To provoke curiosity and interest in the world-class collection, the new building will provide a legible point of arrival and orientation, an interface between culture and cultivation,” said Michael Manfredi, also a principal at the firm.

“A chameleon-like structure, the Visitor Center transitions from an architectural presence at the street into a structured landscape within the Garden. The building redefines the physical and philosophical relationship between visitor and garden, introducing new connections between landscape and structure, exhibition and movement.”

The Visitor Center’s design was approved by the Design Commission in June 2008. Lead funding for the Visitor Center has been provided by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York City Council, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Representative Yvette C. Clarke.

Rendering courtesy of Weiss/Manfredi

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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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