Student Farmers of BK Farmyards Grow Fresh Produce for the Local Community

Student Farmers of BK Farmyards Grow Fresh Produce for the Local Community

The students at East Flatbush’s High School for Public Service are doing much more than getting an education -- they are helping to change their community for the better. Through a partnership with BK Farmyards, the students have been growing produce, herbs, and flowers in their very own urban farm. Inhabitat recently visited the Youth Farm, which is responsible for providing fresh healthy foods to the community, which is otherwise devoid of fresh vegetable sources.
 

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The Green Festival Lands in New York City for Earth Day

The Green Festival Lands in New York City for Earth Day

The Green Festival hits the Big Apple for the first time this weekend, April 21-22 at the new LEED-certified North Wing of the Jacob Javits Center. The eco-conscious event is perfectly timed for Earth Day festivities and will feature talks from 125 authors,

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PHOTOS: Patrick Blanc’s Enchanting Vertical Garden Wonderland is Laced with 7,000 Orchids

PHOTOS: Patrick Blanc’s Enchanting Vertical Garden Wonderland is Laced with 7,000 Orchids

If you love the drama and wonder of green walls but have never experienced one in real life, don't miss your chance to see Patrick Blanc's dazzling display of living tapestries created for the New York Botanical Garden's 10th Annual Orchid Show (it ends this weekend!). The annual Orchid Show already inspires an enthusiasm akin to mania amongst orchid-lovers, but for their 10th year, they really wanted to blow people away botanically. So they sought out the help of Patrick Blanc, a botanist who has created some of the world's most jaw-dropping vertical garden installations. With the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory as his canvas and flora as his medium, Blanc painted a tropical wonderland, lacing archways, walls and even a breathtaking "green cube" with 7,000 luscious orchids. If you can't make it to the show before it ends on April 22, you can click through the vibrant photos we snapped to see everything you'll be missing, but you really have no excuse since Inhabitat readers get 20% off admission (keep reading for the details). And if you need even more coaxing, one of the NYBG's gardeners told us that even Sigourney Weaver stopped by to marvel at the magical gardens.
 

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Inventor Leif Percifield Discusses His ‘Don’t Flush Me’ Sewer Overflow Sensor System

Inventor Leif Percifield Discusses His ‘Don’t Flush Me’ Sewer Overflow Sensor System

Inhabitat had the incredible opportunity to meet with Leif Percifield, the young inventor of the innovative Don’t Flush Me project. Don’t Flush Me is a system that raises awareness of sewage overflow by notifying its users when CSO is occurring. Percifield gave us a closer look at his handmade sewage overflow detection system, including some new prototypes for home use.
 

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First Street Green Park in the East Village Opens a Season of Cultural Programming on Earth Day

First Street Green Park in the East Village Opens a Season of Cultural Programming on Earth Day

Celebrate this upcoming Earth Day at the new First Street Green Park with a bash that also launches their season of programming. Taking over the now vacant lot that hosted the BMW Guggenheim Lab last year, the alley joins NYC’s Department of Parks and Recreation

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Alison Knowles Will Make a Giant Salad on the High Line & You’re Invited to Eat it!

Alison Knowles Will Make a Giant Salad on the High Line & You’re Invited to Eat it!

How will you be celebrating Earth Day this weekend? Perhaps the tastiest event in NYC will be taking place this Sunday, April 22 on the High Line, where artist Alison Knowles will be staging an art historical performance. The artist, who was part of the Fluxus

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Propane Fracking Method Could Avoid New York Gas Drilling Ban

Propane Fracking Method Could Avoid New York Gas Drilling Ban

New plans to extract natural gas and oil from shale could bypass New York’s hydraulic fracturing moratorium. The waterless fracking method uses propane instead of the conventional method that pumps a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals deep underground.

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‘Born Out of Necessity’ at MoMA Seeks Solutions for Pressing Problem Through Innovative Design

‘Born Out of Necessity’ at MoMA Seeks Solutions for Pressing Problem Through Innovative Design

The latest exhibit from the Museum of Modern Art’s Architecture and Design Department gathers together pieces that touch upon the broad idea of problem-solving through design. Featuring products designed to address real life concerns ranging from those faced by developing nations to modern urban environments, "Born Out of Necessity" brings together devices created to remediate problems and make life easier. From futuristic prototypes for foraging to simplistic plastics that help create clean water, the works show leading designers’ innovative solutions to pressing and universal problems, like the need to live more sustainably and help underprivileged peoples.
 

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Warm, Dry Weather Raises Brush Fire Concerns in NYC

Warm, Dry Weather Raises Brush Fire Concerns in NYC

Smoke from the Fresh Kills brush fire in Staten Island

As temperatures continue to rise (um, a high of 86 today?!) and rains continue to evade us, brush fires are becoming a very real danger for New Yorkers. Last week, more than 100 firefighters stopped

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The Changing Face of Community Supported Agriculture

The Changing Face of Community Supported Agriculture

photo © Tim Sackton via Flickr Creative Commons

As the season’s newest vegetables appear at our markets and grocery stores, many New Yorkers are renewing their annual CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) memberships, preparing for a delicious season of

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Patrick Blanc’s Gorgeous Vertical Gardens Flank the 10th Annual Orchid Show at NYBG

Patrick Blanc’s Gorgeous Vertical Gardens Flank the 10th Annual Orchid Show at NYBG

Spring is here, and the New York Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show is in full bloom. Now in its tenth year, the show features gorgeous vertical gardens this year, carefully curated by French botanist Patrick Blanc. The gardens transform the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into an orchid wonderland, complete with colorful blooms, feathery ferns and exotic plants. Planning to visit the show yourself? Inhabitat readers get 20% off admission - click through for details!
 

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Weaponry Collages Made from Cut Money to be Displayed at Joshua Liner Gallery in Chelsea

Weaponry Collages Made from Cut Money to be Displayed at Joshua Liner Gallery in Chelsea

Chad Person creates these incredible collages with dollars, slicing up the United States currency and reassembling it to create intricate images. Many of these are war-themed, taking the form of weapons, tanks, and other military machines. Playfully titled TaxCut, the artist has been destroying hundreds of dollar bills professionally for two years, and he cheekily deducts the amount as material expenditure on his taxes. He makes images of weaponry to call attention to the U.S. government's excessive defense spending.
 

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Designers Propose Ideas for the Possible Tappan Zee Bridge Park

Designers Propose Ideas for the Possible Tappan Zee Bridge Park

Advocates are pushing to turn the disused Tappan Zee Bridge in New York into another sprawling elevated park - much like the super popular High Line. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced that the proposal is an exciting option, and designers have already submitted plans to turn the bridge into a green getaway for leisure, sports, and sustainable transportation.
 

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NYC is the Most Walkable City in the United States

NYC is the Most Walkable City in the United States

Since most of Inhabitat’s NYC-based writers live a car-free life, we’d be the first to tell you that the Big Apple is extremely walkable, and as it turns out, there is copious data to back-up that claim! The Walk Score has just released its annual report measuring

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Mobile Shipping Container Studio by LOT-EK Takes Over the Whitney Museum Sculpture Court

Mobile Shipping Container Studio by LOT-EK Takes Over the Whitney Museum Sculpture Court

As the Whitney Museum prepares to move its headquarters downtown, the Upper East Side building is still making waves. A pop-up shipping container studio, designed by LOT-EK, is invading the Sculpture Court that runs along the front of the museum. The mobile cube, called The Whitney Studio, will host a program of events throughout the spring and summer of 2012.
 

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Last Year Saw the Most NYC Subway Riders Since 1950

Last Year Saw the Most NYC Subway Riders Since 1950

image © Ed Yourdon via Flickr Creative Commons

As car-free denizens of New York, we rely on the subway to get us from here to there, and more New Yorkers than ever are doing the same. In 2011, 1.6 billion straphangers took to the trains, making it the

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‘This Side of Paradise’ Transforms Abandoned Bronx Mansion into Interactive Art Exhibition

‘This Side of Paradise’ Transforms Abandoned Bronx Mansion into Interactive Art Exhibition

The idyllic mansion that once was the Andrew Freedman Home looks out of place in the current surrounding architecture of the Bronx. Non-profit group No Longer Empty has taken over the abandoned palatial structure, transforming it into an art installation like no other. "This Side of Paradise" asked various artists to create works influenced by the colorful history of one of the Bronx's remaining mansions. On view through June 5, the exhibition transforms the rooms of the ornate home into contemporary site-specific art.
 

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New York City Triples Solar Power Production

New York City Triples Solar Power Production

Thanks to new solar arrays atop ten city buildings, including three police stations, two schools, a fire station, and sanitation department garages, New York City has tripled its solar power production. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement yesterday during

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Kim Holleman’s Trailer Park Recycles a Camper Into a Mobile Green Oasis

Kim Holleman’s Trailer Park Recycles a Camper Into a Mobile Green Oasis

New Yorkers are always longing for more green space, and artist Kim Holleman has a quick fix solution. Playing off of the notion of a trailer park, the artist completely revamped an old camper, transforming it into a mobile public park. Filled with a lush garden of plants and shrubbery, Trailer Park has been making its way around New York City over the past few years, enticing visitors with a breath of fresh air and a peaceful place to rest.
 

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Axis Mundi Re-Imagines A Concrete Lace Network for the Whitney Downtown Museum

Axis Mundi Re-Imagines A Concrete Lace Network for the Whitney Downtown Museum

Axis Mundi isn't content to rest on their laurels - the firm has decided to design their own version of the Whitney Downtown museum. Located at the beginning of the High Line park, the Whitney Museum will serve as an important public gathering space and almost acts like the entrance to the elevated urban green space. Axis Mundi's design calls for a lace-like concrete superstructure that offers large, spacious, column-free galleries, and an influx of natural daylight. Designed to take in specific views from around the city, the building takes inspiration from the current Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue.
 

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Pixelated Chlorophyll Tower Absorbs New York City’s CO2 Like a Plant

Pixelated Chlorophyll Tower Absorbs New York City’s CO2 Like a Plant

IAMZ's renders for the Chlorophyll Tower may seem a little dark and apocalyptic but the concept is very much rooted in the field of biomimicry. Taking inspiration from the way that leaves absorb water, CO2, and light in order to make their own energy, this bizarre-looking residential tower absorbs harmful NYC emissions while also producing the energy it needs to remain self-sufficient. The grid-like pods are easily stacked on top of one another along a series of stabilizing columns, making this a flexible design that can shrink or grow as needed.
 

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Valerie Hegarty Uses Recycled Materials to Create Haunting Works That Look Like Decay

Valerie Hegarty Uses Recycled Materials to Create Haunting Works That Look Like Decay

Valerie Hegarty’s haunting works artfully combine recycled materials, found objects, and tree branches. The New York City-based artist's work transcends traditional painting, instead appearing as if the pieces are relics from a long lost sunken ship or demolished historic estate. Last month, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council opened its doors, inviting guests in to take a peek around the studios of their artists in residence, and Inhabitat was on hand to check out some new examples of Hegarty's amazing work.
 

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Massive Artificial Mountain Could Make Skiing Possible in the Lower East Side

Massive Artificial Mountain Could Make Skiing Possible in the Lower East Side

If you weren't happy with the big box stores that could be hitting the Lower East Side as part of the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA), what do you think about the idea of topping them off with a massive artificial mountain? That's what designer Ju-Hyun Kim proposes with Manhattan Mountain, a snowy slope that would hide the unsightly retailers slated to move into the area and attract tourists to a unique urban skiing experience.
 

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6 Egg-citing NYC Easter Activities for Kids and Adults!

6 Egg-citing NYC Easter Activities for Kids and Adults!

Whether you're looking for a basket-full of chocolate bunnies or a nice pastel-colored cocktail to enjoy with your (hopefully) sunny Sunday afternoon, we've rounded up some egg-citing NYC spots to enjoy this year's Easter festivities. From an Easter egg hunt that involves tracking a giant rabbit in the depths of Manhattan, to a more low-key egg-decorating workshop that teaches you the Ukrainian batik-method of embellishing, to a lunchtime cruise where you can sip on mimosas as your kids pester the Easter Bunny, jump ahead for 6 of NYC's best Easter activities. They're sure to please kids and adults alike!
 

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Downtown Brooklyn Shipping Container Market Returns With a Special Spring Weekend on April 7-8!

Downtown Brooklyn Shipping Container Market Returns With a Special Spring Weekend on April 7-8!

It’s back! After a winter hiatus, the much beloved Dekalb Market, made from nearly three dozen salvaged shipping containers, is returning to Downtown Brooklyn today Saturday, April 7th. The market first debuted last summer, and it has grown from a commercial

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