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MOD{all} Studio recently sent us their green redesign of the Conover Cottages in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Called Eco-ttage, the sustainable facelift was the winning entry in a competition to give the iconic (but not very attractive) homes a much-needed overhaul, and is nearing completion of construction. Featuring several …

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Music and local food united this weekend in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park for the first ever Great GoogaMooga, a 2-day festival boasting about 75 food vendors, local brewers, winemakers and live music from the likes of The Roots and Hall & Oates. But foodies got a lot more than long lines and gourmet burgers. Just Food, a pioneer in sustainable food programming in New York, helped curate what they called the "The UrBarn Experience". The recycled wood UrBarn structure was intended to physically represent the farm meeting the city and created a community space for learning about sustainable eats at the festival.

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You might recognize Colin Beavan as the star of the documentary “No Impact Man”, or you may have read his book by the same name, but you might soon be seeing him in a completely different capacity – as a congressman. Beavan announced last week that he is running for Congress in central Brooklyn’s 8th Congressional District on the Green Party ticket. Citing what he describes as “growing world crises” in climate change, the environment, economics and energy production, he is calling for an end to the traditional Democratic-Republican debate in Washington and pushing for a focus on local economic development. To that end, the issues on which Beavan is campaigning include the end of corporate money in politics, food stamps for use at farmers’ markets and the “prioritizing of human connections before good consumption.”

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We have some good news for Midtown Manhattaners who have been waiting for a greener and easier way to get to IKEA in Brooklyn. The Swedish furniture giant is testing a new ferry stop at the East 35th Street Terminal in Murray Hill, and if all goes well, they’ll be extending their free weekend service to that location. The partnership with New York Water Taxi will run every forty minutes from 11:20 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

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This summer, a couple of green-loving Brooklynites want to transform an abandoned lot in Red Hook into a native plant center that would be open to the public for free. The project, called nativeBK, has taken to Kickstarter to get off the ground. A native plant nursery does not yet exist in NYC, and the project aims to connect local residents and businesses to native …

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This summer, photography lovers will be treated to a unique experience: United Photo Industries‘ pop-up Photoville, which lands in Brooklyn Bridge Park on June 22. The innovative photography experience will transform 30 shipping containers into a village of photography galleries, showing some of New York’s best and brightest photographers. Located on the Pier 3 Uplands, the photo park will introduce the public to area artists — and it’s completely free!

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In preparation for the New York Food Book Fair, the Garden Gather Dinner invites local foodies to experience a private dinner of local fare at the new Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. This Friday, guests can partake in a unique dinner honoring co-founder of the New York Mycological Society, John Cage, and benefitting GrowNYC’s New Farmer Development Project. Guests will enjoy a freshly gardened and foraged dinner by Chef-Artist Leif Hedendal and Mark Andrew Gravel.

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The ongoing City Point project is transforming the Fulton Street Mall in Downtown Brooklyn. The first phase, a four story retail complex is already complete, and now the second phase – two residential towers – is in the works. Designed by Cook+Fox with Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture, the LEED-seeking towers will cap an enormous retail podium, creating a new mixed-use center.

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photo © Elvert Barnes via Creative Commons

The MTA has turned to green energy to help make subway rides a little more pleasant for riders. A system of solar panels has been installed at the Smith-Ninth Street F and G train stop near the elevated Culver Viaduct. The solar energy harnessed from the panels will fuel track lubricators, creating a smoother ride.

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On Saturday, May 12th, the Brooklyn Food Coalition, a grass-roots community based organization that works on creating a just and sustainable food system in Brooklyn, will be hosting its annual Brooklyn Food Conference. First hosted in 2009, the humble and unassuming event, spearheaded by Nancy Romer and the Park Slope Food Coop, ballooned into something much larger than expected, with more than 3,000 people in attendance. This year, the conference is expected to draw upwards of 5,000 attendees, young and old from all five of New York City’s boroughs.

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photo by Jessica Dailey for Inhabitat

Yesterday, competitive cyclist Joshua P. Rechnitz single handedly made the largest monetary gift to the NYC park system and made the widely longed for dream of an indoor velodrome within NYC come true. Rechnitz, the grandson of philanthropists, pledged $40 million to build a new recreational center in an old warehouse on Pier 5 of the Brooklyn Bridge Park near Furman Street. The velodrome will be an easily accessible crown jewel in the NYC parks department, and it could open as soon as 2016.

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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 hotspot of local artisans and eateries to a cultural community destination that hosts family-friendly events, live music and art experiences, unique shops, an urban farm, and delicious locally-made food. The Spring Weekender event today and tomorrow will feature all this, plus special Easter events.

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If all goes according to BrightFarms‘ ambitious new plan, Brooklyn, New York will soon be the home to the world’s largest rooftop farm. The hydroponic greenhouse company announced last week that Sunset Park was chosen as the location for the future 100,000 square ft., multi-acre farm rooftop farm, which would be able to grow enough food to meet the fresh produce needs of 5,000 New Yorkers. Up until now, trying to find produce grown in Brooklyn yielded slim pickins’ (though we know a few great spots). The new facility will create 25 new full-time jobs and could change the business models of many local merchants by providing them with a producer that’s just a few miles, or even a few blocks, away.

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