NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is planning to announce a citywide composting plan that would divert 100,000 tons of food scraps from landfills annually. Tested through a spring pilot program on Staten Island in which 43 percent of residents participated in composting their scrap foods, the all-borough, voluntary composting program is expected to roll out this fall. New York City has the potential to save up to $100 million a year by diverting food and organic waste from landfills. Other U.S. cities like Seattle and San Francisco already have mandatory composting programs in place and have seen up to a 70 percent decrease in landfill waste collection.

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Post tags: composting, composting nyc, food waste new york, landfills, mayor michael bloomberg, New York city Department of Sanitation, new york city mayors office, new york city recycling, new york city recycling programs, new york city schools recycling, NYC landfills, nyc waste reduction, solid waste reduction, staten island compost program, staten island composting

Read the rest of Brooklyn Bridge Park Unveils 10 Designs to Turn Dilapidated Warehouses into Greenery-Filled Destinations testing

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Post tags: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn warehouse restoration project, brooklyn waterfront, Chelsea Market, Domino Sugar Refinery, dumbo brooklyn, empire warehouses, Jamestown properties, nyc historic warehouses, nyc rooftop farms, regina myer, two trees

Read the rest of 6 Ways to Spend Father’s Day with Your Dad in NYC testing

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Image via Global Green USA Flickr

Yesterday, Global Green USA announced the roll-out of its “Solar for Sandy” program to build emergency back-up solar energy systems at five or more Sandy-struck NYC community centers to prepare for future blackouts like the one that overtook the city last fall. The first full-scale program implementation will begin this fall in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The new program is supported in part by the Clinton Global Initiative and by home furnishings retailer IKEA, whose Brooklyn store and the surrounding community were deeply impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

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Post tags: Clinton global initiative, far rockaway, global green usa, Hurricane Sandy, matt Peterson, nyc blackout, nyc emergency services, nyc flood zone, nyc natural disaster relief projects, nyc solar energy systems, Parsons The New School For Design, red hook hurricane sandy, red hook ikea, solar energy nyc, solar for sandy, solar for sandy global green usa program

Read the rest of Benjamin Jones’ Technicolor TreeHouse Returns to Governors Island [PHOTOS] testing

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Post tags: benjamin jones, build it green, eco art, eco design, figment arts festival, governor's island figment festival, governor's island green building, governor's island pavilion, governors island, green architecture, green art, green art nyc, green building, green design, new york, nyc, reclaimed materials, recycled materials, solar power, sustainable art, sustainable design, sustainable treehouse, tree house, treehouse, Treehouses

Read the rest of Giant “Cloud” Made of Recycled Plastic Bottles Pops Up on Governors Island testing

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Post tags: city of dreams, eco design, Enneper Pavilion, figment, figment festival, Fodder Form Pavilion, governors island, green design, Head in the CLouds, HuycKurlanDowling, Jason Klimoski, Lesley Chang, Maria Mingallon, MTQTHSS, recycled art, recycled plastic bottles, STUDIKCA, sustainable design

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Post tags: brooklyn navy yard, brooklyn navy yard redevelopment, Duggal Energy Solutions, duggal greenhouse, Duggal LEED platinum, duggal visual solutions, eco design, environmental design, environmental sustainability, green brooklyn, green buildings in brooklyn, green buildings nyc, green business, green business nyc, green design, green hub nyc, Gregory okshteyn, LEED certified buildings, lumpi lamps, navy yard green, rooftop farm nyc, studios go

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Post tags: 230 Fifth, bars with outdoor seating nyc, Berry Park, Boat Basin Cafe, eco design, eco friendly bar nyc, Four Bar, Frying Pan Nyc, green bar nyc, green design, nyc eco bar, nyc outdoor bar, outdoor bar nyc, outdoor bars NYC, rooftop bars nyc, sustainable design, The Ides, Wythe Hotel

Read the rest of PHOTOS: MakerBot Opens New 50,000 Sq. Ft. 3D Printer Factory in Brooklyn testing

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Read the rest of 12 Things to Know Before Using NYC’s New Citi Bike Share Program testing

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Image via Wikimedia Commons

We’ve got some pretty disappointing news today for New Yorkers who were expecting to see a swarm of cicadas overtake the city – they’re probably not coming. Apparently, the noisy bugs RSVPed to the party but aside from making an appearance in Staten Island, scientists say they won’t be showing up in other areas of NYC. It seems we’ve only got ourselves to blame though as researchers think that overuse of land and lack of trees are to blame for the insects’ no-show.

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Post tags: eco design, green architecture, green design, green nyc architecture, green roof, green roofs, greenpoint green, kickstarter, kickstarter green roof, kickstarter greenpoint, kickstarter headquarters, Ole Sondresen, Ole Sondresen Architects, sustainable design

Image via NYC Mayor’s Office Flickr

Mayor Bloomberg recently announced the launch of the “NYC Build it Back” program to assist homeowners, landlords and tenants whose homes were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Affected residents who have been waiting in limbo with no money to repair their homes or move will now have access to federally-funded grants and loans to rebuild and recover out-of-pocket costs they incurred as a result of the superstorm.

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Post tags: Hurricane Sandy, hurricane sandy home owners, hurricane sandy nyc, Hurricane Sandy recovery, mayor bloomberg, mayor michael bloomberg, nyc build it back, nyc build it back program, nyc city hall, nyc department of housing and urban development, nyc housing recovery

Image via CUNY

Residents of Manhattan’s Upper East Side are fuming over the Marine Transfer Station that is being planned to transport garbage in and out of a location at East 91st St. Opponents of the facility are mainly concerned about the station’s proximity to a local community hub where thousands of children play. According to protesters, the new transfer station will create negative health impacts like increased asthma risks and other respiratory issues in addition to noise, odors, harm to the river and increased traffic in the neighborhood. Despite the city’s refusal to stop the project, parents and concerned community groups are still battling the resurrected 1930s transfer station, which will be seeing 5,280 tons of garbage per day if all goes according to plan.

Read the rest of Upper East Side Residents Fight to Protect Kids From Damaging Health Effects of Planned Trash Station testing

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Post tags: Asphalt Green, asthma kids nyc, Christine Quinn, health effects of trash, marine transfer station, residents for sane trash solutions, south bronx, sustainable south bronx, Upper East Side

Now that the Citi Bike share program is open to all New Yorkers, there are sure to be even more folks needing bike parts and other riding-related apparatus on-the-go. Express Biker anticipated this demand and has launched two of its self-service vending machines offering bike-related emergency products (like patches for popped tires) in Brooklyn. Forget walking miles to the nearest bike shop or cursing the skies when service centers are closed. These on-demand, 24-hour kiosks will make getting bike repair supplies as easy as purchasing a bag of chips or a soda.

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Post tags: bed stuy, bike kiosk, bike repair, bike repair shops, bike share nyc, brooklyn bike repair, brooklyn bike vending machine, citi bike, citi bike nyc, citi bike share nyc, express biker, express biker brooklyn, express biker nyc, nyc bike kiosk, nyc bike repair shops, prospect park, shiman kivman, vending machines, Williamsburg

If you’re one of the many New Yorkers who stood at a Citi Bike kiosk last week pressing buttons and scratching your head because you simply couldn’t rent a bike, we’ve got good news for you. It’s not that those terminals were broken; the NYC bike share program just wasn’t open yet to non-annual members – but it is now! As of yesterday, Citi Bike made its 6,000 royal blue cruisers available to all weekly and daily members, which means that you no longer need an annual member key to unlock them. Happy riding!

+ Citi Bike

+ Citi Bike on Inhabitat

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Summer is just around the corner, and Brooklyn’s MetroTech campus has announced it will be hosting a program of free music, film and sports in Downtown Brooklyn. Activating the MetroTech Commons, Forest City Ratner Companies has curated the Summer@MetroTech series to invigorate the community during the warmer months. This year, they’ve partnered with Rooftop Films, World Science Festival, BEAT Festival and the City Parks Foundation to create another summer of fun for area residents and visitors.


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Post tags: BAM R&B Festival, BEAT Festival, Brooklyn, City Parks Foundation, eco design, Forest City Ratner Companies, green design, rooftop films, Summer@MetroTech, sustainable design, World SCienc eFestival

We were bummed when eco-clothing brand ROGAN shut down their store on the Bowery last month with just a simple note promising their summer return at an unspecified location. But now we’re elated to report that ROGAN has finally found a new home in the hipster trenches of Williamsburg at Beautiful Dreamers. Though Manhattanites will now have to pop down over the bridge to shop the men’s spring and accessories collection, you might find the new green fashion bunker boutique (as ROGAN calls it) well worth the trek.

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Last week, Mayor Bloomberg and New York City Parks Commissioner Veronica M. White visited Coney Island to announce the opening of all New York City beaches for the 2013 season. The kick-off was even more special than in past years because it also included beaches in places like the Rockaways, Coney Island and Cedar Grove that were badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy. After the storm, there was speculation over whether these areas could be restored in time for Memorial Day weekend, but all doubts were erased this morning with the unveiling of even better, more resilient facilities at these locations.

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Post tags: Brighton beach Manhattan Beach, brooklyn beach, Cedar Grove, coney island, eco design, environmental sustainability, flood-proof construction, Garrison Architects, green building, green design, green NYC, Hurricane Sandy, Inhabitat Local New York City, Inhabitat NYC, jim garrison, new york city, nyc beach buildings, nyc beaches open, nyc prefab, Orchard Beach, post-Sandy construction, prefab beach buildings, Rockaway Beach, South Beach, sustainable design, when do nyc beaches open, Wolfe’s Pond

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Citi Bike just launched New York City’s first bike sharing program as 6,000 royal blue cruisers took to the streets of Manhattan! So far more than 10,000 people have signed up to use the brand new bikes, and nearly 15,000 have enrolled in Citi Bike’s membership program. Though the program comes one year late (and much to the chagrin of several factions across NYC’s boroughs), most New Yorkers are welcoming the bikes with open arms, hoping that the program will mean more bike paths, safer riding city-wide, reduced emissions, and healthier bodies.

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Image via NYC Mayor’s Office Flickr

Yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Finance Commissioner David M. Frankel announced a $90.3 million reduction in property taxes for residents and commercial business owners who suffered damage due to Hurricane Sandy. More than 88,000 homes and businesses will see a reduction on their property tax bill when it’s time to file in 2014. The city’s finance department assessed property damages to individuals and business owners following a Sandy-specific reporting form distributed in January. Inspectors were sent to evaluate over 6,000 homes hit hard by the storm to tabulate an across-the-board market value property assessment decrease of 15 percent for residential properties, and 10 percent for commercial properties.

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Post tags: commissioner david frankel, far rockaway sandy, Hurricane Sandy, hurricane sandy property damage, hurricane sandy tax reduction, liberty warehouse brooklyn, liberty warehouse nyc, mayor michael bloomberg, nyc department of finance, red hook brooklyn

Brooklyn’s Aelfie Design Studio has made a business out of transforming old t-shirts into super-soft, one-of-a-kind rugs. Designed by Joedega, the colorful, hand-woven rugs and mats are recycled from dozens of shredded shirts. The unique mats can be found at Aelfie’s Bushwick showroom, along with a collection of vintage carpets and a friendly, in-store cat.


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Post tags: aelfie, Aelfie Design Studio, Bushwick showrooms, eco design, green design, green rugs, Joedega, recycled rug, recycled t shirt rug, recycled t shirts, sustainable design, t-shirt rug, upcycled t-shirts

Today is the day! Mayor Bloomberg and Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan will be announcing the official launch of the Citi Bike NYC bike share program this morning. The first Citi Bike stations will open in Manhattan below 59th St and in Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bed Stuy. There’s one catch though – today is only the official opening for annual members so weekly and daily members will have to wait until June to ride. If you’re already an annual member but did not receive your key yet, there is a way you can still hop on a Citi Bike today. Read on for more info.

Read the rest of Citi Bike Launches Today in New York City: How to Pick Up Your Key If You Don’t Have One Yet testing

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Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons has his sights set on tackling food deserts in New York City by bringing quality food to low-income neighborhoods. Simmons has teamed up with Hajj Hasaun Muhammad and his partner Luanna Williams to launch “Quality Access Grocery,” which will provide underserved communities with access to fresh food at affordable prices. Their ambitious plan to roll out these stores in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods will hopefully keep moms with strollers, little old ladies and other people looking for healthy produce from having to travel miles to find it.

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Post tags: diabetes nyc, East Harlem, food access, food deserts, food justice, Green cart initiative, new york city food deserts, obesity nyc, quality access grocery store, russell simmons, south bronx, trader joes, whole foods market nyc