PHOTO: KENDALL RODRIGUEZ FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

If you attended public school in NYC, you probably remember the burgers having “warts” and boat-shaped pepperoni pizzas with enough grease on top to cause a small oil spill. While those memories will always hold a fond place in our hearts (and quite possibly our arteries), we’re excited that the new generation of students at PS 244Q will have some better food options during their formative years. The elementary school in Flushing, Queens recently became the first public school in New York – and one of the first schools the nation – to serve an all-vegetarian lunch menu. Curious to see what a typical day’s selection might include? Read on to find out.

Read the rest of First NYC Public School to Serve Only Vegetarian Meals is in Flushing, Queens testing

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Post tags: Active Learning Elementary School, First School to Serve Only Vegetarian Meals, flushing queens, flushing school, flushing vegetarian school, meatless school, p.s. 244, ps 244, ps 244q, vegan meals, vegan school, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarian meals, vegetarianism

This week, the Rockwell Group announced exciting plans to build a treehouse-inspired Imagination Playground in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville. The firm is working with NYC Parks to transform a 1.5-acre section of Betsy Head Park into an active playground to encourage kid-friendly activity and play outdoors. The design of the new playground will feature a winding ramp that snakes around London Plane trees, jungle gyms that spill out into an open area and much more. Construction on the playground is set to begin in spring 2014 and the facility is expected to open by 2015.

Read the rest of Rockwell Group Unveils Plans to Build Treehouse-Inspired Playground in Brownsville testing

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Post tags: betsy head park, Borough President marty Markowitz, burling slip, Council Member Mealy, Imagination Playground, mayor bloomberg, mkw and associates, mkw associates, nyc city parks, nyc parks, nyc playgrounds, playground Brownsville, rockwell group, south street sea port

Students at South Street Elementary School in Newark, New Jersey are both artists and conservationists. After collecting over 5,000 bottle caps in their local community, the students arranged the caps into an eco-friendly 8-foot by 12-foot rendition of Vincent van Gogh’s famed Starry Night. The project, currently at The Newark Museum, was officially completed in June 2012 and was designed by South Street’s teachers as a way for students to get hands-on knowledge about conservation and to encourage them to become responsible global citizens.

Read the rest of Newark Students Recreate Van Gogh’s Starry Night Using 5,000 Bottle Caps testing

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Post tags: art exhibit, bottle cap art, bottle caps, eco friendly art, newark museum, recycled art, south street elementary school, student art, student art project, tatiana benus, vincent van gogh

They may be too young to worry about mortgage payments and electricity bills, but the kids exploring the EcoHouse mobile museum at Inwood Hill Park aren’t letting those things deter them from learning about energy savings at home. The EcoHouse looks much like a typical compact home, complete with a kitchen, boiler, shower and other staples - however a closer look inside reveals an eco-friendly abode where visitors can toy with energy-efficient light bulbs, low-flow shower heads, and other green building systems.

Read the rest of Inwood Hill Park’s Mobile EcoHouse Teaches Kids About Energy Conservation at Home testing

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Post tags: community environmental center, ecohouse, energy conservation, energy efficiency, energy efficient light bulbs, energy saving, Hurricane Sandy, Inwood, inwood hill park, inwood hill park nature center, kids conservation, low-flow shower head, nature center, Richard Cherry

Image via NYC Recycles Facebook

The New York City Department of Sanitation is calling on the city’s youth to conceive, design, and implement innovative cleanup, beautification, or reclamation projects in their boroughs. Citywide schools (both public and private) from grades K-12 can compete for a shot at winning cash prizes by submitting their sustainability initiatives to the 2013 Golden Apple Awards competition from now until May 1st. Now in its 11th year, the contest continues to further its mission to reward both students and schools for their exemplary commitment to environmental education projects.

Read the rest of NYC Kids Can Earn Cash for Their Schools by Entering the City’s Golden Apple Awards testing

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Post tags: golden apple awards, golden apple awards nyc, golden shovel award, John Ericsson MS 126 Magnet School for Environmental Engineering, New York city Department of Sanitation, New York Restoration Project, ps 971 nyc golden apple awards, recycling old jeans, student environment projects, student recycling contests, student sustainability initiatives, students environmental responsibility, team up to clean up

All aboard! Brightly-colored miniature Metro-North trains have been departing from a tiny Grand Central Station and bringing joy to both young and old alike as part of the MTA Transit Museum’s annual train show. The train show is currently on display for its 11th season at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex & Store at Grand Central Terminal. If you can’t make it in person, read on for a fun video simulating a ride on one of these tiny trains.

Read the rest of MTA’s Holiday Train Show Takes You on a Ride Through a Miniature New York (VIDEO) testing

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Post tags: grand central station, grand central train show, miniature train set, miniature trains, mta train show, MTA Transit Museum, NYC annual train show, nyc events, NYC holiday season, nyc train show, train show

Every year New York Cares calls upon those feeling the holiday spirit to answer the Winter Wishes of more than 35,000 local children, teens, seniors, and families across NYC. While thousands of letters have been answered thus far, Hurricane Sandy has increased the number of letters looking for answers, and there are still hundreds of wishes left to be granted. If you want to spread the holiday cheer and make sure all those who wanted a gift this year receive one, consider creating a team of Winter Wish makers with your office, friends, family, community group, or on your own as an individual, and transform the holiday season one New Yorker at a time. Once you’re signed up you can check the Winter Wishes registry, purchase a gift via Amazon.com, and have it shipped directly to New York Cares who will distribute the gifts. Make this holiday great for someone with this simple gesture.

+ Winter Wishes

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Post tags: help hurricane sandy victims, Hurricane Sandy, hurricane sandy donation, hurricane sandy kids, hurricane sandy victims, letters to santa, new york cares, new york cares winter wishes, winter wishes

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Post tags: Alfred Paredes, Andy Bergholtz, Chris Vierra, eco design, Food Network, green design, Halloween Wars, Haunted Pumpkin Garden, New York Botanical Garden, pumpkin carving NYC, ray villafane, sustainable design, Trevor Grove, zombie pumpkins

Read the rest of Get Spooked in the Haunted Pumpkin Garden at the New York Botanical Garden This Weekend testing

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Post tags: autumn events, botanical gardens, bronx botanical garden, fall events, fall events nyc, Haunted Pumpkin Garden, New York botanical gardens, news, ny botanical gardens, nyc events, pumpkin, pumpkin carving, pumpkin events, pumpkin garden, Pumpkin Picking, ray villafane, things to do fall, world's largest pumpkin

Last year, our story about Ray Villafane’s ghastly zombie pumpkins got over 1.2 million pageviews in just a few days, and many readers asked where and how they could view these ghoulish gourds for themselves. If you were one of them, don’t miss your chance to check out Mr. Villafane’s skills at the New York Botanical Garden, where he’ll once again be carving up some of the world’s largest pumpkins for this weekend only. If you thought last year’s display was out-of-this-world, you won’t want to miss this year’s, which supposedly will include a standing zombie pulling other zombies out of a pumpkin garden!

+ Giant Pumpkin Carving at NYBG

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Post tags: biggest pumpkin, botanical gardens, bronx, fall, fall events, fall events nyc, jim bryson, Jim Bryson biggest pumpkin in the world, New York botanical gardens, news, ny botanical gardens, nyc, nyc events, pumpkin, pumpkin carving, pumpkin events, ray villafane, world's largest pumpkin

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Post tags: Carter Strickland, Dan Obusan, Dontflushme, eco design, green design, grownyc, Jennifer Iserloh, Leif Percifield, New Green City, poo power, Recyclarium, RObbie Lock, solar kitchen NYC, Super Sprowtz, sustainable design, sustainable new york, Union Square Green Market

Halloween is fast approaching, and the Haunted High Line is back again this year and ready for your little witches and ghouls! NYC’s favorite elevated park is inviting families and friends to visit on Saturday, October 27th for a day of scavenger hunts, costumes, and pumpkin decorating – all set to the tune of a live 1930s-style band. Kids and adults will be able to indulge in sweet treats and activities all day long on the stretch of the High Line between West 13th and 18th Streets.

Read the rest of Head to the High Line for a Haunted Halloween Scavenger Hunt on October 27th testing

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Post tags: eco design, friends of the high line, Fulton Youth of the Future, green design, halloween nyc, Haunted High Line, high line park, high line park scavenger hunt, high line scavenger hunt, sustainable design, things to do for halloween nyc

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Post tags: 5th st farm, arad, arad architecture, East Village roof garden, eco design, Fifth Street Farm, green design, green events nyc, green NYC, michael arad, rooftop classroom, rooftop farm, rooftop farm nyc, scott stringer, sustainable design, urban farming, urban farms

Read the rest of 6 Can’t-Miss Green Activities to Do This Fall in NYC testing

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Post tags: Amazing Maize Maze, Bear Mountain, Decker Farm, fall activities nyc, fall festivals, fall foliage, Fall Foliage Tours, fall food, fall fun, fall in new york, fall in new york city, fall vegetables, free things to do nyc, green NYC, greenmarket fall food, halloween in nyc, haunted houses nyc, Haunted Pumpkin Garden, new york botanic gardens, New York Botanical Garden, nyc greenmarkets, Oktoberfest, prospect park, Pumpkin Picking, pumpkin picking nyc, Queens county Farm Museum, things to do nyc

The World Maker Faire will be invading the NY Hall of Science this weekend! Over 500 displays of makers will be on site showing you how to hack, solder, craft and more. If you’re into upcycling, don’t miss Tiffany Threadgould’s soda tab bracelet demo on Saturday at 1pm on the Maker Square Stage and her own RePlayGround display where you can make upcycled pinwheels. The event runs from Saturday – Sunday from 10-6, so don’t miss it!

+ RePlayGround

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

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Post tags: craft fair, diy events, diy nyc, eco design, events nyc, green design, green events, maker faire, remake it, sustainable design, things to do nyc, Tiffany Threadgould, world maker faire

Join GrowNYC as they transform Union Square into New Green City, an all-day celebration of the best sustainable food, technology and art on October 10th. The hands-on symposium will invite New Yorkers to join together to learn and discuss easy green practices towards a more conscious lifestyle. If you’re in the area for this free event, we definitely encourage you to stop by!


Read the rest of New Green City: Don’t Miss This Fun Fall Celebration of Green in Union Square testing

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Post tags: eco design, green design, green events nyc, Grow NYC, grownyc, New Green City, ny green events, rainwater harvesting, solar oven cook off, sustainable design, things to do in nyc, Union Square, Union Square Green Market

If you’re sitting at home wondering what to do on this lovely fall day, we highly recommend hightailing it over to the last day of the Queens County Farm Museum‘s annual Queens County Fair. This celebration filled with food, furry friends and fun happens but once a year, so don’t miss your chance to enjoy colonial food demonstrations, live music played by fiddlers on stilts, delicious fried goods and fresh roasted corn right from the farm, pig racing, a petting and feeding zoo featuring llamas, sheep, silkie chickens, pigs, a tortoise and bunnies, fresh herb sampling, a “bean house”, blue-ribbon winning veggies grown in Queens, beer, a full carnival and rides and, of course, the Amazing Maize Maze. If you’re thinking that Little Neck is a trek, we’re not going to lie, it’s about an hour on the QM6 from 36th and 6th in Manhattan, but well worth it to take a mini getaway from city life. Head on over to the farm today and you might even see some grotesquely large sunflowers, a quail egg being laid, rare Kentucky Red Bats or bees making honey.

+ Queens County Farm Museum

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Post tags: 30th Annual Queens County Fair at the Queens County Farm Museum, Amazing Maize Maze, apple picking nyc, corn maze, green NYC, historic farm, maize maze, Museums, nyc fall activities, nyc family activities, nyc thing to do, pumpkin picking nyc, Queens, queens county fair, Queens county Farm Museum, things to do in nyc

While other youngsters spent the summer playing video games, the kids in Greenpoint’s SYSTEM program (Summer Youth in Science Technology Engineering and Math) were able to accomplish a feat most adults have never even tried – building a vertical garden farm from scratch. The industrious teens were led by Solar One educator Joe Chavez as part of a summer educational internship sponsored by the Greenpoint YMCA, the NYU Wallerstein Collaborative and ExxonMobil, and learned how to build a flourishing urban farm for the space-strapped Lentol Garden in their Brooklyn neighborhood. Students worked to maximize growing space in a small area, creating a thriving home for enthusiastic climbers like strawberries, mint, basil and flowering perennials.

Read the rest of Greenpoint Kids Build Vertical Garden Farm with Help from Solar One and SYSTEM Program testing

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Post tags: brooklyn-area, community garden, energy programs for kids, Exxon Mobil, gardening programs for kids, greenpoint Brooklyn community garden, Greenpoint YMCA, high school summer programs, new york city community gardens, solar one, space conservation, SYSTEM, The Greenpoint YMCA and the NYU Wallerstein Collaborative for Urban Environmental Education, urban farming, urban gardening, vertical garden

The first and only carousel in Hudson County has arrived at Newport Green park in Jersey City! Perfectly timed for Labor Day, it will be up-and-running the entire weekend from 1PM to dusk. To celebrate, Newport is hosting an opening party on Sun., Sept 2nd, complete with ice-cream and a lighted water jet display. Newport Green park also features the Hudson River’s only urban beach, a 17,000 sf. playground with four jungle gyms, a 30,000 sf. playing field, a boardwalk, outdoor ping pong, free WiFi and more. The party starts at noon at 700 Washington Blvd. in Jersey City, so don’t miss it.

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Post tags: carousel new jersey, green NYC, green space ny, new jersey parks, Newport Green, newport green carousel, newport new jersey, ny parks

Read the rest of PHOTOS: Newport Green is a Hidden Beach Tucked Along the Hudson River testing

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Post tags: beach in new york, eco design, Eco-friendly sports field, green design, green space in new jersey, Jersey City, New Jersey, new york beach, Newport Green, newport new jersey beach, nj beach, pop up beach, sustainable design, urban beach

Recycling may not yet be a priority for our younger generation, but a new “Recyclarium” featuring fun interactive games that teach about sustainability has hit the streets of New York City in order to change that. The re-purposed trailer, designed by Sims Municipal Recycling, will travel from school to school in order to make learning about the importance of conserving natural resources fun for children. Among other upbeat teaching aids, the mobile education center includes wheels and doors that can be turned to reveal which materials can and can’t be recycled.

Read the rest of World’s First Roving Recyclarium Trailer Hits the Streets of New York City testing

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Post tags: children, design, eco design, green design, nyc, planyc, Recyclarium, recycling, reduce waste, renovation, Sims Municipal Recycling, sustainable design

Read the rest of PHOTOS: Colorful New Pop-Up Pool and Beach Open at Brooklyn Bridge Park testing

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Post tags: brooklyn beach, Brooklyn Bridge Park, brooklyn bridge park pop up pool, brooklyn bridge pool, brooklyn park pop up pool, brooklyn pool, eco design, green design, pop up pool, shipping container beach, shipping container pool, sustainable design

We’re sure that this year’s fireworks over the Hudson will be great, but if you’re looking for a truly spectacular and green lightshow, head over to the M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden tomorrow! The garden will be hosting a unique experience for city slickers with dozens of fireflies circling around visitors and putting on a 4th of July fireworks display that’s about as natural as it gets.

Read the rest of See Dozens of Fireflies Light up the Sky at an All-Natural 4th of July Fireworks Display in NYC testing

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Post tags: eco friendly fireworks, fireflies, fireflies in ny garden, firefly, firefly fireworks, firefly fireworks display, fireworks alternative, gardens in nyc, green fireworks, green NYC, m’finda kalunga, m’finda kalunga community garden, m’finda kalunga garden, natural fireworks, natural pest control, nyc community gardens, where to see fireworks in nyc

Read the rest of 140,000 Ladybugs Set Loose in Manhattan Garden to Do Battle with Wart-Like Aphid Pods testing

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Post tags: aphid pod, aphid pods, aphids, eco friendly pest control, eco friendly pesticide, gardens in nyc, green NYC, ladybug, ladybugs, ladybugs in ny garden, ladybugs released in manhattan garden, ladybugs released in ny garden, m'finda kalunga, m'finda kalunga community garden, m'finda kalunga garden, natural pest control, nyc community gardens, pesticide alternative

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Post tags: 1100 architect, battery park city, eco design, eco library, green design, Green e-Certified Clean Source Power, green NYC, led lights, LEED gold certification, leed gold library, leed gold nyc, New York Public Library, sustainable design