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Post tags: east village, East Village History, east village mosaic man, eco art, eco design, green art, green design, Jim Power, Legendary Mosaic Trail, lower east side mosaics, mosaic, street art, sustainable design

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Post tags: eco art, eco design, green design, MoMA, Museum of Modern Art, rain art, Rain Room, rain room at moma, Random International, sustainable design, water recycling art installation

Read the rest of 6 Perfect Picnic Spots to Visit in NYC testing

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Post tags: alley pond park, central park, green spaces nyc, greenbelt moses mountain, nyc, nyc best parks, nyc parks, nyc picnic, nyc picnic spots, pelham park, prospect park

Throw your suit in a messenger bag and strap on your helmet because today is Bike to Work Day! Thousands of New Yorkers will be trading in their car, bus or subway commutes for a zero-energy alternative that is also a blast – and it’s not too late to join in on the fun! Bikers still have until 10 am to take advantage of one of several fueling stations greeting bicyclists this morning. So pick up a coffee, a coconut water or a snack and ride into the sunset (or into the office, since they’re probably expecting you). Click through to find out where you can score a bit of grub and reflective decals on your way to work (and perhaps even get an invite to a super cool after-work bike party).

Read the rest of Today is Bike to Work Day in New York! testing

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Post tags: bike share, bike to work day, bike to work week, brooklyn bridge, Brooklyn roasting company, citi bank bike share, citi bike, Hudson river greenway, joyce kilmer park, league of American bicyclists, Manhattan Bridge, nyc bicyclists, nyc bike paths, nyc bike share program, Queensboro bridge, staten island ferry, Transportation Alternatives, vita coco

We’re looking forward to all that this weekend’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair will bring, and we just learned that the latest in home furnishings won’t be the only thing visitors can expect at the event. Showgoers who are interested in 3D printing technology will also be able to participate in DesignX‘s hands-on 3D printing workshops in a pop-up classroom at the fair. Over the course of four days, guests will be able to enroll in fifteen different reasonably-priced classes on cutting edge technology and design, including 3D printing, cloud collaboration and 3D design.

Read the rest of Learn How to 3D Print at ICFF with DesignX! testing

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Post tags: 3d print, 3d printing, 3D printing class, 4d printing, DesignX, eco design, firefly, Francis Bitonti, green design, ICFF, Machine Made, Mode Lab, Nervous System, shapeways, sustainable design

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Post tags: Davidson Rafailidis, DS Institute, eco design, green design, green NYC, ideas city, Ideas City Festival, Kim Holleman, kim holleman trailer park, New Museum, nyc green, Raumlabor, sustainable design

As New Yorkers, we often take clean water for granted, but there’s a lot of money and effort being applied behind the scenes to make sure we have access to it. Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter H. Strickland, Jr. outlined the $20 billion dollars that the city has invested in its water system over the last decade, detailing upgrades to water mains and pipes, city dams, treatment plants, newly constructed sewer lines and other vital infrastructure projects. The officials also went over the work they are doing to ensure that the Gowanus Canal water quality upgrade project would also be completed by the end of the year, despite flooding and other damage from Hurricane Sandy.

Read the rest of Mayor Bloomberg Announces Gowanus Canal Upgrades by 2013, Outlines $20 Billion Spent on Water Quality Improvements testing

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Post tags: Climate Central, Commissioner Carter H. Strickland jr, department of environmental protection, gowanus canal, gowanus canal treatment plant, green infrastructure, Hurricane Sandy, mayor michael bloomberg, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, new york drinking water, new york drinking water safety, nyc treatment facilities, safe drinking water, sewage water supply nyc

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Post tags: battery green, Battery Park, battery park conservancy, design competition, design Miami, draw up a chair, draw up a chair design competition, Fernando campana, humberto campana, Museum of Modern Art, Paola Antonelli, The Battery Conservancy

If you’ve ever seen a painfully chained or otherwise constrained tree on the street, you might have wished you could free it – but how? One Brooklynite has taken the matter into his own hands with his “Treedom Project“, which aims to find chained or otherwise abused NYC trees (the shackles don’t just look oppressive – they can actually cause trees to weaken and die) and liberate them. With the help of a network of “informants” and a pair of city distributed clippers, Rob Birdsong is planning to set each and every wrongly chained tree free. Read on to see how you can help!

Read the rest of Brooklyn Vigilante Frees Chained and Choked Trees with the Treedom Project testing

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Post tags: chained trees nyc, million tree project, new york city tree planting, new york city trees, nyc trees, rob birdsong, treedom, treedom project, urban arborist

Nearly twelve years after the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers fell, construction workers have finally topped off 1 World Trade Center with an iconic spire. The capping of the 1,776-foot-tall building brings the structure to its full height, adding what is now the tallest building in the western hemisphere to the New York City skyline. The addition also symbolizes a victorious comeback that honors the many who lost their lives.

Read the rest of 1 World Trade Center Topped Off, Now the Tallest Building in the Western Hemisphere testing

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Post tags: 1 world trade center, 9/1 attacks, 911 memorial, biggest building in nyc, matt lauer, new york tallest building, one world trade center, panynj, port authority, Twin Towers, World Trade Center, world trade center completion

And now for the news we’ve all been waiting for! The Citi Bike NYC bike share program announced today that its official launch date will be May 27th. According to the NYC Mayors Office Twitter stream, 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 – the official launch date is for annual members only, so if you want to be one of the first people to hop on a Citi Bike, read on to see what steps you need to take.

Read the rest of Citi Bike Announces Official May Launch Date for New York City Bike Share testing

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Post tags: bike smart, bike stations, citi bike, citi bike launch date, citi bike official launch date, citi bike share, citi bike share program, Citibank bike share program, citibike, city bike share programs, department of transportation nyc, gramercy park, Hurricane Sandy, new york bike share program, new york bike share stations, new york bike tours, nyc bike share program, nyc bike tours, nyc transportation, shelly mossey, Transportation Alternatives, urban mobility project, when does citi bike launch

Recycling your old electronics is about to become a lot easier in NYC. This week, New York City Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty announced the launch of a new residential electronics recycling program called “e-cycleNYC” in partnership with Electronic Recyclers International (ERI). The free recycling service will be provided to buildings with 10 or more apartment units in each borough, so instead of lugging your broken 42’’ plasma through the subway to an e-waste drop off, you can save your strength for more important things like planting trees and composting.

Read the rest of New “e-cycleNYC” Program Brings Electronics Recycling Right to Your Doorstep testing

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Post tags: commissioner john j Doherty, ecycle nyc, electronic recyclers international, electronic recycling, electronic waste nyc, electronic waste recycling nyc, new york city sanitation, recycling nyc, recycling services nyc

Read the rest of RECIPE: How To Make the “Best Kale Salad” with Chef Joya Carlton of The Butcher’s Daughter testing

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Post tags: DIY, greens, Heather Tierney, Joya Carlton, Kale Salad, kale salad recipe, Manhattan, new york, Nolita, spring recipe, The Butcher's Daughter, vegan food new york, vegetarian food new york

Rendering via Howard Hughes Corp.

Popular tourist destination South Street Seaport will be recovering from the damage it suffered during Hurricane Sandy with exciting new summer programming and shipping container shops. Developer Howard Hughes Corp. and NYC partnered together to bring visitors back to the area beginning Memorial Day weekend with a new season of fun attractions called See/Change. The plan includes a summer full of concerts, artisanal foods and happy hour evenings inside two-story shipping containers.

Read the rest of New Shipping Container Shops Coming to South Street Seaport This Summer testing

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Post tags: brooklyn brewery, brooklyn flea, Howard Hughes Corp, Hurricane Sandy, jonathan butler, nyc summer concerts, Pier 17, sea change south street seaport, seaport museum, shipping container mall, shipping container restaurant, shipping container retail boutique, South Street SEaport

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning this morning for Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island due to heavy rains. The alert warns that some urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses will be flooded, and commuters are advised to steer clear of low-lying areas as “water depth may be too great to allow your car to cross safely.” According to the latest update, the warning will be in effect until 9:15 AM this morning. Visit Weather.gov to stay on top of the most up-to-date information.

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Post tags: flood warning nyc, flooding manhattan, flooding nyc, National Weather Service, nyc flash flood warning, nyc floods, nyc weather alert, severe weather nyc

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Post tags: bowery mission, cryptome, deborah natsios, john young, New Museum, nyc art, party wall new museum, side walk vaults deborah natsios, sidewalk vaults, street festival, the bowery manhattan, the mission underground vault

Most New Yorkers have heard of the Spectra natural gas pipeline and the dangers it poses – but until recently, it’s felt like a vague, far-off worry that may or may not happen. Unfortunately that couldn’t be further from the truth, as the pipeline (also referred to as NJ-NY Expansion Project) is already in progress and is set to be complete this fall, bringing with it the very clear and present danger of exposure to radon (a known cancer-causing radioactive gas) and high-pressure gas explosions. The pipeline is being built directly underneath Manhattan’s West Village, and residents in the area are very concerned about the possibility of flammable water coming out of their taps as seen in the video after the jump. Their arguments are not unfounded – in 2012 alone, there were 244 pipeline incidents resulting in 10 deaths and over $180 million in damages.

Read the rest of NYC Spectra Pipeline Expansion Sparks Resident Concerns About Explosions and Radon testing

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Post tags: duke energy, fracking nyc, hydrofracking, mayor bloomberg planyc, natural gas explosion, natural gas nyc, natural gas radon, natural gas risks, natural gas west village, Nj-NY Expansion project, occupy the pipeline, pipeline, Spectra Pipeline, spectra pipeline nyc

The mall-ification of NYC has been pretty difficult to ignore, and it seems like every week another one of the small shops that makes our city so unique gets replaced with a shiny new outpost of some national corporation. A similar fate has been looming over Bleecker Bob’s Golden Oldies, one of the West Village’s most beloved record stores. With rent jacked up to prices that are impossible to pay, the hallowed hall of vinyl recently revealed on their  Facebook page that another tenant, Forever Yogurt, would be moving in when their lease was up. But the story doesn’t end there – as another, rather ingenious, solution could be in the works.

Read the rest of Could Oddball Combo Shops Mean Salvation for NYC’s Beloved Mom and Pops? testing

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Post tags: bleecker bob's, combination shops, combination shops nyc, eco design, forever yogurt, green design, Inhabitat Local NYC, nyc mom and pop shops, nyc mom and pop shops solution, nyc small shops, nyc urban planning, shared storefronts, sustainable design, urban density

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Post tags: central park, fresh food, Guggenheim Museum, local food, lower east side girls club, mother's day nyc, Mother’s day, mothers day activities, native plant garden, New York Botanical Garden, nyc local food restaurant, nyc organic spa, savor spa, what to do for mothers day in nyc

The New Museum’s Ideas City Festival has hit the Bowery again, with a slew of art and culture events lined up for this weekend. This year’s festivities include artistic projections onto the museum’s façade, panel discussions on subjects like innovative technology, waste management and untapped capital, community recycling events, artist workshops and of course the street festival that takes place all day on Saturday. Pop down to the Bowery on Saturday and experience sustainable installations and booths by GrowNYC, #ArtsTech, Fieldwork, and a bunch of other great New York organizations.

Read the rest of Ideas City Festival and StreetFest Returns to the Bowery This Weekend! testing

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Post tags: art nyc, bowery, Change of State, Davidson Rafailidis, eco design, green art nyc, green design, ideas city, Ideas City Festival, ideas city streetfest, Kim Holleman, New Museum, sustainable design

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

The Environmental Protection Agency announced recently that they will provide over $500 million in grants and low-interest loans to the state of New York and state of New Jersey to improve wastewater and drinking water facilities ravaged by Hurricane Sandy. The funds will be awarded as grants to the states for both the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs. In addition to improving statewide clean water systems, the funds will provide 6,000 short-term construction jobs collectively.

Read the rest of EPA Announces Over $500 Million to Repair Sandy-Damaged Waterways in NY and NJ testing

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Post tags: Bob Perciasepe, clean water, drinking water state revolving fund, Environmental Protection Agency, epa, green infrastructure, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Sandy Relief, nj wastewater, nyc wastewater, sand dunes, sandy damaged waterways, sandy relief, sandy relief efforts, storm runoff systems, stormwater runoff

The High Line made a name for itself by turning land atop an elevated rail line into a flourishing park, but can the same be done for spaces underneath these kinds of structures? The Design Trust for Public Space is embarking on a plan to transform areas under New York City’s plentiful bridges, elevated highways, subways and rail lines into places for community engagement and artistic inspiration. Their project, Under the Elevated: Reclaiming Space, Connecting Communities, will bring together local community leaders, planners, architects, artists, and cultural organizations to develop strategies to maximize the functionality and use of these often-abandoned and sometimes downright scary areas.

Read the rest of “Under the Elevated” Seeks to Transform Space Beneath NYC Bridges and Subways into Usable, Non-Scary Areas testing

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Post tags: department of transportation nyc, Design Trust for Public Space, friends of highline, high line, new york city elevated spaces, new york city infrastructure, nyc bridges, reclaiming the highline, under the elevated, urban design, urban design and art at department of transportation, urbanism fellowship, wendy feuer

PHOTO CREDIT: Shelly Mossey

NYC cyclists are standing their ground against the new Citi Bike share program’s attempt to rip up public bike racks and replace them with new branded stations. Last week, one group of Battery Park City riders found out that a bike rack on South End Avenue will be torn down to make way for one of the program’s new units. According to a sign, bike owners will have until May 5th to remove their property from the racks located right outside of the Gateway Plaza housing complex or risk losing their bikes.

Read the rest of Bicyclists Angered as Citi Bike Stations Uproot Public Racks testing

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Post tags: Battery Park City Authority, citi bike share, citi bike share program, department of transportation nyc, gramercy park, nyc bike share program, shelly mossey, Transportation Alternatives, urban mobility project

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Post tags: eco design, green design, Grow NYC, grow nyc school farm, grownyc, locally manufactured, nyc agriculture, school farm, sustainable design, urban farming, urban farms nyc, wagner farm, Wagner middle school