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.

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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

If you’re looking for yet another sign that the end is near, the media has been buzzing (pun-intended) with reports that billions of cicadas will be burrowing out of their underground holes soon and swarming the East Coast of the United States. Okay, so “Cicadapocolypse” – what many entomologists are calling the insects’ mass exodus from the ground – may be a bit sensational considering that the bugs would hardly hurt a fly, but the event likely will be painful to our ears. Some experts predict that the noise the cicadas emit could even be comparable to the sound of a New York City train.

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Post tags: brood II, brood II cicadas, bug infestation, cicada, cicada apocolypse, cicada invasion, cicada swarm, cicadapocolypse, cicadas, east coast cicadas

Image via NYC Department of Environmental Protection

High school students in the Bronx will be learning a thing or two about protecting our water this summer thanks to an $82,000 grant recently awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The purpose of the grant is to encourage learning opportunities around water quality and wastewater treatment while laying the foundation for New York City students to prepare for careers in environmental fields.

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Post tags: bronx students, department of environmental protection, environmental jobs, Environmental Protection Agency, environmental training programs, epa, green jobs, judith a enck, new york city schools, youth and environment, youth in the environment initiative

Image via Control Group

Good news subway riders! The MTA is rolling out a series of high-tech, touch screen subway maps to make navigating the train system a bit less intimidating. No more awkwardly hovering over a stranger on the train to check out the subway map behind them or squinting your eyes trying to locate your stop on the graffiti-covered platform map. Control Group and CBS Outdoor will be adding the electronic kiosks to several stations to help keep passengers informed about service delays and outages (just expect a few ads thrown in between actual the actual information).

Read the rest of NYC Straphangers Rejoice: MTA Rolls Out New High-Tech Touch Screen Subway Maps testing

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Post tags: barclays center, Bowling Green, cbs outdoor, Control Group, digital out of home technology, grand central station, interactive subway maps, MTA, nyc interactive subway map, nyc mta, nyc payphones, paul j fleuranges, Penn Station, subway map kiosks, touch screen subway map

Image via City Harvest NY Facebook

Deputy Mayor Linda I. Gibbs and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City announced a new grant program yesterday that will provide more than $1.7 million in funding for city-wide emergency food networks that served communities in need during Hurricane Sandy. Many food pantries and soup kitchens served the influx of new clients during the aftermath of the hurricane despite struggling to rebuild their own facilities. The much-needed monies will support the post-Sandy distribution of thousands of meals throughout the hardest hit communities, helping to rebuild emergency food locations in Sandy-affected areas.

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Post tags: 6bc garden, alley pond park, botanical garden nyc, clinton community garden, Fort Greene, greenbelt park, Hells Kitchen, nyc spring, spring in nyc, spring time in new york city, Staten Island, van courtland park, where to see spring bloom in nyc

Image via NYC Mayor’s Office Flickr

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg announced that New York City’s population is the highest it’s been in over 60 years, with more people moving in than moving out for the first time in decades. According to data derived from the US Census Bureau, 161,000 more people have begun calling the city home in the past two years (an increase of 2 percent). So what does this mean for NYC’s economy, resources and housing situation? Read on to find out.

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Post tags: mayor bloomberg, Michael Bloomberg, MTA, mta subway, ny population, nyc borough population growth, nyc population, nyc population boom, nyc population growth, nyc residential growth, nyc subway, us census bureau

Image via Shutterstock

If you thought the collection of fungi housed in your own fridge was impressive, wait ’til you hear what was found on NYC’s green roofs. Researchers from Barnard College, Columbia University, Fordham and the University of Colorado recently conducted tests on planted roofs in all five boroughs and discovered that they harbor thriving colonies of various types of fungi. While creepy crawlies like these tend to have a bad rep, these newly discovered “fungal communities” could actually be beneficial in their ability to remove pollutants from the air and assist with stormwater runoff.

Read the rest of Study Finds That NYC Green Roofs Are Full of Fungi testing

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Post tags: Adam Essene, Audrey L. Massmann, barnard college, Caitlyn M. Gillikin, central park, columbia university, Dominique Keefe, fordham university, Giulia Orazi, green roof biodiversity, green roofs, green roofs air pollution, green roofs stormwater, high line park, Jennifer A. Koshner, Jonathan W. Leff, Julia Discenza, Krista L. McGuire, Matthew I. Palmer, new york city public parks, Noah Fierer, nyc fungal communities, nyc green roofs, Ramya Rangamannar, Sara G. Payne, Seren M. Gedallovich, Soil Fungal Communities Green Roofs and City Parks, stormwater runoff, Su Jin Kim, the atlantic cities, university of colorado, urban green roofs, urban landscaping

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.

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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

Mark your calendars, design fans! In keeping with its other efforts to promote local goods and services, New York City recently announced the first ever “NYCxDESIGN” (NYC by Design) city-wide event to showcase design from all around the five boroughs. The 12-day celebration of NY-designed products, art, crafts, clothing, graphics and more will take place from May 10th through May 21st, and will continue to be an annual event aimed at spotlighting locally-made goods as a way to grow the NYC economy.

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Post tags: Christine Quinn, christine quinn design, eco design, made in brooklyn, made in new york, made in ny, new york city design, new york design week, nyc by design, nyc design, NYCxDESIGN, sustainable design

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We wrote about the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s “New York’s Next Top Makers” competition back in October, and we’re excited to say that the contest is now open to submissions. The call challenges NYC designers and inventors to enter their product designs for a chance to win cash prizes and an opportunity to prototype their products. If you have a great idea but aren’t sure where to begin or how to raise money to produce it, this could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

Read the rest of New York’s Next Top Makers Competition Could Get Your Idea or Product Funded and Prototyped testing

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Post tags: 3-d printing, 3d printer, 3d printing, Adafruit Industries, eco design, green design, Honeybee Robotics, mayor bloomberg, micheal bloomberg, New York City Economic Development Corporation, New York’s Next Top Makers, New York’s Next Top Makers competition, New York’s Next Top Makers contest, seth pinsky, shapeways, sustainable design

Earlier today, Mayor Bloomberg announced NYC Restore, a new initiative to create one-stop locations that connect residents and businesses impacted by Hurricane Sandy with the services and supplies they need most. Seven NYC Restoration centers in total will be opened in New York’s hardest hit neighborhoods, and the Far Rockaway, Gravesend, Coney Island and Staten Island locations were launched today. The Red Hook, Breezy Point and Throgs Neck-Pelham Bay centers are set to open later in the week. Read on to see where you can find the locations closest to you.

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Post tags: damaged homes from hurricane sandy, fix house after sandy, how to apply to fix house sandy, how to fix my home after sandy, hurricane damage nyc, hurricane damage rockaways, Hurricane Sandy, mayor bloomberg, nyc rapid repairs, NYC Restoration Centers, nyc restore, rapid repairs program, rebuilding after hurricane sandy, rebuilding sandy, sandy damage

If you’re one of more than 140,000 New Yorkers whose polling sites are closed today because of Hurricane Sandy, you might be wondering where you can vote. Thanks to Governor Cuomo, the answer to that question is anywhere you want. Yesterday, the Governor signed an executive order allowing voters in NY that were displaced by the storm to cast affidavit ballots at polling sites outside of their normal voting districts. Low voter turnout in the Mid-Atlantic region due to Sandy has been an ongoing worry for the past week so we’re hoping that the Governor’s swift action will make it as easy as possible for people to vote today. However, New Yorkers should be aware that only voters who are registered in New York counties that have been declared federal disaster areas are covered by this executive order, so it’s not a free ticket for just anyone to vote from wherever is most convenient for them.

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New York City is still a long way off from full recovery post-Hurricane Sandy, but at least some of our subway lines will be running today. They MTA has restored service on some trains and released this map of limited service last night, so if you’re about to head to work, read on or check out your available options here.


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After the wreckage that Hurricane Sandy brought to the New York City area on Monday, both Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo are admitting that the storm was directly related to climate change. On Tuesday, the two discussed the probability of preparing Manhattan and other areas not just for flooding, but for other climate change-related crises in the future. Solutions like levees, storm surge barriers and other preventative measures were brought to the table, finally pushing a concern that others have been warning about for years into the public light.

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Post tags: andrew cuomo, Andrew Cuomo Climate Change, Andrew Cuomo Hurricane Sandy, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Hurricane Sandy, climate change, Climate Change Hurricane Sandy, Cuomo Climate Change, Cuomo Hurricane Sandy, eco design, Frankenstorm 2012, Global Warming Hurricane Sandy, green design, green news, Hurricane Sandy 2012, Hurricane Sandy Climate Change, Hurricane Sandy Global Warming, Lower Manhattan Levee, New York Storm Surge, New York Storm Surge Barriers, new york subway flooding, subway flooding, sustainable design

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

Whether you’re an architecture geek or simply a voyeur, don’t miss your chance to get a glimpse into some of the city’s most amazing private spaces during Open House New York Weekend on October 6th and 7th. During those two days, some of the NY’s most fascinating architectural and cultural wonders across five boroughs will welcome curious guests for a rare visit. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to learn, explore and experience some of  our city’s greatest buildings from the inside – for free.

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Post tags: eco design, green architecture nyc, green design, new york architectural tours, New York Architecture week, ohny, Ope House New York, open house new york, openhousenewyork, sustainable design

New Yorkers are used to seeing plenty of boats in the East River, but not many know about this bizarre floating prison. The Vernon C. Bain Correctional Facility sits about a mile west of the SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx and was originally built in 1992 to alleviate overcrowding at Riker’s Island. While the inmates may dislike cramming into the 16 dormitories and 100 cells, they do get to enjoy roofdeck basketball and some pretty stellar waterfront views.


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Post tags: east river, east river jail, east river prison, eco building, floating jail, floating jail nyc, floating prison, floating prison nyc, green building, jail, nyc buildings, prison, sustainable building, vernon c bail, vernon c bail jail, vernon c bail prison

Who says that outdoor lounge chairs need only be for sunbathing? The clever designers at Nea Studio have created a solar-powered Heating Lounger to keep hikers and bikers warm and toasty while they enjoy the Riverdale waterfront in The Bronx. These useful and fun seats not only offer heat, but also supply a solar phone-charging station, temperature-indicating lights, and wind protection. Made from local recycled materials, the wood and steel loungers blend right into the surrounding landscape.

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Post tags: bronx, bronx design, eco chair, eco design, eco design new york, green bronx, green chair, green design, green design new york, green riverdale, heated lounge chair, heating lounger, lounge chair, nea studio, nea studio chair, nea studio heating lounger, nea studio solar lounge chair, new york, new york design, nyc greenway, recycled materials, solar chair, sustainable chair, sustainable design, sustainable design new york

Good news for New York’s electric vehicle owners – CarCharging has upcoming plans to install new charging stations at six Related Properties throughout the city. CarCharging is a nationwide provider of EV charging services and provides a complete turnkey solution for EV charging needs. The company has more than 40 strategic partnerships across multiple business sectors including multi-family residential and commercial properties, parking garages, shopping malls, retail parking, and municipalities.

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Post tags: bronx, car charging, car charging in nYc, CarCharging, electric cars, electric vehicles, energy, green transportation, Manhattan, new york city electric vehicles, related management, Related properties, where to charge my car in nyc

Read the rest of DIY: How to Make Your Own Storage Bed Using a Repurposed IKEA Bookcase testing

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Read the rest of Harlem River Community Revitalization Plan Showcases New Vision of Bronx Waterfront testing

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Post tags: bronx waterfront park, bronx wterfront development, community development, community revitalization, community visioning plan, harlem river, harlem river community revitalization plan, harlem river working group, high bridge park, nyc waterfront development, open space, Pratt, pratt center for community development, pratt institute pspd, public space, sustainable development, trust for Public Land, waterfront access, waterfront development

New York City has just announced a new pilot program that will turn all those old, unused public payphone booths around the city into free WiFi hotspots. New York’s Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications is launching the test system to provide free public WiFi at public pay telephone installations across the five boroughs. New Yorkers and visitors will now be able to connect free-of-charge around these repurposed phone booths using their smartphones, tablets, and other WiFi-enabled devices. Read on to see where they are!

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Post tags: bronx, free internet, free nyc wifi, free wi fi nyc, Free Wifi, Manhattan, mayor bloomberg, new york city, New York City WiFi, pay phones, Queens, wi fi nyc, wi fi payphone, wi fi phone booth, wi fo hotspot nyc, wifi in nyc

After six long years of careful planning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has finally inaugurated one of the greenest low-income housing blocks in the United States – Via Verde. Comprised of 222 residential units, 71 of which are for sale, the mixed-use complex in the South Bronx boasts lush rooftop terraces, a food co-op at street level, a health clinic and plenty of green spaces for residents to enjoy. Subsidized as part of the New Housing Marketplace Plan that aims to provide 160,000 affordable housing units throughout New York by the end of fiscal year 2014, this groundbreaking project by Grimshaw and Dattner Architects sets the bar for the nation.

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Post tags: bronx, dattner architects, daylighting, eco design, energy efficiency, food coop, green design, grimshaw architects, low carbon footprint, low-income housing, mixed-use development, natural ventilation, recycled materials, sustainable design, urban design, via verde