This week the town of Dryden, New York won a court case giving it the right to ban hydrofracking for natural gas within its borders. The case is a major victory for fracking opponents nationwide, and here’s how it all went down: The Marcellus Shale, the largest
Dried out shark fins stock countless shelves all over Chinatown, but New York legislators have just announced a bill that may ban their sale. About 73 million sharks are killed and stripped of their fins each year to produce ingredients for shark fin soup.
New Yorkers throw away nearly 200,000 tons of clothing a year. But thanks to a recent spurt of recycling programs throughout New York City, collecting and reusing textiles is becoming easier than ever. One program called Re-fashionNYC was just launched last
Since opening last September, Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park has charmed countless New Yorkers and tourists with its old-fashioned fun and glimmering modern pavilion. Now the beautifully restored ride has won the hearts of the Travel and Leisure editors,
A few months ago, we reported the tragic crashing of a recycled art installation called Harvest Dome into Rikers Island. We have finally heard the great news that reconstruction is in the works and soon the amazing floating artwork made of discarded umbrellas
The steps in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art are one of the most grand and iconic landmarks in the city, but the plaza surround the massive staircase is anything but: the sidewalk is crumbling, the fountains barely work, and the trees are dying. At
Aerial view of the area where the Brooklyn-Queens pipeline would run
Brooklyn and Queens homes may soon be powered by natural gas instead of heavily polluting number 4 and number 6 heating oils. On February 7, a bill for construction of a new three-mile
The greatly anticipated One World Trade Center is now the most expensive new office tower in the world. An additional $700 million in estimated costs is bringing the total cost of 1 WTC to almost $3.8 billion. What’s more is that many of these extra millions
As Giants fans crowd the streets today to celebrate the team’s Super Bowl win, the confetti that will sprinkle down upon fans and players will be made of 100 precent recycled paper! Offices and recycling companies around the city have donated over 50 tons
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced last week 25 percent of the proposed green building laws have been drafted into law over the last two years. The proposals were part of a green building report originally published
New York City urban planners now have an important tool to help create energy reduction plans. An interactive map of New York has been developed by the Columbia University Engineering School to show the energy consumption of individual buildings across the
JPMorgan Chase’s recently renovated global headquarters on Park Avenue in New York City has achieved LEED Platinum status! The newly greened building now holds the title of being the largest renovation in the world to achieve the USGBC’s highest certification.
Groundhog Day is here and spring is in the air — at least for New Yorkers. This day of weather reckoning, where we put all our sunny spring hopes on a furry animal and his shadow, has produced mixed results this year! While famed fur ball Punxsutawney Phil
This week, MoMA PS1 unveiled a winter weather friendly performance dome in their iconic courtyard. Known as one of the hottest spots for summer music parties and avant-garde installations, the PS1 courtyard will spend the next few months showcasing a series
The days of planning your weekend so you can finally lug that hefty old computer to the occasional e-waste drop off are over. The Lower East Side Ecology Center, host of many electronic waste collections, has just opened a permanent drop-off site in Brooklyn.
A new proposal by the Department of City Planning would allow commercial buildings throughout the city to be topped with rooftop farms or greenhouses without increasing the building’s floor area ratio and height restrictions. According to a study by the Urban
With much talk about the forthcoming New York City Bike Share, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Alta Bicycle Share have been giving sneak peaks of what’s to come. Inhabitat caught them at the Essex Street Market this past Saturday where representatives
The winning design has just been announced for the New York City AIDS Memorial Park across from St. Vincent’s Hospital. An international team of architects including Brooklyn based studio a+i have created an interactive site entitled “Infinite Forest.” The memorial park will not only honor the over 100,000 New York City residents who died of AIDS, but will also recognize the continual effort and support against the pandemic. The jury announced last week that architects John Thurtle, Insook Kim, and Esteban Erlich have joined a+i’s Mateao Paiva and Lily Lim in creating the winning memorial design, with renderings by Guillaume Paturel. The team beat out 475 entires from 26 states and 32 countries for honorable first place.
image courtesy The Horticultural Society of New York
As New York City upgrades its aging buildings and breaks ground on new green developments, building features like stormwater management systems, green roofs, and rain gardens are fast becoming the norm
On Thursday, January 27, the Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer spoke in front of a 3 KW set of solar panels on Hunter College of the City University to promote his “Rooftop Revolution” campaign and the New York Solar Jobs Act. “On this rooftop
Folks, it’s finally here!! Beginning February 1st, New York City subway riders can refill their 7-day and 30-day unlimited ride MetroCards! A long time coming, this innovation is not only user friendly, but great for the environment as well, reducing the need
Disturbing news about a number of teens coming down with unexplained Tourette-like symptoms in New York State has been buzzing through the internet. Gizmodo recently reported about the YouTube diary videos of Lori Brownell, one of the 17 affected students,
We’ve been closely following Verdant Power’s tidal turbine tests in the East River, and on Monday, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission awarded the company the agency’s first license for a tidal-energy project. This is extremely exciting news, and
