Empire State Building’s Iconic Colored Lights to Get an LED Makeover!

Empire State Building’s Iconic Colored Lights to Get an LED Makeover!

The Empire State Building’s iconic lights are getting a green makeover! The famous floodlights that change hues to commemorate all of the holidays of the year will soon be powered by energy efficient LED lights. The swap-out is being implemented with the

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New Report Shows That NYC’s Biggest Buildings Are the Key to Solving Its Biggest Greenhouse Gas Issues

New Report Shows That NYC’s Biggest Buildings Are the Key to Solving Its Biggest Greenhouse Gas Issues

Mayor Bloomberg’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability has long been toiling away at its benchmark report on the city’s building energy use, and now the results are finally in. After analyzing over 1.8 billion square feet of properties, the mayor

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The US Postal Service Plans to Plant its Second Green Roof in New York

The US Postal Service Plans to Plant its Second Green Roof in New York

The United States Postal Service has shown its dedication to green practices by planting its second green roof! The Onondaga County branch plans to install an enormous 11,300 square foot green roof on its Colvin-Elmwood post office building. The green roof

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Green Carceri is a Chameleon-Like Extension of the High Line Park That Changes Color With the Heat

Green Carceri is a Chameleon-Like Extension of the High Line Park That Changes Color With the Heat

The main objective of this unusual design is to create an extension of the public space around the High Line, with particular attention given to all things green. The green roof provides insulation and captures rainwater runoff that is used for irrigation

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BrightFarms Reveals That A&P Will Be Its Retail Partner for Sunset Park’s Massive Rooftop Farm

BrightFarms Reveals That A&P Will Be Its Retail Partner for Sunset Park’s Massive Rooftop Farm

We’ve been following BrightFarms’ plan to build the world’s largest rooftop farm in Brooklyn, and now they’ve sent us word revealing who their long-term retail partner will be – A&P. The grocery mega-giant (formally known as the Great Atlantic and Pacific

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International Rescue Committee Opens the New Roots Community Farm in the Bronx

International Rescue Committee Opens the New Roots Community Farm in the Bronx

The International Rescue Committee, an organization that provides opportunities for refugees to thrive in America, recently inaugurated a new farm in the Bronx on a lot previously owned by the city’s Department of Transportation. Located at the Grand

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Governor Cuomo Announces Rollout of 325 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Across NY State

Governor Cuomo Announces Rollout of 325 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Across NY State

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this week that 325 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations will be rolled out across New York State. The initiative, which awarded $4.4 million to ten companies and cities, is a joint effort between the New York Energy

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Help the Delancey Underground Raise $75,000 to Build the LowLine Park

Help the Delancey Underground Raise $75,000 to Build the LowLine Park

If you’ve been reading Inhabitat you probably know that we’re rooting for the Delancey Underground’s ambitious plan to build a subterranean public park on the Lower East Side. Called the “LowLine,” the underground park would add to the city’s amazing network of open spaces from the High Line to the proposed Waterfront Park in Brooklyn. But in order for what is currently an empty underground trolley terminal to become the Delancey LowLine, they need to raise funds. To that end, the Delancey Underground project is in the midst of a 75 day fundraising drive to raise $75,000. An anonymous donor has promised to write a check for $75,000 if other contributors can raise an equal amount of cash for the LowLine Summer Challenge by August 15. The $150,000 would be a huge boost to a project that has already scored the support of local businesses, community leaders and residents.

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Mayor Bloomberg Makes a Plan to Ban Sodas and Sugary Drinks Across NYC

Mayor Bloomberg Makes a Plan to Ban Sodas and Sugary Drinks Across NYC

In a mission to make New Yorkers more healthy, Mayor Bloomberg is planning a ban of sodas and sugary drinks across the city. Soda, iced teas, and sports drinks that are over 16 ounces may soon disappear from the shelves of movie theaters, food carts, delis,

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Intelligent Infrastructure: Designing Smart Buildings for NYC

Intelligent Infrastructure: Designing Smart Buildings for NYC

With New York City’s building stock eating up $15 billion in yearly energy costs and accounting for 75 percent of the City’s total greenhouse gas emissions, a sweeping effort is underway to make NYC’s buildings more efficient. Advances in information

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Students Join Together to Plant Heirloom Apple Orchard at Queens College

Students Join Together to Plant Heirloom Apple Orchard at Queens College

Imagine being a student at New York City’s Queens College, and being able to pick a ripe, organic apple right off the tree on your way to your morning biology class. Nice, right? This past Arbor Day (in New York State, it’s the last Friday in April), a

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6 Ways PlaNYC Has Successfully Made New York a Greener Place to Live

6 Ways PlaNYC Has Successfully Made New York a Greener Place to Live

image via Philip Lange, Shutterstock
Travel Time Reduced by 20% for Thousands of Bus Passengers
Among various new public transportation initiatives that have been launched to improve service, reduce travel time and get more people around the city car-free,

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RESTAURANT REVIEW: Blue Hill at Stone Barns is All That and a Bag of Homemade Veggie Chips

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Blue Hill at Stone Barns is All That and a Bag of Homemade Veggie Chips

Blue Hill at Stone Barns is located in Pocantico Hills, New York, about 30 miles away from New York City. It may seem like a trek but there’s no shortage of eager folks willing to travel the distance – if you’re hoping to get a reservation on a weekend, be

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Shipping Container Village ‘Photoville’ Coming to Brooklyn Bridge Park this Summer

Shipping Container Village ‘Photoville’ Coming to Brooklyn Bridge Park this Summer

This summer, photography lovers will be treated to a unique experience: United Photo Industries’ pop-up Photoville, which lands in Brooklyn Bridge Park on June 22. The innovative photography experience will transform 30 shipping containers into a village

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State of the Air 2012 Finds NYC Air Pollution at Lowest Levels in 13 Years, Still Lots of Room for Improvement

State of the Air 2012 Finds NYC Air Pollution at Lowest Levels in 13 Years, Still Lots of Room for Improvement

The American Lung Association’s 2012 State of the Air report is out, and it contains some positive news for New Yorkers. According to the findings, the city’s air pollution is at its lowest levels since the reports began 13 years ago – but there’s still significant

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Green Map Launches New NYC Energy Map

Green Map Launches New NYC Energy Map

Green Map, the open source system that maps everything eco, is one of our go-to resources for discovering sustainable businesses, local initiatives, and green-living resources. Now the organization has just launched a new map that’s tracking everything energy-related

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Brightfarms Announces Plan to Build World’s Largest Rooftop Farm in Brooklyn

Brightfarms Announces Plan to Build World’s Largest Rooftop Farm in Brooklyn

If all goes according to BrightFarms’ ambitious new plan, Brooklyn, New York will soon be the home to the world’s largest rooftop farm. The hydroponic greenhouse company announced last week that Sunset Park was chosen as the location for the future 100,000

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PHOTOS: Macy’s Flower Show Features Giant Toucan Topiary Covered in 25,000 Flowers and Leaves

PHOTOS: Macy’s Flower Show Features Giant Toucan Topiary Covered in 25,000 Flowers and Leaves

A pineapple plant!

The theme of the 2012 Macy’s Flower Show was Brasil: Gardens in Paradise, and master horticulturalists and display artists transformed the inside of a temporary white tent into a South American wonderland that lives up to the name. Each

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Bushwick Campus Farm is an Outdoor Classroom & Food Justice Program for Four Brooklyn High Schools

Bushwick Campus Farm is an Outdoor Classroom & Food Justice Program for Four Brooklyn High Schools

The farm began last year with a $5000 Sodexo School Engagement Grant from YouthService America. Last fall, the students built a 40′ x 12′, energy-efficient, low-cost greenhouse, made with spare materials repurposed from an existing project. The growing space

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Mayor Bloomberg Calls for RFP on Solid Waste to Energy Facility for NYC

Mayor Bloomberg Calls for RFP on Solid Waste to Energy Facility for NYC

New York City makes a lot of waste – 3 million tons to be exact — and it costs the city $300 million to export it away from our lovely city streets. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is on a roll trying to divert that waste from the landfill and has now put out a

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Emerging New York Architects Competition Unveils the Winning Designs for the Harlem Edge Waterfront

Emerging New York Architects Competition Unveils the Winning Designs for the Harlem Edge Waterfront

The plot of land in question, a decommissioned Department of Sanitation marine transfer station located on the Hudson River at 135th Street, has endless possibilities. The contest sought to give Harlem residents a connection to the waterfront, as well as

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Terrarium Workshop at Wave Hill

Terrarium Workshop at Wave Hill

Don’t have a garden or greenhouse? Create your own tabletop landscape with Wave Hill Assistant Director of Public Programs Laurel Rimmer. Tiny ferns, creeping fig and other tropical plants thrive in the humid conditions of an enclosed glass jar as if in

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New York City Has Passed 29 Green Building Laws In the Last Two Years

New York City Has Passed 29 Green Building Laws In the Last Two Years

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

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New Interactive Map Shows How Much Energy Every Building in NYC Uses

New Interactive Map Shows How Much Energy Every Building in NYC Uses

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

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JPMorgan Chase Headquarters Renovation Achieves LEED Platinum Status

JPMorgan Chase Headquarters Renovation Achieves LEED Platinum Status

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.

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