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HWKN’s Cool New ‘Wendy’ MoMA PS1 Totes and Shirts Clean the Air While You Wear Them

by Diane Pham, 05/06/12

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Take the Ferry to First-Ever Frieze New York Art Fair this Weekend

by Lori Zimmer, 05/04/12

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NYC Enacts Zone Green Rules Enabling Easier Sustainable Building

by Lori Zimmer, 05/04/12
filed under: Architecture,Energy,News

green design, eco design, sustainable design, New York City Council, rooftop solar system, energy efficient technology, ZOne Green, green building

Building green in New York City just got a whole lot easier. The New York City Council has updated some archaic zoning laws, enabling energy efficient and solar-powered buildings to be constructed with ease. Citywide zoning regulations, called Zone Green, will now allow for both rooftop solar systems, as well as wind turbines to be more easily installed by cutting permit costs and eliminating bureaucratic red tape. The new ordinances are expected to save $15 billion in energy costs.

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The Landmarked Museum of the City of New York Goes Green With a LEED-Seeking Renovation

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Transportation Alternatives Launches City-Wide Bicycling Events Calendar

by Nona Varnado, 05/03/12
filed under: Biking,Things To Do

bicycles in new york, bike culture, bike events nyc, bike month nyc, bike riding, group, nyc events, transportation alternatives, ta bike map nyc, transportation alternatives nyc

If you’ve ever wondered how to quickly find out about bike rides happening in NYC that match your style and fitness level, Transportation Alternatives has launched a new online tool to do just that. BikeNYC.org aims to be the single reference point for an astounding variety of events and existing ride calendars for New York City. TA is also hoping to entice value shoppers to connect with local bike shops by featuring discounts and deals unique to the site.

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NativeBK Wants to Turn an Abandoned Lot in Red Hook Into a Native Plant Center

NativeBK, NativeBK kickstarter, planters, native plant center, native new york plants, red hook, plant center nyc

This summer, a couple of green-loving Brooklynites want to transform an abandoned lot in Red Hook into a native plant center that would be open to the public for free. The project, called nativeBK, has taken to Kickstarter to get off the ground. A native plant nursery does not yet exist in NYC, and the project aims to connect local residents and businesses to native plants, while also acting as a platform where people and businesses can donate native plants and sustainable planters to local schools, non-profits, and businesses. The center will also have native plants for sale, in addition to wooden planters handmade from shipping pallets on site. To learn more about nativeBK and help green New York, visit the group’s Kickstarter page.

+ nativeBK on Kickstarter

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

by Lori Zimmer, 05/02/12

photoville, united photo industries, photo pods, shipping container village, brooklyn bridge park, shipping container art gallery

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 of photography galleries, showing some of New York’s best and brightest photographers. Located on the Pier 3 Uplands, the photo park will introduce the public to area artists — and it’s completely free!

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Kick off the Food Book Fair With the Garden Gather Dinner at the Wythe Hotel

by Lori Zimmer, 05/02/12
filed under: Brooklyn,Food,Things To Do

green design, eco design, sustainable design, Wythe Hotel, Garden Gather Dinner, New York Food Book Fair, New York Mycological Society, John Cage, Leif Hedendal

In preparation for the New York Food Book Fair, the Garden Gather Dinner invites local foodies to experience a private dinner of local fare at the new Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. This Friday, guests can partake in a unique dinner honoring co-founder of the New York Mycological Society, John Cage, and benefitting GrowNYC’s New Farmer Development Project. Guests will enjoy a freshly gardened and foraged dinner by Chef-Artist Leif Hedendal and Mark Andrew Gravel.

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Study Shows Red Oaks Grow 8 Times Faster in Central Park Due to Urban Heat Island Effect

by Andrew Michler, 05/01/12

Cornell tree growth study, Urban Heat Island Effect, Urban tree, New York City trees, accelerated tree growth,

A simple experiment to see how trees are affected by growing in an urban environment has had surprising results, showing that they can grow up to eight times faster due to the urban heat island effect. For the Cornell University study, researchers planted red oak trees in New York City’s Central Park and places further upstate to measure the urban influence on the biology of the trees. Their dramatic results were not just in the overall growth, but the amount of foliage and carbon and nitrogen capture, as well.

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Honest Tea’s 30-Foot-Tall Recycling Bin Pops Up in Times Square

by Lori Zimmer, 05/01/12

sustainable design, Honest Tea, The Great Recycle, Times Square, recycle station, urban garden

Coinciding with the recent reports that New York City’s recycling rate is dwindling, beverage company Honest Tea is bringing awareness to Times Square. In collaboration with GrowNYC, RecycleBank, Coca-Cola Live Positively, Global Inheritance, and Five-Boro Green Services, a 30-foot-tall recycling bin stood ground in the middle of the heavily trafficked tourist center. Yesterday, the giant recycle bin collected more than 15,000 beverage containers from citizens that will be recycled into elements for a community garden.

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Thousands of New Yorkers Recycle Electronics at the City’s Safe Disposal Event in Queens

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Henry Street Settlement to be a Model for Green Landmarked Buildings in NYC

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Historic Andrew Freedman Mansion to be Converted into a Bronx Bed and Breakfast

by Lori Zimmer, 04/30/12

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Cook + Fox Reveal Renderings of Phase Two for City Point Complex in Downtown Brooklyn

by Lori Zimmer, 04/30/12
filed under: Architecture,Brooklyn

green design, eco design, sustainable design, Fulton Street Mall, Cook + Fox architects, Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture, residential towers, downtown brooklyn

The ongoing City Point project is transforming the Fulton Street Mall in Downtown Brooklyn. The first phase, a four story retail complex is already complete, and now the second phase – two residential towers – is in the works. Designed by Cook+Fox with Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture, the LEED-seeking towers will cap an enormous retail podium, creating a new mixed-use center.

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Monet’s French Gardens Recreated Inside The Hole NYC Art Gallery

by Lori Zimmer, 04/29/12
filed under: Art NYC,Green Space

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Hester Street Fair Returns to the Lower East Side on April 28th!

Hester Street Fair Returns to the Lower East Side on April 28th!

The always enjoyable Hester Street Fair is back, kicking off this weekend on April 28th! The fair returns for its third year in a row with an even more enticing selection of artisan shopping, delicious fresh food and original art.  This year’s opening party will include danceable tunes from synth-pop band Bubbles, so guests can eat, drink and dance in the new season.

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Take Your Tots to the New Amsterdam Early Childhood Center’s Annual Spring Fair this Saturday, April 28

Take Your Tots to the New Amsterdam Early Childhood Center’s Annual Spring Fair this Saturday, April 28

Kick off the spring season by treating your kids to a fun-filled festival in a Lower East Side community garden. The New Amsterdam Early Childhood Center is hosting its Second Annual Spring Fair, a three-hour event packed with games, craft-making, face painting, and special surprises for kids and their families, including a silent auction offering prizes like local restaurant gift vouchers, preschool camps at the Chelsea Piers, and sustainably-made toys. The event starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 28, and it is guaranteed to be a fun time for kids ages 2 to 6.

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Photos: Katharine Harvey’s Glittering Plastic “Chandelier” is Made from 1,000s of Pieces of Garbage

Photos: Katharine Harvey’s Glittering Plastic “Chandelier” is Made from 1,000s of Pieces of Garbage

Made from glittering strands of plastic garbage, artist Katharine Harvey's massive "Chandelier" has made its way to downtown New York just in time for Earth Day. The artist strung together water bottles, sandwich trays, muffin tins, salad boxes, egg cartons, and other trash to create the almost crystalline 21-foot tall and 15-foot wide sculpture, which currently hangs in the World Financial Center Winter Garden. Commenting on the "glut of plastic in consumer society," the deceptively beautiful light fixture will be on display from April 15th through May 11th, suspended above a luxurious marble staircase.

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Statue of Liberty to Re-Open in Late 2012 With Artist Residency Program

Statue of Liberty to Re-Open in Late 2012 With Artist Residency Program

photo © aa7ae

On the heels of a $27 million dollar makeover, the Statue of Liberty plans to re-open in style. In a collaboration with the National Park Service and New Jersey City University, Lady Liberty is offering a unique chance for a few artists to exhibit their art at the monument. The residency program will be open to three to six artists, giving them the chance to expose their work to the Statues’ three million yearly visitors.

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Curious Irish Hunger Memorial is a Green-Roofed Monument in Battery Park City

Curious Irish Hunger Memorial is a Green-Roofed Monument in Battery Park City

Even the most been-there-done-that New Yorkers might find themselves surprised to stumble upon the Irish Hunger Memorial, a sloping patch of wild grass that protrudes from Vesey Street and conceals one of the city's hidden gems beneath. Designed by artist Brian Tolle, landscape artist Gail Wittwer-Laird and 1100 Architect, the green-roofed monument entices passersby with its curiously overgrown field and, once they are inside, educates them about the Great Irish Famine and Migration of 1845-1852, a devastating event which actually led many Irishmen to make New York their new home. Comprised of an elevated limestone plinth supported by stones from each of Ireland's 32 counties, the beautiful structure contains a dark passageway that eventually leads to an idyllic knoll that reaches towards Ellis Island, symbolizing the new beginning that many Irish found in America.

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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 room for improvement. Overall, the city received C and D grades, with the Bronx declared to be the “dirtiest county in the metro region for high particle pollution,” while Staten Island received a failing grade for its ozone levels.

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Solar Panels Will Help F/G Train Straphangers Experience a Smoother Ride in Brooklyn

Solar Panels Will Help F/G Train Straphangers Experience a Smoother Ride in Brooklyn

photo © Elvert Barnes via Creative Commons

The MTA has turned to green energy to help make subway rides a little more pleasant for riders. A system of solar panels has been installed at the Smith-Ninth Street F and G train stop near the elevated Culver Viaduct. The solar energy harnessed from the panels will fuel track lubricators, creating a smoother ride.

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Chad Person Makes Mythical Beasts and Military Vehicles from Sliced Dollar Bills

Chad Person Makes Mythical Beasts and Military Vehicles from Sliced Dollar Bills

Artist Chad Person transposes the issues of economic, political, and societal power with his commanding collages. Composed from fine fragments of cut United States currency, the collages portray military vehicles, mythological scenes, and phrases. Person manipulates the tones and patterns on each bank note to illustrate his meticulous scenes.

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Park Avenue Tower Set to Get a LEED Renovation in Hopes of Becoming NYC’s Next Iconic Building

Park Avenue Tower Set to Get a LEED Renovation in Hopes of Becoming NYC’s Next Iconic Building

A New York City developer has created a competition to enliven the Park Avenue skyline. L&L Holding Co. is asking distinguished architects, including Jean Nouvel and Norman Foster, for design proposals to transform the boxy building of 425 Park Avenue into a LEED-certified skyscraper. The company wants to give the building a modern edge in the style of iconic buildings such as the Lever House and the Seagram Building.

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Greenpeace Protests Call on Apple To Clean Up Coal-Powered iCloud

Greenpeace Protests Call on Apple To Clean Up Coal-Powered iCloud

Earlier this month, the enviro-activist group, Greenpeace, released a report, “How Clean Is Your Cloud?” which revealed that Apple relies heavily on coal to power its cloud-running data centers. This morning Greenpeace took its message straight to Apple’s customers, staging protests that involved releasing big clusters of black balloons at several of Apple’s flagship stores, calling for the company to end its relationship with coal power.

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