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.
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
As Mayor Bloomberg’s tenure approaches its end, many are discussing what his long-lasting legacy will be. Education and economic development have been pillars of his administration, but no doubt Bloomberg will also be remembered for PlaNYC. The 30 year sustainability
Located within the garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the train show sits among the greenhouse lush plants and flowers, with trains weaving among the greenery. The Empire State Building, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the TWA Terminal at JFK, and dozens of historic
City Grow’s mission is not just to be a retail store, but to cultivate a community of passionate urban farmers that will influence the habit and diets of New Yorkers in the five boroughs. Each Saturday, City Grow’s Greenpoint location offers classes on
This week, New York’s Department of City Planning released Zone Green, a set of proposed amendments to the city’s zoning resolution designed to remove obstacles to erecting green features in the city’s built environment. These amendments, available for public
The 20-foot long black and white box in Times Square is the first of its kind in the U.S. Thanks to the design direction of Aedifica, it stands out amidst the overwhelming visual stimulation provided by the neon lights and billboards in the surrounding zone.
As the effects of climate change become more and more a part of our daily lives, the forecast for the future of New York predicts some major changes. A new report by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority shows that New York City has
A new pop-up greenhouse could make its way to the Cypress Hills neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn. As part of an effort to battle the trend of obesity and diabetes in the low-income neighborhood, the conceptual Greenhouse Project will offer the community healthy
The 15,000 square foot Riverpark Farm is made from stacked black milk crates lined with landscaping fabric, meaning that the entire thing can be picked up an moved (which they had to do during Hurricane Irene). Because building on the stalled site could resume
‘Tis the season for pumpkin carving, and of course, the bigger the better! Farmers all over the world spend the better part of the year carefully harvesting their squash to hopefully end up with the year’s record breaker. This year, Jim Bryson from Quebec
Good news, New York! We are on track to hit the PlaNYC goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2017! Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement yesterday as he kicked off Climate Week. Our GHG levels are 12 percent below the 2005 baseline, and
Mayor Bloomberg kicked off Climate Week 2011 yesterday with the release of the annual PlaNYC Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which reported a 12 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions since 2005. The success of Bloomberg’s green policies was a key part to
If noshing on yummy (and free!) organic treats and sipping fresh juices while shopping, swapping, learning and rocking out to a solar-powered DJ in an Urban Oasis sounds like your kind of party, mark your calendar for the 14th Street Y’s OPENgreenHOUSE, happening
If noshing on yummy organic treats and sipping fresh juices while rocking out to a solar-powered DJ in an Urban Oasis sounds like your kind of party, mark your calendar for the 14th Street Y’s OPENgreenHOUSE, happening this Sunday, September 18th! The 14th
Edible Schoolyard is the brainchild of Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant in California. She began the project all the way back in 1995 at Martin Luther King Jr. middle school in Berkeley, just a few blocks from her restaurant. In an area where
Local honey is good for all that ails you– allergies, sore throats, colds, not to mention that it’s delicious! The Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm and Rockaway Beach Club have teamed up to host New York City’s first ever Honey Festival, a celebration of local
Domestic Construction design studio recently signed a lease on the abandoned lot next to their Greenpoint space when they heard the grassy knoll was going to be turned into a concrete parking lot. Using Kickstarter they hope to hold onto their lease, but
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a constant advocate for the green world in so many ways. His latest feat came yesterday when he signed into law a series of laws that will promote locally grown food in New York City. The new laws will help the city
Solar One provides New York with public energy efficiency programs. The new space, Solar 2, will be ten times the size of the current building, enabling ample space for environmental exhibitions, community areas, and classroom space for their K-12 environmental
Look out Gowanus, a new beer and clam bar is about to grace our palettes with its presence. Thanks to exceeded donations via Kickstarter (which as become the method of choice for making dreams a reality), three friends are combining their love of seafood and
Trish Andersen and Maureen Walsh of Domestic Construction have combined their creative forces to bring a new community design space to Greenpoint Brooklyn. This recent artistic endeavor “design.plot” aims to blur the boundaries between sustainability, urban design, and food production. The designers plan to deck out the lot with geodesic greenhouses, a viewing hill, a birdhouse village, vertical gardens, vegetable beds, and of course, a “mini-forest world.” With so many dead spaces dotting the Brooklyn landscape, this little ray of green design has the potential to set a precedent for sustainable development and community within the area. If you’re as passionate about positive grassroots change as we are, jump ahead and learn how you can help Domestic Construction raise some funds to make their project a reality – they’re even giving away some sweet prizes on their Kickstarter page!
French Architect Jean Nouvel’s plan to adorn the Museum of Modern Art on 53rd street with his Torre Verre, often called the ‘Death Spire,’ was thought to have been put to death in 2009, when City Planning Commission chair Amanda Burden put a strong hold
