PS29 gets some green accolades

Photo by Lauren Young

Check out the Brooklyn Eagle's article which covers Cobble Hill's local elementary school PS29 as it recently earned top honors for a spotlight on sustainability. Many electeds were on hand to offer their praise including State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, BK BP Eric Adams, and more.
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2015/3/2/green-sweep-cobble-hills-ps-29

Cobble Hill Association speaks for the Trees

"Yes, I am the Lorax who speaks for the trees, which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please."   Dr. Seuss

The Lorax does not live in Cobble Hill, but fortunately many green minded residents do.  Every Tuesday morning from Spring through Fall you will find volunteers out in Cobble Hill Park out in force to complement the tremendous efforts of NYC Parks Department. The extra bit of TLC ensures the flowers always look their brightest, the leaves look their healthiest, and children's playground area is always swept. Unfortunately, there is some work that park volunteers cannot do like overhead tree pruning.

When done well and routinely, this work goes unnoticed. When too much time has lapsed.... dangerous conditions can result, such as last week when a large limb on a callery pear tree by the children's area snap. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the Parks Department took swift, necessary action removing it tree entirely.

The Cobble Hill Association thanks the Parks Department and its staff for stewarding the park with our residents. To ensure those efforts go even farther, the Association will soon launch a fundraising drive to provide an extra level of maintenance that will keep Cobble Hill park a safe oasis for many decades to come.

Stay tuned on details for that drive. In the meantime, when you see Parks employees or local volunteers weeding and pruning... say thanks!

Cobble Hill CSA opens 2014 registration

Just in from the CSA....

Cobble Hill CSA opens registration to new members for the 2014 season, which will run from June 3-December 9. The Cobble Hill CSA is proud to work with vegetable farmer Bill Halsey of Green Thumb Organic Farm, located on Long Island’s South Fork, and fruit farmer Fred Wilklow of Wilklow Orchards in the Hudson Valley.

Launched in 1996, 2014 marks the 19th year of the CSA partnership with Green Thumb Organic Farm. In a CSA, members purchase a share from a farmer in the spring and share in the risk and reward of the farmer’s harvest throughout the season. CSA is a great way for New Yorkers to get the best quality produce and to support local family farms that use sustainable growing practices.

What: New Member Registration Now Open for Cobble Hill CSA. Visit cobblehillcsa.org for more information about joining the CSA and for a link to online registration. See video below about Green Thumb Organic Farm and Farmer Bill Halsey.
When: CSA distributions will happen Tuesdays from 4 to 8pm from June 3rd - December 9th.
Where: Kane Street Synagogue, 236 Kane Street, between Clinton & Court Streets, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

For more information:
Members of the public can contact Martha Rowen, Cobble Hill CSA Webmaster, at Martha@cobblehillcsa.org
Members of the press can contact Amy Blankstein, CSA Marketing Coordinator, at ablankstein@verizon.net 718.781.5093

Free Trees!

Put a smile on the Lorax's face and stake your claim on a tree... absolutely free!

The CHA got this special offer in the inbox recently; a free tree giveaway for BK residents. We had a detailed report from the Cobble Hill Tree Fund at our last meeting and many voiced wanting to see even more trees added to the neighborhood. Well, this weekend there's a 150 Free Tree Giveaway that Build It Green! NYC and the Gowanus Canal Conservancy are co-hosting as part of the MillionTreesNYC program.

Sunday, October 21st
11am-1pm, at the Salt Lot at 2 Second Ave in Gowanus

Reserve your tree now at this link, and select from the different species of trees available. Learn even more about the program here: http://www.bignyc.org/100-free-trees

Public Place meeting, 1/23 @ 6:30p

This Monday, January 23rd, will be an important meeting for Cobble Hill residents and all neighborhoods within earshot of the Gowanus Canal as the clean up of the toxic 'Public Place' gets underway. Please see details below and follow the link to a fully detailed report.

The Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation is hosting a public information meeting to alert area residents of the impending health risks once National Grid begins clean up of the Public Place site (due to commence in February). And employing inadequate monitoring of potentially harmful vapors when coal tar is exposed to the atmosphere. A detailed report is available at this link http://bit.ly/AE33xJ

Day/Time: Monday, January 23, 2012 @ 6:30 P.M.
Location: The Carroll School, P.S. 58 - 330 Smith Street (entrance on Carroll St)

If you have any questions, call Bill Appel 718.858.0557 or e-mail to bill@gowanus.org

Green Weekend Grows!

Silver Linden on Warren & Court Credit: Molly Culver

With the annual plant sale part of a super green weekend on the horizon, the The Cobble Hill Tree Fund got a great write up courtesy of Molly Culver at the Patch. Check it out right here.

And, another green update: the PS29 Recycling Event will now also have special paper shredding services on hand too!

Same deal as last year: $10 for a large bag or large box of shredding. The school receives $5 and Time Shred Services receives $5.

Green Saturday, gets EVEN GREENER!

We've already told you about the jam packed line up this Saturday in Cobble Hill, with Electronics Recycling, a Plant Sale, AND a Bike Fest....

But There's even MORE sustainability in the schoolyard at PS29, as they've turned it into a full on mega green event!

PS 29 Recycling Day: Saturday, April 30th

Electronics Collection by the Lower East Side Ecology Center: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Textiles Collection by Wearable Collections: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Plastic Containers with Lids Collection by the Park Slope Food Co-op Recycling Squad & CHIPS Soup Kitchen: 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Volunteers still needed! Email ps29pc@gmail.com if you have an hour to help.

Be sure to check out ALL the action in the neighborhood this Saturday. Want to see how successful we've been at events like these before? Watch here and here)

LICH gets a little Greener

While our local institution, Long Island College Hospital, has been in the news recently for its likely merger with SUNY-Downstate, we didn't want to let this little green nugget go silent. After enrolling in the Energy Curtailment Specialists' (ECS) PowerPay! New York Program in 2008, the hospital has gotten a bit more eco-conscious and implemented a hopsital wide notification system that, among many benefits, helps reduce energy use during critical periods when grid supply is low.  When asked to shed 1200 kilowatss during a 'test period' LICH...

went above and beyond by curtailing 2120 kilowatts; 920 kilowatts more than expected.... When the doctors, nurses, and other staff are notified of the event, they may shut off lights when a room is not in use as part of their own commitment to reducing electricity.
"Long Island College Hospital is an ideal customer for our program because they are so motivated to help within the community all while taking the necessary precautions to assure patient safety," said Glen Smith, president, chief executive officer and co-founder of ECS.

The Cobble Hill Association is very glad to have LICH taking care of both the patients inside the building and the community's energy needs around it.
image courtesy of Ruby Washington/The New York Times

Hey Cobble Hill, How GREEN are YOU?

Even before the Gulf of Mexico became an oil swamp, Green was the new black. We've all got to be thinking sustainably and now here's a chance to flex your eco-muscle and prove you're doing your part for a cleaner tomorrow.
NYSERDA, ConEd and Councilmember Brad Lander Challenge You to Reduce Your Use in the 39th District!

There are many quick and easy things you can do to bring down your family's electricity usage - from switching to compact florescent light blubs (CFLs), to buying energy efficient appliances, to unplugging power charges when they aren't in use. We want to help as many people as possible to make these kinds of changes.

Our competition begins on August 1st
Simply fill out the online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/reducetheused39
Or, contact Michael Curtin at 718-499-1090 or mcurtin@council.nyc.gov
 
We will send you monthly updates with who has saved the most energy, and with tips to further green your home!

Earth Hour is on the horizon!

Notice the icon at the top right corner of your screen? What's Earth Hour all about?
Well, in less than two weeks, The Cobble Hill Association wants to see the skyline go dark.

On March 27th, from 8:30pm to 9:30pm, a world wide event will take place called Earth Hour. It is a simple yet bold way to acknowledge climate change: turn off your lights.  In 2009, nearly one billion people in 4,100 cities in 87 countries in each of the seven continents turned off their lights to observe Earth Hour.

The Cobble Hill Association is a full supporter of this epic event, and urges everyone to take part. Local landmarks like the Empire State Building have already agreed to participate, and our State Assemblywoman Joan Millman is sponsoring a resolution that would officially recognize Earth Hour in New York. This legislation would also make the state an active participant by turning off all nonessential lights at the Executive Mansion and Capitol.

Read more in Assemblywoman Millman's press release and be sure to check out the official Earth Hour website. 

And if this whets your green appetite, stay tuned for more details on next month's electronics recycling event in Cobble Hill set for April 25th at PS29. Save your old electronics till then and read the recap of our previous success.

Fewer trucks on Henry Street thanks to smart thinking

We are very proud of the ingenuity of the CHA Green Committee for their success in getting commerical map maker Hagstrom to recolor Henry Street on its maps and atlases, used by truckers all across the country. Because of their work, starting next spring, fewer trucks will wind up on Henry Street. Our streets will be safer and our lungs healthier. Here is CHA Green Czar Dave 'Paco' Abraham's report:

Reducing Truck Traffic, One Map at a Time

Cobble Hill is a residential neighborhood whose adjacency to the congested Brooklyn Queens Expressway often brings about non-local truck traffic, in particular along Henry Street. Some truck drivers intentionally cut through Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens to avoid highway traffic, while others are simply lost, misdirected, and relying on a poorly designed map. Recognizing the latter as a danger to Henry Street's bike route, as well as a burden on neighborhood air quality, the Cobble Hill Green Committee aimed to cut the error off at its source.

Committee member Laura Herzenhorn, herself often behind an oversize vehicle for the American Museum of Natural History, pointed out that many truck drivers rely on the well-known Hagstrom Map books which identify Henry Street with a solid yellow line, properly indicating it as a through-street for regularly sized vehicles. While the Hagstrom Map does not condone trucks using car through-streets, it does falsely assume Henry Street's width. Unlike the Carroll Gardens segment of Henry Street, the Cobble Hill corridor has an extremely narrow width, which poses an extreme danger for trucks assuming they can pass safely. Committee chairperson Dave 'Paco' Abraham spoke with Hagstrom's research department and they have agreed to remove the yellow fill on Henry Street during the next map printing, expected in March of 2009.

Additionally, Hagstrom Maps is now working to publish a NYC map specifically for truck drivers to reduce the frequency of non-local traffic falsely assuming the roads highlighted yellow are wide enough for their oversize loads. A stronger police watch of traffic laws is the only surefire way to curb illegal truck driving, but fixing the Hagstrom Map error is at least one small interim step until major enforcement policy is overhauled.

e-recycling day: November 1

Thanks to the efforts of Dave 'Paco' Abraham, the Cobble Hill Association will host its first electronics recycling day with the Lower East Side Ecology Center, P.S. 29, and Councilmember Bill de Blasio. Here are the details:

What: Electronics recycling
When: Saturday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Schoolyard at P.S. 29, 425 Henry Street, entrance on Baltic between Henry and Clinton

All of the following will be accepted in either working or non-working condition:

-Computers and monitors
-Printers, scanners, fax machines, copiers
-Network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.)
-Peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, etc.)
-PC components (hard drives, cd-roms, circuit boards, power supplies, etc.)
-Television sets, VHS and DVD players
-Radios and stereos
-Phones of all sorts, answering machines, pagers
-PDAs and games
-Media (floppy disks, cd's, VHS tapes)
-Batteries

I'm sure that many of you, like me, have been holding on to a lot of junk and waiting for an opportunity to dispose of it properly. Now is the time to clean out all your old electronics responsibly.