Upper Green Side

What Makes the Upper East Side so Green?

Posted by Glenn September 3, 2006 at 7:17 am in News |

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What Makes the Upper East Side so Green?

Quite a bit actually. In fact most urban areas are more “green” than people give them credit. And it’s not because of all of New York City’s great parks, although they certainly make living in a dense urban area more pleasant. No it’s actually something that most people would intuitively think is decided brown. What makes the Upper East Side “green” in the environmentally friendly sense is its extremely dense population, its close knit mixture of commerical, residential and recreation/entertainment facilities, its walkability & close proximity to mass transportation. Residents of the Upper East Side live in an area which allows people to live a high quality of life while minimizing their impact on the environment around them. We use only a fraction of energy to heat our homes, transport ourselves around and power our lighting and appliances as our suburban counterparts.

If the Upper East Side is already doing so well, what can be done to improve it?

Again, quite a bit.

First, we can improve the rate at which people use environmentally friendly transportation modes such as walking, biking and mass transportation over more polluting modes of transportation like automobiles.

Second, we can improve our own energy efficiency to even higher levels by incorporating green features into our homes, like using compact fluorescent lighting, better heating and cooling systems.

Third, we can influence the world around us through our purchasing patterns. Take food for example. Most of our food is produced on industrial farms that require huge energy inputs which are then transported to us over great distances by airplanes or trucks. By preferentially buying locally grown and/or organic foods, we can influence the farming techniques employed, preserve local farmland from suburban sprawl and reduce the distances between ourselves and where our food is grown.

So what’s in it for me? What’s the trade-off? I mean, what do I personally stand to gain from all this?

A better quality of life, a healthier body and lower expenses.

For instance, by biking or walking more often you will save money on taxi and metrocard expenses while getting some good exercise and a personal sense of accomplishment. By buying locally grown and/or organic food, you get fresher, better tasting food. By installing Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs, you save money on your electric bill. We’ve put together a list of ideas you should consider in getting started.

Ok, that all sounds great, I plan to start doing some of these things personally, but what can I do to make a bigger difference?

Besides joining us, we highly recommend that you read more about living your own life more environmentally friendly. Talk to your friends, relatives and neighbors about these ideas. Join local neighborhood or block associations in the area and lobby them to consider promoting these ideas. But mostly, we believe that actions speak louder than words. Find something constructive and just do it. If you need some help, we are happy to help you get started.