Upper Green Side

Too much salt! Try beets, and proper shoveling

Beet juice/salt deicer blend in use

As the snows and ice have descended, the city and many businesses cover the sidewalks and roads with a variety of deicing chemicals. Some areas are often completely covered with piles and drifts of rock-salt, the most common and oldest of the five common deicers.

However, there are a number of problems with use and over-use of deicers. As water melts with the salt, it forms a chemical brine that can corrode roads, sidewalks and other infrastructure (not to mention everybody’s hardy winter footwear!), shortening their lifespan and creating need for costly replacement. What’s more, the runoff enters the ecosystem, affecting plants, our soil and our water systems, and studies have shown significant impacts.

NPR recently reported on a new biodegradable deicing blend utilizing beet roots, being used in Akron, Ohio and other municipalities. It’s more expensive, but it’s a liquid, favored by operators and agencies for ease of use, reduces corrosion, and reduces salt runoff into the environment. As the city looks to invest in a greener future, exploring earth-friendly deicers and encouraging people to limit private use should be a part of its efforts.

Deicers marketed as “environmentally friendly” are often just a mixture of regular deicers, blended to reduce environmental impact a little, but still having negative effects. However, smart use of eco-friendly deicing strategies would be an improvement. Shoveling or snowblowing as soon as possible is key.

Saturday: Free Program on Food and the City

For those involved or interested in sustainable urban food policy, there is a free afternoon program called Foodprint NYC tomorrow, Saturday, February 27th, with four sessions and a plethora of panelists exploring different facets of urban foodscapes. The first session starts at 1 p.m., at Studio-X (180 Varick St., Suite 1610, New York, NY 10014).

While the economic, cultural and cartographical aspects of urban food history and planning are important as well, greenies might be most interested in the last session, discussing opportunities and challenges of New York City’s possible food futures. From their description, I’m almost certain it will include discussion of peak phosphorus, a clear environmental concern, and possibly more exciting than peak helium.

Building the People who Build the City

Powered by nature - and people

Last October, Urban Agenda and the Green Collar Jobs Roundtable launched their Green Collar Jobs Roadmap. The result of over a year of research into green jobs and workforce development best practices, initiated by a multi-stakeholder alliance of community programs, labor unions, business and training organizations, the Roadmap spells out a collective vision for incubating the workforce that will build a more environmentally sustainable New York City.

Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC includes some attention to the need for workforce development, with a Transformation to a Green Economy plan, but the Roadmap is an important addition. It details over 30 recommendations to help prepare New Yorkers for the green collar jobs coming from efforts such as the City Council’s Greener, Greater Buildings plan, passed in December. Investing in training, recruitment, business resources and other job-readiness infrastructure for all New Yorkers is crucial if the City expects to meet its sustainability goals, especially in these times of ever-increasing unemployment.

Bike to Work with Seattle’s New Mayor

Many folks talk about making our cities more sustainable, but Seattle’s new Mayor Mike McGinn, takes it as his personal missions by biking to work everyday and even biking to appointments around the city during the day. Please enjoy this Streetfilm!

What We’re Reading: 2/16/10

A snowy Romeo & Juliet

• America’s eating habits: there’s a map for that
  
• Island Fever: Roosevelt tram rehab set to begin
  
• Video of the Day: Urban Food Prints
  
• The health behind making NYC more bikeable/walkable
  
• Finally a New Penn Station. Maybe.
  
• Uptown raccoons get vaccinated. But not those downtown raccoons. They’re too cool for that.
  

NYSERDA Appliance Swap-out

Thinking of replacing an old inefficient appliance? Well, in a couple of weeks, there’s going to be a NYSERDA program just for you. Solar1 posted this flyer on a Google docs page. Here’s one of the rebate option charts.

Not only will you save money now through the rebate, but replacing older appliances with more efficient ones will save you money on your electric bill over the long run.

What We’re Reading: 2/15/10

Happy Prez Day!

• Cash4Gold’s better program: Cash4Green (green efficiency upgrades that is)
• Go climb a tree. No seriously, the Parks Dept will teach you
• Electric City: US Cities prepare for the electric car revolution
• iEmission: Pinpointing emissions at the source
• Professor Bill Gates teaches us the new math: CO2 = P x S x E x C
• How green is your desk?

What We’re Reading: 2/12/2010

the funky bus

• Profressor Colbert: “Global warming doesn’t exist because it’s cold outside. simple equation: eyes + snow = science”
• Look out: We’re going nuclear
• Electeds show support for protected West Side bike lanes
• To capture or not to capture, that is the question. Carbon that is.
• Citywide Street Safety Office = Safer Streets Citywide. We like that.
• Big Bambú is coming to a museum near you!
• Bright ideas: 10 million solar roofs

Only in New York

A few days ago, before the Unusually Large Snow Storm, I was privy to one of those only in New York moments. Ya know, those moments that are so special, so unique, that you can’t explain why they are so special and unique except for the fact that the experience happened while you were experiencing it in New York…or something like that.

I was in Union Square this past Monday picking up some vegetables (and great cheese) from the Farmer’s Market when I spotted a hawk chasing a squirrel up a fire escape. And I wasn’t alone: more than dozen people had also stopped to watch the exchange. The crowd was transfixed for over 30 minutes as the hawk plotted his way up the fire escape while the squirrel hastily tried to avoid the advances. Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to stick around to see how it ended (I’m sure we all can figure out how it ended).  Nonetheless, it was still pretty cool to see something so wild in the middle of the urban landscape. Definitely something you don’t see everyday.

the hawk on his perch

Continue reading Only in New York…

Senator Liz Krueger Against A Safer Times Square?

Yesterday, much to our delight, the Mayor announced that the pilot project at Times Square, opening a street to pedestrians instead of cars, would be made permanent. However, there are a few people that felt left out of the process and ducked the issue of stating what their opinions were of the safer, more pedestrian friendly Times Square. State Senator Liz Krueger was quoted in the NY Times this morning saying:

“I find it disturbing that nobody outside of the mayor’s office got to take a look at the data or the report before the decision was made,” said State Senator Liz Krueger, who represents the Times Square area. “It leaves one with the suspicion that they didn’t want the public to have time to take a serious look.”

But what do you think of the new Times Square Sen. Krueger? If you had seen the report, would you be against keeping acres of pedestrian space that tamed a dangerous intersection for motorists and pedestrians? Would you be against similar public spaces in your residential areas? What do you think of the play street on 91st Street between Second & Third Aveunes?

Mayor Bloomberg should be commended on his bold leadership in the face of petty arguments over process. We hope that other public officials learn the lessons that putting pedestrians first is a winning strategy.

Update: Sen. Krueger’s Communication Director wrote back to us today: