It’s the Dalton School education for our children, the penthouse that overlooks Central Park, and the $180 caviar at Le Cirque. This is the dream as we drift to sleep at night, the wish on every birthday candle, and the heart of twelve hour work days. Maybe it’s the New Year’s resolution at the end of each year or the prayer we send out at every chance we get. The fantasy of the Upper East Side lifestyle and what it encompasses seems to be eating at our brains. Billy Joel topped the charts singing about it 20 years ago, and now every Monday night Gossip Girl is there to reaffirm the fact that some of us are not Manhattan elites; not even a little bit.
As some of us muddle through the day, without our town car transportation, without our nannies, and without our million dollar penthouses to go home to, there’s something we need to be aware of. A neighborhood like the Upper East Side, where all of the above can be found, is just that: a neighborhood. Like anywhere else, the community has its issues, its problems and most importantly, dedicated individuals hoping to make changes for the better.
The glare of all the glamour seems to block out what really defines a neighborhood, and in the case of the Upper East Side it’s passionate and motivated individuals who truly love their neighborhood. So to all my dreamers out there, pick yourselves up, put on your knockoff Ray Bans and follow me to the other side of the Upper East Side; the green side.
The Upper Green Side is a team of seven individuals who work together to make the Upper East and West Side of Manhattan more sustainable. Their goal is to educate the neighborhoods about environmental issues in the area and advocate the importance of taking action. With the help of neighbors, stakeholders of the community and elected representatives, the Upper Green Side has selected specific initiatives that they hope to achieve in the near future. The team also regularly sets up tables outside of local markets on the weekends to promote and gain support for their cause; no limo service provided.
Michael Auerbach, a resident of the Upper East Side for about twoyears now, is the director of the Upper Green Side. Mr. Auerbach became active with the Upper Green Side because of his interest and passion for the environment. Through regular attendance of the neighborhood board meetings, Community Board 8, he was able to meet with the director at the time and begin his journey with the team. Today, that first step has brought him to a place where he can help make a difference, within a community and within himself.
Two of the major initiatives that Auerbach and the team have been focusing on are transportation and local food access. “Especially on the Upper East Side, there is a lack of green markets,” said Auerbach. The team has already established two new green markets in the neighborhood on East 82nd street and East 93rd street. These green markets are open-air markets that allow food to be brought into the New York Region. The purpose of these markets is to give people more access to local and organic food in the area. In addition to their own markets, the Upper Green Side also provides, on their website, an interactive map of what they call “green restaurants.” These restaurants, found in the neighborhood, either use organic items on their menus or engage in environmentally responsible practices.
Transportation is another important aspect of the neighborhood that the team has been focusing on rigorously. According to Auerbach, the Upper East Side has found itself in a bit of an ironic situation. “The neighborhood is very crowded with people, yet isolated because there is really only one train line that runs through the area, which is the 4, 5, and 6 Lexington Avenue line.” The Upper Green Side hopes to create more transportation options in the near future to make it easier for residents and visitors to get around the neighborhood. So far, the team has been working on creating bike lanes. Their goal is to have riders be safe. Their hope is that if bike lanes are improved, more people will turn to this option rather than cars. As a result, transportation options will be increased, people will be safer, and the environment can breathe a little easier.
This green movement has become a rising and popular trend on the Upper East Side. The members of the Upper Green Side work every day to transform their neighborhood, filling it with green markets, green restaurants and bike lanes–improvements that have little or nothing to do with money.