Long Island City (known as L.I.C.) is one of the largest neighborhoods in Queens in part due to that it was originally formed as a collection of several other townships and hamlets in the late 1800s. After the industrial boom, L.I.C. became a hub for nearby railroads, warehouses and manufacturing plants as well as a thriving waterfront area.
In recent times, gentrification is hitting L.I.C. hard because of factors such as sweeping views of Manhattan and proximity to the city. It is also the home to the highest concentration of art spaces in New York. All of this has lead to a thriving mix of industrial and commercial businesses, as well as skyrocketing rents. Though the area is changing, much of it is still industrial and there are but a few skyscrapers.
The struggle between long-term residents and gentrification will prove interesting to explore, in terms of housing prices and building developments. This also affects local retail and wholesale businesses, which constitute most of what is found in the area, and how they survive. Profiles could stem from these business owners or any of the local artists that call L.I.C. home. Lastly, the rich historical value of the area, specifically in an industrial sense, and how it works with or against development adds further depth for compelling stories.
Flushing is not where I grew up, and for much of my adolescence served as little more than a transportation hub to other places. But now I do live there and I would like to learn more about my neighborhood. The first thing that comes to many peoples’ minds when they hear “Flushing” is Main Street, the “Chinatown” of Queens. I have heard from many people that Queens is the most diverse borough in the City, and the area around Main Street is certainly a testament to that.
Along Main Street there are plenty of Chinese shops, specialty stores, restaurants, and supermarkets. But there is also evidence of western culture as names such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Old Navy, Macy’s and many others stand alongside and stand out from their Chinese neighbors. The streets are as crowded as Times Square on any given day, and driving around the area is an ordeal in itself. The intersection at Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue is a nexus of traffic lights, buses, all manners of cars, and pedestrians of the most reckless kind. Along the side streets and away from Flushing life is less hectic and more culturally distinct. There is a large Korean presence amidst the long stretch of Northern Boulevard and east of Main Street there are scatterings of Southeast Asian communities.
As of now, Flushing bears little resemblance to its origins. Dutch and English colonists first settled in Flushing during the 17th century and it remained a predominantly white neighborhood until the 1970s, when a Chinese community established itself there and was subsequently bolstered by incoming Taiwanese and other Chinese immigrants.
Flushing is a neighborhood that stretches far beyond Main Street. I know this myself because I live 20 minutes away from Main Street in an area more akin to a suburb. Besides the commercial draw of Flushing’s Chinatown there are some natural landmarks worth noting, such as Kissena Park and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which was the site of 1939-1940 World’s Fair. These quiet and often overlooked areas of Flushing beyond Main Street are worth a closer look, as is the history of how Flushing became the cultural melting pot that it is today.
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on Neighborhood Choice – Flushing
When people think of Chinatown a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, they automatically think of the street peddlers selling knock-off designer handbags. Very seldom do people actually take their time to learn of the history of Chinatown, and all the treasures that it has to offer such as Kam Hing Bakery on Baxter Street, to the little antique shops on Mott Street.
This community was home to many immigrants, stemming from many different backgrounds because of it’s proximity to Ellis Island. Before Chinatown came to existence it was known as Five Points which was home to many Italian, and Irish immigrants who came to the United States because of the economic conditions in their home country, and the Irish Potato Famine. This area was once notorious for its slums, and high crime rates, and because of these high crime rates “the Tombs” prison was built on White Street because city officials felt that since many criminals lived in Five Points it’ll be easier for transportation.
Currently Chinatown is home to a large influx of Chinese immigrants who came to the United States during the 1970’s, and expanded their family. Chinatown spans from Canal Street, Worth Street, Bowery Street, and Baxter Street. Chinatown Manhattan remains the largest ethnic enclave for Chinese immigrants even with the expansion of other Chinatowns in Brooklyn, and Queens.
Growing up in Chinatown, I’ve witnessed first hand the many changes that took place within this community in the last 17 years. The gentrification process began with the opening of a Starbucks on the corner of Canal and Centre Street. In the following years after the opening of Starbucks large condominiums sprang to life, taking away the essence of Chinatown. Quite honestly, I prefer the Chinatown I grew up with; compared to the one I’m living in now. Chinatown now carries a stigma that it’s only a place for knock off designer handbags, rather than a place of historical importance in New York City, and a place worth giving a second look.
We will be writing a series of neighborhood related stories in this Feature Writing class, all related to your specific neighborhood beat. They include: A profile or a neighborhood faces story, a community business story, a community services story and (for your final project) a neighborhood conflict story. For all of these assignments, you will be asked to upload proposals to the blog. There will also be other blog assignments–concerning your progress on various stories and coverage of other college events.
On Sunday April 25th the New York Restoration Project hosted an event at Union Square to celebrate Earth Day. Among the many environmental organizations attending, there were a few remarkable stands promoting the oldest method of recycling food: composting.
Even though poor weather prevented visitors from arriving early, the booths welcomed the environmentally conscious New Yorkers who trickled in after the heavy rain finally slowed down. Stands such as Greenhouse, Organic Garden Magazine, Just Food, and NYC Beekeeping all were teaching New Yorkers how to live green.
Food scraps and yard waste make up 20-30 percent of the total waste in US according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For this reason, composting is a very important idea.
In New York City, a metropolis where millions of people often dine out due to busy work lives and small kitchens, a lot of food ends up in the trash. Even home chefs create a lot of wasted food when preparing meals.
Rodale also teaches the benefits of organic products. The Institute promotes tours, plant sales, festivals, and farmer training. The Institute does education outreach by offering several organic gardening workshops throughout the year. And there is nothing better than composting to strengthen a garden.
The NYC Compost Project, along with Rodale, encourages New Yorkers to be green and have an awareness of their environment, as well as teaching environmental cleanup and gardening, and promoting eletronic recycle.
The Project funded by New NYC Department of Sanitation was created in 1993 focusing on compost education and outreach in schools, community gardens, nonprofits and businesses. The project reaches out the five NYC boroughs with a site in each.
The Compost Project handed out environmentally educational pamphlets and guides focussing on how and why to compost in NYC. The Compost Project attracted a lot of attention and was full of curious New Yorkers.
Tim Watson, an inquisitive environmentalist willing to start composting indoors, reviewed five ways to help the city to be greener. “I use water bottle, cup bottle, compost, renewable energy and I go to workshops.”
Andrew Holes, a compost educator at NYC Compost Project in Manhattan, explained how simple it is to start composting. There are only three elements necessary to start composting: a plastic bin with upper holes, shredded newspaper or grass clippings or live worms and the food residues.
It is very important to remember not to add any meat or dairy to the food waste, otherwise it will become rancid when decomposing.
Alisson Goldenberg, expressed such a concern. “I want to start decomposing, but I don’t have a backyard and my roommates are worried about the smell it may produce indoors.” Mr. Hoyles emphasized that composting does not smell if you follow the instructions.
“You may use browns for carbon, greens for nitrogen, air for organisms and water for moisture.” said Maguire Owen, a 25 years organic promoter at the Rodale Institute.
After the food composting process finishes, New Yorkers can donate the newly created fertilizer soil to any of the five Compost Project sites in NYC.
Composing is a natural way to break down food waste, returning it to the ground. According to Holes, more people are doing composting because they don’t want their food waste to go to the landfills, which contributes to the green house effect on the planet. In another words, composting helps to prevent pollution by avoiding the production of methane in landfills.
Organic waste can create useful products that offer numerous benefits, from preventing erosion to economic benefits. Composting is not new, but an old idea that is gaining momentum. It is an old fashion way to reuse food waste that can help regenerate poor soil. Composting takes organic matter and breaks it down creating humus, increasing soils nutrients and adds moisture to it.
Why compost in NYC, where life is already hectic and crowded?
Because composting it is earth-friendly, good for the environment, easy and can save money. It also produces high quality, nutrient rich soil that can be used in local gardens.
“I don’t like to be wasteful, and living in the city we have a lot scraps, so I try to do as much as possible and composting is the next step,” said Nicole Squassni, a student from the Lower East Side.
Saturday morning, I woke up at 8 a.m., which is unusual, got ready and left my house to go to the Gowanus Canal Earth Day event. Instead of the R train, I got on the N train, which is express and does not stop at Ninth Street in Brooklyn, the closet stop to the canal. So I had to get off and take the uptown train.
I finally got off the train at Ninth Street and Fourth Avenue and had to walk to Second Avenue. It was 10 am. When I walked all the way there, I saw what looked like a dead end and the area was so quiet I couldn’t spot anybody to ask for directions. I stood at the intersection looking left to right. After contemplating which way to go, I decided to go left. I walked one block and made another left as if going back to Fourth Avenue. Then I saw a man walking with a cane and I reluctantly asked him where the Gowanus Canal was located. He told me to walk to Third Avenue, make a right and walk three more blocks. For some reason I did not trust his directions and decided to ask another woman. She told me to walk past Second Avenue and there was the canal.
The address I had was 118 Second Avenue, entrance Ninth street and 12th Street. At this point I was on Second Avenue and Ninth Street but could not find the building number. I saw 117 and kept walking hoping to find 118 but no luck. The blocks kept getting longer and the sight of no person around me frightened me a little. The sun was hot and I walked slowly because I was running out of energy. I had skipped breakfast that morning.
I walked those long blocks until I found the canal but then the dilemma was that I didn’t see anything that looked like an event. I stood by it and watched the green water which made me a little dizzy. It was so quiet and peaceful; I just stood there, my eyes wondering around for about five minutes. I wondered whether that green water is healthy for the neighborhood.
I walked past the canal and finally started seeing people. At the end of that block, I made a right and walked one block, still no sight of an even and still no building number 118. I spotted a police car and wanted to go ask them for directions but unfortunately there was no officer in there so I sadly walked back to the canal, this time on the opposite side of where I was at first. I stood there again looking at the dirty water and somehow fascinated by it. I decided to walk back to Second Avenue and Ninth Street. When I got there, I saw a post office guy and thought “well this one got to know where 118 and Second avenue is!” When I asked him, he said, “That’s a Lowe’s store, walk straight and make a right at 12th Street.”
I made it to the Lowe’s store and the entrance said 118 Second Avenue and I said to myself finally. I walked in and asked one of the employees and he sent me to customer service. At customer service, the lady did not know what I was talking about when I asked, “Is there an Earth Day event here today?” She called the manager and she said “what is an earth day event?” I explained that in April people celebrate earth day and that I was told that there is one even here today. She made a phone call for me and said “the even is right by the canal.” I was disappointed because I had just came from the canal and I saw no even whatsoever but I decided to go back and this time I walked inside the Lowe’s parking lot. I went all the way to the end and I saw nothing. Heartbroken, I decided to go home because I was tired, hungry and sweaty and it was 11 a.m., one hour of walking around.
Grand Central Terminal was filled with events focusing on the Technology of the Future, City of the Future and the Giant Earth Images.
The walls reflected quotes like, “All life is interrelated, whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly,” Martin Luther King, Jr. and messages like “Global energy use has increased 70% since the first Earth Day in 1970.”
The City of Future wasn’t too catchy as much as green technology of the future was. Inventions like the Siemens Wind Power stole the show with what it could do. That is, it saves more than 20 million tons of C02 annually. This product has already taken off in many countries, and has globally installed more than 9,600 wind turbines and a single turbine can power nearly 700 homes. There are wind farms in Denmark that produces 20% of the country’s electricity. Technology seems to be the only way the earth can be saved, when invented for the purpose of saving the world. Yet with this amazing invention, people can believe what technology can really do.
The high volume of people turning up showed that they are really concerned with “Mother Earth.” Most of the people seemed to be learning a few things about saving the earth and small kids looked lost and interested with the whole Earth Day event.
A 15-minute walk in the fair was worth 15 years of knowledge, the messages on the wall shocked and impressed. As one of the pictures highlighted a quote by Mahatma Gandhi, “Whatever you do may seem very small, but it is important that you do it.” We better start thinking about our future generation.
Did you know African Elephant Populations have declined over 85% since the 1940s?
Adarsh Gurung
Posted inHaller-Spring 2010|Comments Off on Technology Steals the Show at Earth Day Fair
The event billed, Giant Earth Day Images, conjured up a lot of images. One could imagine lots of people, lots of noise and lots of photographs and graphic images. In advertisements everywhere on trains, buses and in magazines and subways, it seemed like a very exciting event. However, it was the complete opposite. It was pretty lame.
“Giant Earth Day Images” at Grand Central at noon on Earth Day was indeed a big surprise because hardly anyone was there. There was not even a sign showing where the event was. People had to look for it themselves. As people began to arrive, they were perplexed about the event. When asked where “Giant Earth Day Images” was, the lady at the information booth didn’t say a word. She just pointed to the wall. The wall had a lot of flashing images of animals and the world.
Three people walked in, immediately they started taking pictures of the wall and talking among themselves.
“Earth Day is a very good time that we can show appreciation to our environment,” said Quan Vinh Duong. “As I look at these images and read what is posted underneath it, I learn more about what is going on in the world. It helps people to understand what is going on in the world.”
“This is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day,” said Sachia LaRoc. “The images are amazing and it inspires people to take positive actions towards our planet. We all have to work together to help maintain a healthy environment. Earth day is not just a good event it helps bring awareness to situations so that they can’t be forgotten.”
Since the publication of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, capitalism has become, with only the exception of a few countries, the dominant global economic system. Without a doubt capitalism works. Capitalistic strategies have helped to create some of the most profitable economies in history, albeit at an enormous cost. The implementation of these strategies has resulted in ecological, biological and social decay.
While many agree that a change is needed in how we relate to and view ourselves in relation to the environment, some have questioned how profitable these changes will be and if they can sustain the material wealth that America, as a nation, has become most accustomed. Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn held its 5th Annual Eco-Festival where an interdisciplinary panel of faculty discussed the questions that are on the minds of many American citizens — exactly what is sustainability and how are we going to get there?
In definition, sustainability is the development that makes sure the needs of the present are met without infringing upon the needs of future generations. According to the panelists, clearly stating what the word means is imperative. “If we refuse to define the term, we will not be able to achieve anything. We must reach a common consensus on what the term means,” said Dr. Stuart Schulman, the executive director for the Center for Economic and Workforce Development.
There has been much discussion about the possibility of introducing green jobs, especially in the current economic recession. However, most green jobs are just the recycling of non-green jobs. “Actually non-green jobs are possible, but for right now all we are doing “greening” jobs that already exist,” said Dr. Schulman, “Jobs can be “greened” by substituting more environmentally-safe materials and using more sustainable methods of producing goods.”
The most important element of promoting the sustainable lifestyle to the average American is to create a financial incentive. “What if we taxed gas they way many European countries do? I think more people would buy hybrid or electric cars. There has to be some kind of top-down strategy,” said Dr. Schulman, “The government has to create a financial incentive in order to encourage the public because right now eating organic or purchasing sustainable goods is more expensive than purchasing non-sustainable goods.”
According to all of the panelists, in order to make sustainability effective we have to understand the interconnectedness between ourselves, the world, and each other. “A paradigm shift has to occur. We have to change they way we think about ourselves in relation to our environment,” said Joe Terry, a philosophy professor at Kingsborough College, “We have become used to seeing ourselves outside of the ecological order.”
NYC OUTLOUD, a men’s vocal ensemble group, paid homage to Earth Day at The Church of the Intercession in Washington Heights by performing an eclectic set of songs that highlighted the diversity of the group. Songs ranging from Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” to the poems of Robert Frost set to a piano score tied together the night’s theme, The Beauty of the Earth.
NYC OUTLOUD raises funds through its performances for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered community. As an all gay choir, it’s appearance in an Episcopalian church may have seemed a bit odd. Plus, who’d have put Moon River and huge statues of Jesus together?
However, by its definition, the Church of the Intercession is designed to be an all-welcoming church that extends its prayers on the behalf of others. The men, all clad in business suits, ranged in age and race as much as vocal range, with booming bass singers and angelic tenors harmonizing as one. This blend of men was especially appropriate because it highlighted the ethnic diversity of the area, as well as that of Earth Day, the largest secular civic event in the world.
As their voices reverberated off the high arching ceilings, a donation jar was passed around the sparse crowd, much like the collection basket at a Sunday service. No key-chains or lanyards touting Earth Day were given out, just a simple program listing a few simple facts and the song list. In fact, other than the set list and a pretty drawing of the earth on the program, no one would know this was anything other than your run of the mill concert. But as the pianist broke into a sweat playing the folk song Shenandoah, the message was just as clear as at any other Earth Day event; passion and love for our planet.
“Sign our petition and you’ll get a free water bottle!” shouted the lady at one of the booths as people crossing the street ran toward her.
“Free stuff!” some people whispered to one another. The water bottle was an ugly grey plastic thing that had blue and green cubed lettering that said, “Kiss My Face.”
Some of the people who stopped unmindfully signed the petition, took the water bottle, smiled at the lady and walked away without looking back at the other booths that were promoting Earth Day.
The Earth Fair Outdoors at Vanderbilt Avenue was very empty and not lively this past Friday. That afternoon brought a terrible reminder of how many people are not really interested in Earth Day. The few people who did attend walked away from the booths and the people in them who anxiously tried to get them at them to sign their petitions or to buy some artwork made out of organic products.
The live music that was promised on the Earth Day New York information website was not launched. Some musicians scrambled back and forth on the stage, but nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. “Let’s go,” said Merari Fuentes said, who was waiting for the music to begin. “People who organized this don’t seem to care, why should we?”
The New York City International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Center was full of excitement on a recent Saturday. Groups of people could be seen popping out from all of the nearest train stations and all headed in the same direction- Jacob Javits.
The very first lineup of cars visitors had the chance to lay eyes their eyes upon were a handful of the latest cars including a charcoal grey Chevy Camaro Hennessey, and a flashy red Dodge Challenger SRT. Further down were higher- end cars being modeled only for show. Porsche, Lamborghini, Mercedes Benz were most noticeable and where the crowds were hovering over to get their photographs taken by friends and family.
Just outside the building, Kia was allowing visitors a chance to experience their new SUV, the Kia Sorrento. An entire obstacle course was set up in an oval shape and a representative from the company sat in the driver’s seat giving passengers a personal, and professional, overview of the car. Then they slammed on the gas and swerved at high speed throughout the obstacle course before coming to a quick halt. Providing passengers a thrill ride in their new Kia.
“I come every year with my husband. It’s a great place to come and enjoy and have fun. I especially loved the Kia test drive,” said Lucia Pico, who was smiling ear to ear after experiencing the joy ride.
However, the most exciting part of the show was taking place on the lower and upper levels. Both levels had sections of name brand cars from Lexus on the lower level to Lotus on the upper level. Although the lower level offered all visitors the chance to get a hands on experience with their cars, by allowing them to get in and play around with all the gadgets they had to offer, some others were strictly just for eyes to stare upon. Lamborghini was among the few, along with Porsche, who only welcomed viewers.
“I’ve been coming to the car show ever since I was little. I love it because I get to see all of the sexiest cars in one place. I love it,” said Linda Dillotti.
The Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy attempted to kick off its summer Earth Day Celebrations for 2010 on Earth Day weekend, but because of a drizzly Sunday the 5,000 people organizers hoped would join in and raise funds fell to a few dozen.
The event, which was held at Eerie Basin Park, was hard to find as it was tucked behind the new IKEA store at 1 Beard St. in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The 10-minute walk around the IKEA parking lot to the waterfront seem longer on account of the trickling rain.
The Giant Earth Ball which was launched 100 feet in the air earlier in the event served more to flag the event, otherwise lost underneath the second story of a parking lot, than as a symbol of 100 percent commitment to a greener earth.
Ludger Ballan, the director of the program, was actively engaged with the few attendees who came and went like the scattered showers after a performance by a group of barefooted dancers on cold concrete.
“We received phone calls all morning from people saying we can’t come because of the rain and we just told them the event is rain or shine, but that didn’t convince too many people,” said Ballan.
“We mostly got people from the neighborhood but the event was pretty much shot,” he added.
The bin in which the group hoped to collect sneakers and old electronics had less than 10 items lying at the bottom.
Ballan then retreated to the Enviromedia Mobile Museum that rested in the middle of the empty field where the day’s activities were to take place after introducing the final act of the event, El Nuevo Conjunto.
“We’re here to support Earth Day and most of all show our support for implementing positive changes in our environment,” said John Quinones, the band’s lead singer and guitarist.
Their set consisted of seven original songs composed with a pair of congas, three acoustic guitars, a tambourine, and a harmonica using no electricity to perform.
Picture a wall made from thin steel frames taking up a large section of Union Square Park and forming almost a perfect circle. That is what is called an urban garden. The wall was full of plants in black colored potato sac-like holders and all of them were there to show how to garden organically in an urban world, and to teach the public about growing organically and its benefits.
The rain that morning was as if Mother Nature herself did not want anyone at the festival learning about how to plant organically, when ironically the point of the festival was to teach people to understand the environment better and how to do very little things to help it. The weather was raging with cold rain and wind, but despite it all the show had to go on.
Anyone who arrived early could see that the weather scared most people inside buildings or underneath tarps. But it did not jar the workers from setting up their sections at the event. They bared the wet cold and were just happy to be a part of it. Even the plants seemed happy because they were big and drooping out of the black sacs from the fresh rain.
The Earth Day event, NYC Grows, was sponsored by he NYRP (New York Restoration Project) founded by Bette Midler, the National Gardening Association and the New York City Department of Park and Recreation. It is now in its fifth year.
It was lunchtime at Cloves Lake Park in Staten Island, and several groups of people who had volunteered to plant trees were sitting on the grass, sharing stories, and enjoying the grilled vegetables and mozzarella lunch that was provided for the volunteers. Closer to the forest were the stacked, now-empty pots in which the trees had arrived at the park. Those empty pots are to be returned to the tree growers to be used again in Pennsylvania, Long Island, New Jersey, and Maryland (New York really is a green city!).
One of the New York City Parks Department officials in charge of the event, Minona Heaviland, spoke to the volunteers about the Earth Day event. Citywide, there were 1,200 volunteers planting nearly 20,000 trees, she said. “The main objective here is restoring multistory forests.”
Many of the trees in the forest suffer from invasive plants like knotweed and catbrier, which both take over the soil and don’t allow anything else to grow, she said. These invasive plants destroy the food source for the wildlife in the forest.
After talking with Heaviland, the volunteers got back to work. Beyond some old trees, there was a line of people working with the newer trees that were to be planted. Some volunteers were cleaning out the holes that were pre-dug by the Parks Department while others were on their knees securing the trees they had placed in the holes.
As the event came to a close, many of the volunteers were happy to be a part of something productive. “It feels good,” said one high school volunteer. Another said she felt very useful. Another volunteer boasted of the trees her group planted, and said that she “feels great.” One child said it was cool to be digging and planting as she explained she had planted three trees.
The idea of being green and preserving the environment has been celebrated for 40 years on April 22, Earth Day, and some even choose to celebrate the whole week and dub it Earth Week. Even others make a lifestyle out of it such as the people of TerraCycle, who have gone so far as to open a pop-up shop near Times Square called the Greenup!
TerraCycle is a company that upcycles non-recyclable waste materials and turns them into affordable, eco-friendly products. They usually sell their products at major retailers, but founder and CEO Tom Szaky drew inspiration from the trend of pop-up retail to open up the companies first “Greenup” in collaboration with Fashion Center Business Improvement District, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Times Square Alliance.
“I am familiar with the brand Terracycle, and when I saw it in front of the store, I had to come in,” said Laura Cicerale, a Queens resident. Founded in 2001, TerraCycle is already one of the fastest growing eco-friendly manufacturers in the world and a household name among environment conscious families.
The Greenup! provides New Yorkers the opportunity to expand their knowledge of green products and services not only from TerraCycle, but local vendors as well, such as Brooklyn-based Abby Valentine. Along with their showcase of products they have held various events since their March 27 opening, and have a couple planned until their May 21 closing. While the green movement is in full swing, and New York is a prime location for such a shop, the Greenup! has not managed to attract large crowds.
“I had no idea it was here,” said Cicerale, a refrain that a store employee said she hears all too often. Aside from the events, which she said draw a decent crowd, the store only has scattered visitors with no real peaks.
Originally scheduled to close on May 1, the Greenup! has been given another three weeks. With no official date disclosed as of yet, Szaky will be making an appearance at his shop to give a presentation on eco-capitalism. At the same time, hopefully bringing some much needed attention to his shop.
Something was strange about the scene at Baruch College. All the college kids were holding party cups drinking water. Someone yelled, “The cups you’re holding are eco-friendly, they’re corn cups.”
It wasn’t a house party, but an environmental awareness event in celebration of Earth Day that featured Alberto Gonzalez, owner the GustOrganics restaurant, the only certified organic restaurant in New York City.
The event was headlined by several student organizations who couldn’t wait to showboat their knowledge of eco-friendly facts. Plastic bottles and aluminum cans were taped to the walls with index cards with a fact about Earth Day or eco-friendly methods of disposing the items.
A speaker from one of the student organizations gave startling facts about the environment. “Never underestimate the importance of recycling,” said Kevin Mak, one of the creators of the event. “If every newspaper we used was recycled, we could save up to 250 million trees each year, but only 27% of American newspapers are actually recycled.”
Gonzalez stepped up to speak, welcomed by applause. Throughout the night, there was whispery gossip of how innovative his restaurant is. With all the praise and respect surrounding his restaurant, he seemed to be made out to be the Pablo Escobar of the organic restaurant scene.
Gonzalez is a self-proclaimed foodie and environment fanatic. He combines both these ideals into his restaurant, GustOrganics, a Latin cuisine organic restaurant on Sixth Avenue at 14th Street. “We try to reduce human consumption by serving only organic food,” said Gonzalez. “0ur food is socially and environmentally friendly.” Being the first and only certified organic restaurant in New York and the nation’s first restaurant to use 100% USDA certified organic ingredients, it’s no doubt that GustOrganics is a restaurant that raises environmental awareness and also helping it.
Posted inHaller-Spring 2010|Comments Off on Corn Cups and Eco-Facts At Baruch’s Earth Day
Forest Hills celebrated Earth Day in a big way with its first annual Earth Day Fair on Sunday. It was held at the Central Queens YM & YWHA, which made it a wonderful way for families to come together as a community to raise awareness about the earth. The fair consisted of a variety of environmental groups such as The Sierra Club and Queens Botanical Garden, which provided many different activities for both children and adults to do. For children there was a wildlife theater, worm composting station, and recycled art among other things, and adults were able to check out workshops, a do-it-yourself energy audit discussion, or learn how to green their workplace. There was a relatively large turnout for the fair.
The fair had exhibits covering topics such as recycling, neighborhood community gardens and creating healthy cleaning products. Children enjoye the Topsy Turvy carbon-neutral vegetable oil bus, which ran purely on vegetable oil. The fair was encouraging to children because it was aimed at getting them to appreciate and care for the earth around them. They also learned how to create recycled art, a sun dial, and a seed necklace. It seemed like a very well organized event for its first debut and it looked like everyone had fun, especially for the kids.
It should probably come as no surprise that shoppers at Bloomingdale’s flagship store paid more attention to signs advertising 50% discounts than to the three-day “Denim and Shoe Recycle” Earth Day event.
From April 20 to April 22, Bloomingdale’s customers rushed to the 59th Street store to get their hands on designer items on sale, however many of them didn’t know that during the same time the store, together with Housing Works thrift shops, was hosting an Earth Day event.
Customers were asked to recycle their gently worn denim and shoes, which would be donated to Housing Works thrift shops, in exchange for four passes to see the Disney movie, Oceans, and organic travel shoe bags. Also they could check out designer Eileen Fisher’s eco-friendly collection trunk show, and contribute to the environment by pre-ordering the items.
However the popularity of the event was very low. Most customers didn’t stop at the Earth Day stands.
Sisters Gabby and Rossana Fishman came to try to get their hands on some designer items after a long day of work, however they didn’t know anything about the ongoing Earth Day event.
“It is a great idea, and I have so many almost new jeans laying around at home that I haven’t worn for years, I would’ve loved to participate, but I didn’t even know about it.” said Gabby Fishman.
“We got so many letters in the mail about the sale, but nothing about this Eco event,” her sister said.
The lack of interest in the event didn’t stop the chaos in the store. Sale associates were running around trying to help customers find items they were looking for.
Erin, a sale representative, didn’t seem to be concerned with the lack of interest in the Earth Day event. “There is nothing we can do, people are just more interested in the sale,” she said.
If it’s true that one of the world’s largest celebrations of Earth Day took place in Times Square last Thursday, as the Times Square Alliance claims, there couldn’t have been very much doing elsewhere in the world.
The organizer, Earth Day New York, had high hopes, but it seems that partnering with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city of New York didn’t help to draw the people out. The crowd barely made it into the three digits for Bloomberg’s little speech, essentially a laundry list of his efforts to make New York a greener city.
The event actually consisted of two sections: the pedestrian plaza between 42nd and 43rd streets was lined with information booths, and the plaza between 45th and 46th streets held a little stage where a variety of performers and speakers did their thing.
Among the booths was The New York Times, with its claim to “green”-ness being that its newspapers are 75 percent recyclable.
By far the most popular station was the Burt’s Bees smoothie stand, partially because they were giving out the best free handouts, including natural toothpaste and beeswax lip balm. They made their bicycle-powered (by a volunteer) all-natural smoothies on the spot, making clear that the cups would be composted later. One taster gave an unsolicited, surprised compliment: “Wow, it’s good.”
A volunteer provides pedal power to blend Burt's Bees smoothies.
The other booths had a hard time attracting attention and many sat unnoticed much of the time.
The only other attraction was an older man, James Cellar, who would tell anyone who listened that he was “one of the founders” of Earth Day, back in the 1970s. He said that he tells kids, “We don’t need cars. Have a walk. It eliminates body pollution.”
Two blocks away, where the stage was set up, there was slightly more action. The reggae band, Wailers, had the audience rocking, with music that throbbed in your chest.
But the crowd dispersed after that, and so did the enthusiasm. A Mayan woman spoke on behalf of indigenous people worldwide; her call to the crowd, “How are you, New York?,” went almost entirely unanswered.
There was a slight uptick in energy level when the Blue Man Group came on the scene. They performed a short, weird act that was attention-grabbing, if nothing else.
"Backstage": The Blue Man group and Councilman Jim Gennaro
Above Times Square, flashing ads with Earth Day-themed messages mingled with ordinary ones. A Coca-Cola ad encouraged recycling while another ad read, “I will stop using styrofoam cups.”
Around the area, it was business as usual. One suited man passing by asked his friend, “Is there a reason they’re doing this today?” To which his friend replied, “It’s Al Gore’s birthday.”
