NYC Guide to Energy Consumption and Alternatives

The Energy Issue:
Switch to green power today by calling ConEdSolutions at:888-320-8991 or online at nywind.com.

If you have already switched to green power you may be confused by a recent request from ConEd to upgrade your power to include wind exclusively. I was reluctant to make this change at first because in comparison to other alternative fuels, wind energy seems to have a lot of negative implications with respect to bat and to a lesser degree, bird casualties. Yigal Gelb, program director for New York City Audubon, and Mike Adams of NY Wind, helped to clarify things for me. According to Yigal, when it comes to protecting wildlife, there is no question that wind is a better choice than burning fossil fuels. Despite the fact that the wind turbines can cause bat casualties, global warming, due in part to the burning of fossil fuels for energy consumption is a far greater threat to wild populations around the world.
So what about for those of us who have already made the switch to alternative energy? Why should we switch to wind exclusively?
Well, according to Mike Adams, when you switch to wind power your money is used to develop more wind power in New York. Solar is not being developed in New York because we simply don't have the space to develop it properly and hydropower has reached it peak in development. Improvements to solar and biomass as green power may be better options in the future, but if you are interested in making a difference today, switch to wind.

Businesses in New York City and the surrounding area wishing to improve energy efficiency and switch to green power can visit www.brightpower.biz for a variety of services.

Save energy by buying local, seasonal produce and meat. To learn more visit the core/guide to eating local and organic.

The Canopy, a place for links

Welcome to the Canopy, a place to connect
and swing through the branches of noteworthy environmental sites.

A family of three living in NYC impact free? Check it out:
www.noimpactman.com

Enviromental professionals meeting up each month for drinks and networking:
greendrinks.org

A blog by an NYU student studying environmental design:
www.wildgreenyonder.wordpress.com

Barbara Kingsolver's site on eating local:
www.animalvegetablemiracle.com

All things environmental:
www.treehugger.com

Useful tips, environmental studies, and a newsletter you can subscribe to:
www.sierraclub.org

environmental activism on global climate change:
www.stepitup2007.org

Your health and the environment
www.ewg.org

Protecting children from environmental toxins:
www.checnet.org

A catalog full of supplies to shrink your carbon footprint:
www.gaiam.com

NYC Guide to Local and Organic Foods

When it comes to eating locally grown and organic foods in New York City there are a plethora of options. Scroll down this site for info on:
Greenmarkets, Ordering online, CSAs, and Food coops.


Greenmarkets
Few places can match New York City's accessibility of locally grown produce and it keeps getting better. Greenmarkets are sprouting up all over the city, so you no longer have to trek to Union Square all the time for fresh veggies(assuming you don't live nearby). While Union Square may be the biggest and the best, take the time to explore the others as well. I am particularly partial to my local market on Warren and Chambers, in Tribeca. I'm able to get milk, organic apples(which I haven't found anywhere else), delicious turkey sausage, the most delicious and fresh ice cream-ever, as well as lamb, seafood, eggs, fresh herbs, which I freeze and keep all year, and a variety of veggies. I also love the individual pies like cherry, strawberry, peach and apple, as well as other yummy baked goods I can get at Bowling Green on Tues. and Thurs. 8-5 and downtown path on Cedar between Bdwy. and Church. For a full list of greenmarkets in New York City, along with their hours of operation, click here.

Ordering Online:
To purchase inexpensive organics online; try organicdirect.com. I use them regularly and have been consistently pleased with their service.
CSA(community supported agriculture)
A CSA is a rather ingenious idea, symbiotically partnering a community with a local farm. The local farmer is guaranteed a market for his or her bounty for a full year, while the community members are guaranteed fresh, locally grown and many cases organic produce at a reasonable price.

I am amazed at the number of CSAs in New York City, if you don't see one in your neighborhood listed here, find a more complete list visit www.justfood.org.csa/locations/.


The Bronx
Friends of Brook Park CSA; Pick up a weekly supply of locally grown (some as close as Brook Park itself) and organic vegetables.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Heights, Sweet Pea CSA: Options include a full or half share of fruits and/or veggies as well as an egg and flower share.
Park Slope CSA, Organic fruit, vegetable and egg shares. Discounted shares available and food stamps accepted.
Manhattan:
Chelsea CSA, pick up weekly at the Elliott Center on W.26th Street. Vegetable shares and optional fruit shares. Honey and maple syrup are also available in season. Discounts are available to low income households.
East Village, Sixth Street Center CSA, this CSA is also a store where non-members can shop. There is also a youth program which teaches youth how to grow, prepare and sell organic produce. Fruit and vegetable as well as Wild Alaskan Salmon shares are available.
Queens
Forest Hills CSA A weekly allotment of vegetables can be picked up at the Church in the Gardens. A number of low-income boxes are available each year.

Food Coops
Coops are a great way for people to purchase healthy and organic food at a reduced price. You pay an annual membership and in some cases, do some volunteer work, and in return you get a bulk-rate price on groceries.
Here is a short list of a few in New York City
Brooklyn
Flatbush food coop, You can shop without becoming a member, but members receive discounts. Discounts vary depending on how many hours you are willing to work.
Park Slope food coop. This website is definitely worth checking out, there are recipes, links and more. You must become a member to shop here.

Manhattan
East Village, 4th Street Food Coop, you don't need to be a member to shop, but members get discounts.

NYC Shopping Guide

Reduce, Reuse:


For babies and children;
Jane's exchange; (191 E. 3rd street between Ave. A and B), has a wonderful selection of gently used items from car seats and exersaucers to backpacks and stylish back to school clothing.

and Recycle:

AuH20: 84 East 7th Street, carries dresses, skirts and tops as well as men's apparel. Each item is uniquely and creatively designed and made from recycled materials.

The Grapevine

Welcome to The Grapevine, a place for comments, letters and Q&A

In response to A User's Guide to Purchasing Coffee

Why not leave the habit of drinking coffee altogether instead of finding ways to be earth friendly and still doing the damage. Too much of coffee is neither good for human health nor the environment.

I hope you will post something on how to overcome caffeine addiction and may be suggest some alternative drinks.

EW Response:
While I'm not sure I agree with you about the human health effects of coffee, (quite a few studies have found it is actually good for you) and I don't believe traditional coffee farms are any worse than other types of farming, it is quite clear that a diet made up of locally grown products is much better for the environment. Transporting those coffee beans 1/2 way around the world, in some cases, and then roasting and packaging them certainly uses a lot of resources. My family and I are eating at this point about 75% local. We have the luxury of a wonderful farmer's market nearby and I have the time to make my daughter's baby food at home. However, I have yet to give up a few luxuries like, coffee, sugar, chocolate and a few other packaged items. If you have done so, you have my utmost respect. As far as alternative beverages, I guess the most environmentally friendly obvious choice is plain tap water. Otherwise, locally grown fruit juices would be a better choice than coffee.


Better and Better

The other day I was in the drugstore and did not accept a bag. I had a lot of things to carry and a bag would have been more convenient. How bad is it to take a bag and then recycle it?

Daniel

I'm having trouble finding no VOC paint, are low VOC paints okay?

Lorraine

EW: I lumped these two questions together because they seem to be touching on the same idea. Is it okay? is a difficult question to answer. I don't think it's an issue of okay or not okay, it's simply an issue of better and better. Since you're reading this blog you must already have made some level of commitment to lowering your environmental footprint. I cannot tell you what is okay I can only tell you which is better.

While recycling is certainly a better option than throwing something away, it is even better not to use the item at all. Recycling uses a lot of resources, including water and energy. The items also need to be transported and plastic bags themselves contain petroleum and many potentially harmful chemicals.

In the case of the paints, two years ago we moved into a new apartment and I was looking to paint. At that time, no one around here was carrying low VOC(Volatile Organic Compound) paints and when I inquired no one even seemed to know what I was concerned about. I was told that all paints sold in NY State were water-based and therefore safer than oil based paints used elsewhere, so I had nothing to worry about, despite the fact that every paint can I examined had a warning on it that stated that this product contained chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer! Finally, I found a place in VT. that carried milk based paints. I would have to drive there and paint the place myself. I opted to have it painted the traditional way using the high VOC paints. Since that time, I am so happy to see that low and no VOC paints are now available at many of the large retailers. Now that it is more accessible I will certainly use them next time.

My point is, therefore, to do the best you can, none of us are perfect, but we can all make an effort to be better.

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

Theodore Roosevelt

I find that I re-use my plastic bags from the grocery store to throw away my garbage. If I stop accepting a bag, as you have suggested, how should I throw out my garbage? It doesn't make sense that I should then buy plastic garbage bags.

Jackie

EW Response:

This question has troubled me for quite some time since I don't have a simple solution for you. I can tell you what I do, though. First of all, each of us should be working toward decreasing the amount of garbage we produce in the first place. I save my food scraps in a re-usable plastic container and drop them off at the Battery Park City Parks Dept. where they get composted. I recycle everything I can and what I'm left with I dump in my small plastic garbage bin without a liner. Each evening I give it a quick rinse in the tub.

What do I do with the particularly messy stuff?

Even if you stop taking plastic bags at the grocery store, you will most probably end up with quite a few bags, i.e. the liner for your cereal box, the bag your coffee came in, and a plastic bag for your bread, assuming you purchase these items. These bags, I then use for any particularly messy items I may need to throw away.

I don't know if this is a practical solution for you. For one, I have a composting facility nearby and another, I live in an apartment building and dump my small container down a chute everyday. The best advice I can give is to make your best effort to reduce the amount of garbage you are producing therefore requiring fewer plastic bags .

Finally, if you don't think it's possible, there is a family of three living in New York City that doesn't produce any garbage at all! Check them out at noimpactman.com.

A User's Guide to Purchasing Coffee

When purchasing coffee, it is always best to purchase, shade grown, fair trade, organic coffee.

By the Pound:
Purchase the National Wildlife Federation's certified coffee here.
Purchase Rainforest Alliance certified coffee here.
Purchase the Smithsonian Institute's certified "bird friendly" coffee here.

For a list of coffee shops and restaurants in NYC, serving shade grown organic and fair trade coffee visit The Core.

What do the terms mean?

Shade Grown: Unlike organic and fair trade, the term shade grown, unfortunately, does not have a set standard. It means whatever the seller says it means. Coffee shrubs naturally grounder a canopy of trees and traditional coffee farms would leave the canopy intact, providing necessary habitat for many ani migratory birds. Recently many traditional farmers have switched to the higher yielding sun-tolerant coffee.

According to the Fish and Wildlife service, when this switch occurs, a dramatic drop in wildlife diversity follows. Learn more. The Rainforest Alliance and National Wildlife Federation and the Smithsonian Institute, are providing certification under their own guidelines. Click on the links to read what their individual criteria are.

Fair Trade: the international fair trade organization certifies products that conform to international standards in working conditions, wages, child labor and the environment. To learn more visit: www.fairtrade.net

Organic: Anything sold in the United States and labeled Certified Organic is certified by the US food and drug administration as having been grown without the use of synthetic chemicals.