speed bumps

Room Eight New York Politics (www.r8ny.com) is the blog site where one of my Puerto-Rican brothers in activism (Manny Burgos) promised an early response to my last column on the Puerto Rican situation -relative to its future relationship with the USA. A good thing I didn’t hold my breath. So while Mr. Burgos tries to (re)fashion and (re)shape his arguments f […]

Many folks complain that I don’t write enough about the happenings (and political gossip) in Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx: they are correct. I had always hoped that some activist type would come up on Room Eight New York Politics (www.r8ny.com) and cover those boroughs for us: but alas, it hasn’t happened yet. In this “Vines” column I will […]

Look, I wasn’t born on the island of Puerto Rico, or on one of those little islands situated nearby (like Vieques for example); so one can say I have no standing on this matter of PR’s relationship with the USA: and that’s fine with me. However, like most things political in nature, I do have a healthy opinion; and the last time I looked, I have a constituti […]

Sustainable Flatbush has posted a rehash of the Neighborhood Energy Forum held in March.  You can see the highlights and download the presentations here. […]

New York City has over 960,000 buildings. Only 9,000 of them (less than 1%) use the dirtiest heating oil (grades #4 and #6). But those 9,000 buildings are responsible for over 86% of the soot and ozone pollution in the air. These particulates contribute to the failure of New York City’s air to meet the National Ambient Air […]

Catherine Mohr in her TED talk explains how to get down to brass tacks in deciding how to build your house.  The basis of her decisions is how much energy is embodied in the extraction, manufacture, transportation and installation of all the elements that go into a new building. She’s right but I wish she talked more […]

At this year’s Friends of Greenwood Playground Spring Flea Market, the Toeprint Project will kick off our Green Brooklyn Energy Audit Campaign to make the buildings in our neighboring communities of Kensington, Windsor Terrace, Flatbush, Ditmas Park Sunset Park and Park Slope more energy efficient!  Come see us at our vendor table. If you own a 1-4 […]

  Thanks to 3Rblog for this. If you are like me and can’t remember which plastics go where, Real Simple published an easy-to- read guide about how to recycle everything.   Many of these links are national and concern specific products. If you live in NYC, check the Don’t Throw It Away page from the Department of Sanitation. For books, […]

Healthy indoor air is arguably the most important benefit from green building. I lived in an apartment for 4 years that had mold hiding somewhere.  Turns out I’m allergic to mold. I coughed basically the entire time I lived there.  It was miserable but I know from where I speak! When I give a talk about the […]

I was sad when my favorite eco-friendly store 3R Living closed in Park Slope due to the recent economic downturn (downturn? it feels more like a relentless chokehold…but I digress). The Owners, husband and wife team Samantha Delman-Caserta and Mark Caserta and Samantha’s sister Tracy Ferdinand set up a lovely little shop in Montclair, NJ. I guess […]

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We weatherized our house last year.  You can read all about it here. So far, in the 11 months since we completed the work, we have saved approximately $900 on our annual heating bill.  Assuming energy prices remain constant (which they won’t – all projections indicate rising energy prices), we will payback the insulation and air […]

We have some exciting news! Ellen Honigstock Architect has teamed up with The Chartier Group to provide energy audits for existing buildings large and small! Is your building overheated in the winter?  Does the air feel too dry?  Is there a lot of dust on the surfaces of your living space?  These could be signs […]

Community Board 14 is now using SeeClickFix, a tool which will make it easy for anyone to report issues and problems to them, and make it easier for the fabulous folks at CB14 and other city agencies to respond, and act. Complaints can be submitted quickly and easily on their website , directly ... […]

The folks from Sycamore are sending word that "Kristine, of Sycamore's flower shop, is going to be trying her hand at bartending at 773 Lounge tonight.  Go drink a beer and rock out to Stevie Nicks, Bruce Springsteen and other jams on the amazing jukebox.  Might be fun." Enjoy! […]

New gate is the work of neighbor Franklyn Strachan. […]

I've seen no sign of this, or of any life at all, from Visions -- has anyone? -- but one DJ Snap tweets: BORN FLY MONDAYS (6PM-12AM) @VISIONS (752 Coney Island Ave. Corner of Cortelyou Rd) Music w/DJ Snap, K-Starr, XL & Silky & Butta Brown Free […]