Vote for the Shredder in Participatory Budgeting!

Vote to purchase and install a high capacity shredder at the Salt Lot at the Gowanus Conservancy. 

Several local public schools have worked hard to replace their styrofoam trays with compostable ones (which are substantially more expensive than the original ones).  Only problem is, there is no local site big enough to collect and compost them.  This proposal will allow the Conservancy to collect, shred and compost the trays which will substantially reduce the amount of waste going to local landfills.  It will also open the way for more schools to replace their trays at a lower cost for everyone.

Make sure you vote in Participatory Budgeting and when you get there, after schmoozing with your neighbors, vote for the shredder!

Solarize Brooklyn!

We are very excited to announce the launch of Solarize Brooklyn!

Solarize Brooklyn is a grass-roots program designed to bring cost-effective solar power to Brooklyn homeowners on a large scale.  We are proud to partner with Sustainable Flatbush and Solar One
 to bring a community purchasing power for Solar PV and Solar Hot Water systems to our Brooklyn neighborhoods.  

Join us at one of our upcoming community education sessions to learn more!

Please visit solarizebrooklyn.org for more information.

Sign up to join the email list and stay connected to the 
Solarize Brooklyn community.

Get ready to add solar on your home!

Solarize Brooklyn: KWT-Flatbush is coming soon.  Stay tuned!

Rain Barrel Giveaway in Brooklyn

RAIN BARREL GIVEAWAY PROGRAM
Saturday, April 16, 2011 9:00 am – 2:00 pm Marine Park Parking Lot at Avenue U, Brooklyn

During heavy storms, stormwater runoff can overwhelm the city’s sewer system, and, in some cases, cause street flooding.

To reduce stormwater runoff and to create a more livable, sustain-able city, DEP released the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan and is piloting several stormwater best management practices throughout the city, including enhanced tree pits, streetside infiltra- tion swales, and blue and green roofs. Rain barrels capture stormwater from your roof and store it for future use.

How do rain barrels help?
By capturing stormwater, rain barrels can help you conserve water by storing rainwater for future use, such as watering your lawn or garden. This will keep your plants healthy–and save you money–since households devote almost 40% of their water to watering lawns and gardens. And you’ll be doing your part to reduce demand on New York City’s drinking water system during the summer’s hottest days.

DEP will provide detailed instructions on how to attach and use your rain barrel at the giveaway.
For more information call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov/dep.

Please Note: Rain barrels will be given away on first come first serve basis, one per household. You must live in a single-family or attached two-family home to participate in this exciting and innovative program.

Energy Competition Pie Social on Sunday!

We'd like to remind you about a fun, informative, and most of all delicious event for Green Homes Challenge participants this Sunday!

To celebrate the six month mark of the Green Homes Challenge, Councilmember Brad Lander, NYSERDA, and Con Ed invite you and your family to a pie social, where you can meet your fellow participants and learn more about how you can reduce your use. 

Drop by, exchange conservation tips, and enjoy a slice of pie or two. 

While bringing a pie is by no means mandatory, we encourage you to contribute something delicious!

If possible, bring reusable (or compostable) plates and utensils.

Event details:

What: Green Homes Challenge Six Month Pie Social

When: Sunday, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Where: The Prospect Range, 1226 Prospect Avenue (many thanks to Meighan Gale and Dexter Buell for their generosity in lending us the space!)

Click here to RSVP for the Pie Social!

Mark your calendars – next Sunday, December 12th, neighbor Myla Goldberg and Darin Strauss will be talking about their new books at Union Hall, she says, “where you can drink drinks and eat food, play bocce, and be a part of a literary conversation all at once.

From Myla:
Darin, who’s normally a novelist, has written a memoir, Half a Life, which has some interesting things in common with my new novel, The False Friend.

So, on December 12th, it’ll be Fiction vs. Memoir, with the two of us talking about the different ways they allow a writer to get (or fail to get) at the truth.

Plus, the event is a benefit for the Brooklyn New School, also known as P.S. 146, which like all public schools has been hit hard by the city’s budget cuts.

You should come! After Darin and I are done talking, there will be drinking and mingling.”

Here’s the info:

FICTION VS. MEMOIR: MYLA GOLDBERG AND DARIN STRAUSS IN CONVERSATION IN A BENEFIT FOR THE BROOKLYN NEW SCHOOL (P.S. 146 )

Sunday, December 12
6pm
Union Hall, 702 Union Street, Brooklyn
$12-$25 Donation at the Door

DARIN STRAUSS
In Darin’s new memoir, Half a Life, he writes of his experience of being behind the wheel when a high school classmate swerved in front of his car and died.

MYLA GOLDBERG
In Myla’s new novel, The False Friend, a woman confronts the memory of having contributed to the death of a child when she was a girl.

Kensington Cleanup

Come help clean up Kensington on October 10th (Sunday) from 9am to 10am.  We're picking up garbage at pedestrian and bike paths at the entrance to the Prospect Park Expressway.

Questions or ideas, call Lee or Jason @ 718-701-1295. Bring kids, gloves (disposable is best) and garbage bags if you have 'em.  

(Maybe a communal breakfast afterwards at Connie's?)

Ocean Pkway and Church Ave
Brooklyn
9:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m.
www.350.org