Category Archives: Bring it to NYC

The Festival of Ideas is coming up, and the organizers were savvy enough to recognize that “sustainability” is an integral part of any progressive city. They have a smorgasbord of sustainably focused talks, projects, and awesomeness.

Check it:

Keynote Address: Antanas Mockus

May 6^th, 5-6pm

The Sustainable City

If you haven’t heard of Bogotá, now is the time. This South American city has become the shining pinnacle of what a smart, sustainable, livable city can be, and the influence behind the Times Square Plaza and new Express buses. Bagotá underwent this transformation under Antanas Mockus, who served two terms as the Mayor. During his tenure, water usage dropped 40 percent; 7,000 community security groups were formed; the homicide rate fell 70 percent; and traffic fatalities dropped by over 50 percent.

This is Ted Talk-quality stuff, but incredibly, tickets are only $10. You can get them here, or purchase them in person at the New Museum.

The Great Hall at Cooper Union, 7 E. 7th St. (between 3rd and 4th Aves.)

Mayoral Panel

May 6^th, 7-8:30pm

The Sustainable City

A group of leading Mayors — with impressive resumes preparing their cities for the future with clean and green initiative — discuss their ideas and work.

Introduction by David Byrne
Musician, artist, producer, activist, and columnist are among the many hats worn by David Byrne. He is well known for his work with the band Talking Heads, and his collaborations with such diverse artists as Brian Eno and 
Celia Cruz. He is the author of Bicycle Diaries and is a passionate spokesman for the increased use of bicycles for transport.

Sergio Fajardo
As mayor of Medillin, Sergio Fajardo transformed his city from the murder capital of the world into a tourist destination and one of the safest cities in Colombia. His instruments of change were urban and architectural renewal, as well as a transformed transportation system.

John Fetterman
As two-time mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, John Fetterman has drawn national attention for his efforts to transform a dying rust-belt city into a center for the arts and a beacon for economic revitalization and community renewal.

Greg Nickels
While mayor of Seattle (2002–10), Greg Nickels reduced the city’s greenhouse gas emissions “to meet or beat” the levels stipulated in the Kyoto protocols. His agenda included innovation in transportation, public safety, green jobs, and climate production. He spearheaded the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (2005).

Michael Nutter
In early 2009 Mayor Nutter launched Greenworks Philadelphia, a 15-point plan to make Philadelphia the greenest city in the United States, with initiatives in areas including green jobs, local food, recycling and energy conservation. In 2010, Philadelphia won the 2010 Sustainable Community Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Moderator: Kurt Andersen
Host of Peabody Award-winning Studio 360, a co-production of Public Radio International and WNYC, Kurt Andersen is also co-founder and editor of Spy magazine. He is the author of two novels, Heyday and Turn of the Century.

Tickets – $10
Purchase ticket here here or buy in person at the New Museum

The Great Hall at Cooper Union, 7 E. 7th St. (between 3rd and 4th Aves.)

Our Other Location

May 7, 6:00pm & 9:00pm
Fine dining takes to the streets: pick up a 3-course tiffin dinner prepared by Vandaag Chef Phillip Kirschen-Clark, a portable table, tableware, and camping utensils, and set off to build your portable restaurant wherever you choose–carry your table out into the wild city, or stay close and set it up in the courtyard at the Old School.
Tickets: $80 (drinks included) at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/173099

New City Cellar

Cafeteria at Old School, 32 Prince St (after 6:00pm, enter at 233 Mott St, btwn Prince & Spring Sts)

http://www.ourotherlocation.com/

The Educational Alliance: Reimagining the Lower East Side for Everyone

May 7^th and 8^th, 8am – 11 pm

Artists Barbara Lubliner and Bernard Klevickas lead theUpcycle workshop on making art from plastic waste. Young artists show work at the Clinton St. electronics store Cultural Mix, and “Celebrating Older Americans” features work by members of The Educational Alliance’s Whittaker Center, Sirovich Center, and the NORC centers.

1:00-3 pm Recycle and Upcycle Workshop, $10, pre-registration required, 646-395-4235.
1:00-3 pm Free sketching workshop in Seward Park by Christopher Wright.

197 East Broadway, between Jefferson & Clinton

http://www.edalliance.org/

 

Freitag Compost-Canteen

May 7^th, and 8^th , 12 pm – 6 pm

Waste Equals Food: Brothers and creators of fashionable Freitag messenger bags host a Canteen to produce compost on site. Come eat with us, grab a limited compost handbag, and bring your compost to grow a special plant.

Swiss Institute at Salon 94 Freemans

1 Freeman Alley, at Bowery & Rivington Street

http://www.swissinstitute.net/

 

Josh Hadar Presents “The Evolution of Steel”

May 7^TH, 12 – 9pm

May 8^TH, 10am – 6pm

Emerging designer Josh Hadar presents “The Evolution of Steel” to showcase his environmentally conscious sculptural art installations, including spectacular one-of-a-kind custom bikes, all hand crafted from steel in his neighborhood workshop. Exhibition 5/6-5/23.

John Hadar Metal Design

285 Lafayette St, between Houston & Prince Sts

http://hadarmetaldesign.com/

 

Rooftop Urban Farming Project

May 7^th, and 8^TH 12 pm – 10 pm

A rooftop vegetable garden provides not only fresh food for meals prepared by the Bowery Mission’s kitchen but a peaceful space for residents to connect with nature and their means of sustenance. In collaboration with Whole Foods Market Tribeca.

The Bowery Mission

Rooftop of 227 Bowery, between Prince & Rivington Sts

http://www.bowery.org/

Edible / Sustainable City Garden

May 7^th 5 pm – 7 pm

Ingredients to use in a food or beverage are produced in collaboration with the public M’Finda Kalunga Garden in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, highlighting the importance of the park, and sustainable gardening in NYC.

Eleven Rivington

11 Rivington Street, between Bowery & Chrystie

http://www.elevenrivington.com/

The Sustainable Gallery

May 7^th, 6pm

Aicon Gallery was designed to have the lightest environmental footprint feasible, recycling, bringing daylight in and heating and cooling in sync with nature. Also exhibiting “Palimpsest,” featuring work of Talha Rathore, among others, layering NY experiences upon subway maps. The gallery will be open May 7th, 6 pm-10:30pm.

Aicon Gallery

35 Great Jones Street, between Lafayette & Bowery

http://www.aicongallery.com/

Sheila Gallagher: That Which Remains

May 7^th, 12-8pm,

May 8^th, 12 – 6 pm

The history of trash and how it relates to artist Sheila Gallagher’s Sappho-inspired exhibition “That Which Remains” is the subject for a talk with Sheila Gallagher and Robin Nagle, of the NYC Department of Sanitation. The gallery will be open May 7th, 12 pm-8 pm.

Dodge Gallery

15 Rivington Street, between Bowery and Chrystie Streets

http://dodge-gallery.com/

Marc Breslin: Refuse

May 7th, 7 pm

Marc Breslin debuts his video Refuse—which examines the daily movements of the Sanitation Department in Brooklyn—accompanied by a performed sound piece excavating William S. Burroughs’s Dead City Radio.The gallery will be open from 7 pm to midnight. Exhibition through 6/5.

SCARAMOUCHE

52 Orchard Street, between Grand and Hester

http://www.scaramoucheart.com/

Birds and Bees: Flight of Fantasy

May 7th, 7 pm – 7:30pm

Yuliya Lanina, during her exhibition, collaborates with C. Eule Dance Company to create “Flight of Fantasy,” a performance envisioning a sustainable balance between urban development and colonies of butterflies. The gallery will be open from 12:00-6 pm.

NY Studio Gallery

154 Stanton Street, between Suffolk & Clinton Sts

http://www.nystudiogallery.com/

It’s on the Green Map! New City Walking Tour

May 8^th, 12pm – 3pm

Explore local sites with Wendy Brawer, founder of the global sustainability mapmaking movement. Meet neighborhood eco-leaders including Paul Castrucci, architect of ABC No Rio, designed to Passive House (exceptionally energy efficient) standards.

Starts at the New Museum, 235 Bowery, between Stanton & Rivington Streets

http://www.greenmap.org/

Bowery Arts & Science Presents Bowery Beehive

May 8th, 3pm

Discover the hives that urban bee man Sam Comfort helped establish to pollinate the City. Honey will be for sale to benefit Bowery Arts & Science, the nonprofit that programs the Bowery Poetry Club.

Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, between Bleecker & Houston Sts

http://www.bowerypoetry.com/

NYC The Future Metropolis Volume 3: Water in New York

May 8th, 5 pm – 7 pm

“Water in New York” considers water in relation to NYC: how it’s used, its cultural significance, and that which surrounds it. The initiative is part of NYC The Future Metropolis, an ongoing series of events focused on making the city a more sustainable place to live, work, and do business.

Solar One

Speyer Hall, University Settlement, 184 Eldridge Street

http://solar1.org/

Street Fest

Saturday, May 7^th, 11am – 7pm

The street fest will take over two blocks on the Lower East Side on Saturday. I’ve highlighted a few of what looks like the most interesting projects. Of course, being a festival, I suggest you just arrive and soak it all in.

While you’re expanding your intellectual and creative horizons, munch on food from Brooklyn Flea, plus other delicious food vendors like Brooklyn soda works, FINE & RAW chocolate, Kombucha Brooklyn,  Mother-in-Law’s Kimchi, SCRATCHbread, and Sweetery NYC.

Article22 & Project peaceBOMB

Project peaceBOMB

StreetFest

Project peaceBOMB supports artisans that make bracelets from American bombs dropped during the Secret War in Laos, 1964-73. Each purchase funds artisans, village development, and clearance of bombs from farmland.

http://www.shoparticle22.com

 

Food Karma Projects

Playing With Your Food

Food Karma Projects & friends preview local sustainable food events of the summer. Showcasing Jimmy’s No.43, Hungry Filmmakers, Pig Island, Cook Out NYC, & Brewers Picnic on Governors Island.

http://www.pigisland.com/foodkarmaprojects/

 

Brooklyn Grange Farm, Windowfarms, and Goldie’s Soap

Made in NYC

Brooklyn Grange Farm, Windowfarms and Goldie’s Soap offer a sustainable selection of seedlings, DIY home gardening kits, and all-natural skincare products.

http://brooklyngrangefarm.com

 

The Brotherhood/Sister Sol

Gaia Renaissance Projects feat. GLT Edible Wall & Open Road PD Process

Learn about how The Brotherhood/Sister Sol creates youth leaders by using environmental sustainability systems like GLT Edible Walls technology and Open Road of NY’s Participatory Design Process.

http://www.brotherhood-sistersol.org

 

Bus Roots

Bus Roots is a living garden on the roofs of city buses.

http://www.busroots.org

 

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm with Growing Chefs

Grow the City You Want to See(d)

The imaginations and green thumbs from Eagle Street Rooftop Farm help you sew (and then sow!) seeds for a greener city with seed-saving bags perfect for seed bombing.

http://www.RooftopFarms.org
http://www.GrowingChefs.org

 

Green Depot

Upcycling Plastic Bottles into Self-Watering Planters

Green Depot, your one-stop-shop for green building supplies and environmental living, is partnering with Groundworks Inc to demonstrate upcycling and planting ideas for container gardening.

http://www.greendepot.com
http://www.groundworksgardens.com/

 

Green Map System

Green Map: New Directions to a Sustainable Future

Providing unique perspectives on our city’s progress towards sustainability, explore Green Map System’s latest efforts to promote participation and the “Green Apple” throughout NYC, and beyond.

http://www.GreenMap.org

 

Green Spaces

Sustainable Coworking

Green Spaces brings the synergy of the coworking space to the street, and invites the public to participate.

http://www.greenspaceshome.com

 

GreenHomeNYC

GreenHomeNYC Green Street Fair Guidelines

GreenHomeNYC has developed a set of how-to guidelines to green New York City’s street fairs. They will be showcasing their recommendations and taking surveys.

http://www.greenhomenyc.org

 

The Greenhorns

Big Top Bicycle Sew-In

Greenhorns “Seed Circus” launches in NYC as we sew the fashion city’s fabric reserves into a community-sized tent fit for the future of agrarian celebration.

http://www.thegreenhorns.net

 

GrowNYC / Greenmarket

Jeo-Party and Market Cooking Demos

Greenmarket, a program of GrowNYC, will educate fairgoers about locally grown food with their Jeo-Party game and a market cooking demonstration.

http://www.grownyc.org/greenmarket

 

Hudson Valley Seed Library

SEED LIBRARY gARTen

Wander through the Seed Library’s gARTen of artist-designed heirloom seed packs and buy New York-grown seeds for your garden. Create your own seedy art including plantable seed bombs and seed-paper origami sculptures.

http://www.seedlibrary.org

 

La Finca del Sur: Starting Now: Community Action for Health and Environmental Justice

Participants and facilitators share their visions of healthy communities, and brainstorm actions that organized groups can take to create more environmentally just neighborhoods.

http://www.bronxfarmers.blogspot.com

 

Lower East Side Ecology Center: E-waste Collection Event

Electronic waste contributes 70 percent of the toxins found in landfills. Bring your old computers, printers, TVs, VCRs/DVDs, and phones to be recycled responsibly.

http://www.lesecologycenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=78

 

Lower East Side/ Chinatown Bicycling Coalition

Community-led Bike Tours

The Coalition will lead a new kind of bike tour led by local youth highlighting the resilience and struggle of the longtime community through tours of historic sites and fights. Bicycles for tours provided by Recycle-A-Bicycle.

http://www.goles.org

 

The MoS Collective: Initiating the succession of healthy water, air and soil: Indulge in Abundance

The MoS Collective makes personalized maps connecting you to neighbors who provide healthy self-care, local goods and services, and environmental stewardship plus leading related D.I.Y. workshops.

http://www.moscollective.net

 

NYC Department of Buildings: NYC ˚CoolRoofs & urbancanvas

NYC °CoolRoofs encourages buildings to cool rooftops with reflective white coating that reduces energy use, cooling costs & carbon emissions.  urbancanvas transforms construction sites with artwork.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/home/home.shtml

 

Safari 7 Base Camp

Safari 7 is a self-guided tour of urban wildlife along the 7 line. Downloadable podcasts, maps, and walking tours celebrate our shared urban zoo.

http://www.safari7.org

 

Seeding the City – DIY Green Roof Modules

Play dirty! Build a D.I.Y. green roof module to take home and join a network of green roofs across the city.

http://www.seedingthecity.org

 

SoBi Bike Share Demonstration

SoBi demos its new GPS-enabled bike share system. Attendees can create an account, download the mobile applications, unlock the bikes, and ride!

http://www.socialbicycles.com

 

Solar One with Build It Green and Desire Lee

Zero-Waste Garbage Center

Solar One with Build It Green and architect Desire Lee construct a full-service garbage center to handle various kinds of Festival waste and educate attendees about proper waste disposal.

http://www.solar1.org

 

Truck Farm / Wicked Delicate Films

Called “the coolest urban agriculture project around” by the Huffington Post, Truck Farm is a traveling, edible exhibit—a 1986 Dodge with a mini-farm growing in the truck bed.

http://www.truck-farm.com