supereco

save coal river mountain

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:36:00 +0000

As I've mentioned many times before, the destructive practices of mountaintop removal coal mining are not just devastating the ecology of the Appalachian mountains, they're destroying the health and livelihood of the Appalachian community. Please take action to end this filthy, immoral practice:

Today, organizations across the nation are joining forces with iLoveMountains.org to send a powerful message to the Obama Administration that blasting on America's Most Endangered Mountain-Coal River Mountain- needs to stop now. This could be the largest day of action on mountaintop removal ever, and we need your help to make history.
Use the form to send your message now.

Coal River Mountain is the last remaining mountain untouched by mountaintop removal in the Coal River Valley of southern West Virginia- but Massey Energy wants to turn it into a 6,600-acre mountaintop removal wasteland. Local residents have a different vision for Coal River Mountain - a wind farm that could provide 70,000 households with clean energy, sustainable jobs and a symbol of hope for new industry in the Appalachian coalfields.

The fate of Coal River Mountain is still uncertain, but its implications for our energy future are clear. Will we continue down the path of destroying our nation's oldest mountains for a few years worth of coal, or seize the opportunity to produce clean wind power and generate green jobs and a new energy economy?
Please send your message now.

introducing - the library of trash

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:56:00 +0000

This past Saturday, Halloween, I received my permaculture design certificate (hurray!). Today, I feel like I've been reborn with new eyes. I've put on my permie goggles and I'm not going to take them off.

As part of the class, each student had to design something using permaculture principles. This is the story of my project...

Something was born out of the design process which I wasn’t expecting. As realities were uncovered and patterns discovered, a broader picture came into view — maybe even something that was there all along. Sometimes all it takes is new eyes to see what lies before us.

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
~ Marcel Proust

My original intention for this project was to design my business of helping people with environmentally exacerbated health conditions — like asthma and allergies — to find relief. And in thinking of this business, I thought of myself as the key component of it. I am what people will interact with.

So what do I interact with?

Imagining my surroundings as an extension of myself, I thought about the largest thing surrounding me immediately and on a daily basis — the building that I live and work in.
“The Belnord” — a 6-story, 41-unit apartment building built in 1921. It’s in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn — just downhill from the second highest point in Brooklyn — Mount Prospect Park — once the site of a reservoir, until the Catskill Mountain and Delaware River Valley reservoirs took over in the 1940s.

The Belnord is located in USDA Growing Zone 6B, fed by the Catskill/Delaware watershed west of the Hudson and Croton watershed east of the Hudson. The average rainfall is 46” with a peak dispersal of 4.53” in July. The wastewater treatment facility is Owl’s Head.

Owl's Head Wastewater Treatment Facility

We live on the third floor in a north-facing apartment with no direct sunlight. The desire to grow food prompted us to start a little garden under grow lights in our second bedroom or office.

Jalapeños growing under lights in our apartment

The apartment is used in the traditional domestic sense, for sleeping, cooking, and eating — with the exception of an ever-growing collection of items some may deem trash. I call this my library of arts and crafts to be. It’s also located in the room I call “the office.”

There is a similar catalog of materials in the basement of our building called the recycling center. This recyclable trash gets picked up by truck and brought to a facility where lots of water and energy go into recycling it. All the rest of the trash goes to a landfill.

The basement, which is only accessible to residents by elevator, is also the site of a book exchange and the residents’ bicycle storage.

So I started noticing this pattern of trash, and this resistance in me to both not throw anything away and not take the elevator to the basement, where the recycling center is, and where I kept my bike until I decided to boycott the elevator.

And I imagined a place where I could take my trash and put it to good use.

But before I get to that, a little more context, or goals articulation.

The goals of this project are:

To grow and eat nutrient dense, delicious food
To maintain healthy air to breathe — in my own home, in the homes of those in my community, and in the air outside as well
To create a community of sustainably minded people
To reduce the amount of trash going into the wastestream
To make trash beautiful, and to change people’s minds about trash and its uses
To provide a center for learning the arts of gardening, crafting, food preparation, and all sorts of creating
To enhance the local economy through partnerships with budding like-minded businesses
To provide community members with right livelihood
To demonstrate what’s possible in the urban center — growing food, upcycling “waste” materials, providing positive work, education, inspiration

Enter — THE LIBRARY OF TRASH, aka REFUSE

The plan of which is made entirely from repurposed and found materials.

The Library of Trash is a 7,000 square foot warehouse space with adjoining outdoor property.

It is a multifunctional space run by a multidisciplinary member cooperative. I am the generalist. My partners are gardeners, artists, crafters, builders, and cooks. We collaborate, we barter, we share knowledge with each other and the broader community.

In this space there is an experimental vegetable garden, a mini fruit orchard, four-season growing potential, a place to host events and classes, a place to create and experiment, and a place to keep materials for creating.

There is a strong foundation and purpose, yet the space adapts to meet the day’s given needs.

Passing by the Library of Trash you might be attracted by the living fence, yet detritus and pests will be repelled by it.

A street cart sells produce from our garden or prepared food from our kitchen in front of a window that displays our latest upcycling projects.

A covered bike rack stores our means of transport and distribution.

When you enter you are greeted by a member working at the mobile reception desk.

The member is crocheting a yoga mat bag out of plarn.

He directs you to the garden on the south side of the property to learn about biodynamic treatment of fruit trees. On your way out, you notice the living curtains which both keep the hot sun out in summer and filter the air indoors, while providing fresh oxygen to the building.

While waiting for class to begin at the picnic table on the deck, you can’t help but notice the greenhouse filled with citrus and other tropical produce. In winter, the greenhouse is heated by compost, and the greenhouse helps heat the building.

On the back of the greenhouse is a rainfed shower heated by the sun. The grey water from the shower trickle irrigates the vegetable garden.

Wastes from the garden and the fruit trees go to the compost. The compost in turn provides nutrients to the soil, and also heats the sink water in the restroom and kitchen.

The sink water, fed by the 2,000 gallon water storage units, goes to flush the toilets.

The toilets and the garbage disposal from the kitchen sink feed the biogas digester which provides cooking heat and heats the building in winter.

The kitchen serves as a demonstration facility for food preparation and preservation, as well as a lab for making and experimenting with beauty and cleaning products made from ingredients grown in our greenhouse and garden. These products are packaged in upcycled jars and bottles that our customers can return to refill.

When you finish your lesson in biodynamics, you go to the darkest corner of the property to learn about mushroom cultivation.

You love learning these new skills so much that you decide to stay all day and learn about upcycling glass bottles into vases and glassware. The materials for this class are sent down from the second floor via dumbwaiter.

You are so intrigued to see where these materials appeared from that you take the stairs to the second floor.

On this floor, you’re greeted by another member of the co-op. She gives you a tour of the trash library — materials amassed by members on dumpster diving missions or donated by community members.

Materials like old pipes, telephone wire, tin cans, and old silverware. Maybe you’re looking for a reclaimed window to make a cold frame or scrap wood from a gutted building to fashion a loom. And here are some scrap fabrics to weave a belt or plastic bags to weave some placemats. How about a decoupage or papier-mache project from junk mail and old catalogs?

You hear sounds of sewing and sawing so you ask to see where it’s coming from.

In the studio space, there’s a co-op member building a compost bin from wooden palettes collected from the curb for a nearby community garden. Another member is making cloth napkins from old dress shirts to sell at Sunday’s market being held on the roof.

The roof? You ask. Yes — do you want to see it?

And up you go to the top of the Library of Trash.

You take the stairs, but if you weren’t able-bodied, the elevator reaches the roof.

In front of you is an expanse of green — greenroofing that attracts native pollinators while keeping the building cool in summer. It also provides a sense of refuge in the urban landscape.

Solar panels add a redundant source of energy to the biogas digester — to power the elevator and any electric appliances.

You smell something baking and walk to the west side of the roof. Bread is baking in the solar oven. The flour was provided by a local grower of heirloom grains, exchanged for a wind turbine that our co-op made from old bicycle parts in order to power their mill.

You notice the dumbwaiter also reaches the roof. This makes it easier to bring materials to the roof for big events and market days.

The roof itself is a giant, 3,500 square foot surface for catching rainwater – enough, not subtracting greenroof absorption, to collect 2,100 gallons of water per one-inch rain event.
There is also a small shelter housing a bar for events that serves as rainwater catchment for rooftop use.

And there are skylights lighting the workspace below.

Wow, what a long day, you say.

And I turn to you and ask, want to stick around for a sunset rooftop yoga class?

international day of climate action

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:26:00 +0000

This Saturday, over 4000 events are being planned in over 170 countries to make a loud statement about the importance of action to abate climate change. It may just be the most widespread day of environmental action in the history of the planet.

To participate, you can volunteer to host an event, like arranging a screening of an important environmental film, such as A Sea Change. (Find out how here. Then join the facebook event here.)

Or you can join in one of the many existing actions - Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, go to a climate awareness festival in Palo Alto or a picnic in Abu Dhabi. Go here to find out how you can take part (or just consult the map below).

View Actions at 350.org

According to 350.org, all events are designed to do one thing: show the support for the most important number in the world: 350.

What’s the big deal with 350? 350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for parts per million carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. 350 is the number humanity needs to get below as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change. Most immediately, 350 is the number world leaders need to lead with as they prepare to meet in Copenhagen this December to draft a new global climate treaty.

How will you get involved?

care to make a difference: blog action day 09

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:41:00 +0000

This post is part of Blog Action Day '09

Floods, droughts, super storms - these are not the things of fantasy, of Hollywood blockbuster disaster films. They are real. And real people who live off the land are the most affected by these climate-change–induced or -exacerbated events.

Yet the wealthiest nations, especially those with large standing militaries, are burning fossil fuels like there's no tomorrow. And there very well might not be if they keep it up.

While climate change and its effects are being seen today, most of us are still thinking like it's some futuristic event. It is here, and people are suffering because of it. The time to act is not when things start to really get ugly for all of us, the time to act is now.

Luckily, there are organizations doing the work now to prevent catastrophe for those who could not recover from it. Organizations like CARE are examining the impact of climate change on coastal and rural communities in economically poor places, and mitigating the negative.

See how people are impacted, then do something about it.

This is what CARE has to say about the current state of climate change action...

Poor people are especially vulnerable to climate change due to the sensitivity of their livelihoods and the extensive constraints - such as low levels of formal schooling and political marginalisation - that frame their adaptive capacity. Therefore, the world's response to climate change has to challenge entrenched inequities and discriminatory power structures if we are to ensure that everyone can access the information, resources and support necessary for adaptation. But this hasn't happened. Instead, the international community has focused on building capacity within poor countries to integrate climate change in national policy frameworks.

Though helpful, this is wholly insufficient because vulnerability to climate change varies within countries, communities and even households. National-level efforts must be complemented by action at the grassroots that understands, targets and reduces the poorest people's vulnerability to climate change. In recognition of this principle, community-based adaptation is finally emerging as a critical part of the global response to climate change.

And this is how CARE responds to the situation...

CARE's approach to community-based adaptation is people-centred. It fosters more resilient livelihoods, strengthens local capacity through training and the promotion of appropriate traditional knowledge, supports social change and engages in advocacy to address the underlying causes of poverty and differential vulnerability.

CARE's community-based approach to adaptation is composed of the following four inter-related action areas:

Reducing the Risk of Disasters
Making Livelihoods More Resilient
Strengthening Local Capacity
Supporting Social Mobilisation and Policy Engagement

Read more about CARE's actions in the face of climate change

Get involved with CARE

focusing on permaculture

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:43:00 +0000

[design by Andrew Jeeves]

Some of you already know that I'm in the midst of pursuing a permaculture design certificate (or PDC, more about it here). In order to focus on my studies and design project, I will be posting a little bit less for the next few weeks.

For now, I'll leave you with a little taste of what I've been learning.

rainwater harvesting

Small-scale rainwater catchment (60 gallons) at Miracle Garden

1,000 gallon rainwater catchment system at Dias y Flores Community Garden

You can learn step-by-step how to build a rainwater harvesting system from the Water Resources Group.

composting

Compost pile at Dias y Flores

learn-as-you-go solutions

After a big rainfall event that overfilled the 1,000 gallon system, Lars Chellberg and Lenny Labrizzi of Water Resources Group created this overflow diversion

toxic remediation and community building

Paula Hewitt Amram of Open Road NY describes how this pond filters rainwater to prevent combined sewer overload (CSO) events as well as keep trash out of the river. Aside from completely remediating this toxic site (once a bus depot with underground oil tanks that polluted the school next door), Paula actively fosters the skate park next door (as well as other parks) where young skaters and other community members help with cleanup of the community garden

Not your ordinary sewer grate. Under it are cisterns that hold the water on site to prevent sewer overflow

give synthetics the boot (bag)

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:51:00 +0000

Icebreaker, maker of some of the finest Merino wool activewear around, will be "bagging synthetics" next week.

Starting Monday, October 5, the New Zealand based company will be taking your stinky old synthetic, petroleum-based t-shirts (think polyester) and turning them into reusable marathon shoe bags in the Paragon Sports store window, on the spot, and for absolutely free.

Bonus for marathoners and aspiring marathoners: get 26.2% off your Icebreaker GT purchase and get a free pair of Icebreaker socks (from Oct 5 to 12).

So why should you ditch your old synthetic tee for a Merino wool one?

Synthetic tees:

stink after a run
feel unnatural
are made from oil

Icebreaker merino apparel:

made from all-natural wool from free-range Merino sheep
feels soft to the touch
has natural wicking abilities
doesn't stink when you sweat in it
non-polluting
biodegradable
suitable for all seasons

Plus you can run in Icebreaker apparel for weeks without washing it, so energy costs are reduced and less detergents are put into the environment. Read more about Icebreaker's ethos.

And here are the details for the event:

Monday, October 5 to Monday, October 12
11 am – 7 pm
Paragon Sports
867 Broadway at 18th Street, NYC

milkweed and stinky piglets

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:53:00 +0000

Rainy days have their benefits. The first, most obvious benefit is the replenishment of available water for plant, animal, and human use. The second is that rain keeps people from enjoying outdoor activities. Why is that a benefit? Well, if you're visiting Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture and want to go on a vegetable tour, you may just be the only one on the tour on account of rain. And being the only ones (bf & I) on the tour last Sunday, we got special attention. Or at least that's how it seemed to me.

We went on a whim, despite the rain and forecast for more of it throughout the day. Looking at the clock, we realized we'd have just enough time to grab a bite from the cafe and go on the two o'clock tour. So up we went, to Pocantico Hills, just north of Tarrytown. It's lovely up there, just an hour's drive from Brooklyn, the leaves along the Saw Mill Parkway just starting to change into their autumnal habits. Here are some of the magical things we encountered on our tour of the educational, experimental, sustainable agricultural center:

A tasty lunch at the cafe

What's on today?

Selling the bounty at the farm market

Asclepias gomphocarpus, a type of milkweed, attracts butterflies

Happy bees on past-peak artichokes in the dooryard garden. These delicious thistles are apparently difficult to grow in the Northeast, but Stone Barns is figuring out how.

Go ahead, try one! Stone Barns encourages sampling

Super-juicy Asian pears growing in the main field are an experiment. A very tasty experiment.

Self-seeding sunflowers take over where the arugula leaves off

Purple brussel sprouts in the field...

...and yummy purple mustard greens in the greenhouse

The expansive greenhouse allows 4-season farming

Seedlings in custom compost are kept warm through water-filled, compost-heated tubes

Hoop houses on tracks also extend the seasons

Four kinds of compost are cultivated at Stone Barns

Berkshire pigs, right home in the forest mud

Hey little piggy

Sorry, we're too busy to look at your camera

Oh, hello there. These pigs sure are cute, but they were also a little stinky.

Stone Barns is a magical place where everything is grown for a reason, everything is harvested, nothing is sprayed with pesticides or grown in artificial fertilizers. And everything is repurposed, from food scraps to plastic tarps. You can visit Stone Barns for a tour, to volunteer, or to enjoy an 8-course meal at the amazing Blue Hill restaurant.

This Saturday, October 3, is their 6th Annual Harvest Festival. Get your tickets here.

Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture
630 Bedford Road
Pocantico Hills, NY
914.366.6200

how can we improve the air quality of our cities?

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Find out on my new post on Aribra.com!

big cities: exhausting and exhilarating

In the big city, on any given day, anything seems possible. Millions of thinkers, dreamers, and doers exchange ideas, creative sparks, and currency. There are plenty of reasons to be a city dweller – more jobs, much inspiration, more opportunities to help people who need it. But there’s one big drawback to city dwelling, especially New York City dwelling: dismally poor air quality.

Some might argue we just can’t help it. In a city of millions where almost all of our goods are trucked in and 12,000 tons of residential trash is trucked out every day, how could we fight the beast of diesel exhaust? When coal-burning power plants in the MidWest are emitting mercury and other harmful pollutants that drift our way with the air currents, what are we supposed to do to stop that?

Keep reading...

stuff for pedal pushers

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:04:00 +0000

Despite the fact that I "fell off" my bike last Saturday (I was cut off & spilled off) and bruised my back & neck up pretty good, I'm still gung ho about biking in this fair city. It's a great way to get around, it burns calories instead of fuel, and it's often faster than driving a car. Luckily for those of the pedal-powered persuasion, new bike paths have been established in the last few years, making it a bit safer for riding amongst the mostly apathetic motorists (even tho' I was in a bike lane when I had my little accident & the guy did stop thankfully).

Groups like Transportation Alternatives, Streets Blog, and Brooklyn Greenway Initiative are fighting for cyclist rights and the establishment of more continuous bike paths or greenways. Resources for cyclists are ever-improving as well.

Here are some great go-to sites for bikers:

Ride the City
Great tool for finding the safest or most direct route to your destination

NYC Bike Maps
Pretty self explanatory

CityRacks
Find bike parking anywhere in the city

Spokes
The NY Times bicycle news blog

Bike Blog NYC
More bike news

If you like cycling group-style, a la Critical Mass, some events coming up are:

Escape NY
This Saturday the 26th. Get out of town!

Four Corners NYC Bike Tour
Also this Saturday the 26th. Via Hey I'm Walkin' Here (facebook group)

2009 Tour de Bronx
October 18th

Other cyclist-centric fare:

Biking Rules
It's a PSA competition run by Transportation Alternatives to improve the public image of city cyclists. Hurray, if you want to enter, the deadline is Monday the 28th! PSA's will be screened at BAM on Tuesday, November 17th.

Bike Shorts
A cleverly named ongoing short film get-together. Submit a film, you could win $100. Next screening is this Sunday the 27th

Be safe kiddles, where your helmet!

fresh: the film

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:23:00 +0000

If you didn't get your fill from Food, Inc., Fresh looks like it takes the story of sustainable agriculture one step further. Featuring Will Allen (Growing Power), Michael Pollan (the man who needs no introduction), and Joel Salatin (Polyface Farms), Fresh looks at the solutions to the problems of our current food system.

Fresh will be screening at BAM, Tuesday, October 6, 7pm, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Gabrielle Langholtz (Editor of Edible Brooklyn) with the director/producer, Ana Sofia Joanes, plus Reverend Jackson of Brooklyn Rescue Mission, David Shea of Applewood Restaurant, and Letitia James, District 35 - Council Member.

Check out the official site.

the real dirt on farmer john

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:49:00 +0000

A farm isn't dreamed of, conceived, and born over night. Sometimes it takes a lifetime, even generations, for a farm to really hit its stride. And a farm cannot survive, cannot thrive, without the community behind it. And sometimes the right community has to be found before the farm can really come into its own.

This is the story of farmer John. Son of a hard-working couple, somewhat of an outcast in his own town. Struggling with his story, his life, his purpose. It is a powerfully touching and revealing look at one man's fight to hold onto his identity. And it also demonstrates the fragility of the land, the delicate balance of ownership, and the dedication that's required to keep people nourished.

If you haven't seen The Real Dirt on Farmer John, add it to your Netflix queue or pick it up at your local video store (if you've still got one).

Farmer John's even got a cookbook

The Real Dirt on Vegetables

brooklyn skillshare: a day of learning, making, sharing, doing

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:51:00 +0000

I just love learning new skills. How 'bout you?

In the last year I've taken classes on block-printing, jewelry making, and sewing, and taught myself crochet. I'm also learning about permaculture, and I've signed up for a lotion and soap-making class that starts this fall (oh yeah, Happy Autumnal Equinox!). I keep piling on learning upon learning, and I'm hoping there's room in my noggin to squeeze in some more new skills.

That's where Brooklyn Skillshare comes in. The Brooklyn Skillshare is a one-day event of learning, making, sharing, doing!

The best part is, it's free to the public with a suggested donation for participation. But in order for it to remain free, Brooklyn Skillshare needs your help. They have 18 days to reach their goal of $1200 to cover costs such as renting the venue for the event, paying a bike valet, supplies, food, and more.

It's shaping up to be an amazing event with the following groups sharing skills:

* Bags for the People - create sustainable alternatives to plastic bags using re-purposed materials
* Fiber Arts - knitting and felting using natural materials
* Treasure Everywhere! - glass bottles into cups, bowls, and vases
* Home audio production using Digital Performer
* Bicycle Mechanics 101
* How to brew kombucha
* Natural/organic metal casting and jewelry making
* Screen-printing basics & DIY techniques
* Taking care of yourself with massage basics
* DIY Electronics: Fun with LEDs, solder, sound, and the Arduino
* Basic Raw Food Preparation: the art of “uncooking”
* Party Favorites: infused liquor, homemade ginger ale & tasty snacks
* Make Your Own Butter and Ricotta (with Recipes and Ideas for Using Both)

It's an all day affair with 5 blocks of classes that are 1.5 hour long, and 3 classes happening per block. You can attend as many or as few classes as you wish, so make the most of it and attend the whole day!

Won't you help fund this incredible event? I just did. So far they've received $221 in funding. That means they only have $979 to go. You can pledge as little as $1. So after you pledge (click on the widget above or go here), go tell 978 of your friends to help out with this amazing day of skill sharing.

Oh, and here are the details for the event:

The First Annual Brooklyn Skillshare
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10th, 2009
@ Gowanus Studio Space
119 8th street
Brooklyn, New York, 11215
Suite 202, Between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

See you there!

a feel-good film about fuel

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:55:00 +0000

Fuel, it's a star-studded little eco-documentary that won some awards at Sundance last year. The title is pretty self-explanatory, as is the trailer. Woody Harrelson, Larry David, Sheryl Crow, Neil Young, and of course Willie Nelson (the face of BioWillie) all grace the screen. Check it out:

Although it was released last year, it looks like it's getting another chance on the big screen. Fuel is playing at AMC Theater Time Square, starting tonight. Get your tickets here.

Visit the film's official site.

hop on the waterpod while you still can

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Have you caught a glimpse of that fantastic vessel, the one growing squash & tomatoes & chickens? The one that composts, harvests rainwater & sustains its shipmates? Perhaps you have, perhaps you've stepped on board. But if you haven't, and have the slightest inkling of curiosity as to what the Waterpod holds, you only have 2 weeks to quench your thirst.

The Waterpod is about to sail off into the sunset (well, technically, it doesn't "sail"). Below, a message from the pod regarding their last hurrah.

The Waterpod would like to invite you to join us for our final two weeks open to the public on New York waterways. We will celebrate the closing of our amazing four-month journey with "Future of Mobility, Urbanity, and Water(pods)" at the World's Fair Marina Pier 1 in Flushing, Queens from September 16 - 27th. Visit our website for up-to-date information and events: www.thewaterpod.org.

This celebration will include events with The Queens Museum of Art, Conflux Festival, Underwater New York, Swimming Cities, Terreform, Wicked Delicate's Truck Farm, Andrew Faust and the Center for Bioregional Living [aside: this is who's teaching me the wonders of permaculture], hands-on workshops for Thriving After the Flood by artist Christopher Robbins, Secret School and the K.I.D.S and Natalie Jeremijenko's Environmental Response Systems.

We will conclude with an all day "I Remember Future" party on Sunday, September 27, 2009 from 11am-11pm in conjunction with the Queens Museum of Art. There will be trolley service from QMA to the Waterpod. The day will include, "Ascend" a pirate television broadcast/planetarium installation by artist James Case Leal, a globular sound installation curated by Lauren Rosati, and DJ Trent Wolbe from WFMU, among other futuristic happenings.

We are at the Worlds Fair Marina Pier 1 from Sept. 16- Sept 27.
We are open to the public Thursday/Friday 8am-4pm and Saturday/Sunday 11am-7pm.

Here is schedule of events, please join us!

Friday 9/18:
Conflux Festival 2-4:30pm on the Waterpod. Waterpod team talks about life on board.
5pm Piledrivers music

Saturday 9/19:
3pm Urban Permaculture workshop with Andrew Faust; Regenerating Today's Cityscapes
5pm Betsy Bradley,Father Knickerbocker Meets the Future: Lecture about the World's Fair

Sunday, September 20:
1pm Christopher Robbins & Matt Bua --Waterborn edibles in New York / Build a solar cooker
3pm Underwater New York Readings
6-10pm Swimming Cities Fundraiser Party

Saturday, 9/26:
1pm- Christopher Robbins & Douglas Paulson-Jerry-rigging 101: Build your own boat from urban detritus/Knot tying-bring stuff that might float
3pm Secret School and the K.I.D.S. host a "wild tea party": a workshop on making jam and tea from foraged wild edible fruit.
4pm: Terreform Lecture founders Maria Aiolova and Mitchell Joachim. talk about the Future of Urbanity
6-7pm Artist Hector Canonge "Utopia" video showing
6-8pm Jérémie Gindre and Frédéric Post, Special show case and sound performance, co-curated by Espace Kugler in Sweden

Sunday 9/27: Final Day of Waterpod
11a-11pm "I Remember Future" all day Goodbye Waterpod Party in conjunction with The Queens Museum of Art (Trolley from QMA to Waterpod)
12pm Barbara Flanagan "Water Homes" lecture and book signing
1pm - Christopher Robbins & Ian Warren-Making portable gardens, Cereal banks (D.I.Y. protectionism) and food preservation
2-6pm Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis present their Truck Farm
3pm Urban Secret School and The K.I.D.S. make jam and tea and Cassie Thornton Barter System Beauty Salon
4-6pm Natalie Jeremijenko's Environmental Response Systems
6-8pm Lauren Rosati curates sound installation in dome
4-11pm James Case Leal's Ascend Planetarium video installation in dome and broadcast at The Queens Museum of Art
8-11pm Trent Wolbe of WFMU will DJ
9-11pm Band TBA

Subway Directions: From Grand Central Station take the 7 train to Willets Point Blvd - Mets Station. Head towards Citi Field. Take the sidewalk to the left of Citi Field until it ends. Cross the Whitestone Expressway and the World’s Fair Marina Pier 1 is across the street and to the right. Waterpod™ is located at the end of Pier 1.

Google Map:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108226320777055742290.0004739489a1697c86cf6&ll=40.76148,-73.85381&spn=0.010792,0.021265&z=16

Thank you,
The Waterpod Team

even old new york was once new amsterdam

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:47:00 +0000

It's been 400 years since Hudson "discovered" what is now the great city of New York. And people are celebrating this historic occasion in varying ways. Here are a handful of interesting events happening now:

New Amsterdam Market

I got a taste of delicious local food at this open air market where the old Fulton Fish Market once called home. Pasture-raised dairy from farms like Hawthorne Valley, Painted Goat Farm, and Valley Shepherd Creamery; natural meats from Fleisher's and Dickson's; and other tasty treats from the like of Marlow & Sons, Stone Barns, Saltie, and Hot Bread Kitchen filled the stalls, doling out samples and food for purchase. A couple of newcomers included Maple Hill Creamery and Basis, a healthful/local/affordable food market coming soon to 14th Street in Manhattan.

Three more opportunities are coming up for you to get in on the scrumptious action: Sundays October 25, November 22, and December 20. Get the details.

(left: peppers from the Garlic Farm; right: olive oil cake from Saltie)

Pioneers of Change

Longing for a bit of the old world? Look no further than Governors Island this coming weekend:

A festival of Dutch design, fashion and architecture on New York’s Governors Island to celebrate a 400-year Dutch-American friendship

Conceived and curated by Renny Ramakers, co-founder and director of Droog, as part of the NY400 week celebrations, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Dutch to New York.

Pioneers of Change highlights a more responsible and sustainable approach to living by celebrating the blurring of low- and high-brow, establishing new collaborations, encouraging involvement, emphasizing sustainability and valuing handcraft and the local context.

Activities will take place in and around eleven officers' houses at Nolan Park, Governors Island, New York.

[via Droog]

Open: Fri 18 Sept, 10am - 4:30pm
Sat 19 Sept / Sun 20 Sept 10am - 6:30pm
Download Ferry schedule.

Get the full details here.

Enviromedia Mobile: Urban Trekkers' Summer Festival '09
Designated as an official Quadricentennial Ambassador by the State of New York.

I happened upon The Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy's Enviromedia Mobile Museum yesterday in Red Hook (after hopping on the free water taxi to Ikea). What an impressionable display complete with tepees, information on falconry, info about threats to native wildlife and health, and a live barn owl!

The Enviromedia Mobile Museum will be back at Erie Basin Park (next to Ikea, one of the sponsors) on October 10th. But if you can't wait that long, here's their full schedule.

(top: barn owl in tepee; bottom: info on PCBs)

mountains, moose, and more mountains

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:11:00 +0000

Deep breath in... and out. The smell of pine and sagebrush. The feeling of rock and dirt beneath my boots. Sharp mountain peaks, bright midday sun, glimmering glacial lakes. And the sounds: call of the magpie, chirping of chipmunks, gurgling and whooshing of mountain streams, crackling of moose footsteps. This is the experience of a national park. I am grateful to those who had the foresight to preserve these places. I am thankful that I've had the opportunity to visit them.

Here's some of what I saw on the latest trip - to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

of course, there are the mountains

Didn't realize at the time that this was about where Ansel Adams snapped a famous photo, I think he was a bit further upstream.

A forest fire burns at the base of Mount Moran. Fires are most often started by lightning and are closely monitored while they are left to burn. They are beneficial to many plants, such as lodgepole pine.

Mount Moran has a distinctive geologic feature -- a basalt (molten rock) intrusion.

Cascade Canyon Trail, an 11-mile hike (or 9 if you take the boat across Jenny Lake both ways, 13 if you skip the boat altogether) with breathtaking views.

Glacial till from the last ice age. We looked for marmots among the rocks, but they happen to be hibernating already.

Part of the park's "sustainable" menu: elk/bison burgers at Jackson Lake Lodge. They were delicious, and so was the view.

This view inspired JD Rockefeller, Jr. to preserve this place as part of the national park.

families of fauna

Mama and baby moose (called cow and calf, respectively), on the appropriately named Moose-Wilson Road.

Papa moose (or bull), seen on the Cascade Canyon trail.

An elk bull and his harem.

One of 5 or 6 bald eagles we encountered on the trip. They like to hang out by waterways, like the Snake River.

A "least" chipmunk. Tiny and adorable.

pollinators aplenty, and maybe some pests

Butterflies abound.

Bees, too.

This may or may not be an Asian longhorn beetle. If it is, I'm sorry I didn't report the little bugger (I didn't know they frequented these parts). I was too busy trying to get this shot as he was perched on my shoulder.

lovely flora

Leafy spurge, I think. One of the wanted weeds.

Thistle or spotted knapweed?

This one's not a weed, it's a columbine.

Sagebrush bathed in sun.

adventure!

Hot air balloons launched right near where we are staying (Teton Village).

If we were staying one more day, I think I might have wanted to try paragliding. We watched this guy take off from Rendezvous Mountain.

Weeeeeee!!

off to the wilds of wyoming

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Bison in Yellowstone, the Tetons neighbor to the North.

Howdy y'all!

I'm off to wrassle some dogies out in the wilds of Wyomin'. Well, okay, not really, but a girl can pretend a little, no?

In reality we are heading to Grand Teton National Park and the Jackson Hole area for some fresh air, nature loving, hiking, rafting, and horseback riding. A lot to fit into a 4-day itinerary! I'll be back in a week to report on all of our adventures.

Happy Labor Day and enjoy the week!

x L

are we living in the age of stupid?

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:00:00 +0000

I'm inclined to say yes. And I'd like to confirm my suspicions by watching this:

The Age of Stupid Global Premiere Trailer from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

This isn't just a film about climate change and what could happen if the most severe predictions come to fruition. It's also a global call to action (before the film even launches). I think director Franny Armstrong and the producers learned from the anti-climactic, uninspiring suggestions at the end of An Inconvenient Truth for individual energy consumption reduction.* Of course, I think each of us is responsible for our ecological actions, but something as big as climate change requires the attention and concerted effort of policy makers around the world. And the film's release just happens to coincide with the UN General Assembly's climate session.

*Not to discount Gore's own current efforts to thwart climate change.

Want to see what the world might look like if our climate nightmares come true? The Age of Stupid premieres September 21/22.

Find out where it's playing.

Find out what you can do to help.

september in the city - UPDATE!

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:20:00 +0000

I love September in New York. Dry sunny days, crisp clear nights. A perfect time to enjoy the great outdoors. Yes, we do have great outdoors in NYC. Here are some great ways to experience them this month.

I've added a couple things I thought you should see:

Queens County Farm BBQ & Campout
This weekend!
September 6 to 7

Here's your chance to nosh on some tasty chicken BBQ'd by none other than celebrated butcher Tom Mylan while sipping on some local suds courtesy Brooklyn Brewery. And if that's not enough, there'll be delish pie, a DJ spinning tunes, camping, and wake-up bloody Marys! Hello?! Why haven't you bought your ticket yet? Get 'em here.

Central Park Bird Walks
brought to you by the Nature Conservancy
September 3 to October 26

NYC is a big stopping off point for birds migrating south for winter. Learn the ins & outs of bird watching with Kellye Rosenheim in Central Park. Get the full schedule and details.

Reservations are required. Please contact (212) 381-2194 or nycbirdwalks@tnc.org for reservations and cancellations.

Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Events
September 4 to 26

Waterfront walking tours, kayaking Staten Island, tugboat races, and many more activities are on MWA's calendar this month. Check it out!

Governors Island Art Fair
brought to you by 4heads
Every weekend, September 5 to 27

Over 150 independent artists and galleries from around the world come together on Governors Island – free ferry to and from Manhattan and Brooklyn. Get the details.

Solar Powered Film Series
brought to you by GreenEdge NYC & Solar One
September 10 to 19

Get your fill of sustainable films in this series of serious documentaries – screenings powered by the sun.

Doors open at 7:00 pm each night at Solar One (23rd St. & FDR Drive)
Films start at 7:45 pm, followed by Q&A

September 10: Addicted to Plastic (trailer)
September 11: Who Killed the Electric Car (trailer)
September 12: Flow (trailer)
September 17: A Sea Change (trailer)
September 18: The Garden (trailer)
September 19: Burning the Sun (world premiere!)

Plus, every night of the series features a segment from Brooklyn filmmaker Michelle Vey’s From Elegance to Earthworms. Get more info.

National Parks Week NYC
September 19 to 27

I'm a big fan of National Parks. I've only been to 5 of them (soon to be 6!), but I've got my sites set on many more. Luckily, this month, the National Parks are coming to me – and everyone else in this fair city. The National Parks Conservation Association is hosting a full line-up of events all over NYC, including coastal clean-ups in Queens, a tour of Grant's tomb after dark in Morningside Heights, and screenings of clips from Rick Burn's latest documentary about the parks in Central Park. There are just too many events to list here, so here's the full schedule.

i made a new friend

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:30:00 +0000

His name is Sanford.

Sanford may have been living in our vegetable drawer since Friday. Or maybe Saturday. Or maybe just yesterday. Those are all of the days we visited the farmers market in the past week. I say Friday, because I found Sanford sleeping on the cauliflower which we picked up that day.

I sequestered Sanford in this glass container.

He napped while I cooked.

I like escargot, but I'm glad Sanford didn't end up in the stir fry.

After dinner, we relocated Sanford to his new home. Prospect Park.

He was reluctant at first, but then made a break for it.

See ya later, Sanford.

the virtues of raising beef on the pasture

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:57:00 +0000

I came across this terrific video where cattle farmer Will Harris describes simply why he raises cows on the pasture. He started his career like most cattle farmers in this country, growing beef in a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) where the animals are fed commodity corn and kept in pens – the fast and cheap way. He compares applying chemical fertilizers on grass to cocaine – it feels good at first, but then you become dependent on it. Everything he says makes complete sense to me. It's a bit long, but it's shorter than your average TV program and definitely worth a watch. Check it out and then let me know what you think.

CUD from Joe York on Vimeo.

now read this! a web roundup

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:53:00 +0000

Here's a collection of some of the information that's been shaping my world lately. It runs the gamut, so be prepared (and some of the titles have changed to suit my mood - so there!)

1.
"Old" SIGG reusable water bottles contain BPA [AlterNet]
Time to trade in for a Klean Kanteen! Even though SIGG has a trade-in program where you can return your old BPA-containing bottle for a new, improved BPA-free bottle, I'd rather support a company that was "klean" from the beginning (and didn't cover up the truth).

What's so bad about BPA (bisphenol A)?
= YES!

= NO!*

*Unless it was made after 2008. Check the article for a visual reference.

2.
Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food [Time]
If you haven't had a chance to read Omnivore's Dilemma or see Food, Inc., here's a relatively brief, yet in-depth look at the problems plaguing our industrialized food system.

3.
"Organic": Is It Healthier? [by Susun Weed]
Oh man, this article – part of my permaculture reading this week – made me laugh out loud. Susun has a great way of explaining the finer mechanisms of the world around us. She can make anything hysterical or completely logical just by the way she describes them. Here's a taste:

I live on an old quarry. When I went to the extension and said, "I'm looking to buy this piece of property," they pulled out the soil maps and they said, "Ah, there's no soil on your property, did you realize that?" I said, "Yeah, it's an old quarry." They said, "This place is useless. The only thing that you could possibly do there is raise goats or grow weeds. So I went to the people selling it, and I said, "It's a worthless piece of property, it will only grow weeds." I got it for a very good price.

She goes on to tell us that, yes, she grows a lot of weeds. Weeds that feed her rabbits and goats. Those rabbits and goats feed her. There are some other, more 'adult' things that made me laugh in this article, too. But I'll let you read those yourself!

4.
Why are we still using atrazine when 7 European countries have banned it? [Daily Kos]
The health and healthy presence of frogs are a good indicator of the health of an ecosystem, and therefore, the health of us. Well, hate to break it to y'all, but we're up sh*t's creek without a paddle, 'cause frogs are mutating and disappearing at alarming rates. Their permeable skin leaves them vulnerable to chemical contaminants like pesticides and herbicides – chemicals used in agriculture and on lawns like atrazine, methyl bromide, and chloropicrin (a nerve gas!) which end up in our drinking water, and in our bodies.

And just in case that wasn't enough to cheer you up, here's a related article [NY Times] about the legal allowable limits of atrazine in drinking water, and the detrimental effects of atrazine on women and children.

5.
Out of the Earth: Civilization and the Life of the Soil [by Daniel Hillel]
Soil is the skin of the earth. Yet we literally treat it like dirt. Some say it's our nation's biggest export (meaning it erodes away at a disturbingly steady rate). I've been really hot for this topic lately, and there's a chapter out of this book that made me melt. An excerpt:

Soil and water have a physical affinity. Dry soil is "thirsty," sucking up water the way an old-fashioned blotter sucked up ink. When the soil surface is wetted by rain, the suction force of the deeper soil layers, augmented by the force of gravity, draws the water downward. The soil drinks the rain in a process called "infiltration." The maximum rate at which the soil is able to absorb water applied to its surface is called the soil's infiltrability. It is greatest when the soil is dry, and diminishes gradually as the soil is wetted to progressively greater depth. Since the water permeating and seeping in the soil must make its way through the intricate labyrinthine passages between the irregularly shaped and oriented soil grains, it is obvious that a soil's infiltrability depends on the widths and tortuosities of these interstices, called pores...

Wow!

See also: i enjoyed a dirty movie today (my post about the film "Dirt")

now see this! crude, sweet crude

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:25:00 +0000

We all know by now that petroleum is poison and that it's time to move on to cleaner & more ethical forms of fuel, right? Well, I guess not everyone is getting the message, including of course the oil companies themselves. Two films expose the dirty, unjust, and plain despicable practices of big oil. Check out the trailers and reviews below:

Crude

Coming to IFC Center Soon (9/9/09)
Check if it's playing near you

The Official Site

Read a review of Crude [AlterNet]

Sweet Crude

The Official Site

Read a review of Sweet Crude [Variety]

skills to pay the bills (or at least save a little dough)

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Got a hankerin' to make stuff, but don't know how? In a time when people are pinching pennies out of necessity or just to consume less for the good of the planet, it helps to know there are some free ways to learn a few new tricks.

Check it out...

Thursday, August 27 (that's tomorrow!)

Lori Gibbs and Atom Cianfarani want to teach you how to GreenIt Yourself this Thursday with a green roof and gardening in small spaces Workshop. At the Toyota Children's Garden (one of New York Restoration Project's babies) from 7 pm to 8 pm. And there will be refreshments!

Toyota Children's Garden
603 East 11th Street, New York, NY

Friday, August 28 (in prep for Saturday, October 10)

Okay, this one's a little bit preemptive, and maybe not so free, but it comes pretty darn close. This concert, featuring local bands, will help fund a day of skill sharing on October 10 at the Brooklyn Skillshare.

On Saturday, October 10, you're gonna learn all kinds of crazy stuff: ricotta-making, liquor-infusing, kombucha-brewing, screenprinting, and a whole lot more. The door price is based on a sliding scale ($10 suggested), so pay what you can.

The fundraising show that's this Saturday, on the other hand, is $7 and features local acts like The XYZ Affair and Gunfight!.

Get all the details for the event and the fund-raising-music-show at the trusty e-newsletter of my favorite borough, Brooklyn Based.

Monday, August 31
So you want to use a reusable shopping bag but don't want to shell out the dollars to get one? How's about making one for yourself? Learn how at this free workshop - 3rd Ward's Sweatshop Social. You supply the fabric (an old t-shirt perhaps?), they supply the notions and the (cheap) beer. Bring your own cup and the suds are just a buck.

[via Brooklyn Based]

And for all you green thumb wannabes...
More free events coming soon to Brooklyn Botanic Garden through their GreenBridge Program (these are free, but ya gotta register - so sign up right quick!).

Street Tree Care
Thursday, September 17, 6 to 8 pm
Thursday, November 5, 6 to 8 pm
Street trees do much to improve our environment, but they often receive little care. In this class, learn the benefits of street trees and how to improve the health of a street tree by caring for its bed. Get tips on amending soil, mulching, watering, pruning, and tree-bed gardening. Bring your street-tree care questions and find out more about the city's efforts to increase and protect the urban forest canopy.

Starting a Children's Garden
Thursday, October 15, 6 to 8 pm
Would you like to develop a children's garden at your school, block association, or neighborhood organization? This workshop will provide tips for adult leaders who want to organize a children's gardening program. Learn how to plan your program and what tools and plant materials are needed to get growing. You will receive a free activity booklet and visit our children's education greenhouse for hands-on activities.

Getting to Know Your Soil
Wednesday, October 28, 6 to 8 pm
Interested in knowing more about your soil? Concerned about safely growing food in urban soils? This class will demonstrate several easy diagnostic activities for learning about your soil. How to take a soil sample for testing will be demonstrated as well as interpreting lab results. You'll also receive tips on improving urban soils.

Rainwater Harvesting
Thursday, October 22, 6 to 8 pm
Learn the benefits of reducing your dependence on NYC water and minimizing storm water flows into our sewers by collecting rainwater for use in your garden. It's easy to use roofs from nearby buildings and garden sheds to harvest rainwater. Come learn about the different types of rainwater harvesting systems being used throughout NYC community gardens from simple pickle barrels to large tanks, and get tips on how to build your own.

Introduction to Permaculture
Tuesday, November 10, 6 to 8 pm
Permaculture is a design approach based on interpreting natural patterns for human benefit. Learning how to read the land and planning for long-term development are two objectives of this workshop. Permaculture works on all scales and levels. Discussion will cover topics ranging from choosing and using plants in groupings to observing and utilizing the elemental forces of wind, water, and sun.

blight bites!

liz@raganella.com (Liz) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:34:00 +0000

This year, tomato growers & lovers on the East Coast were faced with the nasty disease known as "late blight," which rendered many tomato crops useless within a matter of days. (You can read more about late blight in this op-ed from the amazing Dan Barber).

If you're like me, lamenting the lacklusterness of this year's tomatoes, there's now a way to express your frustration. Introducing Blightee, Hudson Valley Seed Library's answer to the terrible blight. It's a t-shirt, it's an act of aggression, it's a way to say, "hey blight, you bite!" Get yours now, while supplies last.

Bite back by spore-ting this tee that says it all: Blight Bites! Each shirt features the "Blight Bites" image front and center with a very small Hudson Valley Seed Library logo on the sleeve. The American Apparel-brand natural-color shirts are made in America and woven from 100% organic cotton; the printing is done by Antilogy Designs in Tillson, New York. The logo is based on a design created by Michael Wilcock.

Shirts cost $16 each, or $14 for members (be sure to log in to receive your discount). To purchase a shirt, click on your desired size, then click "Add to Cart" on the following page. (Please note that the seed catalog remains closed until early November. Only t-shirts can be ordered at this time.)