The “Green Living and Community Planning Community Voices” event featured two speakers, Jaime Stein from Sustainable South Bronx, and Adam Friedman from the Pratt Center for Community Development. The event focused on different aspects of environmentalism and sustainability and how these different components are interwoven.

Stein’s lecture involved environmental justice, using the South Bronx as the main example. Environmental justice is the equal sharing of environmental burdens, such as pollution or waste management. The concept came about as a result of poor, underserved communities, such as the South Bronx, having to take on the burdens of the negative effects of industrial processes. Stein specifically mentioned NYOFC, which is the New York Organic Fertilizer company. The factory was built in the South Bronx to convert sludge into fertilizer. Since the factory was located in the South Bronx, it created repercussions for the community. Putting facilities such as these creates environmental justice problems. The factory created air pollution and other environmental problems that led to health problems such as obesity, asthma. The South Bronx was a neighborhood that was especially susceptible to environmental justice problems because so much industry was concentrated in the area.

Stein discussed some of the ways that environmental justice could be addressed. One of these ways was changing land use patterns to share environmental burdens. One example was setting up waste management facilities in many different neighborhoods regardless of their social or economic standing, such as on the Upper East Side. She also emphasized the importance of understanding the repercussions planning policies can have. For example, the shutting down of Fresh Kills landfill caused NYC to ship its waste to other areas. Transport of this waste by trucks would create problems, especially for the neighborhoods that these trucks were stationed in and had to pass through. Transport by barge would alleviate some of these problems, and solutions like these are important to recognize when planning policies. Another main point Stein made was the creation of jobs for individuals with low incomes in overburdened communities. The Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training program was one example of how jobs could be created. By teaching individuals certain skills that would promote sustainability, individuals would be more likely to see the economic benefits of a sustainable environment and be more willing to make personal sacrifices such as using less paper cups, because they are more aware of how sustainability can help them economically.

Adam Friedman’s presentation further elaborated on this idea of economic development and environmentalism. Economic growth and environmentalism need to go hand in hand to obtain the highest output with the least input. Sustainability requires a behavior change and a change in values along with economic practicality. People will be more willing to change their beliefs and values about the environment if they are fully aware of the economic benefits of sustainability. According to Friedman, the creation of jobs that promote sustainability is very important. He mentioned the PlanNYC 2030 plan and how it failed to provide for the growth in income disparity and creation of jobs for the local economy. The plan made no linkage between economic development and sustainability, and without this linkage it is difficult for people to accept sustainability policies such as using less paper or plastic. The manufacturing sector can be sustainable by following economic principles. Friedman used the term “Green Manufacturing” to describe this idea. Green manufacturing is manufacturing that has a small impact on the environment and uses minimal resources to still produce a high output of products. Friedman believed that small businesses were especially capable of doing this.

Friedman also focused on the importance of individual impact. He used Chris Jordan’s photograph of the amount of plastic cups used on airlines every six hours to illustrate this. Individual efforts to make a community green and sustainable can have large impacts on the environment. Friedman discussed the use of energy audits, retrofits, block-by-block analysis of the energy use of houses rather than analyzing house at a time, and fixing churches to make them more environmentally friendly.

Friedman and Stein both stressed the importance of the practicality of green living. Planning and initiative, the demand side of the equation, needs to focus on the importance of individual impact, which can be accomplished by training people in jobs that promote sustainability. This leads to sustainable production and green manufacturing, which makes up the supply side. People then realize the economic benefits of a green community, and work towards achieving sustainability. This leads to sustainable community development.

Friedman and Stein presented a practical model to achieve green living, and one that I believe could have positive impacts. By focusing on the economics of sustainability and environmentalism, it would be easier to show people that they can benefit from forming sustainable communities, and they would be more willing to change their behavior and values to work towards that goal.

On April 6, two grassroots organization presented the promise for a greater New York by improving two very outdated aspects of New York City life, transportation and energy. The two groups are Transportation Alternatives, represented by Wiley Norvell, and Solar One, represented by Chris Neidl.

The goal of the Transportation Alternatives was, as its mission statement states, “to reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile and to advocate bicycling, walking and public transit, as the best transportation alternatives.” The organization was founded in 1973, influenced by the work of Jane Jacobs, who helped save Greenwich Village and Lower Manhattan from the Lower Manhattan Expressway project that was proposed by Robert Moses. Mr. Norvell spoke about the great importance of walking and bicycling, and how New York City’s streets were slowly eroded over the years to give preference to automobiles. Park Avenue was a great example, which showed how in the 1920s there was ample sitting and walking space in the middle of the street.

Mr. Norvell spoke about how they hold public petitions to send to local government officials to gain sidewalk space in major streets, on an inch-by-inch method. He emphasized his role in attending community boards to try to influence local leaders to approve safety measures to protect bicyclists and pedestrians. One major example shown was the transformation of 8th Avenue, and how the physical separation of bicyclists and pedestrians enabled automobiles to move more efficiently. It also saw an increase in bicycling and decrease in crashes. Mr. Norvell presented ideas to similarly make physical changes on 1st and 2nd Avenues to allow for buses to move beyond the turtle-like speed they move at today.

The Transportation Alternatives also tries to promote cycling by holding closing major streets in the city, and opening them for cycling. Park Avenue is closed every August for three Saturdays to vehicular traffic to allow for people to cycle. They stated that approximately 100,000 cyclists ventured through Park Avenue in the three Saturdays combined.

Solar One advocated the Empire State Renewable Energy Payment Project, as presented by Chris Neidl. He demonstrated how New York has a long legacy in energy, starting with the steamship, the building of the Erie Canal, the subway, incandescent lighting, power plants, power grids and its venture in hydroelectricity from Niagara. Mr. Neidl explained how New York State wants 30% of power to come from renewable sources by 2015, but noticed how the incentive to venture into renewable energies is not there. Therefore, his organization is trying to advocate for the Renewable Energy Payments, or REPs, REPs allow people to own market-ready renewable power and sell it to utilities for a period, usually by means of a 20-year contract in order to secure the investment. The utility will pass the cost on to consumers by a modest rate increase that is offset by the decrease in fuel importation. REPs also will decrease over time as clean energy technologies become cheaper, which is designed to encourage investment today, rather than in a few years. This will help adopt renewable energies much quicker.

Mr. Neidl provided us with the example of Germany, arguably the greenest country in the world, who has implemented REPs as the core of their green movement. Germany employs nearly 300,000 people as a result of REPs and has led to less than a 5% average rate increase. The benefits of REPs is that it is very rapid in cleaning the environment, gives power to the people in that they are in control of their energy source, and it is a low-risk investment because it offers low interest rates for loans which provides for better financing.

I found that both representatives were very passionate about their work and in what they and their organizations believe. I thought that they made very good points about the benefits about their ideas, and how difficult it is to present their ideas to their respective audiences. It seems that people who are willing to devote their lives to present ideas that will help everyday city life are able make a positive difference to make the city appealing and a world-wide leader. Both presenters made it aware that important city-based reforms in transportation and energy are vital in keeping New York’s status as an important world city, which I found to be true.

Community Voices # 4: Urban Farming and Agriculture

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The community voices common event I attended featured two guest speakers: Abby Youngblood from Just Food and Liz Carlo from the Greenmarket Program. Both speakers discussed their program’s mission of making healthy, fresh local produce available to all New Yorkers. Their presentations were informative as well as interesting because the agricultural issues they discussed directly impact the lives of New Yorkers daily.

 According to their representative, Just Food is a small, non-profit organization that addresses challenges in the food system in New York City. This company works with many programs to increase access to fresh foods from local farms into soup kitchens and food pantries and support local farmers. Another challenge that this company strives to overcome is the decreasing farmland availability. Two acres of farmland are lost every minute. The necessity for farms is increasing drastically because farms serve many purposes. Some of the benefits of farms are environmental and public health improvement, economic development and job attainment for farmers, local food processors and distributors. Just Food also operates to mobilize citizens to actively participate in agricultural policy issues.

Some of the programs that Just Food works with are (1) The City Farm, (2) Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), (3) Fresh Food For All, (4) Community Food Education and (5) Food Justice. The City Farm program grows food in the neighborhood as opposed to obtaining it from other places by the “training of trainers” process in which people who know how to grow food are taught to share their knowledge with others. Workshops are held in food preservation, canning, medicinal herb and seed growing, composting, raising crops, raising chickens legally in New York, building chicken coops and obtaining eggs, selling farm goods grown in personal markets and more. CSA is a partnership between a group of people in a city and a group of farmers who are paid upfront for weekly, freshly produced, organic, in-season crops. This program directly supports local farmers and helps them stay in business by planning better so as not to create waste or under produce. Fresh Food For All, Community Food Education and Food Justice increase financial and physical access to local produce as well as enhance knowledge of the availability of these goods.

The second representative from the Greenmarket Program, a program of GrowNYC, explained that their creation of 49 greenmarkets around New York City was a direct result of the belief that all of New York City is a food desert. This program possesses a dual mission in providing New Yorkers with access to fresh local foods while also conserving farmland. The Farmer Development Project, a plan undertaken by the Greenmarket Program, supplies socially disadvantaged groups with a farmer that mentors them on equipment obtainment and lectures about the art of raising crops so as to allow the mentees to sell at the market and improve their economic standing through the farming business.

Some of the most intriguing aspects of these presentations were the discussion of the obesity epidemic, food deserts and the statistics of the programs up-to-date success.  For the first time in thirty years, the life expectancy age for children has declined due to diseases linked to obesity. According to the Center for Disease Control Study, one in three (one in two for African American and Latino) children are expected to develop Type II Diabetes. Some of the reasons for this epidemic are convenience and low-cost of unhealthy, processed, inorganic foods, technological advances that decreased people’s mobility and the unavailability of fresh foods in local neighborhoods. About 300 million people in the United States are currently living in food deserts, neighborhoods with limited access to fresh, healthy foods but are served by plenty of fast food restaurants. The two companies represented at this event aspire to improve these statistics. The City Farm Program sponsored by Just Food has grown 170,00 pounds over crops over the course of only one year. The Greenmarket Program was created in the 1970’s and continues to grow until this day.

Michelle Pelan

Community Voices #3 Response

The two speakers who presented in Community Voices #3: Transportation and Energy Use, Wiley Norvell and Chris Neidl, were both very informative, passionate, and concerned with the leadership of New York City as a sustainable and livable city. Although I was, admittedly, not very interested in or captivated by these two subjects before attending, both speakers perked my interest because they demonstrated the importance of them in our daily lives.

The first, Mr. Norvell, from Transportation Alternatives (TA), outlined the goals and progress of this organization. Their stated mission is to reclaim New York City’s streets from the automobile and to advocate for bicycling and public transportation. He explained that currently 90% of the streets are given to cars; they seek to reverse this because streets comprise ¾ of public space in NYC. TA believes that cities are for people, not cars, and wants to design streets so that they are safe for people who embark on other modes of transportation, particularly children. A “complete street” is one with equal protection for walkers, cyclists, and transit riders. They accomplish this goal “inch by inch.” For instance, they have pushed for the installment of protected bike lanes on 8^th Avenue and a pedestrian plaza in Times Square. Currently, plans for 1^st and 2^nd Avenues are underway, which will include bus lanes and physically separated bike lanes. Though this will slow down automobile traffic, it will open up new modes of transportation. Additionally, less deaths in transit will occur; since each death generally costs the city over $3 million, there are ultimately financial benefits to complete streets as well. I had never thought about how much of our streets are devoted to automobile traffic and how unfair that actually is since many residents of New York City do not drive. I look forward to witnessing the improvements over the years on 1^st and 2^nd Avenues.

The second speaker, Mr. Neidl, from SolarOne, emphasized the importance of New York City becoming a leader in the use of renewable, clean energy sources, such as solar and wind power. One way of doing this, he explained, is by implementing a policy called renewable energy payments (RAPs). They work as a renewable incentive policy because clean producers sell power to the utility with a 20-year contract. Globally, they have been effective because the energy source is clean and rapid, and the program spurs job growth and reduces dependence on foreign imports. In NYC particularly, SolarOne is seeking to implement The Empire State Renewable Energy Payment Project (ESREP). Although I am slightly unclear about the exact inner working of REPs, I was made aware of one organization promoting renewable energy, which is important for the future of NYC if we are to become a more sustainable city.

The presentations were both interesting and relevant to our lives in New York City. They portrayed how important the role of the active citizen is in determining the future of the city. These seemingly small steps made, such as the bike lanes on 8^th Avenue, can actually have a long-lasting effect on our lives and on the city. The presentations made me appreciate more fully the people and organizations that seek to make NYC a more livable city for its residents.

The first Community Voices event at the Macaulay Honors College featured two speakers, Jamie Stein of Sustainable South Bronx, and Adam Friedman of the Pratt Center for Community Development. Together, these two guests contributed to a night of discussion on “Energy and Clean Living,” which focused on environmental justice and green economic development.

Being an employee of Sustainable South Bronx, Ms. Stein focused her lecture on the foundations and progress of the organization, which was started by Majora Carter after seeing the deplorable state of the Bronx River in that neighborhood. Ms. Carter started the organization with the goal of creating a green recreational space built around the waterfront for residents of the South Bronx. The surrounding neighborhood of Hunt’s Point, had been a victim of environmental injustice, which is the unfair burdening of environmental problems concentrated in one particular area. These environmental issues eventually led to health problems for the residents of this area, including some of the highest asthma and obesity rates in the city. The goal of SSB was to counterbalance the air problems of this neighborhood, so as to alleviate its harmful effects and beautify the region. After much time and energy, Ms. Carter eventually achieved her goal, and established Riverside Park in the South Bronx.

Ms. Stein also discussed environmental justice in terms of solid waste and energy. That is, when looking at a map of New York City’s garbage disposal, it becomes apparent that a few neighborhoods unfairly receive much more trash and devote more space to landfill than other areas. For example, Bronx Community 1 and 2 take in 40% of the city’s trash, and 100% of all trash from the Bronx. This has led to environmental hazards in these areas, and contributes to residents’ declining health, not unlike that of people living in Hunt’s Point. Ms. Stein explained one solution to this problem, which was to more evenly distribute trash-collecting sites around the city, even possibly adding locations in Chelsea and the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She also explained the possibility of switching to barges instead of trucks to collect trash, which would reduce not only land pollution, but also traffic due to sanitation trucks. Concerning energy and environmental justice, Ms. Stein discussed the problems with dirty power plants that are used in specific parts of the city. She did not, however, offer a clear solution to this problem. Overall, her discussion was focused on distributing the burdens of environmental problems all around the city, and cleaning up those areas that have been unjustly affected.

The second speaker, Mr. Friedman, focused more on job opportunities and environmental economic development in the city. He explained that New York has a very wide gap in income, with many people having high-paying jobs and many having low-paying jobs, with a shrinking middle class. As the Director of the Pratt Center, Mr. Friedman’s job is to locate environmentally-friendly economic opportunities for residents of the city. A large portion of this consists of green manufacturing; that is, there is much potential to create jobs that not only enhance the city’s environment, but also its economy. Mr. Friedman elucidated this with examples of using recycled glass to make “granite” tops and recycled cork that can be used for flooring, both of which have been used in many buildings in Brooklyn already. The main message he was trying to get across was that jobs can be formed by creating a market for recycled products, especially in construction. He explained that a lot of money can be saved by making such adjustments, as predicted by an “Energy Audit.” Although this process is slow and gradual, vast improvements can be made to the city over time, with the additional benefits of job creation for city residents.

These speakers, although in different fields and performing different tasks, both have in common the need to improve our city’s environment. Though they take different routes to get to the same place, they both excellently demonstrated the processes by which change can be made. They also both illustrated their ideas with real-life examples of their progress in the city. Overall, their positive messages and steadfast attitudes left their audience feeling inspired and hopeful for New York City’s future.

Jamie Stein, from Sustainable South Bronx, and Adam Friedman, Director of the Pratt Center, were the speakers for the Green Living and Community Planning Community Voices event. This lecture frequently addressed and complemented topics we have studied in class.  

Stein, the first to speak, gave a similar presentation to Majora Carter’s, using many of the same slides. However, after reading about Robert Moses for class, this discussion about the multitude of problems the Cross Bronx Expressway led to was richer for me. Stein went over again the definition of environmental justice; Carter’s pathway to getting a grant for the creation of a park by the waterfront in Hunts Point; and Sustainable South Bronx’s dedication for training the local community in green jobs.

Additionally, Stein went into further detail about the amount of waste the city congregates in the area. We learned about NYOFCO, which is a planet that converts sewage sludge to fertilizer pellets, many of which are used to fertilize oranges in Florida. Since the plant is not air tight, a sickening smell pervades the area. The good news is that NYOFCO’s contract has not been renewed! Additionally, Stein talked about how Sustainable South Bronx has successfully convinced the government to have more waste be transported by barge instead of truck, and for a trash collection sight to be installed on the Upper East Side, easing the burden on the South Bronx.

After this, Friedman discussed his work in building sustainable communities in New York City. He started off by showing examples of Chris Jordan’s artwork and urging us to think about our everyday actions and make them greener.

Picture of artwork by Chris Jordan: 1 million disposable cups – the amount used by airline flights in the US every six hours

Friedman also talked about PLANYC 2030 and the key things, in his opinion, that are missing from it. In class, we discussed how there were certain assumptions in PLANYC 2030 that seemed unreliable. Friedman, though, focused on the role of job creation in PLANYC 2030. The plan does not address the growing income disparity in the city and the need to preserve space for job creation.

Another important idea he discussed was that instead of doing retrofits and energy audits building by building, they should be done block by block in order to engage communities as a whole. Furthermore, he talked about greening churches, a really interesting strategy because by doing this a whole congregation can be involved and inspired to enact these changes in their own lives.

Finally, going back to Moses, Friedman discussed the inefficiency of the Sheridan Expressway and how the Pratt Center for Community Development is working to convince the state to tear it down. Tearing down a highway is a pretty radical idea, but the state is considering it! If it is torn down, the land would be used to create parkland, affordable housing, and space for new businesses.

This lecture enhanced my understanding of the important role Sustainable South Bronx and the Pratt Center play in New York City, how any citizen can get involved in greening their community, as well as adding to our classroom conversations about these planning issues.

As University Scholars, you are required to attend the Common Events for your Seminars during each semester.  In Seminar 4 you may choose which Community Voices event you wish to attend, unless you are assigned one by your instructor; everyone participates in the Sophomore Forum and in the culminating Conference.  See the Macaulay Honors College web site for more information.  Please mark your calendars for these Spring 2010 events.

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