Not impressing Bella with last year’s vampire outfit?  Bring last year’s clean costumes, accessories and funky clothing or just help yourself to some free Halloween fashion at GrowNYC’s Halloween Costume Swap.  Swap items limited to clothing, costumes, and accessories only please.

WHAT: FREE Halloween Costume Swap at Build It Green! NYC – Gowanus

WHERE: 69 9^th Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn NY 11215

WHEN: FRIDAY, October 28th    3pm – 6pm

Take a sneak peek at Build It Green! NYC’s new non-profit salvage surplus warehouse in Gowanus, Brooklyn – their second reuse center in the city!  Activities include recycled cardboard mask-making with Solar One, spoke flowers hand crafting with Recycle-A-Bicycle, Halloween-themed music, a bone-chilling haunted house, festive family-friendly movies to watch, and an apple/donut-eating contest thanks to GrowNYC’s Greenmarket! There will also be a raffle for a children’s bike, thanks to Recycle-A-Bicycle!  RSVP for this event at www.bignyc.org/halloween.
For more information call 212-788-7989.

I met Brenda Neville, Director of the Neville Dance Theatre, early on when Green in BKLYN first opened.  She introduced herself, told me about her dance company & invited me to her concerts.  We got on each other’s mailing lists.  We see each other coming & going to our jobs.  And she’s become an awesome neighbor.

In addition to how she brightens my day, Brenda has a wonderful local dance company that contributes free tickets and beautiful work to the neighborhood.

Recently, Brenda’s company – the Neville Dance Theatre – launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund more free tickets.  This time for children at the Ronald McDonald House  The campaign is in its last three days & could use your help…

In Brenda’s own words… Neville Dance Theatre is self-producing a special October New York City performance season of our original dance narrative ‘Memento Muerto’ – a haunting and powerful production about the vibrant and diverse Mexican Day of the Dead traditions, at the legendary Merce Cunningham Studio Theatre, this October 27-29, 2011, as one of the final productions performing there before its closure this November.

Last presented in 2007 on a much smaller scale, our upcoming production is set to bring the vibrancy of these traditions to life like never before in an expanded production.  As of now, we have a mind-blowingly awesome artistic team assembled, discounted rehearsal studios booked and a fabulous venue contracted, outrageously talented dancers working tirelessly learning choreography, vibrant slides and set designs selected, and promotional seeking press releases sent out.  Whew! Now, all we need is the money to pay for it all!

We are 100% committed to making the project and production happen, but presenting a full concert dance season, especially in New York, ain’t cheap!  We need support for our costs including theater and studio rentals, set & costume construction, slide projections, documentation, and making sure the dancers and collaborators get some kind of payment for all their hard work:) We also need a few special individuals as Ticket Sponsors’ whose pledges will provide tickets for twelve under-served children/families from the non-profit organization The Ronald McDonald House in New York City to have the unique opportunity to attend our closing night performance Free-of-Charge.

Again, the Kickstarter link is here and the company would love your support!

Tropical Storms Irene and Lee caused widespread damage throughout upstate communities, especially in the Upper Catskills.  With damaged roads and bridges, lack of access to supermarkets, inadequate transportation and high gas prices, many residents are going to face critical food and supply shortages in the upcoming months.

It’s finally here… Voltaic’s Generator Solar Laptop Charger!

It’s a solar powered mobile office. It uses high-efficiency cells and a battery pack custom designed to efficiently charge from solar power. And, not only does it charge laptops, but it also charges cell phones, tablets, cameras, and most other hand held electronics.

We’ve got a full range of Voltaic’s solar powered products:

• Compact Chargers and Backpacks (for hand-held devices)
• Spark Solar Tablet Case (for iPads and other tablets)
• Generator Solar Laptop Charger (for laptops, of course)

Not only do their products produce and store their own power to run electronics anywhere, but Voltaic Systems is based in New York City.  Nice local folk with an awesome universal idea and the technology to back it up!  Hurrah to the local folk!

In celebration of beauty & all things clean & fresh, Green in BKLYN is offering a discount on the entire line of Pangea Organics – my favorite skin care products!

For the whole month of October, Pangea Organics are 25% off!

That includes facial cleanser, scrub & toner, soaps, masks, eye creams, balancing oil & more!  A veritable cornucopia of treasures.

Pangea Organics are always nurturing, organic & fair trade, handcrafted & cruelty-free.  And never use petroleum-based ingredients, detergents, sulfates, synthetic preservatives, artificial colors or fragrances.

If you love ‘em already or haven’t tried ‘em yet, it’s a great time to celebrate your natural beauty!

We’ve added another Brooklyn-based company & I’m so pleased.  This time it’s coffee from the Brooklyn Roasting Co.

The Brooklyn Roasting Co. hales from DUMBO & is committed to offering best quality Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance & Organic certified coffees.  Not only are they a coffee company with a conscience but they’re also pretty serious about “green thinking” – using recycled materials & refurbished equipment, clean-powered distribution (bicycle & bio-diesel van) & old-fashioned friendliness.

Oh, did I mention that their coffee is just plain awesome tastiness?  Their coffee is incredible!  It smells great, it looks great & it tastes freakin’ amazing.

We’ll be hosting a fast & furious tasting with them (& Super Foxy Sweets) this month?  Saturday, October 8th from 1-2pm at Green in BKLYN.

Update… Check out Park(ing) Day at Green in BKLYN and on Myrtle Avenue in the Brooklyn Paper’s on-line edition (click HERE).

Today is Park(ing) Day at Green in BKLYN…  And all over the world!

That means that, literally, ALL OVER THE WORLD parking spaces are being handed over to humans instead of cars for green and clean fun.

We’ll be hosting Eve Mosher’s “Insert_Here” project and taking ideas for eco-friendly solutions for the shop, the Avenue, the ‘hood, the city, the world…

Stop by, take a seat, run your toes through the grass and share your thoughts.  It’s a perfect day to park it here!

For more stuff on Myrtle Avenue, click here.  For more on “Insert_Here”, click here.  And for more on Park(ing) Day, click HERE.

PS – Stop in the shop for a cup of Green in BKLYN hot tea for when you park your seat in the Park(ing) Day spot.  We’ll be serving the good stuff all day long…

We get a lot of calls here at Green in BKLYN asking for information about recycling, in general, and electronic waste recycling specifically.  So we’re pleased to be able to let folks know about another eWaste drive…

Tekserve and the Lower East Side Ecology Center have teamed up again to offer free electronics recycling throughout September and October. 

Recyclable items include computers, monitors, fax machines, copiers, DVD or VCR players, radios, telephones, cell phones, televisions, cameras and stereo equipment.  However, they cannot accept home appliances such as microwaves, stoves, refrigerators and air conditioners.

Residents, small businesses and not-for-profits can drop off unwanted electronics at the following sites:

• September 17: 10am-4pm / Manhattan @ Tekserve, 119 West 23rd Street, Manhattan b/w 6th and 7th Avenues

• September 18: 10am-4pm / Manhattan @ Delancey Street b/w Chrystie and Forsyth Streets, Lower East Side

• September 20: 11am-7pm / Manhattan @ Church of the Heavenly Rest, 5th Avenue and East 90th Street

• September 24: 10am-4pm / Queens @ St. John’s University parking lot, enter at Gate 4, Union Tpke and 175th Street

• September 24: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ Habana Outpost, Fulton Street b/w South Portland Avenue and South Oxford Street

• September 25: 10am-4pm / Queens @ NY Hall of Science visitor parking lot, enter at 111th Street and 49th Avenue, Flushing

• September 25: 10am-4pm / Bronx @ Van Cortlandt Park, Broadway b/w Manhattan College Pkwy and Post Road

• October 01: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ Smith Street b/w President and Union Streets, Carroll Gardens

• October 01: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ The New New York, N 11th Street b/w Kent and Wythe Avenues, Williamsburg

• October 02: 10am-4pm / Staten Island @ Showplace Entertainment Center, 141 E Service Road and Beresford Ave

• October 02: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1, Furman Street b/w Old Fulton and Doughty St

• October 15: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ 8th Avenue b/w 14th and 15th Streets, Park Slope

• October 16: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ 7th Avenue b/w 4th and 5th Streets, Park Slope

• October 22: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ Restoration Plaza, Herkimer St entrance b/w New York and Brooklyn Aves, Bedford Stuyvesant

• October 22: 10am-4pm / Manhattan @ Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Amsterdam Avenue b/w West 96th and West 97th Streets

• October 23: 10am-4pm / Brooklyn @ PS 29 Schoolyard, Baltic Street b/w Henry and Clinton Streets

• October 23: 10am-4pm / Manhattan @ Stuyvesant Town, 14th Street Loop, at 14th St and Ave A

For more info, check out the LESEC website.

As part of the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District (BID), we received the following information from the BID & www.nyc.gov about preparing for Hurricane Irene.  This storm is gearing up to be a doozy.  Please take it seriously & be prepared…

What can you do to prepare for Hurricane Irene?

1. Make an Emergency Supply Kit

It is possible that you may lose power and there is a chance that the MTA may shut down some of its services over the weekend. Stock your household with emergency food and supplies.

The Office of Emergency Management recommends that all NYC residents have emergency supply kits including the following:

• One gallon of drinking water per person per day
• Nonperishable, ready-to-eat canned foods and a manual can opener
• First-aid kit
• Flashlight
• Battery-operated AM/FM radio and extra batteries
• Whistle
• Iodine tablets or one quart of unscented bleach (for disinfecting water ONLY if directed to do so (by health officials) and eyedropper (for adding bleach to water)
• Personal hygiene items: soap, feminine hygiene products, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.
• Phone that does not rely on electricity
• Child care supplies or other special care items
• A small regional map

2. Read the Hurricane Preparedness Guide

The Office of Emergency Management also has available a Hurricane Preparedness Guide. Ready New York: Hurricanes and New York City includes general tips on how to prepare for any emergency, instructions on how to develop a hurricane disaster plan and secure your home before a storm, and a map of New York City hurricane evacuation zones.

3. Print out a checklist from the Red Cross

The American Red Cross suggests that you designate a meeting spot and set up alternative sleeping arrangements in case you and your family members are separated.  The Red Cross has printable checklists in a variety of languages on its website.

4. Visit Governor Cuomo’s website for Hurricane FAQs and some more tips and resources on storm preparation.  Check whether you live in an evacuation zone and determine your level of risk.  Let your family know you are okay on the Red Cross Safe and Well web page.

If you have any questions or concerns, call 311 or go to www.NYC.gov/OEM.