Bless those folks over at Brokelyn.com, teaching us all how to “live large on small change”.  And now, featuring Green in BKLYN in their 25 part series… 25 Brooklyn Gifts, $25 & Under.  We’re #3 in the series.  We’ve reprinted the story below but you should totally go to their site (www.brokelyn.com) & check out the ridiculous amount of useful & cheap (good cheap/inexpensive) information…

Love this one! We put out the call to local merchants to submit gift ideas for our new $25-and-under series, and look what came back: a lightweight stainless steel coffee mug to latch onto your backpack, belt loop, dog leash, pierced eyebrow… whatevs. The cup, which weighs 5 oz., holds 12 oz. of liquid and only costs $12.95 from a store called Green in BKLYN. We like it because we went to a hippie college with people who put those clips on everything just to show how mountainy they were. While we don’t climb rocks (they probably didn’t either), we do love coffee and hate paper cups. The mug, which has a stainless steel double wall (for great insulation) is available at Green in BKLYN, a homey little eco-everything shop in Clinton Hill/Ft. Greene (432 Myrtle Ave., 718-855-4383) that opened this past Earth Day.

At Green in BKLYN, we don’t typically ask for donations for groups but we do make a number of contributions ourselves the year.  However,  I wanted to introduce you to the Council on the Environment of New York City (CENYC) & let you know about their annual fundraiser as well as the work they do…

You might know CENYC from your neighborhood Greenmarket or community garden, many of which they maintain.  You may have learned how to recycle like a pro because you played the recycling challenge with their Office of Recycling Outreach and Education or your child planted trees along the Bronx River as part of their environmental education programs.

Since 1970, Council on the Environment of NYC has been rolling up its sleeves alongside local residents  to find solutions to environmental problems that impact us all.  Below are a few things that CENYC has accomplished just this year:

• Expanded to 50 Greenmarkets & developed the Nation’s largest food stamp in farmers’ market program resulting in nearly $250,000 in sales.
• Diverted almost 500,000 pounds of clothing from the landfill through textile recycling sites at eight Greenmarkets.
• Substantially renovated three community gardens in addition to more than 50 that they have created & supported
• Planted 1,860 trees & 3,200 plants in New York City’s watershed as part of education programs.

If you choose to support CENYC, you can be sure that your contributions support action around important environmental issues ; 80 cents of every dollar goes directly to program services such as helping CENYC to:

• Provide access to healthy, fresh local food for all New Yorkers
• Grow & maintain vibrant green spaces & community gardens
• Help New Yorkers recycle more & reduce waste
• Create the next generation of environmental leaders

You can also get involved through volunteer opportunities, workshops, school programs & community events or visit their website at www.cenyc.org to learn more.

A few weeks ago, Joshua Onysk (the president & founder of Pangea Organics), came to Green in BKLYN to talk about Pangea’s amazing facial & body products, as well as beauty products in general…

It got me thinking about the “Dirty Dozen,” twelve ingredients to avoid in personal care products (courtesy of the Green Guide).  None of the beauty products at Green in BKLYN contain the “Dirty Dozen,” of course.  And now, so you can make sure these products stay off the largest organ of your body, too…

The “Dirty Dozen”:

1. Antibacterials (use soap & water, organic alcohol & essential oils, instead)
   
2. Coal Tar Colors FD&C Blue 1 & Green 3
3. Diethanolamine (DEA)
4. 1, 4-Dioxane
5. Fragrance (containing phthalates)
6. Formaldehyde (diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea & quaternium compounds)
7. Lead & Mercury
8. Nanoparticles
9. Parabens (methyl-, propyl-, butyl-, ethyl- & isobutyl-)
10. Petroleum Distillates
11. p-Phenylenediamine (PPD)
12. Hydroquinone

Last week author Jennifer Kaplan was at Green in BKLYN with her newly released book, Greening Your Small Business: How to Improve Your Bottom Line, Grow Your Brand, Satisfy Your Customers – and Save the Planet.

With organic wine from Gnarly Vines, vegan pizza from Slice and family & friends from near & far, the event was lovely & lively.  Jennifer read from her book, some guests asked questions, others offered suggestions & Jennifer shared her very easy-to-follow green tips.

For those of you who couldn’t join us (& until you come into the shop to pick up your own copy of the book), here are a few simple steps for Greening Your Small Business courtesy of Jennifer Kaplan:

• Use on-line banking.
• Purchase recycled content products & supplies for daily use as well as for maintenance operations.
• Replace all existing standard lightbulbs with high-efficiency ones.
• Offer recycled gift bags & tissue paper in lieu of traditional gift wrap & boxes.
• Use email & scanned documents to communicate instead of fax machines & paper memos.
• Source locally by purchasing local & sustainable products & services including produce, flowers, beverages, decor & rentals.
• Consolidate shipments & avoid air freight/expediting whenever possible.
• Replace Post-It Notes with scrap paper.
• Rent hybrid & alternative-fuel vehicles or, better yet, use mass transit.
• And (of course), reduce – reuse – recycle.

With gratitude & congratulations to Jennifer!  It was a pleasure to host her first book signing & enjoy such spirited conversation, helpful information & kind company!

We just heard that the Neville Dance Theatre has FREE TICKETS for their production of The Nutcracker.

The Neville Dance Theatre, contemporary ballet with ethnic innovation, has select tickets for Walt Whitman resident children ages 7-17 (plus chaperone).  The show is performed December 3-5 at the Hudson Guild Theatre (441 West 26th Street).

If you or someone you know is eligible & would like to attend The Nutcracker, a the classic holiday tale performed like never before, call 917-517-2175 to reserve your tickets.  Supplies are limited so call early!  And enjoy!!

Funding is provided in part from Assemblyman Joseph Lentol’s Offices & NYSP&R.

We’ve written a number of things about reducing our footprints, recycling in general & America Recycles Day.  Today, the day before America Recycles Day, we will leave the words to our President.  And so, without further ado, the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama…

Presidential Proclamation – America Recycles Day

“Every day, Americans who recycle conserve valuable resources while reducing our Nation’s carbon footprint. The reprocessing of materials is fundamental to our future prosperity, as recycling helps preserve our natural environment and sustain our economy. Recycling in the United States is a $236 billion industry, employing 1.1 million workers nationwide in 56,000 businesses. On America Recycles Day, we celebrate the individuals, communities, local governments, and businesses that recycle their waste and continually think of innovative ways to use materials that might otherwise be discarded.

Recycling improves our daily lives and helps to protect our planet for the future. Through recycling, we conserve energy, consume less of our precious natural resources, decrease the amount of waste deposited in landfills, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Communities across America also benefit by avoiding the pollution associated with the extraction of raw materials and their processing into finished products.

If we are to manage materials and products on a life-cycle basis, we must responsibly use and reuse our resources. Curbside recycling, electronics collection drives, community composting programs, and other similar methods contribute to the success of our efforts. Our Nation’s health and prosperity depends on the productive and sustainable use of our environment. By recommitting ourselves to recycling, we have the opportunity to secure our long-term success and ensure a bright future for the next generation of Americans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 15, 2009, as America Recycles Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities, and I encourage all Americans to continue their recycling efforts throughout the year.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

– BARACK OBAMA

Another blog in honor of America Recycles Day on November 15th…  This one is written by our lovely intern, Cristina…

Nowadays, recycling has become second nature to most of us (I mean, you’re reading green tips by an eco-friendly home goods store in Brooklyn).  So, here are some statistics for what recycling programs have done, which will hopefully inspire you to encourage the people around you to recycle too.

Manufacturing using recycled materials often takes less energy that it would take to manufacture using the original raw materials:

• Aluminum from recycled materials saves 95% of the energy used to make it from raw materials
• Steel from recycled steel saves 60% of the energy
• Newspapers from recycled paper save 40%
• Plastics from recycled plastic save 70%
• Glass from recycled glass saves 40%

If that energy were to be used for households, so much would be gained:

• A ton of paper manufactured from recycled paper can save about 4,000 kilowatt hours of energy.
• One glass bottle or jar manufactured from recycled glass saves enough energy to power a 100 watt light bulb for four hours.
• One pound of steel manufactured from recycled steel can power a 60-watt light bulb for over a day.
• One year of aluminum production from recycled aluminum saves enough energy to power 18 million households for a year.

Recycling has a very positive effect on the environment:

• Producing cars from recycled aluminum decreases air pollution by 95 percent.
• Producing recycled paper produces 74% less air pollution, 35% less water pollution & uses 64% less energy than making paper from logs.
• A ton of paper made from recycled materials can save a total of over 500 pounds of air pollution.
• A ton of paper made from recycled paper saves 17 trees.
• Recycling all newspapers read in the United States each morning could save 41,000 trees a day.  Recycling these newspapers would also reduce 6 million tons of waste in the landfills.
• Junk mail accounts for the use of 1.5 trees per person per year.  We could save about 75,000 trees for every 50,000 people who stop their junk mail.

Make a difference! Make the world cleaner, safer, sustainable, and good smelling :).

Written by Cristina Valentin

Our lovely intern, Cristina, not only dressed the dress & walked the walk for Halloween but she reported on the event… Here’s her story…

Today is Halloween! Boo & stuff!

At Green in BKLYN we celebrated in our own special way: handing out magic wish pennies to the trick-or-treaters of Brooklyn.  Though a few continued to insist on candy, everyone loved the idea, calling it “old school” & “good for the recession”.  As Elissa said, “The magic is alive in Clinton Hill!”

We caught the eyes of folks – me, dressed as Lady GaGa & Elissa, dressed very scarily as her very own mother (:/ yikes!).

There were literally hundreds of children on the streets of Clinton Hill hunting for goodies from every shopkeeper & dressed as little doctors, supermen, ghouls, bumblebees & so many many others who were very, very cute.

The neighborhood was alive and glowing with the excitement of the night & we were so very tired (especially me, in high heels!) at the end of the day.  It was a wonderful experience, watching little faces fill with delight & yell “Yessss, magic!” and “Cool!” after receiving their penny.

Oh, the innocence.  To them & the child in all of us… Happy Halloween!

– Written by Cristina Valentin aka “Lady Gaga”

America Recycles Day (ARD), November 15, is dedicated to encouraging folks to recycle & to buy recycled products.

Now in its 11th year, the day has grown to include millions of Americans pledging to increase their recycling habits & buy products made with recycled materials.

Soooo with that in mind, here’s a few events & bits of information to add to your November (Recycling) Calendar:

Two (!) Electronics Recycling Days:

• Wednesday, November 10th 11am-7pm @ Church of the Heavenly Rest in Manhattan (90th Street & Fifth Avenue) Sponsored by Carnegie Hill Neighbors (212)996-5520
• Sunday, November 22nd 8am-3pm @ Isaacs/Holmes Parking Lot in Manhattan (93rd Street & First Avenue) Sponsored by Gracie Point Community Council & Upper Green Side (212) 759-6895

Bring your cell phones, computers, laptops, copiers, fax machines, iPods & PDAs, modems, monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, stereo & radio equipment, telephones & telephone equipment, televisions, typewriters, speakers, digital cameras, VCRs & DVD players to one of the Electronics Recycling Days collection sites.  All E-Wasted collected will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner in the US.

Nifty Recycling Facts:

• Glass: Glass can be recycled an indefinite number of times & never wears out.  Making glass from recycled materials cuts related water pollution by 50%.
• Plastic: Five PET bottles (plastic soda bottles) yield enough fiber for one extra large T-shirt, one square foot of carpet or enough fiber fill to fill on ski jacket.
• Aluminum: Every three months, Americans landfill enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.  That aluminum can be recycled instead!
• Paper: Recycling a stack of newspapers just 3 feet high saves one tree.  Making paper from recycled paper reduces contributions to air pollution by 95%.

Some Recycling Inspiration:

Last year the amount of energy saved from recycling aluminum & steel cans, plastic PET & glass containers, newsprint & corrugated packaging was equivalent to:

• The amount of electricity consumed by 17.8 million Americans in one year
• 29% of nuclear electricity generation in the U.S. in one year
• The amount of gasoline used in almost 11 million passenger automobiles in one year

See, one small act can make a huge difference… Especially when we combine those acts together!