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City Bakery’s Famous Lemonade Supports Earth Pledge and
Catskill Farmers
FarmToTable.org is Relaunching on July 11th!
Viridian Update: Green
Roof to Bloom in Harlem
A Call for Green Roof Case Study Submissions
Earth Pledge
Returns from Chicago Green Roof Conference
Food (Waste) For Thought at Earth Pledge’s Sustainable Waste
Management Symposium
Good for the Planet, Good for the Bottom Line
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Bakery's Famous Lemonade Supports Earth Pledge and Catskill Farmers
Just
what does a bunch of carrots grown in the Catskills have to do with
a glass of pure New York City drinking water?
And what does a glass of refreshing lemonade have to do with serving
your fellow New Yorkers and local farmers?
Beginning on July 11th, 2003, Earth Pledge and the Watershed Agricultural
Council will reveal the answers during a two-week photography exhibit
at Maury Rubin’s beloved Union Square institution, City Bakery.
The exhibit is part of an Earth Pledge communications campaign that
will show New Yorkers that they can be directly involved in keeping
their water safe and healthy by supporting eco-minded Catskill farmers
and forestland owners. In honor of the Catskill farmers, Rubin will
bring back his legendary Farmer’s Lemonade, made with a touch
of cream–a nod to the region’s dairy farmers–and
NYC tap water, of course. A percentage of the lemonade sales will
fund future EP and WAC projects.
Few New Yorkers realize that the Catskill/Delaware watersheds, located
just a few hours north of the city, supply them—and 9 million
of their neighbors—with 90% of their drinking water. In fact,
the famous water that flows from city taps filters through the many
family-owned farms and forests in the Catskill region before reaching
its urban destination. The area also produces an abundant supply
of milk, fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, maple syrup, and fiber products.
In addition to providing wholesome food for urban and rural communities,
small Catskill area farms maintain the open space and healthy forests
vital to cleansing and protecting the environment. When we support
farmers and foresters in the Catskill/Delaware watershed region,
we protect our current and future water supply.
Come join us at City Bakery, view the exhibit, and sip a creamy
cool Farmer's Lemonade while doing your part to preserve one of
the city’s most precious resources!
City Bakery is located at 3 West 18th Street (between 5th and 6th),
and is open 7 days a week.
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FarmToTable.org
is Relaunching on July 11th!
Visit
FarmToTable.org as we relaunch on July 11th with a new design
and a brand new Catskills section, funded
in part by the Kellogg Foundation and USDA Forest Service.
As always, you’ll be able to access the most current food
news from all over the globe, and find out why, where, when and
how you can buy the best local food available.
Why buy local? Enjoying food and wine raised, harvested, or produced
sustainably and regionally provides great quality, boosts our
economy, protects our farmland, enhances our local food systems,
and keeps us–and our environment–healthy.
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Viridian
Update: Green Roof to Bloom in Harlem
The West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, one
of Earth Pledge’s Viridian Project partners, recently closed
the financing for the Revella, a new supportive housing facility
in central Harlem. This former single-room occupancy building
will be renovated into 19 affordable studio units for low-income
and formerly homeless individuals. The building will also include
a 1000 square foot extensive green roof. The roof will give the
tenants access to safe green space, while lowering temperatures,
trapping stormwater, and improving air quality in Harlem. Demolition
will begin this month, and green roof construction will be finished
in Spring 2004. New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation
and Development (HPD) is financing the Revella.
For
more information on the Viridian Project
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A Call for Green Roof Case Study Submissions
Have you built a green roof? Earth Pledge is seeking exemplary
green roof projects to include in our upcoming Green Roof Sourcebook.
This full color, 200-page book will include a comprehensive review
of the ecological benefits, technical requirements, and design
possibilities of vegetated roofs. Essays by green roof experts
and case studies from around the world will be featured. The Sourcebook
is slated for a Fall 2004 publication date. Deadline for submissions:
September 15, 2003.
For more information, email Marisa
Arpels or call (212) 725-6611 x221.
Earth
Pledge Returns from Chicago Green Roof Conference
Earth Pledge just returned from the first ever North American Green
Roof Conference, Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities,
held in Chicago. The conference was co-hosted by Green
Roofs for Healthy Cities and the City
of Chicago, and co-sponsored by Earth Pledge.
Never before have so many green roof experts from all over the globe
convened together, including federal and local governmental officials,
renowned scientists, horticulturalists, non-profit leaders, roofing
manufacturers, and academics from throughout the United States as
well as Thailand, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, England, and Canada.
Colin Cheney, director of our Green Roofs Initiative, was one of
the first experts to speak about developing a local green roof market.
His talk, which was met with great enthusiasm, focused on Earth
Pledge’s vision for a better, greener New York, including
our efforts to catalyze green roof implementation in New York City
through our Viridian Project, New York Ecological Infrastructure
Study, and Government Policy Task Force.
The event also included the green roof awards, which honored the
best extensive and intensive green roofs in North America. Winning
projects included Montgomery Park Business Center in Baltimore,
Maryland, the 901 Cherry Gap corporate offices in San Bruno, California,
the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago, Illinois, and The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Conference Hall in Salt
Lake City, Utah.
We look forward to working with the many collaborators we met at
the conference during the upcoming year while we gear up for the
2004 conference, which will be held in Portland.
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Food
(Waste) for Thought at Earth Pledge's Sustainable Waste Management
Symposium
Earth Pledge’s Waste=Fuel Initiative held its first
symposium, Future of Sustainable Solid Waste Management, on Monday,
May 12th at the Carriage House Center.
The symposium introduced stakeholders including restaurant professionals,
energy producers and suppliers, local, state and national government
officials, community organizations, and academic institutions to
the benefits of anaerobic digestion (AD). Representatives from New
York City’s Department of Sanitation, Department of Environmental
Protection, and City Council, Dupont, Whole Foods, Brooklyn Botanic
Gardens, Columbia University’s Earth Engineering Center, and
many others were in attendance.
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the decomposition of organic waste by
bacteria in an oxygen-free environment and produces a methane-rich
biogas that can be used to generate heat and electricity. When used
as a waste treatment process, AD technology has the potential to
significantly alter the way New York City deals with its 26,000
tons of organic solid waste per day.
Speakers included Thomas Outerbridge, President of City Green, on
the crisis of closing Fresh Kills Landfill, Luc De Baere, General
Manger of Organic Waste systems, discussing the current successes
and failures of AD in Europe, and Rob Young of Cornell University
discussing the potential for sustainable development in the business
world.
The event was sponsored by New York State Energy Research &
Development Authority, PricewaterhouseCoopers, US Environmental
Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response,
and BioCycle Magazine.
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Good
for the Planet, Good for the Bottom Line
On May 14th, Earth Pledge hosted Kenneth Cole, CEO of Kenneth
Cole Productions and Maria Cuomo Cole, Chairperson of HELP USA,
and an audience of fifty CEOs and senior executives from companies
like BP, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Schering-Plough for an afternoon
of discussion about the growing importance of corporate social responsibility.
Brand Architecture International, the cohost of the event, reviewed
its recent research study conducted with UK’s Business in
the Community and Ropers/ASW, which explored how CSR is becoming
a necessity for building customer loyalty and brand value. Kenneth
Cole and Maria Cuomo Cole each shared their own corporate and nonprofit
perspectives on the neccesity for CSR.The event proved that being
a socially responsible company isn’t just good for the planet,
but it is good for the financial well being of the company as well.
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