This is a Judith Supine work on Kent Avenue near Metropolitan in Williamsburg. Like much of her work, we dig it a lot. The interesting, non-art-related back story involves the building to which it is affixed. It is a paint factory with enough toxic issues to keep environmental regulators busy for a long time and [...]

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Do watch this little scene we came across at the new building rising at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Carroll Street whose progress we noted less than two weeks ago. We were nearby and saw the smoke rising and thought that something was one fire. As it turned out, it was a big generator [...]

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Earlier this week, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would do some testing at sites along Newtown Creek that could lead to Superfund status for some cleanups. The agency would have to find high enough levels of contaminants to make the determination. Habitat Map has created a simple map that shows the three [...]

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After much urging, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is going to test some site along Newtwon Creek to see if they should be included in the Superfund program. The designation would theoretically speed some clean-ups along the creek which is both the site of the Exxon-Mobil Oil Spill and has a number of terribly polluted [...]

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We’ve noted the goings on at the big former lot on Bedford Avenue between N. 11 and N. 12 Street multiple times. The land was most recently a parking lot, but at one point was a paint factory and has a variety of toxic issue associated with it necessitating some cleanup before development of a [...]

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“Newtown Creek, the polluted estuary that separates Queens and Brooklyn, should be named a federal Superfund site, a move that could hasten long-stuttering cleanup efforts, a pair of New York lawmakers say. Representatives Anthony D. Weiner and Nydia M. Velázquez, whose Congressional districts include the contaminated area, are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to test [...]

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Ridgewood Reservoir is on the Brooklyn-Queens border and its fate is up in the air, so it definitely is of interest to GL. Check out this vid.

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So, here’s a quick looking at growing potatoes in one’s Brooklyn backyard. Assuming, of course, that one has a backyard to begin with. On the other hand, it looks like some of these methods are transferable to a window box too.

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There’s a Neighborhood Solar Forum for single family homes coming up on July 16 that’s sponsored by Sustainable Flatbush. Per an email:
Wondering if you can convert your house to solar? Come to the…Neighborhood Solar Forum for single family homes sponsored by Sustainable Flatbush…Peter Landy will speak about his experience converting his house to solar [...]

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Exactly what’s going on at 40 Berry in Williamsburg, which has been the site of a large spill of what appeared to be oil, is unclear. The large property carries a city “e” designation, which means there are environmental issues associated with it and that certain “protocols” have to be followed as it’s [...]

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The Gowanus Canal takes a major hit of both storm sewer and household sewer runoff during heavy storms and the recent weekend storms have not been kind to it. After yesterday’s storm, the water level in the canal was alarmingly high, but what was worse was the condition of the water itself: filthy, brackish, full [...]

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We’ve gotten several emails in the last week or so about the “toxic” parking lot at Bedford Avenue and N. 11 Street in Williamsburg. Construction work is now going on at the site, which is slated to become a Karl Fischer building with 180 apartments. The property was once a paint factory and is listed [...]

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Check out some pics of Greening the Ridge, including bonus shots of fishing on the pier and the dude that caught a 41″ bass. “The buzz was great and it was the kind of event that as you got closer to the pier, you could feel the positive energy. It was a great vibe, and [...]

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“About a quarter of Thomas Greene playground has been fenced off so that National Grid can dig underneath the Parks Dept. facility and see how polluted it is.” The playground was part of the site of the former Fulton Manufactured Gas Plant, which left a mess of toxic underground coal tar behind. Most of the [...]

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The former vacant lot between N. 11 & N. 12 Streets in Williamsburg that was most recently a parking lot and was, for a time in its history, a paint factory, is now a construction site where a large Karl Fischer building (eight stories, 180 units) will be rising. The construction fencing went up last [...]

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Yes, the toxic coal tar beneath Thomas Greene Playground in Gowanus is said to be far enough underground that it doesn’t pose a threat to, say, children on slides. Still, it’s unsettling to find a sign about the “remedial investigation” of pollution there. A GL reader sent in this shot, which comes from the Third [...]

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Yes, this barrel, which we found sitting on the corner of N. 4 Street and Driggs Avenue this weekend says that it’s “non-hazardous” and has a sticker saying it’s empty, but it originated with DEC Spill 0800695 and reminds us of barrels that once graced the sidewalk in front of the Roebling Oil Building, aka [...]

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The definitive expansion of the Roebling Oil Building to the west (aka the Roebling Oil Building West), with another big Karl Fischer building, is about to get underway with the demolition of buildings on Driggs Avenue between N. 9 and N. 10 Street. Plans have already been approved for the new Roebling Oil extension, which [...]

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Earlier this year, the City Council passed a law requiring non-food service business with more than 5,000 square feet or ones that are part of a chain with five or more stores in the city to start accepting plastic bags for recycling by late July. This means that most drugstores, supermarkets and big chains will [...]

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There is another electronics recycling opportunity in Carroll Gardens coming up at the end of the month. It’s one of the Department of Sanitation-sponsored collections and it will be happening on Smith Street between Carroll and President Streets. Collection times are Saturday May 31, 10am-4pm, Sunday June 1, 10am-4pm and Monday June 2, 4pm-7pm. (More [...]

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The annual “Greenest Block in Brooklyn” competition is underway. Per its website: “More than 1,200 blocks throughout Brooklyn have entered the contest since it was founded in 1994, and an estimated 500,000 residents have participated in this borough-wide beautification and greening effort. Application forms for 2008 are due by June 2.” More info and applications [...]

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Among the city-sponsored electronics recycling events taking place is this one next week in Prospect Park. It takes place on Sunday, May 18 from 8AM-2PM next to the Carousel, which is located near the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Empire Boulevard. It’s for both electronic equipment and clothing donations.

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We posted about all of tonight’s Carroll Gardens and Gowanus meetings a bit earlier, but we do want to focus a little on the one dealing with the site of the former Manufactured Gas Plant on Third Avenue under Thomas Greene Park and nearby blocks. It’s one of several toxic sites in Gowanus/Carroll Gardens that [...]

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It’s starting to look like the big development at Public Place is going to get a lot larger. The winning Hudson Companies proposal included 774 units of housing and tens of thousands of square feet of commercial and community space. When presentations were made in Carroll Gardens during the winter the possibility that an adjacent [...]

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Want to take a GreenWalk? There’s a chance on Thursday. Per an email about the event that came to our inbox:
Join us on Thursday, May 1, 2008, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. New York City College of Technology, CUNY (City Tech) students will lead GreenWalk, a walking tour of Downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO, on Thursday, [...]

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