by Pat Arnow Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. The levees failed. Six years later Hurricane Sandy inundated New York. New York learned nothing from Katrina. The city is building 1950s-style levees, the kind that burst in New Orleans in 2006. These massive construction projects harm our health now and will harm us…
Category: CLIMATE CHANGE
Unnatural
According to New York City officials and some elected representatives, we need artificial turf fields more than we need to protect the climate of NYC and the earth. NO. We need more real grass playing fields and other open, natural spaces for the health and joy of more New Yorkers and for the future of…
Let It Rot
The Lower East Side Ecology Center’s compost program in East River Park was the first of its kind in the city. We’re helping this important climate-centric community group to continue. By Wendy Brawer Every bit of food scrap that goes into the drop-off bins provided by the Lower East Side Ecology Center (LESEC) at the Tompkins…
We Need Real Grass
Even the National Football League wants to get rid of synthetic turf. Natural grass sports fields would improve our environment and health as the new East River Park rises. Instead the city is installing unhealthful and climate damaging artificial turf. It is also being installed in other fields and playgrounds in our neighborhood and throughout the city and the…
City of Dense
Amazing fact. The population density of our Lower East Side and East Village is 95,965 per square mile. That far exceeds anywhere else in the city, and get this–it far exceeds Kolkata, India, with 77,952 people per square mile. This is one reason we need greening—more trees and other plantings and real grass turf fields*–to…
East River Park Action at the Storefront for Art and Architecture
We’ve been invited to do a program by the Storefront gallery at 97 Kenmare St. Tuesday, April 30, 6:30 to 8:00. (just E. of Mulberry). The Storefront for Art and Architecture displays multimedia work and arranges discussions about new ways to think about architecture, art and design. It will feature a special showing of Harriet Hirshorn’s…
Public Art, or More Construction?
New sculpture adds more dystopia to East River Park An art installation, “Joined an Avalanche, Never to be Alone Again,” opened October 4 at the foot of the temporary Corlears Hook Park bridge. The piece features gravel, corrugated steel, core samples, repurposed fencing from the FDR–and asphalt. At a recent walk-through, the DDC Public Artist in Residence Carlos Irijalba…
Hot and Hotter
Sparse shade in the remains of East River Park means that temperatures in the former oasis are dangerously high. We need remedies. Some intrepid Actioneers braved the outdoors despite heat advisories August 9. We measured temperatures around the area of East River Park. (We started measurements at Corlears Hook Park as shown above because that’s where…
FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES AND CLIMATE
Deconstruct the video of the “Frontline Communities Coalition” rally on December 18th https://thevillagesun.com/you-dont-speak-for-us-pro-resiliency-plan-rally-slams-park-defenders and what you see is an image makeover for supporters of the De Blasio plan that is now obliterating East River Park despite wide community opposition. It is certainly interesting how speakers at the rally evade the history of this controversy with…
Cover the FDR
Decking over the highway will give us more park, flood protection and cleaner air At every community meeting in the post Hurricane Sandy planning, decking over the FDR was a top choice. Since then, Rockefeller U decked over the FDR, adding 2 acres and lab buildings for $500M. Now, as the city discusses covering sections of the…