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Rooftop Farm in New York City Grows 50,000 Pounds of Organic Produce Per Year

Sat, 2014-01-04 14:52 — debbiefook

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTC_X1gblRE

watch the full video here:http://permaculturenews.org/2014/01/0...

By Ecofilms

“That view behind me is not a painted backdrop!” said Geoff Lawton to the camera. But the view looked great from where I was standing. Brooklyn Grange is a rooftop farm with a magnificent view looking over the Manhattan skyline.

Sitting on a concrete roof, totaling 2.5 acres and producing more than 50,000 pounds of organically-grown vegetables each year, you need to walk its length to appreciate how vast this rooftop garden truly is in scale.

We had been given one hour to film this place. The sun was setting. We were in the “magic hour” to film and needed to hurry. There was a lot to do.

Geoff walked down the narrow lanes of planted vegetables. Four to six inches of dirt was all the plants were allowed to grow in—very well drained dirt that resembled sharp river sand. It didn’t look like a normal loamy soil to my untrained eye.

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NYC Office of Emergency Management - Press Release - Cold Weather

Sat, 2014-01-04 10:26 — Kathy Gilbeaux

       

nyc.gov

OEM OFFERS COLD WEATHER SAFETY TIPS

Seniors, infants, the homeless, and those with chronic medical conditions are at increased risk of health problems from the cold

January 2, 2014 — With a significant snow storm and temperatures expected to be dangerously cold beginning today through Saturday, the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene remind New Yorkers to protect themselves and help others who may be at increased risk of health problems. Homeless individuals not in shelters, people working outdoors, and those in homes or apartments with inadequate heat are most likely to be exposed to dangerous cold. Seniors, infants, people with chronic cardiovascular or lung conditions, people using alcohol or drugs and people with cognitive impairments such as from dementia, serious mental illness or developmental disability are at increased risk.

New Yorkers should take the following precautions: 

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Life-Threatening Cold

Sat, 2014-01-04 10:00 — Kathy Gilbeaux
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Army Corps Restores Marsh Islands in Jamaica Bay N.Y. Posted 9/13/2012

Thu, 2013-12-05 09:23 — debbiefook

By Vince Elias
New York District Public Affairs

It is estimated that approximately 1,400 acres of tidal salt marsh have been lost from the marsh islands in Jamaica Bay, New York since 1924, with the system wide rate of loss rapidly increasing in recent years. From 1994 and 1999, an estimated 220 acres of salt marsh were lost at a rate of 47 acres per year.

With the Manhattan skyline less than 10 miles to the north, the eight by four mile marsh islands complex is an integral part of the Bay, which has been targeted for restoration by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service (Gateway), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the National Resources Conservation Service and the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program.

To quell further erosion of the islands, and adding to an already impressive list of habitat restoration projects in the Bay, the Army Corps commenced the placement of sand from the Harbor Deepening Project’s Ambrose Channel contract in August 2012 to restore Black Wall and Rulers Bar marsh islands.

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Reworking New York's Flood Map Post-Hurricane Sandy

Thu, 2013-11-28 22:07 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

The new map could put twice as many homes in the flood zone and raise premiums for many homeowners.

propublica.org - by Al Shaw - June 12, 2013

. . . while Sandy’s water has long receded and the bulldozers have left, a residual effect for homeowners along the city’s coastline still lurks quietly beneath the surface. It comes in the form of a July 2012 law called the Biggert-Waters Act, which will end subsidized rates for property owners who are remapped into more severe flood zones, increasing their flood insurance premiums 20 percent a year until they reach market rates, and will apply those higher rates for newly purchased property.

The potential increases, which proponents say are necessary to sustain the National Flood Insurance Program, are not widely understood by residents, and may be catching them unprepared.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Biggert-Waters Act - Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012

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FEMA Announces 2012 Community Resilience Innovation Challenge

Wed, 2013-11-06 01:30 — debbiefook

http://www.region2coastal.com/site-news/femaannounces2012communityresilienceinnovationchallenge

 

FEMA Announces 2012 Community Resilience Innovation Challenge

posted Sep 27, 2012, 11:37 AM by Samara Ebinger

 

FEMA has announced that the application period is open for a new funding opportunity to build local resilience, through a Whole Community approach, in communities across America: the Community Resilience Innovation Challenge. This new monetary opportunity is designed to continue to move community preparedness forward and assist local areas in building and revitalizing community-based partnerships to advance the nation’s resilience to disasters.

 

“The best resiliency ideas originate in our states and communities – not from Washington, DC,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “The goal of this program is to empower communities to collaborate and develop innovative ways to effectively respond to disasters.”

 

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Jamaica Bay Greenway Coalition Meeting -- Saturday Nov. 2, 10:30 am at Ryan Visitor Center Floyd Bennett Field

Sat, 2013-11-02 09:32 — debbiefook

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hello Canarsie,

 

I hope you are all well. I am happy to invite you to the next Jamaica Bay Greenway Coalition meeting, which will be held on November 2, 10:30 am at the Ryan Visitor's Center. This will be a very special coalition meeting because as Alice Friedman (from NYCDOT Greenways Department) will join us to introduce DOT's Jamaica Bay Greenway Implementation project and planning process. This is an amazing first step to begin to address some of the greenway issues that have been discussed in previous meetings and workshops. Also, during this meeting we wanted to focus sometime to defining our role(s) in this process as well as how we all mutually benefit from coming together.

 

As was discussed in the last meeting, we ask that you think about the following and come prepared to discuss:

 

o Your interests & goals for being part of this project & Coalition

o How you feel the Coalition can help your goals

o What you can do to contribute to the Coalition

 

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Food stamp recipients face cuts for the Holidays

Sat, 2013-11-02 09:04 — debbiefook

Benefit cuts to food stamp recipients kick in Friday, a move by Congress that will siphon $5 billion off a program that helps one in seven Americans put breakfast, lunch and dinner on the table.

As president of the Food Bank for New York City, Margaret Purvis expects those cuts will draw even more people to organizations that already provide 400,000 meals a day to hungry city folks.

 

"Our members are panicking," she said as time wound down before the benefit decreases go into effect. "We're telling everyone to make sure that you are prepared for longer lines."

 

Needy Americans who receive food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are expected to suffer an average loss of $36 a month from a $275.13 per household benefit. There are a near-record 47.6 million Americans, representing 23.1 million households, on the program. The cost of the program will hit $63.4 billion in 2013.

 

SNAP allocations built into President Barack Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill are coming to an end, leading to the cuts. Over the past few years, a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans have voted in favor of the cuts in exchange for increased education funding and school nutrition programs.

 

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Food stamp recipients face cuts for the Holidays

Sat, 2013-11-02 09:04 — debbiefook

Benefit cuts to food stamp recipients kick in Friday, a move by Congress that will siphon $5 billion off a program that helps one in seven Americans put breakfast, lunch and dinner on the table.

As president of the Food Bank for New York City, Margaret Purvis expects those cuts will draw even more people to organizations that already provide 400,000 meals a day to hungry city folks.

 

"Our members are panicking," she said as time wound down before the benefit decreases go into effect. "We're telling everyone to make sure that you are prepared for longer lines."

 

Needy Americans who receive food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are expected to suffer an average loss of $36 a month from a $275.13 per household benefit. There are a near-record 47.6 million Americans, representing 23.1 million households, on the program. The cost of the program will hit $63.4 billion in 2013.

 

SNAP allocations built into President Barack Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill are coming to an end, leading to the cuts. Over the past few years, a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans have voted in favor of the cuts in exchange for increased education funding and school nutrition programs.

 

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Join Sandy-Impacted Communities to Light the Shore!

Mon, 2013-10-28 15:35 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Photo credit: Trevor Messersmith

The Municipal Art Society of New York - mas.org

On Tuesday October 29th – the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy – groups from across the region will be lighting up the coastline to acknowledge the impact of the storm and the on-going resilience challenges we collectively face.  Groups in Staten Island, Red Hook, Lower East Side, in Connecticut and all down  the Jersey shore will join together with flashlights and candles along the coast.  The goal is to have the entire Sandy-impacted coastline illuminated!

All communities are welcome to join their friends and neighbors and line the coast in solidarity for a resilient future!  Information about specific community meeting spots and times are shown below: 

Lower East Side
Time: 6:45PM to 8:15PM
Where: East River Park

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