A green fair in the big apple

Yesterday I was in the big apple. We were invited to take part in a green fair organized by Oxford University Press for their employees.

The fair took place in Oxford Press' NY location and included besides Eco-Libris other companies and organizations invloved with green issues, such as Greenmarket, IESI, Gateway Nat’l Park, NY Horticultural Society and others.

Oxford University Press, Inc. (OUP USA), is Oxford University Press’s second major publishing center, after Oxford (UK). OUP USA is by far the largest American university press and perhaps the most diverse publisher of its type. OUP USA produces approximately 500 titles each year, of which 250 are scholarly research monographs, and imports close to 800 such works from their UK and branch offices.

OUP USA employs nearly 500 people in the US, evenly divided between its offices in New York City and the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. Many of the NY office employees attended the fair and leaned about green issues in general and in New York City in particular.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to introduce Eco-Libris to the many who came to our table and wanted to learn more about our vision and operations. I encolsed below few photos of from the fair. And yes, I'm the bold guy with the stripes shirt.

Last word - Whenever I attend a fair and feel exausted by the end of the day, I like to energize myself with good food, and yesterday I had the pleasure of eating one of the best falafels I had in a small place called Taim (which means tasty in Hebrew) on 222 Waverly Pl - very recommended!























































Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Dumbo is going green

Dumbo (an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is a beautiful neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY and now it is also getting greener. Green initiatives already take place in Dumbo and a series of green events starts now, including a panel discussion on Monday on how to raise a "green family" with few authors of green books!

The green initiatives in Dumbo are part of are part of Dumbo Improvement District’s neighborhood sustainability program called 'Smart Environmental Efforts in DUMBO' (SEED). The blog Dumbo NYC, Brooklyn quotes from SEED's last newsletter: "SEED was built on a foundation of five initiatives that encourage: public recycling, alternative modes of transportation, consumption reduction, greater energy efficiency and environmental education." According to the blog, the program already initiated installation of bicycle racks to encourage transportation by bicycle, planting of 52 trees in Dumbo last year and installed recycle bins around the neighborhood.

And what's next? more interesting green events! Yesterday, an art exhibition, Oil Drum Art opened at Gallery 202 of the 111 Front Street Galleries. And on March 24 at 7:00 pm at the powerHouse Arena (37 Main St., at the corner of Water St.) there's going to be a discussion on how to raise a green family with: Alexandra Zissu, co-author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy; Marisa Belger, founding editor of Lime.com and TODAYshow.com contributor; and Lynda Fassa, author of Green Babies, Sage Moms: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Baby. The panel will be moderated by Josh Dorfman of the “Lazy Environmentalist” on Sirius Radio. Besides the panel discussion there will be also book signing, so don't miss it.

And one last personal note on the greening efforts of Dumbo - I visited Dumbo this week and it's really a neighborhood with a character, something that we don't see much these days, so I think it's great the neighborhood is going green. While I was in Dumbo, I visited two major culinary institutions there - Jacques Torres Chocolate Store and Almondine Bakery (both are located on Water St.), and I couldn't notice that these two places serve their great chocolate and food on disposable plates and cups made of paper, even if you eat on spot and don't take it with you. It generates a lot of trash that is not recyclable, so I hope these great places will join the initiative and go green as well!

Have a great Easter weekend and Happy Purim,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

plant a tree with Eco-Libris

Outdoor reading in the big apple

Summer is almost gone (I know, it's terrible even to think about it..), but the NYT brings us a great piece about one of the summer's greatest pleasures - outdoor reading.

Well, what can be better than enjoying a good book and a great weather at the same time? New York has many great places to read outside, from well-known Central Park to many others less known, such as Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side.

I learned from the article about NYC's Bryant Park Reading Room, a spot located behind the New York Public Library, which has been reopened in 2003, after it was closed for almost 60 years. It was opened originally in 1935: the New York Public Library opened the “Open Air Library” to give these out-of-work businessmen and intellectuals a place to go where they did not need money, a valid address, a library card, or any identification to enjoy the reading materials.).

The Bryant Park Corporation has repeated history by recreating the Bryant Park Reading Room. It is modeled after the original with the additions of custom-designed carts for an extensive and eclectic selection of books, periodicals and newspapers. Certainly worth a visit!

The article is not only worth reading because of all the interesting stories about people that like to read in public and their favorite spots, but also because lines like these ones:

"Reading is a solitary pursuit, even a lone passage to a separate world. Yet to read in public, amid strangers, gives it another dimension. Sometimes the city speaks to the page, or the page seems to open up to people passing by. An outdoor reader shares the pulse of a timeless urban conversation between the world and the written word."
Link to the article - On the Outdoor Book Tour, the Word Is Spreading.

So grab a book and get outside. and enjoy reading outdoors while you still can :-)

Raz

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Small steps, big strides

Yesterday the New York Times revealed that Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, is driven 22 blocks by SUV to catch the subway to City Hall. Still, I think the fact he's taking the subway at all is an important example to the people of New York, and though it might be done better, he should be praised (or at least a hug here and there) for his consistent effort. I wish other mayors will follow him.

At the same day, I saw an ad on the Times of PlanYC, Bloomberg's environmental vision and plan for New York's near future. The plan includes targets such as reducing the carbon emissions of the city in 30% by 2030.

The ad I saw was part of a marketing campaign that calls New Yorkers to take an active part in this plan. On their website, it's written that Mayor Bloomberg cannot reach the target of reducing emissions without the New Yorkers, and calls them to make a difference.

There's a list on this page of ten easy tips how to do it. It also emphasize that some of these tips will not only save emissions, but will save you money. For example, tip no. 4: unplug chargers and appliances when not in use.

My favorite is tip no. 10: switch to paperless bank statements and online bill paying. It's a fairly east step and saves many trees and toxic air pollutants! According to the site, if every home in the US viewed and paid bills electronically, the country would save 18.5 million trees and avoid 2.2 billion tons of toxic air pollutants.

The spirit of NYC is definitely the spirit of Eco-Libris - people have the power to make a difference, and the steps they take accumulate and make an impact. Like they say on the GreenYC page: "Each New Yorkers small steps, put together, will add up to big strides".

Here's one of the campaign's videos. Check it out.

Raz