It's Your Turn To Compost In Carroll Gardens

Collecting coffee grounds 

as well as peels and scraps

in a bin in my kitchen

Food Scrap Drop-Off every Sunday morning at the Carroll Gardens Green Market

Just drop your food scraps into one of the green bins

The scraps will be composted locally, where they will become fertile soil enrichment for local farming projects

Ever since the Carroll Gardens Greenmarket began taking part in the "GROWNYC Food Scrap Compost Program" in April of this year, I have been collecting my coffee grounds, egg shells and peels, so that I can drop them off at the market on Sunday mornings.
It's an easy way to keep organic waste out of our landfills and to turn it into a useful product that can be used to enrich soil for street trees, gardens, and local farms instead.
Perhaps you have been thinking about it? I encourage you to try, even if it is just for a week.

You'll see. It is actually a very easy way to be a bit greener. And that feels great.
Here is how to get started:

* During the week, collect your fruit and vegetable scraps, non-greasy food scraps (rice, pasta, bread, cereal etc.), coffee grounds & filters, tea bags, egg and nut shells, pits, cut or dried flowers, houseplants and potting soil.
****Please NO meat, chicken, fish, greasy food scraps, fat, oil, dairy, dog or cat waste, kitty litter, coal or charcoal, coconuts, diseased and/or insect-infested houseplants/soil or biodegradable/compostable plastics.

I use a medium sized covered plastic container lined with a paper bag.

* Drop off your scraps at the Carroll Gardens Greenmarket on Sunday mornings, from 8 am to 1 PM.  (The bins are on the Smith Street side.)

Then do your weekly produce shopping.

*The collected scraps are composted right at the Salt Lot at 2nd Avenue in Gowanus through the Gowanus Canal Conservancy.

For more info about the program, click here.

So you'll give it a try?

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Gowanus Is__________! Take A Short Survey To Answer The Question

Fellow Carroll Gardens/Gowanus resident Paula Di Stefano contacted me back in June about research she is currently doing as a Phd student in City University of New York's Environmental Psychology program.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Paula last week to discuss the subject of her second year project: How small business owners in the neighborhood are negotiating changes to the built environment.
She is currently conducting research via interviews, but also through a short 15 question survey.
Since the survey is less about small business owners and contains some general questions concerning Gowanus, Paula would welcome the participation of as many local residents as possible.
(You can contact her directly at pjedistefano AT yahoo DOT com.)

The survey only takes a few minutes, so please click on the survey link here and answer a few quick questions. And we all would be helping Paula.

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Gowanus Canal Superfund Community Advisory Group Meeting Tonight

The Gowanus Canal Superfund Community Advisory Group (CAG) will be holding its general meeting tonight, October 2nd, 6:30 pm at Mary Star of the Sea Senior Housing at 41 1st Street.
On the agenda:
*Christos Tsiamis and Brian Carr of EPA Region 2 will attend to give a brief update on Superfund progress and to introduce Dr. Maurizio Porfiri of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University who will make a short presentation about his National Science Foundation funded project "Brooklyn Atlantis." The project, which will be launched in the coming weeks, involves the collection of data and environmental monitoring at the Gowanus Canal with citizen participation.

*Reminder that NYS Dept. of Health will be giving an update and taking questions about their Public Health Assessment, which has not yet been completed.

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A Moment In Time: The Photographer

On Court Street

Taking a snapshot with a beautiful old camera.

(I would love to see the photo.)

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Spotted On Smith Street: How Did The Rocks Get Here?

Good question!

A shout-out to Miss Lucy who pointed this out as we walked down Smith Street.

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From PMFA's Mailbox: Looking For Photos Of Long Gone Carroll Gardens Pizzerias

Michael Berman, who writes Pizza Cetric, a blog dedicated to the perfect New York slice, is currently writing a story about Lucali on Henry Street and was wondering if anyone had old photos of some long gone pizzerias in the neighborhood.
The photos could be of the interior, the exterior or even of the pizza slice made in those establishments so long ago.
Michael writes: "I would (of course) credit any contributor and if they have only a print I could stop by wherever they are and make a quick copy photo."

In particular, he is looking for photos of:
*Frankie Penna's candy and submarine shop, and the candy shop that is now Lucali.
*LaBarbera Bakery
*Cristardi's
*Gloria
*Leonardo's.

If you can help Michael out with some old photo of any of these places, contact him through his website or email me at pardonmeinbrooklyn AT gmail DOT com and I will forward.

By the way, for those who are newer to the neighborhood:
I still miss Cristardi's to this day. Best pizza in the neighborhood for many years. It used to be on President Street.
Leonardo's was located on Court Street where Dunkin Donuts is now. They made a good brick oven pizza, but they didn't sell by the slice, which I never understood.
La Barbera was on Court Street where the Brooklyn Bread Café is housed on Court Street between2nd and 3rd Place.
And I believe Gloria's once operated out of the Casa Rosa location at Court and President Streets. But that was long gone when I moved here 27 years ago.

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This Saturday, E-Waste Recycling Event In Carroll Gardens

It's time for some fall cleaning action, but if you have some broken or outdated electronics, don't just throw them in the trash.  Rather, dispose of them responsibly by bringing them to an electronics recycling event in Carroll Gardens this Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm in front of the Rite Aid on the northeast corner of the park.
The event is hosted by Friends Of Carroll Park in association with the Lower East Side Ecology Center.
The following items will be accepted:

Working or non-working computers, Monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, cables, fax machines, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, PDAs, phones, A/V equipment, cable or satellite receivers, digital converter boxes and video game consoles.

E-Waste Recycling Event In Carroll Gardens

Saturday, October 6,2012

from 10 to 4 PM (rain or shine)

Corner of Smith and President Streets

(Across from Carroll Park, in front of Rite Aid)

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