Started on July 8th & continuing through October 28th, the Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand is offering fresh, affordable, community-run produce every Thursday from 4pm-7pm!

Set up at the Ingersoll Community Center (at 177 Myrtle Avenue between Prince & Navy), the Farm Stand also offers games, workshops & educational activities for the whole family.  And, twice a month, Fort Greene’s Community Chefs serve up easy, healthy, homestyle recipes.

The Farm Stand is open on Thursdays rain or shine.  EBT/WIC/FMNP are accepted.  And the program is part of the Myrtle Eats Fresh Initiative (funded with support from the Community Experience Partnership).

For more information, contact MARP at 718-230-1689 or visit www.myrtleavenue.org for an up-to-date calendar of events.

Every Sunday in September, Myrtle is closed to car traffic – leaving the streets between Clermont & Hall Avenues open to foot traffic.  And a ton of events sponsored by Myrtle Avenue’s local merchants & residents.

This year, Green in BKLYN will be hosting all kinds of wonderful stuff including:

• A return of the “big bike thing” – a 2 person bike with 9′ wheels!
• Local ‘hood honey extraction with the Three Sisters & their handmade honey jar labels
• Book signings by numerous local authors (thank you authors!)
• A new art installation & demo with internationally renowned dog artist, Tillamook Cheddar
• Composting Q&A with Embokashi Compost folks
• A Recycle Your Books drive for our local kids
• And, our own e-Waste Drive here at Green in BKLYN!

It should be an amazing September – here at Green in BKLYN as well as on Myrtle Avenue.  Stay tuned for more information.  We’ll have it here soon.  After all, September’s almost here…

Their philosophy is as simple as their name.

As they say on the OMAOG site, “When we all do one act, we act as one, & help the planet.”

We’ve gathered ten acts of green for our Summer Green Tips.  Enjoy, stay cool, & act green.

1)  Close curtains on hot Summer days.
2)  And open windows on cooler evenings.
3)  Install a solar paneled roof.  (Can’t do that?  Try the other acts below…)
4)  Grow your own vegetables.
5)  Or buy them locally at the farmer’s market (check out the Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand).
6)  Use natural pesticides (like Orange Guard – we have it in the shop).
7)  Use fans instead of the AC (it’ll use about 90% less energy).
8)  Be sure your sun block’s a safe one (the ones we have at Green in BKLYN are super safe).
9)  Use a safe bug repellent (like Don’t Bug Me Bug patches – also at the shop).
10)  Carry & drink plenty of water from a safe, unlined stainless steel water bottle (like Klean Kanteen – they have no BPAs, which plastic & lined bottles do).

So that means if you pick up any of their hair care products including…

• Bourbon Vanilla & Tangerine Hair Texturizer
• Zinc & Sage Shampoo with Conditioner
• Sea Mist Sea Salt Spray with Lavender

… then you get to try a sample of another John Masters’ product for free!

It’s hard to choose between the myriad of options especially since they’re all so good & have won so many awards including these products, which we also have in the shop:

• Deep Scalp Follicle Treatment & Volumizer for Thinning Hair (Shape’s – Best Hair Care)
• Sweet Orange & Silk Protein Styling Gel (Natural Solutions Magazine – Best Styling Gel)
• Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner (H20 Magazine’s – Best Hair Conditioner)
• Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor (The Green Beauty Bible – Tried & Tested Hair Conditioner)
• The entire John Masters Haircare Brand (Treehugger.com – Best of Green Hair Care Award)

And that’s because they make ‘em so good & meet strict guidelines including:

• No sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, DEAs, MEAs, TEAs or GMOs
• No petro-chemicals
• No animal testing
• No artificial colors, fragrances or fillers
• All essential oils must be steam-distilled, not extracted with propylene glycol – which kills the effect of the oils
• All plant oils must be cold pressed, not heat distilled – which kills the therapeutic properties of plant oils
• All ingredients must be proven to be beneficial to the hair or skin
• All ingredients must be harvested in an environmentally-friendly manner
• And, of course, all ingredients must be as organic, bio-degradable &  fair-trade as possible

Gotta love some John Masters!

Our focus in the shop continues to be on greening the planet & living an eco-friendly life.  But we’re fine tuning that this week to focus on keeping our cool…

So here are some suggestions on how to stay cool.  Low energy style.  Without air conditioning.  Though you can definitely combine them with AC – especially with temps in the triple digits!

1. If you want to get into the outdoors, do it carefully. Usually the early morning & evening are cooled down enough to enjoy your walk, run, hike, bike, gardening or yard work.  Just be sure to stay hydrated while you’re out there!
2. Soak your feet in a bucket of cold water. Or your wrists.  The body radiates heat from the hands, feet, face & ears, so cooling any of these will efficiently cool the body.
3. Put your sweaty self in the path of a cool breeze or fan. Water vapor produced by sweating takes heat away from your body if it’s exposed to air & allowed to evaporate.  So make the fan your friend.
4. Dress – or undress – as is appropriate. Naked, next-to-nothing, natural fibers &/or light colored clothing (which reflects light rather than attracts it) are all options for keeping your cool while choosing your dress.
5. Keep it moving. The air that is…  In the evening, open windows & use fans to create a cross-breeze, circulating cooler evening/night air through the rooms.  When the sun hits your building in the morning, close the windows, shades & doors & keep them closed till it’s cooler outside than in.  PS – Leaving kitchen cabinets open all night helps too.  If you leave them closed, they store heat & your home won’t cool off as much.
6. Turn off electrical heat sources including the stove, incandescent light bulbs & computers.  Don’t use the stove or oven to eat.  If you have to heat your food, use a microwave.  Incandescent light bulbs create heat so switch to compact fluorescents (CFLs).  Turn off lamps, computers, TVS – all that hot stuff – when not in use.
7. Adjust your pilot light.  Or turn it off. If you have a gas stove with pilot lights, make sure they’re set correctly.  Too high & they’ll produce excess heat. Or, just turn the gas off for the summer.
8. Eat spicy food. Spicy food increases perspiration which cools the body as it evaporates.  It can cause an endorphin rush that is lovely & could make you forget about the heat.  Maybe.
9. Try a hint of mint. Slather on lotion with peppermint, shower with peppermint soap or use a minty foot soak.  Mint refreshes the skin & leaves a nice cooling sensation.  It also takes yummy!
10. If all else fails, go to the mall, library, church, movie theater or some other air-conditioned public building.

There are a number of e-waste recycling events happening this summer so now’s a great time to get rid of all that e-clutter you’ve accumulated.

Sponsored by The Lower East Side Ecology Center, the events will recycle electronic waste (“e-waste”) from New York City residents so bring your unwanted or broken electronics to the collection events to have them recycled responsibly.

E-WASTE SUMMER RECYCLING DAYS

• July 10: 10am-4pm @ Tekserve - 119 W 23rd St NYC 10011

• July 17: 10am - 4pm @ RING Garden – Riverside Dr (btw Seaman Ave & Bway) NYC 10034

• July 18: 10am-4pm @ Stuyvesant Town- 14th St Loop (enter at 14th St & Ave A) NYC 10009

• July 24 & 25: 10am-4pm @ Essex Street – East Side (btw. Hester & Grand St.) NYC 10002

• July 31: 10am-4pm @ Smith St (btw President & Union St) Brooklyn 11231

They accept the following working & broken items:

• Computers (laptops & desktops, servers, mainframes)

• Monitors

• Printers, scanners, fax-machines, copiers

• Network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.)

• Peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, etc.)

• Components (hard drives, CD-ROMs, circuit boards, power supplies, etc.)

• TVs, VCRs, & DVD Players

• Audio-visual equipment

• Cell phones, pagers, PDAs

• Telecommunication (phones, answering machines, etc.)
  

NOTE: LESEC does not accept home appliances (such as microwaves or refrigerators) & cannot accept any electronics from businesses.

• Reusable Bamboo Utensils (fork, knife, spoon, chopsticks)
• 2- & 3-Tier Tiffin Sets (stainless steel stackable food carriers)
• 2- & 3-Tier Tiffin Insulated Carriers (brown or green)
• All Stackable Sidekicks (stainless steel mini carriers)

RePEaT Utensil Sets are made from recycled plastic bottles (RPET) & bamboo.  Each set repurposes one plastic bottle, uses sustainable bamboo & is very stylish!

The Tiffins & Sidekicks are great plastic-free foodware. Stainless.  Stylish.  Stackable.  Sustainable.  Safe & Non-Leaching.  BPA-Free.  Phthalate-Free.  Groovy & amazing.

Reuse.  Repurpose.  Reduce your forkprint.  Review some rockin’ music.  And… RePEaT!

AND… with every Pangea Organics purchase of $15 or more, receive an Indian Green Tea with Mint Bar Soap for free (while supplies last).

To help choose between 20% off the Eye Cream or the Cleanser (you can only receive one per visit), think on this…

With essential nutrients needed to protect & soften the delicate eye area, as well as soften lines & nourish the delicate tissue, Pangea’s Eye Cream recently was awarded:

• ShapeYou’s GearAwards – Top Gear of the Year Award

Their Facial Cleanser, which removes excess oil, dirt &  makeup & nurtures the skin with vital plant-based nutrients that nourish, protect, soften, soothe & moisturize, has won a few awards too:

• 2008 Women’s Health – Favorite Earth-Friendly Beauty Product
• 2007 Redbook – MVP Beauty Award

Plus, Pangea’s yummy Indian Green Tea Bar Soaps with Mint & Rose Petals include ingredients that are antioxidant, nutrient-rich, restorative, cell-regenerating, hydrating, soothing &, of course, smell great!

You can only choose one promotion per visit.  Enjoy the decision & your gift!

Just a little something from Green in BKLYN & Pangea Organics.  Happy Summer!

Tekserve has teamed up again with the Lower East Side Ecology Center to offer free electronics recycling on Saturday, July 10th from 10am-4pm.

Recyclable items include computers, monitors, fax machines, copiers, DVD or VCR players, radios, telephones, cell phones, televisions, cameras, & stereo equipment.

Unfortunately, they cannot accept home appliances such as microwaves, stoves, refrigerators & air conditioners.  Or bulk drop offs from businesses.

• EVENT: eWaste Recycling Event
• DATE: Saturday, July 10th
• TIME: 10am-4pm
• LOCATION: Tekserve @ 119 W. 23rd St. (btw. 6 & 7 Ave.)

To celebrate the event, anyone bringing electronics to be recycled can register at Tekserve for a raffle to win a new Mac mini.  All participants in the event will also receive a coupon for a $25 discount on any new current-model Mac or iPod (except Shuffle).

For more info visit tekserve.com/recycling.

WHY RECYCLE YOUR ELECTRONICS?

The components in many electronics can be incredibly hazardous to the environment – contributing up to 70% of the toxins found in landfills – so it’s important that they’re properly recycled.  Sponsored collection events are one of the easiest ways to properly dispose of your old gadgets in NYC.

CAMBA is a non-profit agency that provides services that connect people with opportunities to enhance their quality of life.  CAMBA offers integrated services & programs in Economic Development, Education & Youth Development, Legal & Housing Services & Development, Family Support Services & HIV/AIDS Services.  CAMBA serves more than 35,000 individuals & families each year with the majority of clients living, working &/or attending school in Brooklyn.

Since 1991, CAMBA has been one of the world’s premier purveyors of Shona Sculptures.  Shona sculptures are created by the internationally renowned sculptors of Zimbabwe, a country whose name literally means “house of stone.”  The work of Shona sculptors is inspired by deeply held spiritual beliefs, folklore & daily life.  Zimbabwe’s unstable political climate now makes it difficult for its artists to find a market for their unique sculptures.

CAMBA’s commitment to maintaining a Shona gallery provides the artists with the opportunity to continue their artistic endeavors, as well as for the art to be offered at reasonable prices & the sales to benefit CAMBA’s programs & services – allowing them to continue to help people improve their lives.

CAMBA’s Annual Benefit Sale of Shona Stone Sculptures from Zimbabwe takes place June 24-27.  If you’re interested in viewing the collection & making a purchase, contact CAMBA.