The Lower East Side Ecology Center is making responsible disposal of working and non-working electronics easier than ever before by collecting them at their NEW E-waste Warehouse in Gowanus (469 President Street at the corner of Nevins Street).

Any New York resident, small business (max. 50 employees) and non-profit organization can drop-off unwanted electronics for free.  If the equipment works, let folks at the Warehouse know & they’ll try to give it a second life.  They guarantee data security & offer affordable electronic equipment & parts, too.

DROP OFF HOURS:

• Tuesday: 10am – 5pm
• Wednesday: 12pm – 7pm
• Thursday: 10am – 5pm
• Friday: 10am – 5pm
• Saturday: 10am – 4pm
• CLOSED Sunday & Monday

For more info, check out their website by clicking here.

Little Essentials is a Fort Greene community-based organization that provides free baby & toddler clothing, furniture & other essential items to Brooklyn families living in poverty.

Little Essentials is hosting a block party/fundraiser this Sunday, July 24th from 11AM-7PM at Grand Avenue (btw. Lafayette & Clifton Place in Clinton Hill).

The event promises fun for all ages including chair massage, face painting, a donation drop off & a raffle with great prizes (including one from Green in BKLYN).

Little Essentials helps keep children safe (in cribs, car seats & clothing), lifts spirits & provides hope to parents. It also takes care of our environment by reusing items that are only slightly used.  Reduce, reuse, recycle & help your neighbors.

So if you have gently used baby items (clothing, toys & other essentials), drop them by the Block Party & join in the festivities.  And, if you’d like more info, email info@littleessentials.org.

• WHAT: Little Essentials Block Party & Fund Raiser
• WHEN: Sunday, July 24th 11am-7pm
• WHERE: 282 Grand Avenue (btw Lafayette & Clifton Place)
• HOW: Donation Drop Off, Raffle, Chair Massage & More!

Based in Williamsburg (Brooklyn, of course) & made locally, Common Good products are 100% readily biodegradable, plant based and safe for people & the environment.

They never use any dyes, masking agents or synthetic perfumes, chlorine bleach, optical brighteners or phosphates.

Born of the idea that folks use too much plastic, even when using eco-friendly products, Common Good’s solution is to provide easy-to-use bulk refill stations.

We currently carry Common Good’s hand soap, dish soap, all purpose cleaner & awesome cotton flour sack dish towels.

And now we have a Common Good refill station at Green in BKLYN! Stop by, check out the line & help stamp out the sea of excess plastic usage with good old fashioned local cleaning products…  It’s for the Common Good.

Tiffany’s groovy book is jam-packed with 95 do-it-yourself “Recycling Projects from the Stuff You Usually Scrap”.  So you can transform outdated CDs into a lampshade, empty cereal boxes into a magazine holder, bottle caps into a game of checkers & a whole lot more!

Join us joining Tiffany & make something awesome with something scrappy.  Bonus crafty project included!

The longer I’m around, the more I notice the cyclical nature of, well, life. What goes around does, indeed, come around.

The question of recycling, where, how & why is often asked. And so, the question is revisited with the hopes that it will help make “reduce, reuse, recycle” an easy, fun, frequent activity. Plus, isn’t that part of going around & coming around, too?

Here are a few great on-line resources for reducing, reusing & recycling. Some serious & some just serious fun:

• earth911.com & 1800recycling.com (All Kinds of Recycling): For all kinds of info on where to recycle what, when & how in your neighborhood. These are a couple of those go-to sites.
• batteryrecycling.com (Batteries): For rechargeable & single use batteries, check out Battery Solutions.
• habitat.org/env/restores.aspx (Building Stuff): Habitat ReStore accepts leftovers in good condition from construction & remodeling jobs & uses the proceeds to fund affordable housing projects.
• dressforsuccess.org (Business Clothing): Donate wearable women’s business clothing to Dress for Success & they’ll give them to low-income women searching for jobs.
• ncadv.org (Cell Phones): Donate old cellphones to help raise money for your favorite charities. NCADV (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) is one that’ll take them.
• delforte.com/rejeaneration (Del Forte Jeans): Return old Del Fortes back to the company. They’ll give you 10% off your next purchase. And make some things you might end up purchasing with your jeans.
• swapadvd.com (DVDs): Post ten DVD titles to receive credit on the site. Each time you mail a movie, you accumulate more points. Then trade for new old DVDs with those points. Who needs cable!
• myboneyard.com & venjuvo.com (Electronics): PCs, MP3 players, cameras & more can be traded online for cash at these sites. AND…
• radioshack.com/tradein & officedepot.com/techtradein & staples.com (Electronics): Those items can also be traded online for store credit or for a small fee.
• buymytronics.com (Electronics): Recycle broken or used electronics in exchange for cold, hard cash. They’ll pay dollars, reuse the working parts & recycle the rest.
• www.usps.com/green (Electronics): A pilot program with Clover Technologies Group & the USPS is available a select post offices. Where it’s happening, you can ship stuff for recycling for free through the Mail Back program. So cool.
• patagonia.com/recycle (Fleece): Drop off or mail fleece garments (of any brand) to Patagonia & they’ll recycle the old fabrics into new clothing for future seasons. Everything old is new again!
• reecycle.org (Free Stuff): Join your local Yahoo! group to search for free stuff in your ‘hood. Everything’s free & you can rid yourself of the clutter you no longer want.
• swapnstuff.com & swaptree.com (Fun Swaps): Trade CDs, DVDs, books & video games at these to groovy sites.
• recycleplace.com (Ink/Toner Cartridges): Not only will you recycle those cartridges, but they’ll give you cash for them.
• gimmeyourstuff.blogspot.com (International Swaps): Swap stuff with someone from another country. Think souvenirs & cultural kitsch!
• proquo.com (Junk Mail Reduction): Register your name & address to remove yourself from mailing lists for all those offers, catalogs & coupons you never wanted in the first place. Down with junkmail!
• recycleoil.org (Motor Oil): This site will help you find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state. Oils meant for recycling, not gunking up our water supply!
• plasticbagrecycling.com (Plastic Bags): Find a local spot for recycling plastic bags – think bread, produce, shopping & even Ziploc bags. Bags begone!
• oneworldrunning.com (Shoes): Shoes in still wearable condition will be sent to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America & Haiti.
• playitagainsports.com (Sports Equipment): Resell or trade your sports equipment with Play It Again Sports. Croquet, anyone?
• nike.com/nikebiz/reuseashoe (Sports Shoes): Send worn out athletic shoes to Nike & they’ll make ‘em into “Nike Grind” (even if they’re not Nike shoes). This stuff’ll be donated to children’s organizations & used in sports surfaces.
• greendisk.com (Technotrash): For a small fee, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70 pounds of technotrash including CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio & video tapes, cell phones, pagers, batteries & so on & so forth. Awesome!
• videofitness.com (Workout Videos): Yes, you can even swap exercise videos on line. Om that’s good.
• recycline.com (#5 Plastics): Send your Preserve products, yogurt containers & other #5 plastics back the Recycline & they’ll make them into more groovy BPA free products. Here’s the address: Preserve Gimme 5
  823 NYS Route 13, Cortland NY  13045.

For additional recycling info, do a Search in our Blog (i.e., type “Recycle That” for some local resources).

The Office of Recycling Outreach & Education is sponsoring a bunch of these events including one right down the way from Green in BKLYN.

This Saturday, February 26th from 11am-2pm there’s a Stop ‘N’ Swap at MS 113 (at 300 Adelphi Street – btw. DeKalb & Lafayette).

Stop in with your items to swap & a tote bag (or two) for things you might want to take home.

Have questions? We’ve got answers below. And, if you need more info, check out GrowNYC.com.

What should I bring to the Stop ‘N’ Swap?
Bring yourself! Bring family and friends. Definitely bring a tote bag or two for items you want to take home.

You are encouraged to bring clean, working & portable items you no longer need, but this is not required. BUT don’t bring furniture or other large items that cannot be carried away easily.

How much does it cost to attend?
Swaps are free of charge & all items are available for the taking on a first come, first served basis.

Will I have to wait for people to take my items?
No. Your items will be placed out upon your arrival for others to take. You are free to pick up items that you can use. There is no exchange based on how much or how little you bring, or the relative expense of the items.

What happens to items leftover after the event?
Anything left at the end of the day will be sorted & recycled or donated for reuse as much as possible.

How can I find new homes for large items or things I forgot to bring to the Stop ‘N’ Swap?
Try resources like Freecycle.org or Craigslist for miscellaneous items or search a list of local charities at NYC Stuff Exchange.

With tons of events on the Avenue, Green in BKLYN has scheduled a month of Sundays full of all kinds of fun.  For the full schedule, check our blog: Move About Myrtle is Back @ Green in BKLYN.  For this week, look below!

Sunday, September 12th:

• 12-2: Tillamook Cheddar, Renowned Dog Artist, Makes Art & Meets the Public
• 2-4: Vokashi Reps Answer More Composting Questions
• 4-6: Kate Hanley, Author of The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide: 77 Simple Strategies for Serenity, Leads a Lollipop Meditation
• All Day (12-6): Drop Off Electronic Waste for Recycling by the Mac Support Store

And don’t forget:

• Sunday, September 19th: Book Donation Drive for the Ingersoll Community Center
• Sunday, September 26th: Bike Day on the Avenue & the Big Bike Thing @ Green in BKLYN

The Avenue is kicking it off on September 5th with a “Back to School Celebration”!  Stop by for a day of fun & games before heading back to hit the books or for a last summer hurrah! The first Sunday is jam-packed with free activities, music & merchant specials with more every week.  Some activities for the whole family include:

• Facepainting, street games, hula hoops & chalking
• Cooking demos & tastings
• Yoga & dance classes on the street
• Live mural making
• Dance party with Soul Summit

For a block-by-block summary of activities for September 5th check out Myrtle Avenue’s website & Green in BKLYN’s blog. 

In addition, there’s a new contest this year on the Avenue.  A lucky winner will be selected each week to receive $100 in Myrtle Avenue gift certificates! You can pick up your Explore Myrtle Avenue game cards at every Sunday event (at MARP’s table between Washington & Hall) & enter for your chance to win a Myrtle shopping spree later in the fall!

Here’s a teaser about what’s in store for upcoming weeks:

• E-Waste Recycling on 9/12 (at Green in BKLYN)
• “Wii and Thee” demos with dancers from Chase Brock Experience also on 9/12
• Brooklyn Food Coalition’s Good Food Fest on 9/12
• Book Drive for Our Community Center (at Green in BKLYN) on 9/19
• “The Case of the Curious Pedestrian” brings tons of playful public art projects & performances to the avenue on 9/19
• BAMcafe’ brings featured artists on 9/19 & 9/26
• Local Honey is Extracted from Hives (on bees) at Green in BKLYN on 9/19
• Our first ever bike/scooter/big wheel parade from Hall to Clermont kicks off 9/26 with lots of bike-themed programs throughout the day!

What (you may ask) is Move About Myrtle?

Every Sunday in September, Myrtle Avenue (between Hall & Claremont) becomes a pedestrian-friendly public space for dance, music, food, art & much more.  There will be kids’ activities & games, sidewalk cafes, yoga classes, performances, cooking demos & a daily raffle to win $100 gift certificates.

Here at Green in BKLYN, we’ve also got an amazing schedule of events with:

• Brooklyn authors signing books
• Composting experts answering questions
• Bags being made from umbrellas
• Local honey being extracted from local hives
• An international dog artist making art
• And electronic waste being collected (& safely disposed of)

Plus, we’ll be collecting books for our local community center & broken umbrellas for making into bags.

Be sure to mark your calendar.  September’s gonna rock the ‘hood!  Here’s the schedule to prove it…

Sunday, September 5th

• 12-2: Himane Designer Makes Bags from Broken Umbrellas
• 2-4: Vokashi Reps Answer Composting Questions & Talk About Embokashi Composting
• 4:30-6: Pierre Thiam Signs Yolele! Recipes from the Heart of Senegal
• All Day: Drop Off Broken Umbrellas for Himane’s Umbrellas to Bags Program

Sunday, September 12th

• 12-2: Tillamook Cheddar, Renowned Dog Artist, Makes Art & Meets the Public
• 2-4: Vokashi Reps Answer More Composting Questions
• 4-6: Kate Hanley, Author of The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide: 77 Simple Strategies for Serenity, Leads a Lollipop Meditation
• All Day: Drop Off Electronic Waste for Recycling by the Mac Support Store

Sunday, September 19th

• 12-6: Ranjit Bhatnagar‘s Installation Tweets Beautiful Birdy Tunes
• 12-2: Vokashi Reps Answer Some More Composting Questions
• 2-4: Honey is Extracted & Labels are Made with the Three Sisters Honey Family
• 4-6: Thomas Chatterton Williams Signs Losing My Cool: How A Father’s Love & 15, 000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Culture
• All Day: Drop Off Books for Donation to the Ingersoll Cornerstone Community Center Library

Sunday, September 26th

• 12-2: Pangea Organics Beauty Advisor Talks Gorgeous & Gives Away Samples
• 2-4: Vokashi Reps Answer Even More Composting Questions
• 4-6: Cathy Erway Signs The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending & Love the Stove

• All Day: The Big Bike Thing Returns with Magnificent Mia (2 seats, 2 drivers, 9′ tires, all fun)

Der Bears are finally here at Green in BKLYN!  I say finally, not ’cause it took an eternity to get them in but because once I found them, being without them felt like an eternity.

Der Bears are the brain child of the amazing brain of Derric (Der) Capteina of Brooklyn.  Inspired by the need to find the perfect gift for his niece, Der Bears are a collection of eco-friendly one of a kind softies made from re-purposed materials.  Each softie is designed in Brooklyn NY & is hand crafted from vintage clothing, salvaged fabric samples, fabulous sheets, scrap furs & soft home goods.

Der Bears are built to be loved or given as a gift to the one you love.  That’s why we say, “Der Bears – Softies from Brooklyn with love (now at Green in BKLYN)!”