Community “swaps” provide the perfect opportunity to find new homes for things you no longer need. By taking home items that you can use, you’re also helping to prevent waste from production, packaging & transportation required to get new things.  It’s one of the best ways to reduce, reuse & recycle.

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.

It’s Here & So Is He…

This Saturday, February 5th 2-5pm, Brian Merlis, author of Historic Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill & Wallabout will be at Green in BKLYN.

Jam packed with archival photographs & interviews with historians & other folks in the know, Historic Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill & Wallabout is an extraordinary documentary piece that’s as much fun as it is informative.

Brian will be signing books, telling (local) tales & curating our latest art show – a series of archival photos of Brooklyn.

Jason Sheftell – of the Daily News – called Brian much more than a “localist & photo archivist. He’s a treasure to New York City having accumulated, researched, dug up, purchased, found & preserved some of the most historically significant photographs of Brooklyn that exist.”

We’d love to have you join us on an incredible walk down memory lane.

This morning Green in BKLYN had its first mention in the New York Times in the Home Section’s “Shopping With: Ted Allen.”

As a food & wine expert (host of “Chopped” & formerly on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”), Ted knows a thing or two about cooking & entertaining…  And cleaning up after all that.  And so, appropriately, the focus of his shopping trip was cleaning up after the holidays – a noble & necessary endeavor.

In the article, Ted makes special mention of Green in BKLYN’s awesome pot scraper:

For those times when food is really burned onto the bottom of a pot, Mr. Allen picked out the Bambu pot scrapers at Green in BKLYN, a shop in Clinton Hill.  He said he occasionally uses wooden spoons for the job, but noted that this rectangle of bamboo, which has sharpened edges and a shape designed to get into corners, would be much more efficient.

Here’s to the venerable bamboo pot scraper, clean kitchens, making the mess in the first place (i.e., entertaining & eating) as well as Ted Allen & the NY Times for supporting & encouraging the aforementioned.  Happy, clean holidays to all!

Wishing everyone all things wonderful in this holiday season & in the new year – peace, joy, laughter & love!

PS – We’ll be closing Friday, December 31st at 4pm & will be closed Saturday, January 1st – Monday, January 3rd after which time we’ll return to Winter Store Hours: Tues-Fri 12pm-7pm, Sat 10am-7pm & Sun 11am-6pm.

We have a whole bunch of awesome new books in the shop but if you’re a meat eater & especially if you’re interested in sustainable foods, Deborah Krasner’s new book, Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing & Cooking Sustainable Meat, may be the most awesome.  Heck, I’m a vegetarian & I can’t stop talking about & looking through this book!

Deborah Krasner is a James Beard Award-winning food writer & a really lovely person.  And (drum roll, please) she’ll be here this Saturday, December 18th from 5-7pm to sign her book & talk turkey (pork, beef, lamb, etc.).

As the title states, the book is “The Complete Guide” to sustainable meat including recipes, of course, as well as raising, carving & sourcing sustainable meats.  She’s got recipes for beef, lamb, pork, rabbit, poultry & eggs (the-other-meat meat).  Heck, she’s even got a recipe for Pig Candy (a bacon peanut brittle treat that looks darn tasty) that she’ll be sharing at the shop.

So, if you like meat, sustainable food, bacon peanut brittle or enjoy comprehensive books with great photos & tons of info, stop in for the book &, on December 18th, stop in to meet the magnificent Deborah Krasner & have her sign your awesome meat book!

If you haven’t gotten your copy of Brooklyn’s new food paper, Brooklyn Bread, you’re missing out on an awesome BKLYN resource.

Fresh off the press in the past month, Brooklyn Bread features “good food news delivered fresh.”  Including recipes & restaurants, as well as “tasty things to try each week”, it’s a really lovely food focused paper.

And this week, they asked me to write about my perfect Brooklyn day, which I did in their weekly column appropriately called, “My Perfect Brooklyn Day” (see it on page 15).

You can pick up a copy at Green in BKLYN, around the ‘hood or on-line.  Mangia!

Catch the holiday spirit on Myrtle Avenue & in this year’s entries into the annual Holiday Windows Contest.

There are twelve entrants this year on storefronts located from Washington Park to Classon Avenue.  And you can vote for your favorite! (The catch is you’ve gotta come out to the window itself to get the code so you can vote by text message & you’ll be able to vote through December 17th.)

So meander on down the Ave.  We’d love to have you come by!  Green in BKLYN’s windows are covered in snowflakes made from recycled paper.  No two are alike, of course…  Just like our customers!

PS – If you’re lucky, when you visit the Avenue, you might even catch Santa Claus who’s been known to hang out at Gray’s Studio Cafe.

Our neighbors at Gray’s Studio Cafe are hosting the man himself!

Santa Claus will be back this Saturday December 11th from 2-6pm at Gray’s Studio Cafe (345 Myrtle Avenue btw. Carlton & Adelphi).

And, Gray’s Studio Cafe will be sharing free hot chocolate & cider while Santa’s in the house.

So stop in.  Visit the man.  And grab a cuppa hot cider or hot chocolate.  The season’s here. Enjoy!

In support of small businesses, American Express & Mayor Bloomberg have launched “Small Business Saturday”.  Falling between Black Friday & Cyber Monday, traditionally two of the busiest shopping days of the year, Small Business Saturday is scheduled for this Saturday, November 27th & hopes to spur business for small merchants.

In addition, American Express is offering card members a $25 statement credit on any purchase of at least $25 on Small Business Saturday (November 27) at any locally-owned independent small businesses that accept American Express.  All you have to do is register your American Express Cards at the Small Business Saturday Facebook page.

Plus, for every person who “likes” Small Business Saturday on Facebook, American Express is donating $1 (up to $500,000) to Girls Inc. to empower young women to be entrepreneurs.

Need more reasons to shop local?  Try these…

1. Buying local creates jobs

Half of all employees in the US work for small businesses.  For being “small,” that’s a lot of employment.  Plus, small businesses create 60% of all new jobs.  Shop local & you support local jobs, as well as local businesses.

2. Small business fosters community

A community is a group of people who share some commonality.  When a neighborhood has a bustling small business district, it usually indicates there’s a strong community there, too.

By buying local & supporting your neighborhood small businesses, you’re fostering a strong sense of community right in your own neighborhood.

3. Buying local keeps the dream alive

A small business is someone’s dream. By supporting small business, you’re allowing someone to live the dream another day.  Many neighborhood stores & restaurants  are locally owned.  Their owners are invested in the success of their community as well as their business.

4. Buying local boosts your local economy & supports your community

There is an economic ripple effect that occurs when you support a small business.  Shopping locally helps support your community.

Studies show that for every $100 spent in a locally owned independent store, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll & other expenditures.  Your purchases at local stores keep businesses going & keep jobs in your community.  Local businesses are the ones who contribute to Chamber of Commerce festivals, fund local fundraisers & sponsor neighborhood community centers.  Buying local creates an economic cycle that helps everyone.

5. Buying local creates a ripple in society

When a small business person succeeds, it’s noticed.  It may be a child who sees that mom’s hard work & unique idea helped a dream come true.  Or it may be the entrepreneur’s neighbor, who sees success & decides that he could do it too.  Or a young adult who’s inspired to become active in her community.

And it all starts, literally, when you choose to spend money at a local small business…  For which we thank you!

*Excerpts taken from Barbara Wold International