The Manhattan Times

With Christmas over, the city is preparing for the 15th annual MulchFest event to recycle trees, scheduled for Jan. 8 and 9.

For many, getting a Christmas tree is a seasonal ritual. The tree is carefully selected – from a tree farm or a sidewalk stand. The tree is decorated and admired. It stays up a little over a month, tops. And then, for some, it is trashed.

Many local hardware stores, like 4476 Hardware Inc. on Broadway, are stocking more green supplies due to customer demand.

text and photo by Laura Gabby

“Greening” an apartment may now be as simple as making a trip to the local hardware store.

Five years ago it may have been a different story. Washington Heights and Inwood residents interested in making their homes more environmentally friendly may have had to do more legwork – going to more distant neighborhoods for environmentally friendly products and doing more research on their own into green practices.

contributed by Anhthu Hoang and Elka Brandt

The earth is heating up. Scientists predict the average temperature will increase by up to 11-degrees Fahrenheit (°F) by century’s end. That means our current average summer highs of 84°F will be an uncomfortable 95°F. More importantly, the New York Panel on Climate Change (NYPCC) expects heat waves (defined by three or more days of 90°F or higher temperatures) will occur more frequently and with much greater intensity. By 2100, we will average between 35 and 63 days of temperatures over 90°F every year. Now we average 14 days.

Members of Global Energy Efficiency, an Inwood-based company, shared energy tips with customers and store representatives at C-Town at 1016 St. Nicholas Ave. on Sat., Dec. 4.

text and photos by Laura Gabby

What happens when what’s good for the environment is also good for the bottom line and what’s good for the bottom line is also backed by customer support?

When it comes to supermarkets, the economics may be aligning with the earth after all.

Local fitness guru Nancy Bruning is working with a filmmaker
to develop an exercise video called “101 Things to Do on a Park Bench.”

PHOTO: Amala Lane

by Nancy Bruning

If you had walked through Fort Tryon Park on a sunny but blustery day in October, you would have seen a startling and amusing sight: a team of fit and attractive people doing everything but sitting quietly on park benches. Filmmaker Amala Lane, six fitness instructors, and yours truly were giggling it up shooting footage for the video “101 Things to Do on a Park Bench.” The video project is the Fort Tryon Park Trust’s latest effort to increase awareness of what’s possible in Northern Manhattan’s most gorgeous park.

“You can’t eat bling,” said Karen Washington, president of the NYC Community Garden Coalition.

Washington was talking about black youth and how they have become unconnected to the food system.

Just one example of what seems to be a resurgence
of new wildlife in New York City, a Mandarin
duck was recently spotted in the salt marsh inlet at Inwood Hill
 Park. PHOTO: Erin Costello

“I was just short of having my manager sit outside with a .22 caliber rifle,” said John Burbank, general manager of the New Leaf Restaurant & Bar nestled inside Fort Tryon Park. From his smile and blithe tone, one could only conclude he was kidding. For the most part.

Parks department gardener Richard Hauser leading a nature
walk through the Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park.

Photos by Nancy Bruning

by Nancy Bruning

What if there was a “prescription” that could improve your concentration, relieve mental fatigue, lift your mood, reduce your stress level, boost your immune system, reduce your sick days, and speed recovery from illness and injury including surgery?

GrowNYC has set a goal of collecting one million pounds of
old clothes and other textiles for recycling this year.

Where do a million pounds of used textiles hide in New York City?

The view from “Northern
 Manhattan’s Observatory.” The Inwood Astronomy Project meets every
Saturday night at 8:30 at “the observatory,” provided clear skies. Call to
check first.

He calls himself the Prince of Darkness. And only partially in jest.