If one of your family’s New Year’s Resolutions is to reduce your carbon footprint than we have the info you need to help you get started in the New Year. This information comes courtesy of Friends of Community Board 6 and the Fort Greene Association. If you don’t get Community Board 6’s newsletter or FGA’s newsletter, both are worth signing up for. FYI, CB 6 includes the neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens/South Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Columbia Street District, Gowanus, Park Slope and Red Hook.
MulchFest 2011: MulchFest happens all over the 5 boroughs. Saturday & Sunday, January 8 & 9, 10am to 2pm. Chipping sites in the area include the Amazing Garden (261-265 Columbia St.), Cobble Hill Park (Clinton St. & Verandah Pl.), Prospect Park (entrance at 3rd St. & PPW), Fort Greene Park (Washington Pk. & Willoughby Avenue), Owls Head Park (Colonial Road & 68th Street), McCarren Park (Driggs Avenue & Lorimer Street), Sunset Park (44th Street & 6th Avenue), McGorlick Park (Monitor Street & Driggs Avenue and many more. If you are looking for another location in Brooklyn, go here. Drop-off locations in district include Coffey Park (Dwight & Verona Sts.).
Electronics Waste Recycling: Sunday, January 16, 10am to 4pm, Prospect Park West and 3rd Street entrance to Prospect Park. For more info, go here.
Second Chance Saturdays Clothing & Textile Recycling: on Saturdays, 8am to 4pm, Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket, Fort Greene Greenmarket and McCarren Park Greenmarket. For more info, go here.
Rechargable Battery & Cell Phone Recycling: on Saturdays, 8am to 4pm, Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket, and on Sundays, 8am to 2pm, Carroll Gardens Greenmarket, Carroll Street btw Court/Smith Streets, Fort Greene Greenmarket and McCarren Park Greenmarket . For more info, go here.
Take a Composting Class: Offered throughout the year, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens hosts the Brooklyn branch of the NYC Compost Project, a compost education and outreach program funded and managed by the Department of Sanitation since 1993. For more info, go here.
Reduce Your Direct Mail: As recommended by the Federal Trade Commission, the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service, DMAChoice, lets you opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many companies for five years. On how to do that, go here.
Harvest Your Rainwater: GrowNYC has built or trained others to build over 60 rainwater harvest systems in the 5 boroughs, like the one at the Amazing Garden at 261-265 Columbia Street. For more info, go here.
Recycle Your Second Refrigerator: If you have a second refrigerator, Con Edison will pay you $30 to remove and recycle it. When they pick up the second refrigerator they will also take old wall and window air-conditioning units and pay you for those as well;
Conduct a Home Energy Audit: You can easily conduct a do-it-yourself home energy audit. With a simple but diligent walk-through, you can spot many problems in any type of apartment or building. Here’s how you can start.
Cool Your Roof: The NYC °CoolRoofs initiative encourages building owners to cool their rooftops by applying a reflective white coating that reduces energy use, cooling costs and carbon emissions. Want the info? Go here.
If you have any other neighborhood info on recycling- please add it to our comments section below. It would be great to have all January recycling efforts here!