Bronx Council for Environmental Quality » President’s Blog

MAYOR’S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS ’2012

tdomf_7b75b — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:19:02 +0000

I attended Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s State of The City Address at Morris HS. Having failed at securing car-pooling, I was lucky to find a pkg spot so close to the school. There were police officers everywhere for blocks around. I went to represent BCEQ as Joyce Hogi’s guest. The little auditorium was full.
(u>There was entertainment: A belty chorus from PS12, and a flashy group of Irish Dancers. Bronx flavored music provided …by students from one of Morris’ four mini-schools. A young SS teacher, who was a recent MHS graduate spoke eloquently about how his life experiences made his job all the more relevant. BP Diaz, Jr. welcomed the mayor, who arrived (videographically) in a hailed black street limo. Ed Koch was in the video, and in the audience. See the whole show on TVNYC. Mayor Mike spoke of Gouverneur Morris, a signer of the Dec of Independence, who is honored by BCEQ’s Teacher Env.Education Annual Award. He mentioned a few famous graduates, including Ms.Marshall, a City Councilperson from Queens, who was in the audience. He should also have mentioned Morris Alumnus Hector Aponte, who was my best biology student ever! (-: during the nine yrs I taught there. Mayor Mike mentioned saving waterfronts, but not Harlem River. The presentation was well-organized. Then tonite I attended the Speak-Up Planning Meeting at Ranaqua. No refreshments or souvenirs at State of City, but PIZZA with x-tra cheeze and anchovies at the BxPkSpkUp Planning Mtg.

This post was submitted by I-C LEVENBERG-ENGEL.

Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week

karen — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:13:49 +0000

Please read this important message from the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Dear Concerned Citizen,

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a destructive invasive insect that has already killed over 50 million ash trees in neighboring states, and has now been detected in seven counties in New York State. The first step to effectively manage EAB is to identify current infestations, and slow the spread. To do this, we need more people aware of the insect to be able to report possible infestations, and to help slow the spread by not transporting firewood.

This year NYS DEC is working to get a Governor’s Proclamation for Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week. EAB Awareness Week has been proclaimed by many other states for the past several years. This will be the first year for New York. We hope to have a press release about it, but in addition we need to take actions to increase EAB outreach and awareness.

This year, we would like to implement the EAB ash tree tagging program. This is an outreach tactic that other states have used, and has been reported as very successful. To do this we will create and print cards (or tags) that will be attached to ash trees using ribbon to tie around the tree. Please see the attached picture for an example of what the tag will say.

The goal is to get as many ash trees tagged as possible during awareness week (May 22- 28).

To do this we will need many volunteers across the state to place tags in their local community, or park/recreation area. If you or your organization would like to participate in this project to tag ash trees, please contact the DEC at the contact information listed below by April 29^th.

NYS DEC will provide you with all the tags and ribbon that you need.

In addition, I will also need to know the intended location for deployment of the tags to guarantee that we do not have overlap between groups, so please let me know the specific locations of tag deployment (neighborhood, park name etc.). Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) will also be doing this project for Arbor Day, and they will hopefully leave their tags up through Awareness Week as well. CCE will be sharing their deployment sites with me to avoid overlap.

The tags can be removed anytime. However, I do recommend removing them before the end of summer, to avoid them breaking and becoming litter. Plus, some land owners may only want them left up for a week or so.

Possible sites for tagging: (remember to get permission from land owners early, try to pick locations that are heavily visited, and do as many sites as possible!)

County, City or Town parks

Community street trees

Forest recreation areas: trailheads, Campgrounds, other popular spots

Also, if you are near current EAB infested areas (see map in attached document), focus around towns near infestations.

I hope you are as excited about this project as I am, and please let me know if you have any ideas on how we can make this a success.

Jason Smith

NYS Department of Environmental ConservationDivision of Lands and ForestsOffice of Communication, Training and Enforcement Coordination

625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-4250Email: jpsmith@gw.dec.state.ny.usOffice: 518-473-6227Mobile: 518-522-0034 Freshen up the air around you with New York source seedlings. Tree and shrub seedlings are available for sale from the Saratoga Tree Nursery until Mid May. All products grown on site. Quality is what we strive for.
Go to http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7127.html for more information.

“Putting an End to the Climate Change Myth”

tdomf_7b75b — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:11:19 +0000

What do U think of this Letter To The Editor that was published in my favorte local paper?
March 10, 2011 Letter to The Editor

Putting an end to the climate change myth
What has the Environmental Protection Agency accomplished other than to destroy businesses and harass citizens?
It is the duty of Congress to make laws, not regulatory agencies, and no authority is given to either by our Constitution to regulate the environment.
The police state socialism must be stopped.
Climate change has existed for thousands of years, and is caused by variations in the energy released by the sun, not some guy backing his SUV out of the garage. The frauds in the environmental movement picked a great winter to talk about global warming, another contrived lie!
Restore our republic.
Lawrence Burke

To read my online comment, pleae go to http://www.riverdalepress.com/stories/Putting-an-end-to-the-climate-change-myth,48197

This post was submitted by I-C LEVENBERG-ENGEL.

PRESIDENT EMERITUS’S BLOG – April 9th ’2011

tdomf_7b75b — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 17:49:27 +0000

It’s been a busier week than usual for me, with no fewer than five meetings in three days.
On Tuesday, Dr.Dena Robins and I attended (1) “What’s Water Worth”, a panelist discussion in Barnard Hall. Afterward, we had (2) meeting of BCEQ Education Committee..
(3) On Wednesday evening I attended a meeting of VOBEC, my summer residence’s environmental commission, of which I’m one of seven officially appointed members.
Thursday there were two evening events: (4) another environmental panel in Columbia U Low Library, an impressive building with a entrance staircase rivaling that of AMNH and the Met. (5) Annual Riverdale Nature Preservancy Membership Meeting at Riverdale Neighborhood House, with G.O.K. as the guest speaker.
Here’s my take-away on the events:
(1) Hydrofracturing Panelists: Paul Gallay, Executive Director Riverkeeper; Caswell F. Holloway, DEP Commissioner; Martin Stute, Professor of Environmental Science Co-chair, Department of Environmental Science; and an industrial consultant from the Independent Oil & Gas Association.
Caswell Holloway made a fine presentation, and altho not trained as a scientist, seemed well-versed on hydrofracking issues of import to DEP. His first words were, “Drink NYC Tapwater”, as he held up his glass with a flourish, which delighted the audience. I learned from his presentation that only 6% of NYS Marcellus Shale is within the NYC watershed. That seems to me an easy enough chunk to declare off limits? As one of his final remarks, the Riverkeeper Director mentioned that Air Quality needs to be added to the concerns over Hydrofracking.
Also in the audience were Suzannah Glidden and Dr. Marion Rose of CWCWC, who are well known to Riverkeeper’s Executive Director. Dr.Rose mentioned her concerns regarding biosolids that may be contaminated by Radium 226-228 with levels of alpha radioactivity many times higher than the drinking water standard.
For a long moment the Q&A became uncomfortably provocative when someone from the audience refused to cease a loud, hostile interrogation in which he seemed to hold the industrial scientist personally responsible for a litany of (deceitful, political, legal) ills of the industry. After the event, I went up to Commissioner Holloway and introduced myself as “I-C from The Bronx”, and handed him an invitation to our Water Conference. He said he’d heard of BCEQ.
(2) Dr.Dena seemed to know the neighborhood around Columbia/Barnard well. She recommended a nearby soulfood restaurant as a convenient venue for BCEQ.edu.com meeting. Fried catfish, candied yams, and spicy collard greens.
Dena came prepared with an Agenda. The minutes of the last meeting were approved. Arrangements for our projected field trip with teachers to Seton Falls Park should be finalized soon. A call for nominations for our 3 Annual Environmental Education Awards will be sent out within the next week, hopefully before the Annual Members Mtg. on April 13th.
(3) The venue for our off-season winter VOBEC meetings is impressive: A penthouse in Manhattan with views of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings. Best of all, parking is easy, but the quarters add up. Rising sea levels may doom us all to lower property values, or no property at all. Among other issues, we are trying to ensure that the village employs “green architectural design” as it implements major projects along Ocean Beach’s Great South Bay F.I. Ferry Dock.
(4) “New York as a Sustainable City” with four panelists, moderated by Columbia Professor, Dr.Steven Cohen, Executive Director of The Earth Institute. Dr.Cohen related that when he first requested to teach an environmental course, he was told that “students do not come to NYC to learn about the environment”. It took seven years of requests before he was given permission to teach such a course.
Below is a brief summary of what I remember from each panelist’s presentation and comments:
(a) David Bragdon, Director of Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning & Sustainability said that since Climate Change is not being addressed on a national level, the need for guidelines of mitigation and adaptation must be addressed on a local level. So much is local vs. federal issues, e.g. solid waste, air pollution, etc. NYC has >500 mi of shoreline, therefore sea level rise is a concern. Data is the guide for Mayor Bloomberg. We have always been faced with trade-offs between development and natural resource allocation, e.g. our National Parks System. Decision makers often ignore the fact that externalities have a price, e.g. the costs of oil pollution. He suggested a tax on the true costs of fossil fuels.
(b) Dr.Esther Fuchs, Professor of Public Affairs & Political Science at Columbia. Introducing herself as a girl from Queens, she went on to advocate her support for PlaNYC. Clean Jobs are needed to deal with unemployment. For greater eco-development we must strike a balance between regulation and incentive. There is a Green Bldg Technology Course at Columbia. Without regional control, there is an incentive between states to offer tax incentives, ignoring environmental trade-offs, that results in a race to the bottom. She is concerned how future administrations will continue implementing The PlaNYC.
(c) Caswell Holloway began his remarks by reminding everyone to drink NYC TapWater, again to the delight of the audience. He described PlaNYC as having “127 Initiatives on a To-Do List” with $780 Million allocated to implement The Plan over the next ten years. The Mayor is encouraging “Green Lease” developers. He supports co-generation of heat and power (Co-Gen). The change from #6 fuel oil —> #4 —> #2 will stop more air pollution than taking all vehicles off city streets. Of special interest to me was his discussion of what to do about CSO’s, e.g. build capture tanks at about $.5M each (Gray Infrastructure) vs. Green Infrastructure. DEP has come up with suggestions for dealing with CSO’s, and instead of offering to help, both EPA and DEC are showing their distrust of NYCDEP with delaying tactics, e.g. proposals must meet specific pipe size regs. When challenged, an EPA regulator told Cas, “Pain is Part of the Process”.
(d) Dr.William Solecki, Director CUNY Institute of Sustainable Cities. A geographer with concerns about climate change, he said that “history shows us that cities are resilient” He was the most optimistic of the group, predicting dynamism will lead to evolution and positive change.
(5) At the Annual RNP Membership Meeting at RNH, Mary Bandziukas, RNP Program Consultant summarized the results of the GreenWay Member’s Questionnaire. Peter Kohlmann, Co-President, in the absence of the treasurer reported that the organization was still solvent, altho income had fallen since the previous year. He recognized that Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz was in attendance. Then Councilman G.Oliver Koppell briefly outlined how NYCouncil has been supporting environmental efforts in Riverdale, including designation of historic homes, parkway, and the threat of development, i.e. Indian Pond in Fieldston.
Nanci was kind enough to have dinner waiting for me when I got home after a busy day for this old man.

This post was submitted by I-C LEVENBERG-ENGEL.

HAPPY 98th BIRTHDAY THERESA LATO – Click Here: www.Care2.com

tdomf_7b75b — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:16:48 +0000

Send BCEQ Founder a Birthday Card (Feb.17th) by clicking here: www.Care2.com
Theresa Lato reads her e-mails at eli_lato@hotmail.com
(1)Sunday before President’s Day. I couldn’t get my car out of a snowbank. Fortunately, Glenn Fleischmann (who garages his) picked up Diane Sargent and me to attend an Environmental Talk this morning at Riverdale/Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture. Ass’t Prof. Alex Wolf PhD of Bronx Community College Biol.Dep’t was guest lecturer. His title was, “Global Warming: Some Political Dimensions”. After a brief review of basic biological concepts on an environmental scale, he segued nicely into his take on Politics of The Issue. While some still deny any problem being caused by human activities, Dr.Wolf didn’t deal with the need to present statistics to prove validity. His theme focused on the Marxist premise that whatever resources Earth provides will be exploited to generate profit for capitalists. I especially liked this example, e.g. the Farmer whose Factory Farm is filled with overcrowded, antibiotic-injected, beak-clipped, abused chickens, is the same one who hires laborers at unlivable wages to work the assembly line on the way to the finished product. He describes workers hunched over, wearing no gloves or protection from the airborne filth, hand-grabbing each chicken and disposing of it (guess how?). Chicken after chicken, hour after hour… Racism and class became part of his story. Diane said afterward that we middle-classers are naive to think Mr.Bloomberg would share his Mansion on the Hill with us to avoid calamity. I like the idea of a meeting that includes a little music, singing, and spirituality. I thought the talk was pretty well-attended, considering the state of the streets for ungaraged plebeians.
All 50 states have snow on the ground. Which proves my deepest suspicion that it’s a Gore&Co.Conspiracy. Karen tends to think that it’s not Warming but Climate Change that is happening. As Dr.Paul often says, “everything is connected”. Vancouver and Arctic will certainly be warmer; many places will experience an interesting variety of weather disturbances as Gaia readjusts her ocean currents in response to the atmospheric changes. Why worry now?
(2) Friday before President’s Day. It’s 11:30AM. I’m listening online streaming to WNYC Radio Brian Lehrer Show. Steve Ritz will be interviewed soon to “discuss the ground breaking opportunity offered by Discovery HS through Green Living Technologies”.
SUMMARY: Steve Ritz is an amazing motivational speaker. He does his research, and must prepare an extensive Lesson Plan. How lucky are those students who have him as teacher. On air, he gave credit where due and necessary, i.e. NYC Dep’t.edu, Mayor Mike, Prof.Bernard Stein, The Point, his school administrators, his corporate supporters… The Brian Lehrer Show takes callers. Steve handled a slightly out of field question with a greenjobs generalization, i.e. the need for multiple skills, e.g. marketing and sales. He rivals Majora Carter in potential for improving The (S) Bronx. How do I nominate Steve for a MacArthur Genius Award? ***icle***

This post was submitted by I.C. Levenberg-Engel.

ENVIRONMENTAL NEW YEAR GREETINGS!

tdomf_7b75b — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:58:14 +0000

Thanks for visiting my BCEQ President’s Blogsite. Happily, so much of the news these days focuses on Environmental Issues. Unhappily, it’s usually news that reflects how inattentive we’ve all been to the damage our species continues to inflict upon our seemingly resilient Earth. Especially here in The Bronx.

I just received the latest issues of two wonderful new hyperlocal newspapers, “Hunts Point Express” & “MottHaven Herald”. These are published under the guidance of Prof.Bernard Stein (Riverdale Press emeritus) and his Hunter College Graduate Journalism Students. Almost every article has an environmental issue at its core. BCEQ Board Member, Harry J. Bubbins, is director of Friends of Brook Park (click) http://www.motthavenherald.com/2009/10/20/mott-haven-gardens-reap-a-bountiful-harvest-2. BCEQ Education Committee Co-ViceChair, Steve Ritz’s efforts are also featured (click) http://www.huntspointexpress.com Even Majora Carter’s husband, James Chase, reads and comments on the comments.

The NRDC, which has championed environmental causes since the early 1970s, has turned its attention to the climate change dilemma. Bronx resident and president of the 1.3 million member Natural Resources Defense Council, has co-authored “Clean Energy Common Sense: An American Call to Action on Global Climate Change“. Frances Beinecke hopes the power of the pen will help curb global energy waste, save endangered habitats and cut down America’s dependence on foreign oil. Ms. Bienecke discussed her book and the role citizens must play in curbing energy waste in an exclusive interview with Maria Clark of “The Riverdale Press”. Maria describes Beinecke’s book as a call to arms on climate change. (click) http://www.riverdalepress.com/full.php?sid=10919¤t_edition=2009-12-24

BCEQ has been considering fund-raising by selling selected ecology-related items at http://www.bceq.org/shop

While Nanci and I were at a recent trade show, I met and chatted extensively with Grace King & Jane Spiteri. These women started a cutting edge eco-friendly company called Solarrific, featuring products powered by solar energy. They are almost local (Whitestone) and deserve to succeed. My suggestion is to have BCEQ “affiliate” to sell their products online. (click) http://www.solarrific.com

There’s yet another Letter to Editor on the need to find landspace in The Bronx for an Ice Skating site. Mother Nature made water freeze for a reason! Only nudging. Isn’t there an outdoor public kiddie-pool somewhere in The Bronx that could be flooded? As a kid I used a pool in the Park named after Bronx Parks Advocate, John Mullaly. We kids got to meet our neighbors. And I remember Van Cortlandt Lake was used as a skating pond, before becoming so polluted that it can’t freeze over. Because additional salts lower the freezing point of water, icebergs are freshwater floating on unfreezable saltwater.

New Yorkers received an early New Year’s present from the Environmental Protection Agency. The federal agency’s concerns about the impact on water supply and air quality gave support to opponents of hydraulic drilling. EPA told New York State in late December that it had major concerns about how proposed hydraulic drilling for natural gas would affect public health and the environment, and urged it to undertake a broader study of the potential impact. Altho it’s tempting in these times to sell what our generation has inherited, i.e. clean water and energy reserves, I sent a letter to Gov. Paterson asking his administration to please hold off on statewide hydrofracturing until such time as we have full confidence in its zero impact on watersheds. “Many of your constituents fear a polluted NYS with no resources left of green value. The easy money from this kind of resource development are best left sagely for future generations to inherit.”

This post was submitted by I.C. Levenberg-Engel.

President’s Blog: Happy Thanksgiving 11-25-09

karen — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:41:55 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for taking the time to read my BCEQ Pres’ Blog. Throughout the upcoming Season, give a thought now and again about the environmental impact of this Happy Holiday.

Nanci and I went turkey shopping at Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers to buy a free-range bird. There was a picture of SL surrounded by his unrestrained flock. While shopping we ran into Christina and Sarah of FVCPk. I was pleased to read the many healthful sounding labels, e.g. natural, organic.

Because I no longer go into Bx Science, I’ve been going to more meetings than in the past. If you too are so inclined, please check out the calendar that I personally keep updated on an almost hourly basis: www.bceq.org/calendar

I attended both recent meetings presenting the suggested alternative routes for Hudson River GreenWay from Inwood to Yonkers. At the Inwood Library meeting, I had a chance to chat again with our new BxBPOffice Environmental & OpenSpace Planner, Jessica Noon. Excellent choice on RD’s part. JN also attended last week’s HRWG Meeting.

The WaveHill Meeting (hosted by CB8, RNP, FHRG [Bronx chapter]) included presentations by H.J.Mann (NYCMTC) & Joshua Laird (Gail W’s spouse)

I finally got to meet Frances G. Beineke, after having heard her on Leonard Lopate Show describing her new book, “Clean Energy Common Sense”. Jane promised to get FB to pen an autograph, so I ordered “CECS” and Al Gore’s, “Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis “(printed on 100 percent recycled paper for a savings of 2,000 trees and 150,000 pounds of carbon dioxide) from Borders. Regarding my personal hopes for a HRG: I hope it gets built along the river while I’m still able to pedal my 10-speed. Jodie tells me there’ll be no “motorized vehicles” so my thoughts of riding to Battery Park on an electrified trike have been dashed. Speaking of Riverdale meetings, “Climate Change” was the topic elucidated by Dan Miner, Sierra NYC President (Queens resident) at Ethical Culture Society. A good talk, followed by lots of good homemade foodstuffs. Dan mentioned an issue of shared concern, i.e. hydrofracturing for gas in the Marcellus Shale (Catskill Watershed). All our resources need not be used up for short-term gain. Let’s leave something un-usurped for future generations to inherit. It really pisses me off when the city sells off assets that have been in our possession for so many years. I was informed thru our website ContactUsForm that trees on Pelham Parkway will be cut to make room for a barrier. Contact BCEQ Corresponding Sec’y, Jorge Santiago, if this issue interests you.

The Partnership 4 Parks’ Volunteers Appreciation Dinner @ Bronx Zoo was classy. Lots of us BCEQ’ers were being appreciated. The food was excellent, the vino flowed, and Adrian gave a funny speech. I look FW to another 4 years working with him and Hector as supporters of a Greener Bronx. We have our differences, but that’s what environmental activism is all about, right? Dealing with Parks Dep’t is way better than dealing with another Dep’t, if U know whom I mean, right?

I was disappointed that Omar didn’t show up for his GreenWorkers’ sponsored GreenDrinks at the G-Bar. Fried Calamari, enough to share. Not so cheap, though.

There is an “invitation only” Holiday Dinner Meeting coming up on the second Weds in December. If interested, use the website contact form for details. Seating is very limited.

KeepINTouch!!! ***icle***

President’s Blog 10-17-2009: IC translates the Minutes

karen — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:00:57 +0000

Thanks for visiting my President’s Blog. The Oct.14th of BCEQ Board was well-attended. There was enough Pizza & Cold Noodles to go around. VP2 Joyce Hogi baked a delicious Pumpkin Cake (almost from scratch). Because the has board voted to post approved minutes, I am posting my edited “excerpts” with personal comments that in no way represent the opinions of other board members. Much has been redacted from the minutes in red. To see the full version of BCEQ Minutes Sept.’2009, go to http://www.bceq.org/2009/10/17/minutes-of-board-meetings/

Bronx Council for Environmental Quality

BCEQ Board Meeting 9/09/009

Attendance: J.Sokolow, K.Argenti, Anne-Marie Runfola, Christina Taylor, I.C. Levenberg-Engel, Dr.Dena Robins, Joyce Hogi, Dorothea Poggi, Stephen Ritz, Dart Westphal, Ellen Pollan, and Jorge Santiago

I. Executive Reports:

President, IC Levenberg-Engel: Thanked Dotti Poggi for hosting the meeting. She put out a big table with homemades from soup to nuts. Dotti sure is well-organized. Visit her org’s website www.ferrypointpark.org

II. Committee Reports:

A. Water: Karen Argenti & Dart Westphal

Croton Filtration Plant will not be completed on time, due to cost overruns.

*** No surprise, right? This ongoing fiasco verges on the criminally incompetent. All the deceit started long before the present NYC Admin. It’s tragic beyond the money; think of all the park habitats unnecessarily destroyed )-:

Design Commission Meeting, Jerome Park Reservoir Pathway, at City Hall.

Steve Ritz mentioned residents concerned about noise in the park.

Bronx River Settlement Funds: The Bronx River Alliance has received two grants and BxRA staff are happy to share what they know about obtaining funding.

DEP Long Term Control Plan: public comments due soon. BCEQ letter almost ready and would like letters from other orgs. Dart suggests that the BCEQ letter demand that DEP implement at least one meaningful project in the sewershed. Dart moved for letter to be approved. Unanimous.

Harlem River Working Group: Application completed to the National Parks Service. http://bit.ly/171eQ5

I have high hopes for this spinoff from BCEQ’s March’2009 Water Conference. Harlem River activist Ludger Balan just got his new Environmedia-mobile. Check out his org’s website www.urbandivers.org Join one of HRWG committees to help make Harlem River all it can be. www.friendsofbrookpark.org/blog/2009/02/harlem-river-conference

NYState Water Conference in White Plains: 9/23, Dr.Dena Robins and Harry J. Bubbins to represent BCEQ. Chuck Vasser also attended. He commented that there sure were lots of environmental lawyers. That’s a credit to Pace Academy, right? Kit Kennedy responded to my note, sent on Harry’s behalf asking for some attention to ConEd’s blockage of canoe & kayak navigation on Bronx Kill.

B. Communications: Karen Argenti (acting)

Gatefold Brochure: 2nd draft of text will be sent out for review. Come to our Nov.4th Meet & Greet (below) to see un-veiled the awesome new brochure.

They are almost so wonderful we should sell them, not give them away?

Website Updates: updates have been made, please review at www.bceq.org

C. Membership/Events/Outreach:

· Proposed new membership fee schedule. Motion passed unanimously.

OLD FEE	PROPOSED NEW FEE
Individual – $10	$25
Small Group – $25	$75
Sponsors – $100	$200
Benefactors – $300	$500
Lifetime – $100	$1,000
Students & Seniors	$10

o Meet and Greet on November 4th: Help is needed from members for the event.

D. Parks and Open Space C.Taylor

o Friends of VCP are selling entertainment guides as a fundraiser. Visit FVCPk.org’s website www.vancortlandt.org and vote in the Tom’s of Maine Contest.

o See New Business Yankees, below

G. Education

· Education Committee has met twice, at DeWitt Clinton HS and Nos Quedamos. Has 6 current members. Will work on bringing in student members this year.

· Helen C. Reel Env. Ed awards were given at the annual BBQ and also at the Bronx River Festival. Details and meeting minutes will be on the website.

Go to www.bceq.org/education to read minutes of our education committee.

Educators: Please join us at the next meeting. Use the CONTACT US on the banner. I read almost every inquiry, with the exception of those from outside The Bronx.

· Created a mission statement and goals to help focus our activities. Identified some areas in which we think we can contribute.

· Will create a survey to find out what BCEQ can do to support existing efforts and where we might fill in gaps in EE in The Bronx.

IV. New Business

· BCEQ Position on Yankee Stadium Parks Replacement: As of now there exists a partially furnished rooftop park with ½ playing field and a running track.

·Kingsbridge Armory At the Oct.14th meeting, we authorized VP2 to send a letter to KARA explaining our position.

Webm. has posted KARA Letter & BCEQ’s submitted Official Comments.

www.bceq.org/2009/10/17/vice-presidents-blog-kingsbridge-armory-testimony/

I have volunteered to be the “point person” to update our www.bceq.org/calendar page, so please visit that URL whenver you’re reserving a date for an upcoming event. Roberto Clemente State Park scheduled an event that conflicted with BCEQ’s Annual Water Conference’008. If you are planning an event. please try to avoid conflicts. Avoiding conflicts is one of the reasons we think our calendar is so important a resource. Please take a moment to check it out now.

***We had a wonderful Guest Speaker at our Oct.14th meeting: South Bronx Environmental Activist, and Bronx HS of Science graduate, Omar Friella. Visit his org’s website at www.greenworker.coop

SUMMER’S END UPDATES – Back Soon from Fire Island

I.C. Levenberg-Engel — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:22:54 +0000

SUMMER’S END UPDATES – Back Soon from Fire Island

Unfortunately, I don’t get to spend my summers in The Bronx. We have a Mon&Pop store within one of the villages of the Fire Island National Seashore. I’m a member of the Village of Ocean Beach Env.Commission, so I do manage to keep e-conscious even when I’m not active as BCEQ Pres.

The Sept.9 BCEQ Meeting was hosted by Director Dotti Poggi of Ferry Point Park. There was good attendance including a number of new directors, inlcuding Dr.Dena Robins and Anne-Marie Runfola. We voted to post Meeting Minutes on this website, so keep visiting for new posts. Some issues of interest

(1) the fiasco of overspending at the ill-conceived VanCPk Filtration Plant debacle. I wonder who’s profiting from NYCDEP’s incompetency (or worse)?

(2) I hope to attend the 9-24-009 BRA UpStream Soiree honoring Buddy Stein. Go to www.bronxriver.org and join us.
All sorts of eco-events are updated regularly. Click on CALENDAR.

(3) I grew up 165th & Sheridan, so I got to sit in the bleachers and watch Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, JoeDiMaggio, etc.as a kid. We Yankee Fans will put up with all their selfish shenanigans just as long as they win.

(4) BCEQ & FVCPk are having a fun event on Weds, Nov.4th 6:30PM, so please don’t make any dinner plans.

(5) There’s a new “Environmental Focus” in the snailmail. Also a new BCEQ Flyer, so if you’ve not paid your dues, please do so by clicking on JOIN.

It’s good to be back in The Bronx.

This post was submitted by I.C. Levenberg-Engel.

BRONX SCIENCE EARTHDAY FESTIVAL – If the Sun Shines it’s a Success!

I.C. Levenberg-Engel — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:10:51 +0000

It’s hard to believe that Bronx HS of Science has held 20 years of outdoor EarthDay Festivals and it has never been a rainy day! Kudos to Dr.Julie Downey-Mankiewicz, a BCEQ Director and advisor of the LEAP Ecology Club which coordinated the annual event. Special thanks to BCEQ members who sat with me at our Display Table: Evan Camp, Mark Stern, Glenn Flesichmann, and Maya Homics. Special thanks also to photographer Lisa Kahane, who autographed a copy of her Bronx Photographs circa ’70′s Book to be part of our future table toppers. Come to one of our events, and leaf thru some impactive pictures from the days when we were burning. On another matter, I was disappointed that BCEQ did not sign on to a NYPIRG Letter advocating support for the Cap & Diviedend Bill before Congress.

This post was submitted by I.C. Levenberg-Engel.