Around the Bronx

There are so many climate and environmental initiatives in our borough, it’s hard to keep track. BCJN is here to help! Check this page for a short list of the many events happening in the Bronx, in chronological order

Hungry for Change: Food, Ethics, and Sustainability

For six Thursdays beginning on 7/23/15, Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture (RYSEC) is offering a Northwest Earth Institute course that BCJN highly recommends. Here are the details:

What: 6-session study and discussion group

When: 6 Thursdays, 7:30-9:30 pm — 7/23, 8/6, 8/20, 9/10, 9/17, 10/1

Where: 445o Fieldston Rd, Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx

Contact: http://rysec.org/event/food-ethics-2015

Cost: $35, includes book that 1-2 participants can share (some scholarships may be available)

Participants in the course will:

* Explore the interconnected nature of food systems and our relationships to them.

* Examine the impact our food choices have on our health, the health of others, and the health of our planet.

* Consider the ethical and political implications of our current food system and our personal food choices.

Click on THIS PDF for detailed descriptions of the content and reading for each of the six sessions.

SAFE Disposal Event in Riverdale, Bronx

WHEN: Sunday, June 28, 9 am – noon

WHERE: Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 3700 Henry Hudson Parkway, Riverdale

Accepted Items:

Automotive products such as motor oil, transmission fluid, and spent batteries

Personal care items like unwanted medicines and cosmetics

Thermometers

Syringes (clearly labeled and packaged in a “sharps” container or other leak-proof, puncture-resistant container)

Household products such as pesticides, paint, hazardous cleaners, spent compact fluorescent lightbulbs

Electronics

How to Package Items:

Look for items with DANGER, POISON or CAUTION labels. Read labels carefully for safe handling. Ensure that all products are labeled clearly. Tightly seal containers. Don’t mix products or bring open containers. If an item is leaking, pack in a larger container and use an absorbent material, such as kitty litter or newspaper to soak up excess fluid. Place containers upright in a sturdy box to transport them.

What Happens to Collected Items:

They are either recycled, blended for fuel, or sent to licensed hazardous waste treatment facilities for safe disposal. Electronics are recycled or refurbished for reuse through e-cycleNYC. Unwanted medicines are managed by environmental police and incinerated to prevent unintentional poisonings or entry into the water supply.

For more information: nyc.gov/safesdisposal

NYC Department of Sanitation — Curbside Food and Yard Waste Recycling Collection

The Department of Sanitation is expanding its Curbside Food and Yard Waste Recycling Collection — if you live in the Riverdale, North Riverdale, and Fieldston sections of the northwest Bronx, collection began the week of June 1st. For everything you need to know, go HERE.

Participatory budgeting — VOTE IN THE BRONX!

Please come out and vote on the NYC Council participatory budget–April 11-19. Participatory budgeting is a grassroots process through which district residents vote directly to allocate funding toward proposals developed by the community to meet local needs. To find voting locations and dates throughout the Bronx, go HERE.

New York City Ban on Trashing Electronics

On January 1, 2015, NYC implemented a ban on disposal of many types of e-waste with regular trash. For information as to how to safely and legally dispose of your electronics in the city, go HERE. BCJN urges consumers and businesses to drastically slow their consumption rate of electronics and all goods, particularly those whose manufacture involves serious depletion and degradation of resources. A record amount of e-waste was generated globally, particularly by wealthier nations, in 2014.

Earth Ministry of Christ Church Riverdale: Community Energy Fair — Sunday, May 22, 2016:

A Harmful Household Products Collection — coming up in the NW Bronx on Sunday, June 26, 2016:

Welcome2theBronx Farmers Markets Guide, Summer 2016 (thanks Ed Garcia Conde!)

To learn more check out:
GrowNYC Greenmarkets
Harvest Home Markets

A special shout-out to the Kingsbridge-Riverdale Farmers Market — bringing affordable, healthy local produce to the NW Bronx (thanks Lucy Mercado!)