Thursday (2/19), from 6-8pm, the Center for Urban Environment (168 7th St. b/t 3rd & 2nd Ave.) is having a special viewing and post-screening discussion of the Sundance Film Festival’s Best Documentary of 2008 “Fuel.” Brent Baker (CEO of Tri State Biodiesal) will be discussing this Josh Tickell documentary that focuses the oil industry and […]

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The Center for the Urban Environment (CUE) has been a valued contributor to GL over the last year and during that time they moved from Prospect Park to an area close to our own hearts, Gowanus. As they celebrate their 30th anniversary this month, we caught up with Executive Director, Sandi Franklin to ask her […]

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And, now, from our friends at the Center for the Urban Environment, here is this weekend’s very interesting tour: Ditmas Park. Sunday, November 23, 2-4 pm– with Francis Morrone. Ditmas Park is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Brooklyn even as its splendid “Victorian” houses have ceased to be bargains. The streets of the […]

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Sunset Park – The Old Neighborhood. Sunday, November 16, 2-4:30 pm – with Joe Svehlak. Our tour guide grew up here in the 1940’s and 50’s. Join him for a walk up and down the tree-lined row house streets of New York’s largest National Register District. Enjoy the spectacular harbor views from the 22 ½ […]

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Here’s this weekend’s tour from our friends at the Center for the Urban Environment: Written in Stone: Tales of Green-Wood. Sunday, November 9, 1 – 3:30 pm – with Ruth Edebohls. The monuments and mausoleums of Green-Wood have many fascinating stories—and not just about the many famous figures buried there. Visit final resting places and […]

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Here’s this weekend’s tour from our friends at the Center for the Urban Environment: Sheepshead Bay & Manhattan Beach. Saturday, November 1 – 10:30 am -12:30 pm – with Ron Schweiger, Brooklyn Borough Historian. Take a walk along the water through these historic and colorful neighborhoods which were part of the largest and most popular […]

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Crown Heights North, Old & New. Saturday, October 25 – 2-4 pm – with Matt Postal. Unusually rich in architecture and history, Crown Heights is being rediscovered. Focusing on the long blocks between Eastern Parkway and Grant Square, our route includes free-standing mansions and rowhouses, as well as Dean Street, one of the borough’s finest […]

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Here’s one of our regular posts from the Center for the Urban Environment about the great tours they run: Last Exit to Brooklyn: Red Hook. Saturday, October 18 – 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – with Dan Wiley. Red Hook’s tough reputation has been depicted in literature, plays and movies. This isolated neighborhood of low-rise […]

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As we’ve noted the 4th Annual Green Brooklyn…Green City Conference is taking place at Borough Hall on Thursday, September 18. Coordinated by the Center for the Urban Environment, it’s billed as “New York City’s largest showcase of green and sustainability issues, programs, and products…Green Brooklyn…Green City 2008 will feature workshops and discussions led by several […]

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The Center for the Urban Environment in Gowanus is going to be hosting Brooklyn Green Drinks on Wednesday, September 17, from 7PM-9PM. Per the explanation on the website: The idea of Green Drinks is simple, and universal: Gather together like-minded individuals, and talk. It’s as familiar as the local dive, completely organic, and a fertile […]

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Michael Hurwitz is the Director of Greenmarket, a Program of the Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC). Hurwitz will be speaking on the subject of “Food Miles: An Inside Look at Food from Farm (or Factory) to Table” at Green Brooklyn.. Green City on September 18th. For more information on this full day event, […]

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“How do you green a city? Start in Brooklyn! The Center for the Urban Environment attracts city dwellers from all five boroughs to its 4th Annual Green Brooklyn event. A full day fair and symposium, attendees can learn first hand from local experts about social conscious investing, how to solar your building, choosing non-toxic home […]

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Located next to the decidedly utilitarian Van Brunt Station of the Post Office on Ninth Street, a beautiful blue jewel of a building – certainly not its original color – was designed as a residence for one William B. Cronyn in 1855 and remodeled in 1895. The Blue Jewel of Ninth Street is a remarkable […]

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On Saturday, August 16th, a “Maryland 400” remembrance ceremony was held at the Michael A. Rawley American Legion Post, located between 8th and 9th Streets and Third & Fourth Avenues. A faded New York State historic blue and yellow sign has been hanging in front of the Post on 9th Street commemorating the “Maryland Heroes” […]

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Here’s our regular weekly post from the Center for the Urban Environment about the great tours they run: Dumbo. Saturday, August 23 – 1 – 3 pm – with Joe Svehlak. An acronym for the old Brooklyn waterfront under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges is an amazing area of former industrial buildings converted to lofts […]

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Here’s one of our weekly features from the Center for the Urban Environment (CUE). This week’s interview is with Green Spa NY Blog and The Spa co-owner Maria Ingardia. CUE found her through the Sustainable Business Network NYC, a network of businesses dedicated to building a vibrant, diverse and responsible local living economy in New […]

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Here’s our regular weekly post from the Center for the Urban Environment about the great tours they run: Gowanus. Saturday, August 16, 2-4 pm– with Francis Morrone. A walk through Gowanus opens a window on the industrial heritage of Brooklyn, and also shows a neighborhood in the midst of a very interesting transition. Gowanus is […]

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Few people know about Brother Islands because they are so difficult to reach. But they have a long and fascinating story that is deeply entwined with the history of New York. Situated in the East River slightly north of Riker’s Island, North and South Brother Islands were claimed in 1614 by Captain Adriaen Block for […]

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Here’s our regular weekly post from the Center for the Urban Environment about the great tours they run: The Other Islands of New York – East River & New York Bay. (Last Tour of the Season!) Sunday August 10 – 9:30-12 Noon – with Sharon Seitz & Stuart Miller. Sharon Seitz and Stuart Miller, co-authors […]

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Here’s one of our weekly features from the Center for the Urban Environment (CUE). This week’s interiew is with R & E Brooklyn owners Rolf Grimsted and Emily Fisher, who were found through the Sustainable Business Network NYC, a network of businesses dedicated to building a vibrant, diverse and responsible local living economy in New […]

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Passengers on the L train speeding through Williamsburg and Bushwick seldom stop to think about one of the most unique and little known cemeteries in New York as they pass by. But if you look out the window at Wilson Avenue before reaching Broadway Junction, there it is. Close to the train tracks, with the […]

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Here’s our regular weekly post from the Center for the Urban Environment about the great tours they run: Jamaica Bay Fringe Bike Tour. Saturday, July 19 – 1-4 pm – with Adam Schwartz. More a “two wheeled historical tour” than a group bike ride, this is just the best way to reach this rarely accessed […]

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Here’s one of our weekly features from the Center for the Urban Environment (CUE). This week’s interiew is with Tri State Biodiesel owner Brent Baker, who CUE found through the Sustainable Business Network NYC, a network of businesses dedicated to building a vibrant, diverse and responsible local living economy in New York City. Q: Where […]

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Here’s our regular weekly post from the Center for the Urban Environment about the great tours they run: Newtown Creek Cruise. Sunday, July 13 – 9:30 – 12 noon – with Jack Eichenbaum. This canalized creek, a tidal arm of the East River, forms the boundary between Brooklyn and Queens. Join us to cruise what […]

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Back in 1968, James Hurley and pilot Joseph Haynes set out to research an old neighborhood, Weeksville, for a Pratt Neighborhood College Workshop. After consulting old maps, they decided to search for signs of the old neighborhood from the air. Flying overhead, they noticed an oddly situated lane with four run-down wooden houses set back […]

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