In the city that loves going green, Pelham Bay Park reigns as the largest of its parks. Not only is it home to Turtle Cove Golf Complex and The Bronx Equestrian Center, it offers a myriad of activities that are guaranteed to delight and educate kids and adults alike. From storytelling to basketball to family fitness, from scavenger hunts to juggling and even a puppet theater, Pelham Bay is an outdoor paradise. These verdant pastures are also steeped in history. The Pelham Bay Park Historical Trail will take you to Turtle Cove, where a combined British-Hessian force of 4,000 landed in October of 1776; and remains of the walls behind which the Americans fought off these forces can still be seen in the Split Rock Golf Course. The park also boasts the only public beach in all of the Bronx, Orchard Beach, which was created through the efforts of Robert Moses. Whether it’s nature, animals, sports, or history you’re after, Pelham Bay Park has it all under the sun.

www.nycgovparks.org/parks/pelhambaypark
www.nychorse.com

Get In Tune With Nature On Code Green!

Where Are Your Favorite Secret Gardens?

Post A Comment And Tell Us Where You Like To Go Green.

Shop for a good cause at Delight.com. It’s the site that’s saving the world, one environmentally conscious product at a time. Founders Lynda Keeler and Tracey Tee were so committed to including green practices in their lives, that they decided to build a website that helps others do the same. “We are both fanatical online shoppers, but always felt that something was missing,” says Keeler. “We wanted Delight to always be changing, full of fun, joy and surprises so that you feel like you are shopping at a great boutique with your favorite girlfriends.” But it’s the items they offer that truly set this virtual emporium apart. Keeler and Tee, along with a testing team, hand pick products that are not only eco friendly but also solve problems. Visitors to Delight.com can find a Hybrid Wall Clock made from recycled bicycle and computer parts, along with 100% Recycled Paper Satchels, Bamboo Bath Caddies and the protective Onion Goggles. The team is constantly on the hunt for beautifully designed, innovative and exclusive items that are tailor made for their customers. No buyers remorse here.

What do you think of Delight.com? Where are you picking up “green” products?

Post a comment below and let us know!

An oasis right in the middle of the concrete jungle can be found and enjoyed in 11355. The Queens Botanical Garden has been providing a sanctuary for city residents since it was built for the 1939 World’s Fair. It offers horticultural classes throughout the season on everything from rose pruning to composting. This museum is not just a haven for roses, herbs and bee hives. It is also a cutting edge symbol of environmentally friendly construction and sustainability.

The prime example of the Garden’s mission is the Green Buildings and Landscape Project which was started in 2001 and is scheduled to be completed in 2015. The cornerstone of the project, the Visitor and Administration Center, received the New York City Green Building Design Competition Award for “excellence in the use of good design principles and the integration of green building technologies.” It draws 17% of its electricity from photovoltaic panels on its roof. It has no conventional furnace or air conditioner. Instead, it uses 55-degree water from an aquifer 300 feet below ground to heat and cool the interior and reduce fossil fuel consumption. The ultimate goal of the project is to highlight the roles of plants in various cultures and promote healthier communities through environmental sustainability.

Want to know about more fun activities Queens has to offer? Check out www.coolinyourcode.com/tag/queens.

What’s your favorite flower in the Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing?
Post a comment below and give us some lip about this zip.

What the city may lack in green it makes up for in parks and recycling programs, but some officials say that’s not enough. That is to say, officials and “Queen of Broadway,” Bette Midler. The initiative MillionTreesNYC began in 2006 as a dream of Midler’s, to which Mayor Bloomberg gave one big green thumbs up. The program promises to deliver the city one million new trees by 2017. New York is admittedly behind when it comes to canopy cover compared to cities like Chicago and Atlanta. However, Drew Becher, Executive Director of the New York Restoration, says that’s no reason this new organization can’t serve as a model for other cities to follow – something New Yorkers are used to anyway. With a city population that currently exceeds the number of trees, finding volunteers has been easy. The average number of planting participants is already at 80,000 and is expected to top 120,000 next year. Aside from the million mark, the goal is to fill every possible space with a tree – no slab of cement too deep, no property cost too high. According to Becher, trees shouldn’t have to be a luxury item as a shady tree-lined street may suggest. “Trees are sometimes considered niceties, not necessities. And every neighborhood needs a tree,” he says. To find out more about the plan and how to get your hands dirty, log on to www.milliontreesnyc.org. The digging begins in July.

What are you doing to “go green”? Post a comment below and tell us what’s up.

The Harlem Meer in 10029 offers an idyllic respite from the freneticism of city life. Occupying 11 acres in the north east corner of central park, the meer (Dutch for lake) is said to be one of the loveliest in the city. New Yorkers and tourists can relax on the shores of its miniature sandy beach, take part in family activities at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, enjoy catch and release fishing, or just sit among the impressive oak, cypress and beech trees surrounding the lake.

106th to 110th Street on the East side of Central Park, 10029

Gingerbread carousels, train stations, nursery rhyme scenes, and oh yeah, there’s a house or two, too. Gingerbread Adventures, now through January 13th at the New York Botanical Garden, is the most whimsical collection of sugary confection your tots will ever lay their hungry eyes on. Top pastry chefs from around the city created the elaborate display. After they’re done drooling, your kids can learn about the ginger plant, make spice sachets, and decorate gingersnap cookies. All the ginger, cinnamon and clove wafting through air are sure to make the holiday season last just a little longer.

www.nybg.org/

Bronx River Parkway and Fordham Road, 10458

Click To Play

Designed by legendary Central Park architects Fredrick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Prospect Park is an enormous oasis of 585 acres resting in the middle of Park Slope. It was built in the late 1860s, with features including the pristine 90-acre Long Meadow, the 60-acre man-made lake, and Brooklyn’s last remaining natural forest. “The forest was really in shambles, almost gone,” recounts Parks Administrator, Tupper Thomas. “Luckily, we were able to completely rebuild the majority of it, creating nature trails, complex water systems and new wildlife habitats.”

The park also books fun and educational events and activities year round. The winter months are choc full of options such as skating at Wollman Rink, crafting workshops at Lefters Historic House, and the annual bird Christmas Bird Count for the national bird census that helps conservation researchers track bird population. They even have a New Year’s Eve fireworks show and a Christmas Tree recycling program
See the complete listing at www.propectpark.org

International trip-hop artist, Dirty Elegance, is cleaning up the environment! Code Green invites you to become a part of his quest to plant 10,000 trees with 50,000 Itune downloads. Enjoy his lyrics below and take action to improve New York City and other codes around the world.

Our earth is sick…
We must begin to live outside our “important” bubbles of bliss and Ignorance…
Outside of our everyday routines…
And start making an effort to take responsibility…
Not necessarily of our own actions, for we were brought into this world…
As is…
As was…
Society had its own rhythm…
We had to learn the dance…
Now, it has become OUR responsibility…
Through indifference of past generations…
We now must learn a new dance…
Together…

To achieve:

Life…
Hope…
Future…
Humanity…

Our world is a miracle with delicately balanced layers of life…
Everywhere…
It’s beautiful…

It needs help…

Join Dirty Elegance, and help him achieve his goal of planting 10,000 trees! If we can reach 50,000 (Dirty Elegance) tracks sold by Jan. 1 2008 (through Itunes), then Dirty Elegance will plant 10,000 trees through American Forests Global ReLeaf program…

Also, for every $.99 Itunes purchase, Dirty Elegance will email you an environmentally inspired, never to be released, mp3 track (free), created specifically for this campaign…

*Email Dirty Elegance a copy and pasted proof (receipt) of your $.99 (1 track) Itunes purchase at: dirtyelegance@gmail.com

Please include your name, and email address, for the free Dirty Elegance Nature Inspired mp3…

The ‘Dirty Elegance Plant A Tree Campaign’ will begin on October 19, and run until the ball falls…

as 5 fades to Happy New Year…

Out with the old, in with the new….

Let’s plant some trees!

In 50 years one tree recycles more than $37,000 worth of water, provides $31,000 worth of erosion control, $62,000 worth of air pollution control, and produces $37,000 worth of oxygen.

Even the things you wear can be sustainable. Moral Fervor creates recyclable and biodegradable clothing by using eco-friendly fabrics like bamboo, organic cotton and Ingeo™, which is constructed completely out of corn. “There are alternatives to using petroleum-based fibers,” says Emily Santamore, who co-created MF with her college roommate, Melissa Sack. “Why would you use a fiber that can’t biodegrade in a landfill? You’ll see it 50 years later.” To these forward-thinking designers, being green isn’t just fashionable; it’s socially conscious.

www.moralfervor.com

Shop Moral Fervor at:
Kaight 83 Orchard Street, between Broome Street and Grand Street, Manhattan, 10002

Extra! Extended Interview with Moral Fervor Designer Emily Santamore

CiNYC gets the scoop on Emily Santamore, one-half of Moral Fervor’s design team. She tells us about her background, Moral Fervor’s roots, and why she hopes environmentally friendly fabrics like Ingeo™ are much more than a trend.

Where are you from?
I was born in Seoul, then adopted. I grew up in South Jersey and then went to college in Philadelphia.

What inspired you to start Moral Fervor?
Emily and I really were inspired to see our hand drawn designs on some type of medium. We wanted to make wearable art. It’s functional and it gets out there to the mainstream. And, we’ve always been interested in environmental and social issues. We were going to become missionaries back in the day. Each collection is about a social or environmental issue.

Can you tell us about your latest collection?
It was inspired from the concept of GM organisms, and about the question, “how do you know what’s in your food?” We did 5 styles. Very simple tanks, short sleeve shirts, ¾ sleeve shirts, a razor back dress and lounge pants.

You use a new corn-based fabric called Ingeo™ for your latest designs. Can you tell us a little about why you chose to use Ingeo™?
It’s completely sustainable and biodegradable. These are not petroleum based fibers. They’re good for the environment. It’s the softest, most beautiful fabric. It looks great and feels great.

Do you think eco-friendly fabrics are just a trend?
I don’t think it’s a trend… it can’t be a trend, I think [the cause] is lost then. Not just in fashion design but in design overall, people are thinking about the life cycle. We don’t want to create something that doesn’t add any value. For us, that’s really the motivation.

Going organic and embracing the vegan lifestyle is a cinch with Organic Avenue. This lifestyle boutique has everything you need for sustainable living in the big city. “I wanted to make it easier for people to live the raw lifestyle, and to not feel deprivation,” says founder Denise Mari. From raw food prepared fresh daily, to natural fiber fashion plus herbal health and beauty products, you’ll discover things you didn’t even know could be organic. Customers are fans of the five-day raw food L.O.V.E. Fast, which delivers fresh meals to your door, five mornings in a row.

101 Stanton Street, between Orchard Street and Ludlow Street, Manhattan
www.organicavenue.com

Extra! Extended Interview with Organic Avenue founder Denise Mari.

CiNYC got the dirt on Denise Mari’s thoughts on sustainable living, her history as a vegan and why she opened Organic Avenue.

Why is sustainable living important in this day and age?
What we do makes a difference in the environment. Everything is coming to light now. According to environmental experts, we should “be the change.” Most people have been scared into awakening, but I do think we have the opportunity to make the changes and live the sustainable life.

Can you tell me about your background as a vegan?
I started as a vegetarian. I loved animals, and it was just kind of a progression. I developed a spiritual belief that you didn’t have to hurt another animal to live a happy and healthy life. I just kept researching, and vegans were the healthiest, happiest, most positive people I’d ever met.

How did changing your diet affect your health?
I used to have digestive problems, acne, I was moody, I had low energy after I slept, and if I ate anything I’d feel tired. I’ve spent five years on a 100% raw vegan diet, and it’s the best I’ve ever felt. I’m inspired, I’m allowing of nature to take hold of me, and there’s true vibration.

What inspired you to open Organic Avenue?
I had a desire to make it easier for people to live the raw lifestyle, so they wouldn’t have to feel deprivation. If I find that there’s anything that’s not available on the market, it motivates me to make it available for people.