City Atlas

Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance Presents - City of Water Day
2014-07-12 10:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Governors Island
Image: www.hudsonreporter.com
MWA’s City of Water Day Festival is a free day-long celebration of the world-class potential of the water that surrounds us and brings us together. Held on Governors Island and Maxwell Park in Hoboken, NJ–the event draws thousands of people from throughout the NY-NJ metropolitan region to participate in hundreds of unique, fun, and educational waterfront activities organized by MWA and its 700 Alliance Partners. The events run between 10am – 4pm on Saturday July 12th in 2014.
Sign up for any of the waterfront activities being held!

Summer Fishing Clinic
2014-07-12 11:00 - 13:00 | Pier 42, New York, NY, United States
Image: www.dnainfo.com
This summer, the Lower East Side Ecology Center is hosting a free catch-and-release fishing clinic. Don’t worry about bringing bait and tackle, it will be provided for you by an instructor; simply bring a rod, any basic fishing gear, an adventurous attitude, and plenty of patience! The clinic will offer basic fishing instruction and an exploration of the estuary.
If you’re under 15, you must be accompanied by an adult, but all ages are welcome. Email info@lesecologycenter.org to register and have a grand time fishing in the East River!

Stop ‘N’ Swap in Glendale, Queens
2014-07-12 12:00 - 15:00 | The Shops at Atlas Park, 80-00 Cooper Avenue, Queens, NY, 11385, United States
GrowNYC’s community “swaps” provide the perfect opportunity to find new homes for things you no longer need. By taking home items that you can use, you are also helping to prevent waste from production, packaging and transportation required to get new things. Bring clean, reusable, portable items such as clothing, house wares, games, books, & toys that you no longer need, and take home something new-to-you, free! You don’t have to bring something to take something. No furniture or large items, please.
GrowNYC’s Office of Recycling Outreach and Education coordinates Stop ‘N’ Swap in order to facilitate waste prevention and material reuse. This event is also in need of volunteers. Prospective volunteers must first register in order to sign up for activities. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older.
For more information, including an FAQ and rules of conduct, visit the GrowNYC’s website here.

Saving Seed
2014-07-13 11:00 - 13:00 | Brooklyn Navy Yard farm, Flushing Avenue & Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11205, United States
Planting seeds. From http://waysandhow.com
It seems like every day there’s a new story breaking on the threats to cultivar biodiversity posed by genetic engineering and resultant widespread outbreaks of plant disease and pests. Many have heard about the importance of heirloom seeds, but with the world’s top ten companies (Monsanto and Dupont being first and second among them) controlling half the market on seeds, it’s hard to find regionally adapted seedstock that we can trust!
Enter (the aptly named) Zach Pickens, Farmer at Tom Colicchio’s Riverpark Restaurant and founder of the fiercely independent Rooftop Ready Seeds! He’ll teach the basics of seed collection to save money on garden seeds and preserve our genetic diversity! Seed saving is simpler than you’d think for most garden varieties, and Zach will teach the audience what a grower needs to know to get started. From tomatoes, to kale, to flowers and herbs, he’ll show the audience some simple seed saving tips and dig into the unique considerations of saving seed in the city. Make next spring the year you plant a garden of regionally-adapted seedstock that will thrive in your own unique conditions, and beat the industrial seed giants at their own game!

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Tour
2014-07-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2014-07-19 13:00 - 14:00 | Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11225, United States
Image: Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor-contributed Photo Gallery
Every weekend of the year, Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers free guided tours to showcase the season’s highlights and exhibit the natural beauty within the urban environment of New York. From trees to shrubs, flowers to herbs–any time of the year, there are dozens of plants in their prime at the BBG collections.
Meet at the corner of Cherry Walk by the Visitor’s Center for a guided tour of the exquisite gardens, not to mention tips on how to garden sustainably in the city.

Guided Tour: Brooklyn Landscapes
2014-07-13 16:00 - 18:00 | NY
This tour with architectural historian Francis Morrone and co-author of “Guide to New York City Urban Landscapes” (W.W. Norton, 2013) will look at three generations of Brooklyn landscapes. Cadman Plaza was created in the 1950s, at the time the largest downtown urban renewal project yet undertaken in America. The project utterly transformed downtown Brooklyn. MetroTech Center was a product of the 1980s, a unique attempt to create a combined university and corporate campus. Finally, Brooklyn Bridge Park has transformed Brooklyn’s waterfront between the Manhattan Bridge and Atlantic Avenue. Though not yet complete, enough has been done that we have a sense of the whole. We will only be able to see a portion of the park, but our route will take us across the dramatic Squibb Park Bridge. Please allow a little more than the usual two hours.
Notes:Please purchase tickets online or call (212) 935-2075, Monday-Friday 9-5.Meeting locations are provided after tickets are purchased.All tours proceed rain or shine.No refunds or exchanges.

Weird, Wild, And Wonderful at the New York Botanical Garden
2014-07-14 | New York Botanical Garden, 200 Kazimiroff Boulevard, Bronx, NY
Solanum lycopersicum, © Asuka Hishiki. From The New York Botanical Garden
Through September 21 you can visit The New York Botanical Garden to see artwork of some strange plants, in addition to all the amazing live ones you’ll see during your visit!
In homage to the beauty of the botanical world’s most bizarre flora, the Garden invited members of the American Society of Botanical Artists to participate in a study of the eccentric, creating works of art based on visually unusual plants chosen by the artists themselves. View the results of their efforts—46 captivating paintings and illustrations of exotic specimens—on display in the Ross Gallery.
All-Garden Pass tickets start at $20 for Adults and $10 for Kids 2-12. See prices by date.

New Farmer Development Informational Day at Queens County Farm!
2014-07-14 09:30 - 16:00 | Queens county farm museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, queens, NY, United States
Image: www.highschooleverywhere.org
Do you have agricultural experience? Are you interested in starting your own sustainable farm? FARMroots wants to work with you! This Monday, join FARMroots staff and other aspiring farmers as we visit to the oldest continuously farmed plot of land in New York at the Queens County Farm Museum! We’ll tour the farm with a recent graduate of our Farm Beginnings training course, learn more about how the New Farmer Development can help YOU start a farm business, and get our hands dirty with some on-farm activities. Free transportation from GrowNYC’s office in Manhattan and free lunch at Queens County Farm Museum! Just bring a good pair of shoes/boots and sun protection!
RSVP to Maria Rojas at mrojas@grownyc.org. For more information on our project please visit www.grownyc.org/farmroots/nfd

Family Drumming: West African Drum and Dance
2014-07-14 18:30 - 19:30 | Indian Road Lawn in Inwood Hill Park, 25 Indian Rd, New York, NY, 10034, United States
From http://www.nycgovparks.org
Come this drum and dance class. All are welcome to learn the traditional drumming and dancing unique to West Africa. Get fit while becoming more musical!
Organized by Northern Manhattan Parks together with Bread and Yoga. Email director@breadandyoga.com for more information.

Mister G Concert for Kids
2014-07-15 10:30 - 11:30 | Madison Square Park, between Madison Ave and 23rd St., Manhattan , NY, 10010, United States
Source: Mister G Website
Join Mister G, the man dubbed the “kid-friendly, bilingual rock star” of children’s music by The Washington Post, for his free performance at Madison Square Park next Tuesday. His show will be undoubtedly be educational, inspirational, and fun for young children, so swing by for a short jam session with Mister G himself.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Summer Tour
2014-07-15 13:00 - 14:00 | Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11225, United States
Image : Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor-contributed Photo Gallery
Over the summer, Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers free guided tours to showcase the season’s highlights and exhibit the natural beauty within the urban environment of New York. In the warm summer months, there are dozens of plants in their prime at the BBG collections.
Meet at Magnolia Plaza for a guided tour of the exquisite gardens’ season’s best, not to mention tips on how to garden sustainably in the city.

Saturdays and Sundays year-round | 1 p.m.
Saturdays in April and May | 11 a.m.
Tuesdays in April, May, June, and July | 1 p.m.

Twilight Bat and Insect Walk
2014-07-15 19:45 - 21:15 | Central Park, 103rd Street and Central Park West, New York, NY, 10025, United States
From lubee.org
Explore the mysteries of Central Park at twilight as we seek these fascinating and misunderstood flying mammals—and learn about their great importance to our environment. We’ll see local bat species in flight as they hunt and dive for insects, and hear them with an echolocator. Other nocturnal creatures may be seen as well. Bring bug spray and a flashlight. Limited to 16. $32 (22) for adults, $20 (14) for children under 12. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Meet at 103rd Street and Central Park West.
Tuesdays, July 15-August 12, 7:45-9:15pm.
Visit the NYC Audubon website to register.

The New York Conference on Water
2014-07-16 08:00 - 12:00 | Fordham University Conference Center, 113 W. 60th St, Floor 12, New Yorj, NY, 10023, United States
The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park
On the subject of water, New Yorkers are understandably spoiled. Our vast network of reservoirs, aqueducts and tunnels almost effortlessly provides eight million of us with more than a billion gallons of water a day. Among the cleanest water systems on Earth, it is a seemingly inexhaustible resource that we tend to take for granted. But it is finite. As the English sage Thomas Fuller wrote,“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.”
That is a tough message to convey to New Yorkers, who have not experienced a drought in some 30 years. And yet, climate patterns are changing. One-sixth of the world’s population is water stressed. Scientists believe the global supply of fresh water is diminishing. And our local water supply is subject to the risks of pollutants, microorganisms, and the potential effects of fracking.
The New York Conference on Water will explore what New Yorkers can do to preserve and protect this precious resource. It will also examine how water presents the city with opportunities, such as recreation and transportation, as well as risks, such as rising sea levels and extreme weather. Finally, the Conference will discuss the many ways that water has defined New York for centuries as a great international port of trade and as a nexus for immigrants and travelers across the world.
Purchase tickets here.

The Truth about Your Food and Working Culture at Smack Mellon
2014-07-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Smack Mellon, 92 Plymouth St,, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, United States
Image: flickr
Join Green New Yorkers on Wednesday, July 16, from 6-8pm for 2 FOODshed workshops.
From 6-7pm environmental educator Aurore Ballengée will teach participants about ecological and health issues related to food often considered as healthy. Surfing on the “real” and “clean” food trends, consumers are now being offered a wide spectrum of products stamped as organic or natural. But some of these products are actually damaging to the environment and sometimes can even be dangerous for your health. Through an interactive presentation, participants will learn how to recognize some potentially dangerous ingredients in their everyday food and how to make more educated choices. This workshop will cover a range of food sustainability issues in conventional and organic food, including GMO, food coloring, BPA, endocrine disruptors and other toxic and potentially dangerous ingredients that end up in our plates.
From 7-8pm, Habitat for Artists Collective will present a “Working Culture” workshop: Transplanting, reseeding, making paintings with phytoremediation processes and repurposing everyday objects In the hybrid Habitat for Artists 6 x 6 ft studio. With Artists: Brandon Cruz, Michael Asbill, Carmen Acuna, Elyssa Willadsen, Dan McGinley, Jessica Poser, Simon Draper.
Please RSVP by 5pm July 15 to info@smackmellon.org with RSVP WORKSHOP in the subject line.

Green Market Volunteer Orientation
2014-07-16 18:30 - 19:30 | GrowNYC, 49-51 Chambers Street , New York, NY, 10007, United States
Train to be a Greenmarket volunteer! Learn all about GrowNYC-wide programming, the kinds of opportunities GrowNYC has available to get involved, and what to expect as a Greenmarket volunteer. Leave this orientation ready to roll up your sleeves and dive in. All are welcome to attend, but GrowNYC volunteers
This orientation is required in order to volunteer at the Greenmarkets. Must be 18 years of age or older. Space is limited, so sign up today. Can’t make this one? Never fear! Orientations are scheduled monthly. Check our volunteer webpage regularly for updates.

Sustainability Working Group Meeting
2014-07-16 19:00 - 21:00 | New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W 64th St, New York, NY, 10025, United States
350.org has a Sustainability Working Group that meets every second Wednesday of the month in room #508. Please join us!
This week they will be organizing for our Sept 20th event “A Global Climate Treaty: Why the US Must Lead” and discussing a potential new partnership with a new nyc initiative called Energy Champions Referral Program as a companion to our Switch to Wind campaign.

Arts in the Gardens: "Bronx Raised" Hip-Hop Series
2014-07-17 17:30 - 20:30 | Willis Avenue Community Garden, 401 East 143rd Street, Melrose, New York City, NY, 10454, United States
Photo Credit: http://www.brooklyneagle.com
Arts in the Gardens presents hip-hop series, “Bronx Raised.” Curated through Circa ’95, these events will open with a DJ to set the mood. The night will progress with live performances by different local Hip-Hop artists delivering rhythm and rhymes reflecting a Bronx state of mind. Come check out some of the best the Bronx has to offer in hip-hop, dance, and spoken word. The event begins with a mixer and light refreshments.
Featuring: DJ Fred Ones, Rhyme Factory’s Youth Group (MC’s, Vocalist and Poets), Feenix Flames (MC Poet and Vocalist), Circa ’95 (Hip-Hop)
Presented in partnership with The Bronx Museum of the Arts.

Engaging Artists Workshop: Artist as Activist
2014-07-17 18:30 - 20:30 | Judson Memorial Church, 239 Thompson Street, New York, NY, 10012, United States
Photo by: Jordan Seiler www.publicadcampaign.com
Artists whose practice bridges the gap between art and activism will talk about their work. The artists’ experience will be enriched and contextualized through the workshop with professionals in the field as well as artists, curators, and activists. Paula Segal of 596 Acres and artists whose practice bridges the gap between art and activism will talk about their work: Jordan Seiler (http://www.publicadcampaign.com/), Caroline Woolard of NYCTBD (http://nyctbd.com/), and more to be announced.
Engaging Artists encourages local artists to deepen their understanding of socially engaged art through volunteer opportunities and interactive workshops with professionals in the fields of fine art and activism. During this six-week program, participants are required to volunteer at least a half a day per week at a local charitable organization.
The theme of the 2014 Engaging Artists program is Homelessness. This summer, the Engaging Artists residency will encourage 15 artists to deepen their understanding of socially engaged art through volunteer opportunities with one of the city’s most vulnerable populations, the homeless. Presented by More Art, and developed in partnership with the Artist Volunteer Center, Judson Memorial Church, Common Ground, and The Bowery Mission. More Art has crafted a one-of-a-kind program that activates artists to become involved in art-making and mentoring homeless youth in New York City. The six-week residency program will be connected to their studio practice, encouraging the production of artwork that is informed by this unique program, which will culminate in a show of the work made during this time. Artists will be able to submit proposals for a project at the end of their residency, and selected projects will be funded by More Art to allow the artist to continue his or her work with this population.

High Line Teen Night: '90s in NYC
2014-07-17 18:30 - 21:30 | 14th street passage, high line, manhattan, NY, United States
Image: www.fanpop.com
The 90s are back in NYC!
The High Line Teen Arts Council (TAC) has been working all spring to host this night of music, dancing, art, and other fun activities for teens only. Our talented teens pick the theme, curate the music, create the art, and transform the High Line.
Come out and join us for all things 90s including free: food and candy, video games, street art, photo booth, and t-shirt screen printing. DJ Flip Bundlez on the 1s & 2s + Brandi “BNik” Kilbourne teaching dance moves.
Check out the event website or the High Line Teen Facebook page for more info!
This High Line Program is free. No RSVP required. TEENS ONLY, PLEASE.

Retrofitting Industrial Civilization w/ Andrew Faust
2014-07-18 19:00 - 21:00 | The Commons, 388 Atlantic Avenue (bet Hoyt/Bond), Brooklyn, NY, 11217
The foundation of civilization as we know it, and the aspects of it that we value depend upon a stable and well designed agricultural system, economic system, and energy system. Bioregional permaculture is retrofitting the global import/export long distance, centralized mass production, fossil fueled and radioactive infrastructure to be more regionally self-reliant in diversified, resilient, ecologically intelligent, human scale and prosperous ways. It is about the whole system.
Join us for this inspiring talk with Andrew Faust at Brooklyn Permaculture Meetup!
$5 Suggested donation – no one turned away!
Permaculture is a whole systems design science that is positively changing the way people think and interact with Earth. Turn problems into solutions by joining us in the discussion, design and implementation of projects in and around Brooklyn and the surrounding region. We are looking to create an active group of motivated beings that want to contribute to all the positive change that is happening in our region and the world. This Meetup will be lead by Andrew Faust and occasional visiting friends. Andrew is director at Center for Bioregional Living which since 2007 has been training permaculture designers in NYC and starting June 1st 2012 at their rural campus in Ellenville, NY. A certificate in Permaculture Design is very helpful but not necessary. Click HERE to join Brooklyn Permaculture Meetup.
Brooklyn Permaculture Meetup meets every third Friday at The Commons, 7pm-9pm.

Van Cortlandt Bird Walk
2014-07-19 08:00 - 09:30 | Van Cortland Nature Center, NY, United States
Barn swallows. Photo by Ron Underwood
Every Saturday until August 30, there will be a bird walk leaving from Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The walks will be guided by NYC Audobon or Urban Park Rangers.
The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free.

Fort Tryon Nature and Birding Walk
2014-07-19 09:00 - 11:00 | Fort Tryon Park, NY, United States
Learn to identify and value the flora and fauna of Fort Tryon Park with Leslie Day, author of Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York City and Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City. Learn about the birds and the environment within Fort Tryon Park with this expert naturalist.Please bring binoculars. Please do not bring your pets. Tour will begin at Broadway and Bennett Avenue entrance to Fort Tryon Park.

Club Fit Yoga: Brooklyn
2014-07-19 10:00 - 11:00 | Jane Bailey Memorial Garden, 327-329 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, United States
Yoga in Brooklyn. From www.wellandgoodnyc.com
Free, outdoor yoga classes are a great way for the entire family to stay fit! Every Saturday in June through September, these hour-long sessions are led by certified yoga teachers. Come out and start your Saturday with a fullfilling and exciting workout with host Katie Cercone. Mats will be provided for temporary use. Stay tuned to NYRP’s Facebook page or Twitter feed (@nyrp) for up-to-date information about weather or other schedule changes!

Club Fit Yoga: Manhattan
2014-07-19 10:00 - 11:00 | Target East Harlem Community Garden, 415 East 117th Street, Manhattan, NY, United States
Image: www.nyrp.org
Free, outdoor yoga classes are a great way for the entire family to stay fit! Every Saturday in June through September, hour-long sessions are led by certified yoga teachers from the Harlem Yoga Studio. Come out and start your Saturday with a fulfilling and exciting workout. Mats will be provided for temporary use.
Stay tuned to NYRP’s (New York Restoration Project) Facebook page or Twitter feed (@nyrp) for up-to-date information about weather or other schedule changes!

Metlife Health and Fitness Expo
2014-07-19 10:00 - 15:00 | Metlife Stadium, 1 MetLife Stadium Dr, East Rutherford, NJ, 07073, United States
On July 19 and 20 at MetLife Stadium NBC 4 New York and the New York Giants are thrilled to welcome you to their second annual Health and Fitness Expo. At this free family-friendly event attendees can watch healthy cooking demonstrations, learn how to Zumba, even meet a NY Giants player on the field!

Courtly Costumes Family Art Workshop
2014-07-19 10:00 - 15:00 | Madison Square Park, between Madison Ave and 23rd St., Manhattan , NY, 10010, United States
Image: New York Renaissance Fair
Ever wanted to design courtly costumes outdoors with your kids? Whether or not you answered yes, the opportunity exists at Madison Square Park! Don’t miss the chance to get creative while getting a breathe of fresh air, at a workshop that is guaranteed to be a lot of fun next Saturday.
The workshop will gather on the East Lawn of Madison Square Park, and there are two sessions: 10AM-12PM & 1PM-3PM, so come whenever it suits you and your family!

Summer E-Waste Collection Series: College of Manhattan
2014-07-19 10:00 - 16:00 | College of Staten Island, 2800 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY, 10314, United States
Recycle your e-waste in an environmentally responsible way by bringing it to one of the summer drop-off events! On July 19th, The Lower East Side Ecology Center will be collecting e-waste in parking lot 6 at the College of Staten Island. For more information about the event, email the Lower East Side Ecology Center at info@lesecologycenter.org
They are accepting the following working and non-working equipment:
• Computers (laptops & desktops, servers, mainframes)
• Monitors
• Printers, scanners, fax-machines, copiers
• Network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.)
• Peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, cords, chargers, etc.)
• Tablets and E-readers
• Components (hard drives, CD-ROMs, circuit boards, power supplies, etc.)
• TVs, VCRs, DVRs, & DVD Players
• Digital Converter Boxes, Cable/Satellite Receivers
• Portable music players
• Audio-visual equipment
• Video-games
• Cell phones, pagers, PDAs
• Telecommunication (phones, answering machines, etc.)
They cannot accept home appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators, or air conditioners and they also cannot accept ionization smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors (those that are labeled as containing radioactive material). For information on how to dispose of these items, click linked item.
Please note: To recycle media, such as disks, CDs, and VHS tapes please recycle with Green Disk. They can also accept media but suggest a donation of $.50 per item to cover the disposal costs.
For more information on e-waste click here.

Native Garden Installation at Detective Joseph Mayrose Park
2014-07-19 11:00 - 15:00 | Detective Joseph Mayrose Park, 346 17th Street , Brooklyn, NY, United States
Join the Gowanus Canal Conservancy and NYC Wildflower Week as they install a native plant garden into Detective Joseph Mayrose Park!
In addition to the garden installation, they will be performing garden and tree stewardship in the surrounding green space.
A BBQ lunch will be provided at the end of the work day.

Stop 'N' Swap in Westchester Square, Bronx
2014-07-19 12:00 - 15:00 | Westchester Square in Owen Dolen Park, 2551 Westchester Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10461, United States
From http://trexnyc.blogspot.com/
GrowNYC’s community “swaps” provide the perfect opportunity to find new homes for things you no longer need. By taking home items that you can use, you are also helping to prevent waste from production, packaging and transportation required to get new things. Bring clean, reusable, portable items such as clothing, house wares, games, books, & toys that you no longer need, and take home something new-to-you, free! You don’t have to bring something to take something. No furniture or large items, please.
GrowNYC’s Office of Recycling Outreach and Education coordinates Stop ‘N’ Swap in order to facilitate waste prevention and material reuse. This event is also in need of volunteers. Prospective volunteers must first register in order to sign up for activities. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older.
For more information, including an FAQ and rules of conduct, visit the GrowNYC’s website here.
