New York City

New York City

New York City's First Green Billboard Set for Times Square

Thu

Jul

Times Square is about to receive New York City's first green-powered electronic billboard. Tokyo-based Ricoh Company, Ltd. will install a 47 by 126 foot sign on the Reuters Building (3 Times Square, at the northwestern corner of 42nd Street and 7th Avenue) that will draw power from 45 solar panels and 4 wind turbines. In what should be an interesting twist, if the photovoltaics do not receive sufficient sunlight or winds are not strong enough to drive the turbines, the sign will simply not illuminate. According to Ricoh, the installation should account for a reduction of 18 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Staten Island’s Markham Gardens: Top Ten Eco-Friendly Neighborhood?

Fri

Jan

by Stephen Del Percio

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This month’s issue of Natural Home magazine includes a list of the top ten eco-friendly neighborhoods in the U.S. At number ten, it includes Markham Gardens, an affordable housing development in the West Brighton section of Staten Island’s north shore. In 2004, the New York City Housing Authority ("NYCHA") announced plans to demolish the development, which featured low-rise, duplex homes with front and backyards. Tenants turned to the Pratt Institute for Community Development for help in saving their homes. Pratt determined that the housing complex (which was originally built in 1943 for World War II shipyard laborers) was structurally sound and historically significant, but “significant rehabilitation” was necessary. NYCHA subsequently agreed to build 350 to 400 new units and give all tenants the right to return with rents no more than 30 percent of their income.