Dear BusinessBecause reader:

As a born and raised New Yorker, I’m thrilled to share with you some insight into green adventures in the Big Apple!

Sometimes, inhabitants and visitors alike need to break away from the City – the noise, the skyscrapers, and even other people – and receive a healthy dose of nature and its many offerings. Travel Channel named Central Park as “the granddaddy of all parks” in its “Urban Parks: Even City Slickers Love the Outdoors” article, but there’s so much more where that came from. From the City’s urban parks to our famous greenmarkets to accessible public transportation to a plethora of thrift stores, the City is known as one of the greenest in the world.

In terms of green living, with several locations throughout Manhattan, Whole Foods Market provides receptacles for plastic recycling. Tekserve holds electronic-waste recycling drives throughout the five boroughs. Many companies, such as mine, use recycled paper with a high percentage of post-consumer waste whenever possible. Other green initiatives include recycling batteries, ink jet cartridges, CFL light bulbs, clothes and food waste (also known as composting) – learn more from the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education website. Speaking of food, a listing of restaurants can be found at the Green Restaurant Association’s website, and if you’re around for annual event “Eat Drink Local Week”, then you’re in luck! Similar to NYC’s biannual Restaurant Week, the event celebrates New York State’s farmers, chefs, and food cornucopia from the season’s harvest, resulting in greater awareness on regional agriculture and by extension the Slow Food Movement.

So what else is there? Now that you’ve recharged your own batteries and you’re ready to meet people, there’s the regular social networking event hosted by Green Drinks NYC. You can join in on plenty of Meetup groups too, such as New York Corporate Social Responsibility and Green City Challenge. If you have a fascination with green buildings, there are the NYC Green Buildings Open House and National Solar Tour organized annually by GreenHomeNYC, which has been profiling NY green buildings in their New York Green Building Database since 2002. You can also learn more about the City’s green infrastructure through the Urban Green Council, the New York Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Now, if you want to explore New York State, you’ll just have to wait until my next entry, but in the meantime, Examiner.com’s “Ecotourism in America: New York eco-itinerary” article can keep you company. Leaving you with this final thought,
“From the boats at Ellis Island to the border with Canada, New York takes all comers. It will suck you in.” - John Ur, (Cinematic Road Trip: New York – Intelligent Travel Blog).

Talk to you later!

Kaity

Kaity is best known as I LOVE NY’s first ever Greenest New Yorker. Honored on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, she garnered this title through her various volunteer and work experiences at places such as the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation department at the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Restoration Project on the MillionTreesNYC initiative.

As Kaity concluded her reign, she joined Bright Power to tackle numerous administrative tasks and spread the word about BP's unique energy efficiency and solar capabilities. When not making sure the office is running smoothly and sustainably, she enjoys traveling, training for the next big race, and expanding her skills and networks as an aspiring MBA candidate. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Metropolitan Studies from New York University.