What is permaculture? I had to look in the dictionary for this one. Permaculture: “An agricultural system or method that seeks to integrate human activity with natural surroundings so as to create highly efficient self-sustaining ecosystems.” Who knew? I’d never even heard the term permaculture before I met Claudia Joseph two weeks ago. But for years now, Joseph has been hard at work bringing permaculture to Park Slope. Joseph is currently the Environmental Education Director of the Old Stone House as well as the President of the Board of Directors of the Garden of Union, fittingly on Union …

First, some bad news: Even if you follow New York City’s recycling guidelines religiously and use the Park Slope Food Coop to fill in the gaps, you’ve only just begun.   But here’s the good news: Forging ahead into the wilds of the recycling frontier is much easier than it sounds. Honestly, it’s virtually pain free. So get ready to gather up all that useless crap cluttering your apartment and dispose of it the green way. Not only will you feel like an earth-loving saint, your apartment will look fantastic.  The Lower East Side Ecology Center, a non-profit organization whose core mission is to…

My name is Kim and I do not live green.  An earthy brown perhaps, maybe with a hint of moss. But a true emerald? Not even on my best day. There. I’ve said it. I’ve come clean. To be honest, it’s kind of a relief.  But before the ecologically virtuous among you try to run me out of Park Slope on a rail, know this: I want to change.  You see, in other areas of my life I am not selfish or boorish. I actually aspire to choose right over wrong. I have committed myself passionately to a range of causes, political and personal. I care about the condition of my neighborhood and the future of our …