Why should people care about trees? What are the benefits trees provide for the environment, human health, happiness etc.?
Trees provide a wide range of benefits. The NYC Urban Forest delivers an estimated $260 million in environmental, public health, infrastructure, and energy benefits to New Yorkers annually.
Trees can also improve the mental health and well-being of people by reducing stress and promoting healing and contemplation. They improve air quality by removing impurities from the air, helping to reduce respiratory illnesses. They also provide cooling and shade on hot days, which is especially relevant given our changing climate; studies from CDC have shown that heat waves cause more deaths than all other natural disasters combined. Cooling our communities also decreases our use of air conditioners, which strain our energy grid and contribute to blackouts.
On top of that, trees have long held deep cultural, spiritual, and artistic value. Urban trees, and their care, can build cohesive communities by fostering stronger connections between neighbors and establishing people’s sense of place, resulting in more resilient communities physically and emotionally.
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Christine Campbell, Central Park
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What are some everyday things people can do to protect and nurture urban trees?
We have a great list here: https://www.nyc-eja.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Just-Nature-NYC-Mini-Report-March-2020-PUBLIC.pdf where you can also learn more about the NYC urban forest, its benefits, and areas for improvement. In a nutshell:
- Support your local grassroots organization’s efforts to advocate for more open and green space.
- Go outside and get to know NYC’s trees by exploring parks and other natural areas
- Visit NYC Street Tree Map https://tree-map.nycgovparks.org/ for information about every street tree in New York City.
- Report dead or damaged street trees and request new street trees be planted on your block. Call 311 or put in a service request with NYC Parks at https://www.nycgovparks.org/ services/forestry/request.
- Water the trees near you, whether in your backyard or along the street, especially during the hot days of summer
- Expand the NYC urban forest by planting and/or caring for trees at your home, school, work, or place of worship.
- Tell the Mayor and your Council Member to increase the budget for NYC Parks.
- Ask your Council Member to make the planting, care and protection of trees a budget priority.
- Ask your Community Board to support the planting, care, and maintenance of trees in your community.
How can people support the New York City Urban Forest Agenda?
People can learn more and download the New York City Urban Forest Agenda by visiting the coalition website: ForestForAll.nyc. If you like what you see, consider joining the coalition and share it with family, friends, and colleagues. You can also follow Forest For All NYC via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. People can also learn more about the Nature Conservancy’s Future Forest initiative here: https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/new-york/stories-in-new-york/future-forest-nyc/ and followThe Nature Conservancy in New York at @Nature_ny, and me at @NYC_Nature.
(SW)
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Let’s be Plastic Free
Personal Care Products
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All Good Sunscreen Butter (https://allgoodproducts.com/) is an SPF 50, water resistant sunscreen which comes in a metal tin. All the ingredients are organic, so there are no toxic chemicals that are found in conventional sunscreens. The active ingredient is non-nano zinc oxide; non-nano means it won't penetrate your skin, so it is the safest option to use for human health. Since it’s a cream, I found it easier to control than liquid sunblocks. A little went a long way, and it blended in well with no greasy feeling. Because all the ingredients are non-toxic and non-nano, it is also safer for marine life and coral reefs. At $10 for one ounce, it is a bit on the pricey side, but I found it to be less expensive than comparable products (i.e. other non-plastic, eco-friendly sunscreens).(KG)
Linear Beauty Cocoa Lotion Bar (https://linearbeauty.com/) is a multi-purpose body lotion made from all organic ingredients, including cocoa butter and shea butter. The bar can be used directly on the skin or by first rubbing between your hands and then applying. For my dry skin, I found it to be super absorbent with a mild, pleasant odor. Also it works great as a lip balm! One ounce with metal tin sells for $12 and refills are $10 for one or $26 for a three-pack. The price is competitive with other bar lotions.(KG)
Wellow Deodorant (https://bewellow.com/products/deodorant) If you google ‘plastic-free deodorant’, you will be amazed at the number of available options that you’ve never heard of. There are also zero or low waste deodorants/antiperspirants, which can include some plastic but are refillable. Even some mainstream brands like Secret and Dove have offerings, so we encourage you to try something newer, greener and less toxic. I chose Wellow because it won a Treehugger best of 2021 green award, is based in NYC, and comes in a cute compostable cardboard package. Plus it has clean ingredients and 3 appealing scents like 'Bergamot and Citrus'. To my great relief, I (and my clothes!) smell better with Wellow deodorant than I ever did with any of my previous antiperspirants, and less frequent clothes washing is needed. I sometimes feel less dry under the arms (which is to be expected when switching from an anti-perspirant to a deodorant) but this seems like a good trade-off, since I'm at an age where I don't sweat like I used to. I’m also apparently at an age where I'm willing to pay $12 ($10 if you buy 3) to support a local company offering all these benefits in a zero waste adorable package! (KW)
Kate W ( (itseasybeinggreen.kate@gmail.com)
Karen G (itseasybeinggreen.karen@gmail.com)
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If, like me, you were devastated when the Mayor suspended the brown bin compost pick-up during the pandemic, you will again, like me, be delighted to know it’s coming back. Starting in the fall, the Sanitation Department will restart curbside pick-up of food scraps. If your building was already composting, sign up couldn’t be easier. Your management company or Super can follow the link below to re-enroll in the program. If your building has not signed up but would like to, the only additional thing you’ll have to do is arrange to get the brown bins delivered to your building.
Word on the street is that the sooner buildings sign up and the greater the number in a given area, the sooner curbside food scrap pick up will start again in that neighborhood. I would encourage buildings who used to compost to sign up again quickly. For those of you who live in buildings that don’t yet compost, please reach out to your management company and your board members to see if you can get your building to sign on. You may have to recruit some of your neighbors to back you up. We also have a flyer which outlines all the benefits to composting that you can share with your management company and board members. For building superintendents who are resistant they can be put in touch with Supers who compost and let them hear first hand what the benefits are. (We can help with that too!)
Composting Benefits Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwG8OTKa8AC7ZW50R20wTzU0N2lGTEw4elEwV3hibDBhVTFv/view?resourcekey=0-vzFffxX07BR4qbTdTW9n4g
The overwhelming consensus is that building staff and Supers actually love the composting program because it keeps the smelly garbage concentrated in one place, a locked brown bin, leaving the bulk of the trash odor and vermin free.
Link to sign up for curbside compost pick up:
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/site/services/food-scraps-and-yard-waste-page/overview-residents-organics
(CC)
Note – the Sanitation Department webpage says that board members can sign up for the curbside pick up as well, but, as a board member, when I went on to sign up, there was no option other than owner, manager or super.
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Legislative
Thanks to Beyond Plastics for sending us this news!
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NYC Councilmember Helen Rosenthal's long-awaited plastic straws and stirrers bill is now a law and will take effect on November 21, 2021.
Once November 21st rolls around, this means that a plastic straw will be provided only if a customer requests one and those pesky plastic stirrers and splash guards will be banned outright.
This legislation will help prevent millions of single-use plastic straws, stirrers and splashguards from getting littered, buried, or burned.
Thanks to our subscribers for calling, signing petitions, and spreading the word to help pass this important law. Your efforts made this happen.
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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can make a difference; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead
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