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It's Easy Being Green Newsletter    January 2022
In This Issue: Transportation, NYS Fashion Law,  Year's Best Plastic Free Products, Compost Resources, Reading Corner

Transportation Alternatives
 An Organization with a Plan
Source: Scott Heins/TA
Since 1972, Transportation Alternatives (TA) has been working on reclaiming New York City’s streets from the automobile. Their advocacy over the years has led to protected bike lanes, a speed camera program, lowering the citywide speed limit and more. Their current NYC 25x25 plan is planet friendly, focused on pedestrian safety, alternative use of public space and more. We interviewed Executive Director, Danny Harris to learn more details about this ambitious plan.
 

Would you briefly describe the mission/goals of Transportation Alternatives (TA)?

 Transportation Alternatives believes that public space currently used for the movement and storage of cars belongs to people and we are working with New Yorkers in every borough to reclaim our streets.
 Streets should serve the needs of all New Yorkers. For example, if we convert one-quarter of current car space into space for people, every New Yorker could live within a quarter-mile of a protected bus lane, protected bike lane, and public green space — and that’s just the start.
 

TA has developed NYC 25 X25, an ambitious plan to “TO SAVE OUR HEALTH, OUR SAFETY, OUR ENVIRONMENT, AND OUR ECONOMY BY MAKING BETTER USE OF NEW YORK CITY’S STREETS''. How is implementation going? Is Mayor Adams on board?

Mayor Adams endorsed NYC 25x25, our vision to reclaim 25 percent of New York City’s streets from cars for people by 2025. Our new policy agenda, Seven Steps to Save our Streets, builds on that vision with actionable steps Mayor Adams and his administration should take to achieve NYC 25x25.
 So far, the administration has made several announcements fulfilling items from our report. Most notably, the mayor plans to redesign 1,000 intersections around the city for safety and DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriuguez committed to upgrading 50% of the city’s plastic-protected bike lanes with sturdier protection.
 
As mentioned in NYC 25x25 the plan will have impacts on the environment. What do you see are the most important environmental benefits of your plan?

On a systemic level, less space for cars will reduce the heat island effect and particulate matter in the air, which contribute to hospitalizations for health issues like asthma. On an individual level, deprioritizing car space can save lives, especially in New York City’s poorest neighborhoods. 
Converting 25 percent of car space to better use could be the singular factor that helps New York City reach its climate goals because cars are a major source of air pollution in New York City, with one car emitting 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. Less space for cars will mean less air pollution, a smaller carbon footprint, and more space for alternatives that are significantly less toxic to the environment.
 

NYC 25x25 calls for a reduction of cars, for conversion of street parking spots into space for people and for the addition of metered spots.  How would you respond to car owners who may balk at the idea of reducing spots and paying for street parking spaces?

City streets are rich with the potential to serve the public good and improve the lives of all New Yorkers — if only that space were not devoted to the movement and storage of cars owned by a minority of New Yorkers.
 Our polling shows that overwhelming majorities of New York City voters of all ages and races and in every borough support adding more space for people, even if it means losing parking spaces. Here are just a few examples: 84 percent wanted more space for children to play, 68 percent supported adding more protected bike lanes to their neighborhoods, and 63 percent supported expanding Open Streets.
  
Pedestrian safety from cars, as well as bicycles and ebikes is a concern in our neighborhood. How does the plan propose to monitor those drivers and riders who act recklessly?

Building safe streets is core to our work at TA. We support greater investments in Vision Zero and are glad to see Mayor Eric Adams and DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez committed to redesigning intersections for safety and upgrading bike lanes.
 We’re calling on the City to adopt a “Safe Systems” approach to safety — the idea that to prevent injuries and deaths on our roads, we must employ a variety of tactics that reduce harm. This means employing traffic-calming redesigns to reduce speeding, crashes, and injuries, as well as adding protected bike lanes, widening sidewalks, and reducing opportunities for crashes to occur.
 

Are planet-friendly ideas for public transportation in your plan? If so, what are they?

NYC 25x25 prioritizes bus riders. By reclaiming space from cars, we can build 500 lane miles of new protected bus-only lanes, so every New Yorker lives within a quarter mile of a protected bus lane and and 40 lane miles of busways — car-free bus-only routes — on New York City’s most congested streets and most used bus routes.
 These bus lanes will encourage more people to take transit, reducing harmful emissions from cars and other private vehicles.
  
What can readers do if they want to support Transportation Alternative’s efforts?

Our work isn’t possible without our community-led advocacy. It’s easy to become a TA member, plus it’ll get you discounts at local shops, invites to events, and special TA swag – join here.
We also have committees in every borough organizing neighbors, working with elected officials, and building grassroots support for positive changes on our streets. Join a committee here.
Let's be Plastic Free

Before we begin a second year of suggesting new plastic free product ideas, we thought it would be useful to review our best ideas from 2021. What products do we still use and love? There was a lot to choose from but we winnowed it down to our favorites, shown below (not in order of preference):

  1. Shampoo bars (reviewed IEBG nov/dec21) are super effective and pleasant to use, and, along with conditioner bars, will noticeably reduce the plastic clutter (and the potential for spillage) in your bathroom and travel bag.
     

  2. Laundry Strips (reviewed IEBG feb21) are a game changer when replacing liquids in heavy plastic jugs - no lugging, measuring or spilling necessary! The top brands are packaged in cardboard sleeves that are lightweight and practically flat. Sheets are pre-measured, but you can tear them to size as needed. More on this next month!
     

  3. E-cloth general purpose cloths (also IEBG feb21) are exceptional for dusting and other tasks. When dampened with water and used in conjunction with the glass & polishing cloth, they will give you the cleanest windows, mirrors and stainless steel you've ever seen! No more need for Windex, or many specialty sprays or wasteful wipes. Just E-cloths and water! Perfect for French doors and other small pane windows. They last forever and come in many cheerful colors.
     

  4. Blueland foaming hand soap (IEBG feb21) and refillable cleaning sprays (IEBG may20)  still look good and work well after over a year of heavy use. The 3 cleaning sprays (multi-surface, bathroom and glass) work quickly, and leave surfaces sparkling and streak free. The sturdy glass hand soap bottle never tips over, even when empty. All the products have a light pleasant smell, and are so easy to refill - just add a tablet and hot water. Refills now cost $2.50 per tablet, still a bargain compared to the price of a new bottle.
     

  5. Citrus-Scented Dish Soap by Etee (IEBG apr21) is an excellent grease-cutter with a fresh citrus scent. The liquid concentrate, made from 100% eco-friendly plant-based ingredients, comes in compostable wax pods, which you add with water to a refillable  bottle.  Each pod creates 13.5 ounces of dish soap and costs $6.33, which is comparable to other organic dish soaps. Etee sells a glass bottle with pump for $19, or you can use your own dispenser.

Kate W ( (itseasybeinggreen.kate@gmail.com)

Karen G (itseasybeinggreen.karen@gmail.com)
Legislation
New York State is on the Forefront of Sustainability Law in the Fashion Industry

New York is the first state considering legislation which will hold the fashion industry accountable for its role in climate change.  Sponsored by State Senator Alexandra  Biaggia and Assemblywoman Anna Kelles, the Fashion Sustainability and Accountability Act (the Fashion Act) will require all major apparel and footwear companies (over $100 million in revenues)  who do business in New York to: 

  1. Disclose 50% of their supply chain (from farms to factories to shipping) and identify where in that chain they have the greatest social and environmental impact. 
  2. Develop a plan to reduce their imprint as well as ensure that they meet the carbon emissions standards set by the Paris Climate Accord.
  3. Disclose the volume of specific textiles, such as polyester, fur, or leather, that they sell.Report wages paid by their suppliers and how those wages compare with local minimum wages.
Failure to comply would result in fines of up to 2% of their revenue. Funds collected from these fines would go to support environmental justice projects.

This legislation would be truly groundbreaking since nothing like this has been accomplished in any other state in the U.S. or  anywhere in Europe.  The fashion industry accounts for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations.The bill is supported by a coalition of nonprofits including the New Standard Institute, the Natural Resources Defense Fund, the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, and Earth Day, as well as designer Stella McCartney.
Here is more information about this bill: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/07/style/new-york-fashion-sustainability-act.html
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-07/new-york-law-would-require-fashion-companies-show-social-environmental-impact

We can all support this bill by contacting our New York State Senators (https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator) and our Assemblymen/women (https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/search/). 
Residential Compost Resources

See the new Compost Resource Page on IEBG's website, itseasybeinggreen.org. There you will find tips for kitchen management,  how to convince your neighbors and building management to participate and more. Contact us at itseasybeinggreen.uws@gmail.com with questions and comments.  
Reading Corner
Thoughts on What Makes a City Sustainable 

Five ways to make cities healthier and more sustainable
A report by the food an Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 
GVI USA, an organization that runs student and volunteer conservation programs worldwide, gives us what they think of as the five greenest cities.
https://www.gviusa.com/blog/top-5-green-cities-world/

Nine cities with smart ideas to improve transportation
Read Curbed.com‘s take on what it takes to solve a city‘s mass transit problems

"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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