Council on the Environment of New York City Jill Mendelson 51 Chambers St. New York, NY 10007 212/566-0990 • Created in 1970 by ;in executive order from the mayor of NYC, the council is a non-profit citizen organization which is privately funded. Working closely with the mayor's office and other city agencies, they give testimony on certain issues·affecting NYC's environment, host a weekly radio show on environmental issues, have a reference and lending library, and work closely with other grass roots organizations in the c_ity. They are cur~ently_ engaged in four maJor programs dealmg with: 1) Energy Conservation-educating hig? school and college students on energy issues and how to organize their local, communities around these issues; 2) the Greenmarket Program (under the direction of Barry Benepe, 24 W. 40th St., NYC 10018), which boasts eleven farmer's markets throughout the city and has plans for more; 3) An ~ffice Paper Recycling Service which helps offices set up a program to recycle their paper (the _ Chemical Bank is one such office); and 4) The Open Space Greening Pr~ject, which t1;1rns vacant lots into commumty gardens with the help of the Grow Truck-a mobile to~l and book lending library staffed by a hortlcul- . turist who offers free advice to low income people and others. Quite a group! Long Island Appropriate Technology Group Robert Ralph 1200 Washington Dr. Centerport, NY 11721 516/427-0035 Begun in 1975, the _Long Island Approp~iate Technqlogy Group is currently engaged m a variety of projects including a Long Island Food and Energy project which encourages people to garden on the island and to i~~rove their overall health through proper nutrition. They are also working with the Self Man~gement Panel in South Bronx to get worker owned businesses started as well as serving as a contractor for New York City by improving existing heating systems in low income homes through weatherization, oil burner maintenance, etc. They publish a newsletter on "a random basis" and have plans to establish an a.t. library. The Tri-State Small Farms Program New England Small Farmer Project New England Small Farm Institute Center for Rural Communities c/o Sarah Fernandez, Coordinator 114 Draper Hall University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA O 100 3 413/545-0060 These four organizations are all working on the same goals-ge~ting s~all farms g~ing in New England and 1mprovmg the quality of life in rural communities through the use of appropriate technology. Some of _the groups make sure that government age~c1es are ~esponsiv.e to these goals, others g~ve techn_ical advice to farmers, and network mformation between farmers. Others provide resources to people to carry out these goals and lobby to enact small farm legislation. South Carolina Environmental Coalition Bill Frye, Research Director P.o: Box 5761 Columbia, SC 29250 803/799-0321 A non-profit organizati<;>n founded in 1?~3, the South Carolina Environmental Coalition lobbies and educates people on a wide variety of issues such as hazardous waste management miner safety, sane forestry practices, rene~able energy sources, etc. T_he Coalition. has also produced a book on various appropriate ,technology projects throughout the state and continues to be a strong advocate for these issues and others. ' - • Mu . .--o. .. ---<~-... Boston Urban Gardeners Judy Wagner, Co-Director 66 Herefo'rd St. Boston, MA 02115 617 /267-4825 Founded in 1977, BUG is a coalition of organizations and individuals in the greater Boston area who believe in the concept of urban agriculture and are working to make it happen. They are salvaging vacant lots an? turning them into community gardens (with the help of state and local agencies to ~ruck in top soil, etc.), setting up a commumty-run compost business which will compost nonhousehold wastes into rich topsoil for gardens. They encourage the construction of solar greenhouses for year round food production, educate the public (by workshops and newsletters) on urban agriculture, and are . setting up a land trust to purchase commumty gardens and vacant lots. October 1979 RAIN Page 19 New England Alternative Transit John Dowlin 67 Main St., 4th Floor, American Bldg. Brattleboro, VT 05301 802/254-7352 "NEAT is a non-profit citizen group working to strengthen low-cost, energy-efficient transportation alternatives in the New England region." Located in the Brattleboro area, they have set up a ride center to coordinate commuter travel and to help people who wish to bicycle to work. They also network information to other groups in New England who have similar goals and interests. They also work with the Bicycle Network in preparing Network News, a publication of bicycle related stories from various sources. "'f'I ~ .. ~" ,,~ EHENA"se~\'\ gif\18 pf Ti !\'-' {f\ t., _!<·.;"' • Community Self-Reliance, Inc. John E. Taylor 16 Armory St. Northampton, MA 01060 413/586-0543 . •, ·, ·,_~.,.tit o~our <c:.:LO "The goal of CSR is the rebuilding of a local food system based on the New England tradition of individual and community selfreliance." In 1976 they took over operation of the Community Canning Center which provides people with everything they need to can produce- from jars to advice. They've also constructed solar food dryers which can be rented, and offer advice and plans on how to construct your own. They also hold numerous workshops and other educational events which are directed towards low-income, minority, elderly and school-aged people.
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