Connect The Dots From Roosevelt Island Haki Compost Food Scrap Drop Off Site To Society Wide Food Justice Issues - Also, Upcoming Roosevelt Island Green Initiatives & Events, Volunteers Needed, Plant Identification Workshop, Pollinator Storytime & Let's Talk Food, Free Ice Cream Too

Last June 19, the Big Reuse Compost Bike Tour visited Roosevelt Island to learn about Haki Compost Collective's Roosevelt Island Food Scrap drop off site from Haki volunteer Christina Delfico 

During their visit, Big Reuse representative Gil Lopez connected the dots between individuals dropping off their food scraps for composting and society wide food justice issues.

Roosevelt Island resident and Haki volunteer Christina Delfico is also the founder of iDig2Learn. Ms Delfico reports on upcoming Roosevelt Island green initiatives and events.

Thanks to RISA's Summer Fest, GRIN & iDig2Learn were able to return 1,400 pounds of DSNY processed compost to Roosevelt Island residents and groups like the Senior Center last Saturday at the Haki Compost food scrap drop off bins.  Food Scraps are collected every Saturday from 9am to 2pm next to the farmers market.  If you are interested in volunteering with Haki there will be a training session this Saturday 8/7 from 10:30am to 12:30pm.  RSVP to hakicompost@gmail.com by noon Friday 8/6.

August 2021:  Upcoming iDig2Learn Free Happenings

Saturday, August 7th at 11am 

Free Join iDig2Learn & Socrates at SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
All Ages Adults & Children Welcome
SATURDAY AUGUST 7   •   11AM – 1PM  •  PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED  •  ALL AGES WELCOME  •  FREE!
Join Socrates Director of Education Douglas Paulson & Educator Christina Delfico of iDig2Learn for a workshop that weaves art-making and plant identification together! We will explore the Park, learn about what’s growing around us, and try some drawing and seeing techniques. No prior experience with drawing or plant identification is necessary.
This workshop is the second in a three-part series: Seeing Spring, Seeing Summer, & Seeing Fall. You can participate in any or all of the workshops in the series!

Monday, August 9th at 2pm
Pollinator Storytime 

Outdoors (weather permitting).
In Person Pollinator Storytime with Librarian Ms. Jen & iDig2Learn

Looking for something to do with the kids on a lovely Monday afternoon?
Join Ms. Jen from the Roosevelt Island Library Branch & iDig2Learn at the Secret (not-so-secret) Garden for a storytime all about pollinators.  Located at Blackwell House Park North, we will be in the grassy oasis behind the renovated Youth Center & new library just above the sandbox playground near Roosevelt Landings facing Queens.
If it rains, we will meet in the community room at the library!

Sunday, August 15th from 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Join iDig2Learn for the Scoop on Bellies, Bins & Beauty!

iDig2Learn is excited to launch a new initiative to more deeply value food.  
It's called Bellies, Bins and Beauty and we are looking for partners to make the initiative a success. Think food into Bellies, then food scraps into Bins for processing into compost, then Beauty that comes from within from compost-grown food and beauty all around our neighborhood with community plantings of flowers and trees.  We want to hear your ideas.
Please RSVP & join iDig2Learn on the terrace of The Cafe on Cornell Tech's Roosevelt Island campus for a free scoop of ice cream or vegan non-dairy sorbet to get the scoop on Bellies, Bins & Beauty.
Please RSVP to iDig2Learn@gmail.com with the words ICE CREAM in the subject line if you can make it.

Space is limited.

 

Here's the full video.

RIOC Agrees To Reposition New Southpoint Park Shoreline Benches To Face East River Waterfront View After Residents Complain Of Bizarre Placement Looking Away From Water - RIOC Appreciates And Considers Community Feedback Says Spokesperson

Reported last Monday: 

Roosevelt Island resident Matt Katz shares this message he sent today to Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Shelton Haynes:

I visited Southpoint Park this past weekend and was appalled to see the new benches located on the new east promenade walk.  

They are ugly, look uncomfortable and were placed bizarrely, facing, at one point, the brick wall at Strecker Laboratory rather than the East Channel of the East River.  

Clearly, no resident, no future user of the facility, was ever included in the decision making for the project.  There are several experienced resident members of the RIOC board of directors, not to mention a Roosevelt Island Residents Association, that could have been consulted should common sense been lacking in the landscape architects hired for the project. 

It is not too late to reconsider the placement and nature of the seating and I hope RIOC will do so before the benches are, literally, set in stone. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @rooseveltislander

I asked the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) on Monday:

Why are new Southpoint Point shoreline renovations facing inside the park and not the East River?

Is there any seating facing the East River?

Will Rioc change benches so they face East River?

RIOC Public Information Officer Amy Smith replied today:

The seating design, including directional positioning, were all part of the original plan for the beautification of Southpoint Park. However, after reviewing the current layout and taking the height of protective berms into consideration, there are areas where seating can and will be repositioned or added so visitors are able to enjoy a view of Manhattan’s skyline.

As always, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation not only appreciates but truly takes into consideration, community feedback.

Anticipated opening will be early fall. 

Visitors to the new Roosevelt Island Shoreline East Promenade pathway and seating will now be able to enjoy the Queens and Brooklyn waterfront view as shown in this early RIOC rendering of the project.

Let's see where RIOC places the seating on the Southpoint Park shoreline west promenade facing Manhattan. Here's an early rendering

of the site.

San Francisco Offering Booster Shots To Some Who Received Single Dose Johnson & Johnson Covid 19 Vaccine - NYC Mayor & Health Commissioner Asked About A Booster Shot For Johnson & Johnson Covid 19 Vaccine Here

As previously reported:

... during the weekend of March 13-14, Duane Reade/Walgreens vaccinated almost 1300 people with the Johnson & Johnson single dose Covid 19 vaccine at a pop-up clinic site in the Roosevelt Island Senior Center. ...

On August 3, a reporter asked NYC Mayor Bill deBlasio about possible booster shots for those who, like like the Mayor himself, and many Roosevelt Island residents, received the single dose Johnson & Johnson Covid 19 vaccine.

 ... Question: And I also wanted to ask we saw a report from our sister station actually in San Francisco reporting that San Francisco General Hospital is going to start giving booster shots, mRNA booster shots to people who took the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. I know that you took the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Have you heard anything about that? Is that something that you would do yourself? Would you take a booster shot?    

Mayor: Well, I’ll turn in a moment to my fellow Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Dr. Dave Chokshi, and obviously if Dr. Katz or Dr. Varma want to add. I'm ready to take a booster shot whenever the time is right and whenever the priority is right, because as with everything, if we're introducing any new piece to the equation, we want to make sure that those who need it most get it first. But if at any point it's determined that booster shots are advisable, I'm certainly ready when my turn comes. With that, Dr. Chokshi.   

Commissioner Dave Chokshi, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. We are following the science very closely on this, particularly in the context of the Delta variant. At this moment, we are not recommending booster shots for any individuals based on our scientific understanding right now. However, there is some evidence, and it is growing, that booster shots may be a recommended or required a little bit further down the road. If that happens, it's most likely to be prioritized for people who are immunocompromised, potentially older individuals as well, but this is an area where we need to ensure that we follow the science as well as the recommendations from the FDA on it. So, this is an area for us to stay tuned, but I want to give that clear message that at this moment, we are not recommending booster shots for anyone, including those who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 

San Francisco residents who received Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID vaccine will be able to get a booster shot later this week at Zuckerberg S.F. General Hospital.https://t.co/Oy709Sr4uk

— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) August 3, 2021

According to NBC News:

The San Francisco Department of Public Health will offer what it is calling a "supplemental" dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine to anyone who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccination, but city officials said the move does not reflect a policy change and it is not recommending a booster shot....

Here's more info on the Covid 19 booster shot being given to some in San Francisco who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine

The Center For Disease Control has a Q&A on the Johnson & Johnson Covid 19 vaccine and Yale Medicine reviews Covid 19 booster info.

Visitor Reviews Roosevelt Island Manhattan Park Pool - Is $50 Daily Fee Worth It, Watch Video And Find Out

More info on the Manhattan Park Pool Club here.

Scenes From Roosevelt Island National Night Out Against Crime This Evening At Good Shepherd Plaza, Residents Meet RIOC Public Safety Officers And Enjoy Free Ice, Hot Dogs & Popcorn Too

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Back To School Is On the Horizon So Plan Ahead, August 9 Is Last Day For Your Child To Be Fully Vaccinated With Pfizer Vaccine Before September 13 School Start Date Says NYC Mayor Bill deBlasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter & NYC Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi

Vaccines are our passport out of this pandemic, and every person vaccinated is another person protected from COVID-19. As a parent, I encourage all families preparing to return to @NYCSchools this fall to get your student age 12+ vaxxed by August 9. More: https://t.co/2OCzNOcSF5 pic.twitter.com/1pOfT45smb

— Chancellor Meisha Porter (@DOEChancellor) August 3, 2021

Back-to-School is on the Horizon, so Plan Ahead: Get Vaccinated by August 9

By Meisha Porter and Dr. Dave A. Chokshi

In early July, we were elated to welcome students to classrooms for Summer Rising, the City’s free summer academic and enrichment program. Children were clearly excited to be back with their teachers and friends, and those feelings have only grown over the past few weeks. In an elementary school in East Harlem, youngsters proudly displayed the solar-powered ovens they’d built to cook s’mores. In a school in Chinatown, students gasped with joy over the “magical” science experiments performed by Jason Latimer of YouTube’s Impossible Science channel. And in a school in the Bronx, students dove into their lessons and demonstrated an outdoor mindfulness activity.

Experiences like these are reflected in the smiles of hundreds of thousands of children who are in school to learn, play, connect, and grow this summer. Both children and their parents are grateful to have this bridge to the next school year.

We see the first day of school—Monday, September 13—as a homecoming. In fact, it comes shortly after NYC Homecoming Week, a five-borough celebration of the city’s resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we think ahead to the fall, the health and safety of students and school communities are at the forefront of our planning. We are asking New Yorkers to help with a crucial part of this work: get vaccinated. If your child is between 12 and 17 years old, August 9 is the last day for your child to get the Pfizer vaccine in order to be fully vaccinated in time for school.

This date is important to remember because the vaccine for adolescents involves a two-dose regimen, and it takes two weeks from the second shot for someone to be considered fully vaccinated. So, think of this as your doctor’s orders: Schedule your vaccine today if you have not already.

Safely and fully reopening schools this fall is a milestone for our city, and we are eager to see students back in their school communities. We are doing everything in our power to create a safe learning environment—from disinfecting every school, to re-configuring classrooms and improving ventilation, to stocking up on face masks and hand sanitizer.

And last week, Mayor de Blasio announced that school staff must show a one-time proof of vaccination or weekly COVID-19 tests. The new requirement recognizes that the single most important way we can help our children go back to learning, and save lives, is with vaccination.

As parents ourselves, we know the decision to vaccinate is important, and we would do anything to protect our children. The vaccine is safe and very effective. Over 250,000 young New Yorkers have now gotten the shot.

At school, vaccination allows children to be in the classroom, participate in afterschool activities and sports, and gather with friends—safely. It also provides a more stable learning environment, (for example, students who are considered fully vaccinated are not required to quarantine).  

Getting the shot has never been easier in New York City. Access to vaccination is widely available in all five boroughs, and the City is offering a new $100 incentive for anyone (including children) who gets their first dose at a City-run site. Nearly all New Yorkers live within half a mile of a public vaccination site, and everyone is eligible to request and receive at-home vaccination. Pediatricians and other health care providers can also help answer questions, and many are able to give the COVID-19 vaccine at a back-to-school check-up, along with other routine immunizations. If you need a provider, call 1-844-NYC-4NYC and you will be transferred.

We’re so excited to welcome all New York City students back into classrooms in September. Because of vaccination, our buildings will soon be fully open and our young people will be learning. We deeply appreciate the partnership of the city’s families and the commitment to keeping our school communities safe and healthy.

Meisha Porter is Chancellor of the NYC Department of Education

Dave A. Chokshi, MD, MSc, is Commissioner of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Parents: There is nothing more protective than vaccination. Your 12- to 17-year-olds should get their first dose of the Pfizer #COVID19 vaccine by August 9 so that they are fully vaccinated when school starts: https://t.co/nTpNnVPgBP pic.twitter.com/NEj3a5udik

— Commissioner Dave A. Chokshi, MD (@NYCHealthCommr) August 3, 2021

Residents Tell RIOC President They Are Appalled At New Roosevelt Island Shoreline Project Benches, Described As Ugly, Uncomfortable Looking And Bizarrely Face Away From East River - Put Them On Truck And Haul Away Says RI Historical Society President

Roosevelt Island resident Matt Katz shares this message he sent today to Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Shelton Haynes:

I visited Southpoint Park this past weekend and was appalled to see the new benches located on the new east promenade walk.  

They are ugly, look uncomfortable and were placed bizarrely, facing, at one point, the brick wall at Strecker Laboratory rather than the East Channel of the East River.  

Clearly, no resident, no future user of the facility, was ever included in the decision making for the project.  There are several experienced resident members of the RIOC board of directors, not to mention a Roosevelt Island Residents Association, that could have been consulted should common sense been lacking in the landscape architects hired for the project. 

It is not too late to reconsider the placement and nature of the seating and I hope RIOC will do so before the benches are, literally, set in stone. 

I took a look today too.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @rooseveltislander

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @rooseveltislander

Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) President Judy Berdy agrees:

As I wrote in today's FROM THE ARCHIVES, the new benches at Soutpointh Park should be put on a truck and hauled away.  

The are ugly, do not sit more than one person, are too low, are not accessible to disabled. GET THEM OFF THE ISLAND, or RiOC will be the laughing stock of the City.

and adds;

... RIOC WAS LEFT ON THEIR OWN TO MESS UP SOUTHPOINT PARK. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN EVERYONE WAS SUPPOSEDLY “WORKING FROM HOME.” AN PANDEMIC OF BAD DESIGN.

I asked RIOC:

Why are new Southpoint Point shoreline renovations facing inside the park and not the East River?

Is there any seating facing the East River?

Will Rioc change benches so they face East River?

Will update if RIOC answers.

RIOC President Shelton Haynes' Executive Assistant Aida Morales replied to Mr Katz:

Thank you for reaching out. Mr. Haynes and the team will review and provide an update very soon. 

The RIOC rendering 

presented to the community for the Southpoint Park Shoreline project  had benches facing the East River.

RISA Hosts Summerfest Celebration Last Saturday At Good Shepherd Plaza Joining Local Vendors And Organizations To Re-Imagine, Re-Purpose & Re-Design The Island - Upcoming Event Is Job Fair & Limitless Rack, We Need To Lock Hands Together To Better Our Community Says RISA VP

Last Saturday, the Roosevelt Island Seniors Association (RISA) hosted a Summerfest Community Celebration bringing local vendors and organizations to Good Shepherd Plaza. According to RISA Vice President Andrea Jackson:

.... We're attempting here today to bring the community together.  I really believe in joining together of people and upholding them, uplifting them, building them up, and not pulling them down.

We have such a wonderful wealth of knowledge and and talent on the Island. We need to expand on that and less on the things that are more negative . They're important and they do have their place but I think we have a wonderful community here and there's so much to learn and benefit from. 

We like to re-purpose, re-imagine re- design and that means all of the facets of Roosevelt Island. We need to think differently, we need to operate differently, we need to uphold each other, we need to lock hands together and build this wonderful community and put it in the place where it's supposed to be from the very beginning ....

... Most of our vendors are environmentally friendly. They're either re-purposing re-designing and re-using items but they're very good items.

We have Cornell Cafe who's giving out free goodies so you should come and get it. We also have iDig2Learn and they're also composting,  putting fruits, vegetables, everything from the earth back into the earth, that's where it belongs . We also have macrame that is naughty and nice and that is taking those things and creating other things out of it re-imagining again re-thinking what we're doing and re-designing things on the island. ...

 ... What we have upcoming next would be a job fair so we'll have about 15 different agencies and vendors so that we can help people develop home-based businesses so that if there is a time where they have to be at home or work from home or unemployed ...  this is an opportunity for you to garner all of that information.... 

We will also have the Limitless Rack that will be free clothing, shoes and accessories for those that want to do either a Zoom Skype or in-person interview that will be available for you here. Interviewing techniques, resume review this is stuff that we really need and I don't see that happening. See we're uplifting , we're increasing and strengthening our own community from the inside out.