Brooklyn Grange Installs Passive Green Roof & Solar Panel Array On Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech Campus Tata Innovation Center

Brooklyn Grange:

... farms rooftops, builds green spaces, and promotes sustainable living and local ecology through food, education, and events. We believe that social enterprise is a powerful driver of positive change, and that businesses should be a nourishing part of their community.

Last Tuesday, Brooklyn Grange installed a passive green roof on the Tata Innovation Center (formerly known as the Bridge at Cornell Tech) on the Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech campus.

Transforming your Tuesday with some Cornell Roosevelt Island flavor. SOUND ON. #bgbuilds @… https://t.co/wMbMLU5se8

— Brooklyn Grange (@BrooklynGrange) March 13, 2018

Transforming your Tuesday with some Cornell Roosevelt Island flavor. This Forest City Ratner project is off the chain, with green roof, huge solar panel array, and more! SOUND ON. #bgbuilds

A post shared by Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm (@brooklyngrange) on Mar 13, 2018 at 11:15am PDT

I asked:

Not quite. Just some passive green roofs to help manage storm water and reduce urban heat island effect. Always love working with forward-thinking, eco-conscious developers!

— Brooklyn Grange (@BrooklynGrange) March 13, 2018

The Tata Innvoation Center is:

"The Tata Innovation Center is the physical embodiment of what Cornell Tech is all about” says @cornell_tech’s Dean Dan Huttenlocher. The Tata Innovation Center will bring different industries under one roof, and will spark new ideas that will create a better digital future. pic.twitter.com/563Vm8ybsm

— The Bridge (@BridgeAtCornell) March 7, 2018

The convergence of industry and academia; the birthplace of the future of tech. Join the companies shaping what’s next, along with @cornell_tech’s brightest minds, here at the Tata Innovation Center. https://t.co/fI1dBOqz0y pic.twitter.com/4NYy1vwruz

— The Bridge (@BridgeAtCornell) March 8, 2018

Join @citi, @two_sigma and Ferrero here at The Bridge, now the Tata Innovation Center, where industry-leading innovation converges with the brightest minds at @cornell_tech. https://t.co/fI1dBOqz0y pic.twitter.com/T3Sv8rvfqm

— The Bridge (@BridgeAtCornell) February 28, 2018

and has some fantastic rooftop views too.

Spring will be here soon, and with that, comes the opportunity for outdoor brainstorms to generate ideas as fresh as the Roosevelt Island air. Move your startup to the Tata Innovation Center. https://t.co/fI1dBOqz0y pic.twitter.com/wESEl5BDs0

— The Bridge (@BridgeAtCornell) March 5, 2018

More info on the Tata Innovation Center,

Brooklyn Grange



and everything you want to know about Green Roofs from a Roosevelt Island tour of NYC Parks Department Randall's Island facility Green Roof

Planet Solar Boat Turanor Leaving NYC Travels Past Roosevelt Island On East River This Afternoon - Conducting Ocean Climate Change Experiments

Image From Peter Knowlton

NBC News reports:

The world's largest solar boat, a catamaran called Tûranor, reached New York City Monday afternoon, docking at the North Cove Marina in downtown Manhattan at about 5 p.m. New York is the boat's sixth stop in a trans-Atlantic expedition that began in March in the south of France....

Treehugger adds:

The world's largest solar boat is a catamaran named Tûranor (the name comes from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, it means Master of the Sun) operated by the PlanetSolar Expedition. They've been roaming the oceans for a couple of years, completing a record-breaking 18-month, 37,000-mile trip around the world last year. This year, the PlanetSolar crew are tracking the Gulf Stream, all the way from Miami, Florida, to Bergen in Norway, taking all kinds of water and air measurements along the way, hoping to advance the scientific understanding of this important ocean current and its impacts on the planet's climate.

This week they are stopped in New York City...

Earlier this afternoon, Peter Knowlton spotted the Planet Solar Powered Boat in the East River passing Roosevelt Island and shares these photos.

Images From Peter Knowlton

More on the Solar Powered Boat from Al-Jazeera English,



WNYC"s The Takeaway



and from Planet Solar's own web site

Planet Solar is currently here.

and you can follow its travels here.

Report From RIOC's President - Updates On Various Roosevelt Island Issues & Solar Panels For Motorgate Roof Being Studied

Image of RIOC Logo

RIOC President Steve Shane sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents. Mr. Shane updates us on RIOC Board Nominees, FDR Memorial, Green Rooms/Wild Gardens, Renwick Stabilization, Tram Overhaul, various construction projects, paperless RIOC Board meetings and other issues of concern to Roosevelt Island. Mr. Shane also indicates that RIOC is studying solar panels for the roof of the Motorgate Parking Garage.

September 9, 2009

Back to school after Labor Day, marking the unofficial end of summer:

1. Board of Directors: Next meeting scheduled for September 17th at 4:30 at Good Shepherd, with a Town Hall style meeting to follow. This meeting will be our first where we have tried to do away with the antiquated and costly “Board Books” and replace them with electronically disseminated materials. The nominations of Margie Smith and Mike Shinozaki to the Board and the re-nomination of Dr. Grimm have been made by the Governor and forwarded to the NY State Senate for confirmation. At this writing, it seems unlikely that the State Senate will act on the confirmations before the next Board meeting, but RIOC has asked both the Governor’s office and the elected representatives to try to expedite the process.
2. Southpoint:
(A) Renwick Ruins: Stabilization completed and building secured.
(B) Green Rooms/Wild Gardens: The contractor continues rough grading, paths and stone walls. Phase 2 to complete the park, including finish grading, capping, and utilities, fencing and planting to follow when protocols for permitting with City are determined.
(C) FDR Memorial: Following Board Project approval in June, RIOC is working with the State and City Parks Departments on funding mechanics for the $4 million State appropriation, the matching $4.5 million from the City and at least $8 million from FERI as necessary for Phase I. DEC permitting being integrated with GR/WG. Legal work on finalizing development relationship is in the pipeline.
3. Tram Overhaul: The schedule remains for shutdown March 1, 2010 and reopening end of August 2010. See renderings of the proposed Tram stations on our web site. We continue to have regular monthly progress meetings with architects, engineers, POMA, expediters, City and State agencies, etc., all to move to an orderly execution of the project.
4. Projects: Work is ongoing on many projects and others are being completed. New Public Safety space should be done by September 15. Motorgate lighting trials continue. Resurfacing and waterproofing work has been contracted for, but awaits finalization of asbestos abatement plan. AVAC fencing completed and enclosure work under way. Repair of ramp on the helix finished, but there will be further long term repairs needed. Swimming pool at Sportspark will be closed for repairs after Labor Day to be reopened 6-8 weeks later. Rehabilitation of the gym (bleachers, flooring and padding) and installation of a fire safety system also underway. Sidewalk and paver repairs being accomplished, with restoration of grass area in Blackwell Park West. RIOC is studying solar panels for rooftop of Motorgate. Octagon sewer connection restoration from the water tunnel to begin, allowing reopening of the comfort station. Octagon field back in operation with natural surface, pending final conclusions about artificial surfaces.
5. Bank: Amalgamated Bank’s takeover of the NYNB space is completed and the branch opened as of July 20. Official dedication scheduled for October 1.
6. Southtown Buildings 5 and 6 have commenced occupancy. Landscaping for tram turnaround fountain is coming.
7. Bridge: The NYC Department of Transportation is now conducting sporadic testing of the bridge resulting in short closures. For those out late needing access, watch for the advisories from DOT. Good to see that the pedestrian access is almost completed. RIOC is planning to extend the enhanced railing on the Island side.

This message was also published as the RIOC column in the 9/12/09 Main Street WIRE.

Things To Do This Weekend In New York City - Solar Power Outdoor Films and Shakespeare On Roosevelt Island

You Tube Video of Greening of Southie

Looking for things to do this weekend? Here are some choices.

The Solar Powered free Outdoor Film Festival hosted by Solar One and Green Edge NYC at East 23rd Street and the FDR Drive this Friday and Saturday It is described as:

... the first in New York City to use the power of the sun to construct an outdoor “eco-theater” like no other. Solar One's independent film venue integrates natural and human-made components of our urban environment creating the city’s “greenest” motion picture showcase. This free six-evening program features nightly screenings of environmental documentaries. Each night will focus on a different theme including water, energy, food, waste and more.

The films being shown include:

Friday August 22
Water Shorts:
Gimme Green, 2007, 27 mins.
Gimme Green peers behind the curtain of the $40-billion industry that fuels our nation's largest irrigated crop---the lawn.
Invisible Creek, 2004, 8 mins.
Travel down the most polluted waterway in America, Newtown Creek, located on the border between Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.
City of Water, 2007, 30 mins.
City of Water explores the aspirations for a diverse, vibrant waterfront at a time when the shoreline is changing faster than at any other time in New York's history. See shots of Stuyvesant Cove Park and interviews with community members about their struggle for the kind of development they desired on the waterfront.
Plus discussion of CSOs with Cortney Worrall of the Coastal Marine Resource Center

and:

Saturday August 23
Green Building:
The Greening of Southie, 2008, 81 mins.
Building Boston's first LEED Gold-certified building turns out to be harder than anyone thought. The Greening of Southie shows what happens when you try to build the city of tomorrow---today.
Plus Q&A with director Ian Cheney

Also, outdoor Shakespeare returns to Roosevelt Island. According to the RIOC events page:

Shakespeare in the Park A Midsummer Night's Dream
When : Saturday and Sunday, August 23rd and 24th @ 4:00pm
Where : Eastwood Amphitheater (Behind the 520 Breezeway building)

For other ideas on what to do in New York City this weekend check out the NY Times Urban Eye, NY Post Weekend Calendar and Newyorkology.

Solar Powered Trash Compactor Pilot Program Comes to Roosevelt Island

Dick Lutz of the Main Street WIRE sends along the following information and photo above.

RIOC this morning installed a solar-powered BigBelly Trash Compactor at the Island subway station, and invites residents to use it for household trash. The $4,000 unit compacts 150 pounds of trash, using power from batteries recharged by solar cells that cover the top of the unit. The unit installed here is for demonstration purposes, but RIOC thinks more might eventually be set up elsewhere on the Island. The technician setting up the unit said it needs about two hours of solar recharging each day.

RIOC's Sylvia Giralde explains further:

I wanted to inform you that as part of one of many eco-friendly initiatives RIOC in undertaking, an Eco-friendly Pilot Program is one of them. This initiative consists of a solar-paneled trash compactor and recycler which will be placed in front of the train station as of tomorrow, July 3. The compactor, otherwise known as the BigBelly, uses solar energy to compact trash and has the capacity of 4x-5x a regular receptacle. The initiative is not meant to replace the recycling bins in the residential buildings but as an addition to the Island for visitors, commuters, and residents walking about the Island.

The way the technology works is as the trash begins to fill up in the BigBelly trash compactor, the solar powered motion sensor causes the trash to compact. The recycler does not compact recyclables.

This initiative reduces the amount of trash collection frequency, which in turn reduces emissions of pollutants into the air, lowers cost all around, and provides for a 'greener' island.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions about this exciting initiative!

Roosevelt Island 360 has more on the Big Belly Trash Compactor.

UPDATE 7/8 - The Daily News reports today that NYC is not interested in using the Big Belly Trash Compactor because

... after a two-unit trial, found them impractical, a Sanitation Department spokesman said.

He cited four sticking points: the cost, the complexity of emptying them, the confusion people had telling it apart from a mailbox and the small trash opening.

"We have no plans to implement BigBelly in the city," said Sanitation Department spokesman Matt LiPani. "It may be good for the BIDs, but it's not good for the city."

But Franklin Cruz, the president of BigBelly's Bronx-based distributor, Direct Environmental Corp., disagreed. He noted that he sold two to the city's Department of Citywide Administrative Services in June.

"I don't understand their rationale. BigBelly has a tremendous track record," Cruz said. "I think the city will come around."