Many more toys, food, and pet products now come from China, which is experiencing an economic expansion too great for their regulatory and safety system to keep apace.  This has led to some tragic and well-publicized results.

In addition, labor organizing is illegal in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) – leading to child-labor, unsafe working conditions, devastating environmental damage, slave-labor, and few of the protections that our ancestors here in America fought and died for.

As a result of effective education campaigns regarding the conditions from whence our purchases come, many products sold here no longer list where they were made, just where the distributor is located.

You can take a quick the bar code to track it’s origin. (see image below)
If the first 3 digits of the barcode are 690, 691 or 692, the product is MADE IN  CHINA.

690-692   =     MADE IN    CHINA
00 -  09    =      USA   &   CANADA
30 – 37 =          FRANCE
40 – 44 =       GERMANY
471 =              TAIWAN
49  =              JAPAN
50   =            UK

It’s easy, and there are probably phone apps to tell you even more -  if not, sounds like a good one for someone to write!

Hope this tip helps inform your holiday shopping!

I am so happy to have 2 things in common now with my favorite newscaster, Stephan Colbert – a Peabody Award and a portrait in the NPG!

There are sports stars, musicians, writers, artists, film makers, and political figures and other pillars of our cultural life in the HBO series by Elvis Mitchell and Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, but I am the only one there representing the value and ultimate progress towards environmental-equality for all Americans.

This is not the first time I have borne that incredible responsibility, but this one is unique for all the obvious reasons.  This is a place where we as a nation enshrine the images of people who have done something historically noteworthy.  Until recently, they had a rule that one had to be dead for at least 10 years before being allowed on the walls – which is a sensible notion given the ability of any live human’s ability to embarrass themselves and whatever they might represent.  Don’t want to get them up on the wall, and then have to take them off….

This day forms another wrung in the ladder to raise the flag of Environmental-Equality for everyone, a little bit higher.  I hope you will get a chance to visit this gallery next time you are in DC and learn about the Black List participants and all of the other luminaries who a portrayed on its walls.

This is a special day for progress of all kinds.  So even if your picture isn’t on the NPG’s walls yet, if you believe in equal rights and opportunities for all, then you are there with us tonight.  I thank you for your support in getting us a little closer from where we are, to where we ought to be, every day.

I am very pleased that A) these are “young” Democrats and hopefully not set in their “liberal” ways; and B) that John Liu, NYC Comptroller will be there.  That’s because I have a confession to make regarding government policies and money:

I have something in common with the Tea Party… I want to see a smaller government too!  I want to get us there via the areas that I know best: creating accessible jobs for our most expensive citizens.

When people talk about “sustainability”, they often mean hemp fiber clothes, recycling, don’t take long showers, mass transit, renewable energy, etc — all very good stuff.  I believe that the social fabric is improved by many of those things, but that we really need to look at that social-fabric aspect of sustainability more closely.

Our blue collar economy is not going to grow substantially any time soon.  Manufacturing is done elsewhere; many things were once repaired, are now simply replaced; and many of the small business that grew up around supporting those industries and the employees are suffering or gone.

At the same time, US cities are engaging in climate-adaptation measures specifically regarding Storm Water Management and Urban Heat Island Effect.  Currently, our solutions to these issues have been fossil fuel based – pump and treat the water, and air-condition like mad to keep things cool.

However, the most cost-effective way to tackle these growing, climate-driven challenges is through Green Infrastructure.  That term encompasses everything I have been advocating for, implementing, and attaching jobs to throughout my career: street trees, green roofs, planted water permeable surfaces of all kinds everywhere within our built environment.

Many of the available jobs in these areas are accessible to the generations of Americans who have been let down by our education system (50% +/- don’t graduate High School).  Many of those people have either been in jail, to war, grown up in poverty, or some combination of 2 or 3 of these attributes.

There is great evidence demonstrating that horticultural work is a highly cost-effective therapy for people living in “social-isolation” as a result of traumatic experiences like prison, war, or poverty. 

But currently, our socuial support systems are most likely to imprison ($), medicate ($), and/or incur welfare and hosing costs ($) for these folks.  Their families are less productive and less healthy across the board ($), their children do poorly in school ($), and among veterans, the suicide rate back here at home is roughly 4 times higher than the number of soldiers killed in action.  That’s what makes these fellow citizens some of our most expensive.

The great news is that they can turn around to be a productive part of the tax-base, and not tax burdens – while playing a crucial role in adapting our cities to climate change at the same time – if we do it right.

I am going to make this point as best i can in front of the audience Monday night – unless it’s one of those loud reception things where nobody pays attention to the speakers.  Then i will refer them here.

I hope more and more people will link environmental sustainability with repairing the social fabric of our communities through jobs in green infrastructure.  Thanks so much for reading here!

Gillibrand’s half-day summit begins at 8:30 am with a keynote discussion between Senior Advisor to President Obama, Valerie Jarrett, and WABC News Anchor, Diana Williams.

TODAY Show Co-Host Savannah Guthrie will moderate a 9:30 am panel with Senator Gillibrand, Editor in Chief, Semi-Homemade Magazine, Sandra Lee, The Dr. Oz Show’s Personal Finance Contributor Carmen Wong Ulrich and MacArthur “genius” Fellow Majora Carter.

WHERE:      New York University
                       Kimmel Center – 10^th Floor
                       60 Washington Square South
                       (Between Thompson Street and LaGuardia Place)
                       Manhattan

**Note: Media interested in attending must RSVP to angie_hu@gillibrand.senate.gov or 917-841-0354

When the Court of Appeals, approved “eminent domain” to seize private property in the Atlantic Yards footprint in 2009 it made an increasingly unremarkable decision to place control over massive neighborhood development to a small number of well-connected people who are not accountable to any democratic process. There are many similar examples over the last decade or so.

Private property was taken from law-abiding people, and sold against their will to other private interests for the purpose of real-estate development that was argued to be for the public-good (by the same developers who received the land).

Democracy and Capitalism are often seen as a hand in glove relationship: you can vote and/or move your money at your own risk; and in the long run, sensible decisions on both fronts generally result.

Government intervention against development such as in the case of our glorious National Park System, Central Park, or wetlands are proven generators for more economic activity than the limited amount of direct real-estate development loss they incur.

I am sure many people were rattled beyond their worst nightmares when NYC’s subway system barged its way into existence, but the net benefits to the City are undeniable. The highway construction boom of the post WW2 era followed a similar M.O. but with less certain net-benefits to urban areas.

Our many decades of urban building stock in cities around the world, reveal both the fingerprints of individual aspiration and footprints of our collective power. The odd garage, next to a four story brownstone, next to a nine story apartment build, a smaller apartment building next to that, a diner, more brownstones, etc. It adds up to a mosaic, punctuated with the great bridges, libraries, parks, and water/sewerage systems alike.

Different people at different times in history, made their best bet on the market conditions + their resources + a panoply of banks making their own calls on how to risk depositors’ hard earned cash.

It was slow, messy, and inefficient in the short term, but it reflects our human needs and individual ability to strive and create. It has given us a legacy of architectural character that is highly valued and enjoyed by NY’ers and tourists alike.

Why is it so hard to build a beautiful well-crafted building of any size today? Where has that spirit of true contribution and pride gone?

Today, we are well aware of the dangers of allowing a small number of extremely large banks to steward our national economy. Crowd sourcing beats a small group of experts on just about everything…except surgery – I want experts for that!

Our Federal Government is in a similar fix: a small well organized group of lobbyists and special interests are determining the course of decision making in ways that most Americans do not support – “left”, “right”, or “center”.

The financing to build, and the infrastructure to support a development like Atlantic Yards requires government bonds (public debt). It’s a complex set of variables that rarely makes it into ballot box or campaign rhetoric in any meaningful form.

A smaller-scale developer rarely has access to the type and amount of money that stadium developers seem to attract as though it was their birth-right. Stadiums? Really?

I know big projects can be great projects. I recently had the privilege to visit the Porto Nuovo development in Milan, Italy. It’s a massive re-development in a central part of that great city which was formerly dominated by aging rail yards and disused industrial spaces – alongside longstanding communities of people.

Principal developers of the project, Manfredi Catella and his wife Kelly took a bold step in order to ensure there would be less community resistance to the disruptive scale of the project on the one hand, and honor the responsibility that comes with putting public debt and commitment into the hands of private developers. They put the entire project on hold for year and really listened to people in the area.

The project changed in some big and small ways as a result. There were some hold outs and confrontations to be sure, but the level of conflict was so greatly reduced that the developers saved millions of Euros, people are happier, and an example has been demonstrated.

In contrast, Atlantic Yards developers and their agents bought the image of “community support” through some unscrupulous non-profit organizations that accepted money for that purpose. It is a bitter source of tension for locals and opponents of government meddling in private affairs, alike.

Rather than argue about Atlantic Yards, or even concentrate on NYC; it is my hope that everyone from the Tea Party to the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators will help bring the nation together towards re-democratizing Eminent Domain, our Finance Industry, and our Government.

It’s not about some financial industry boogey-man out there – it’s us. We let this happen. Everyone looked out for their self interests, except “the people”. We have let way to many distractions occupy the time and emotional/mental energy needed to keep our democratic heritage in top form.

Important issues are less and less frequently finding their way to democracy’s table. It’s causing inefficiencies in our markets and our civic life. We can all do better. I hope i can help.

Tomorrow night I will be giving some brief remarks at the Coalition for Healthy School Food – see website above for location/time/tickets

The evening is hosted by Howard Stern’s long time Co-Pilot: Robin Quivers
Special Guests: Jayni Chase, Joel Fuhrman, MD, and Russell Simmons…and me

20 of NY’s healthiest caterers and restaurants will be featuring special food selections like Lakewood Organic Juices, Pure Food & Wine and Candle 79 (personal favorite!)

Designers include Russell Simmons, Tommy Hilfiger and Olsen Haus

I believe that as we move towards valuing the benefits of healthy food for our youth, new local food production opportunities open up all around us for accessible jobs – especially for some of our fellow citizens who have been let down by the educational system.

I hope you can join us or support this work!

It took hard work by me and many of my colleagues to turn our government’s attitude around, but it’s starting to take a shape in a way we can all be proud of now.

The missing link now is the jobs part – and we’re working on that. In the mean time, this internship is an opportunity to see something remarkable take shape. please pass it on, or apply yourself!

DEP’s Office of Green Infrastructure (OGI) is seeking an intern to assist the Partnerships and Outreach Staff. Candidates that are familiar with PlaNYC, the Sustainable Stormwater Management Plan of 2008 and the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan are preferred. The intern will be responsible for supporting outreach programming throughout the fall and spring. Responsibilities may include but are not limited to: GIS mapping, updating the website, attending community meetings, accompanying OGI staff on site visits, conducting studies and research, creating outreach materials, and Green Infrastructure Grant Program support. Candidates with a background in stormwater management and/or community-based urban planning are strongly preferred.

Details:
This is an unpaid position but college credit is available. Intern will be placed at NYC Environmental Protection on the 11th Floor of 59-17 Junction Boulevard, Flushing NY. The position will begin October 31st and continue until May 18th. Days and hours are flexible but candidates should be available two days (16 hours) per week.

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to sustainability@dep.nyc.gov by October 21st at 5:00pm

This 2minute piece aired all over, but maybe not here in the US.

Work that i started a decade ago on the South Bronx Greenway is still progressing. When a $1,25M Federal Dept of Transportation Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) planning grant i applied for back in 2000 won approval, our work began.

We issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) to attract interest from Landscape Designers. I had never met any before this project. We used the Federal money to hire a local NYC based landscape architecture firm: Matthews Nielsen.

As we worked with them and their vast knowledge of how to juggle the needs of various government agencies and the public & commercial uses we depend on, the project evolved. It final plan includes 11 miles of bike and pedestrian paths – connecting people & neighborhoods to each other.

The South Bronx Greenway is also significant because it connects our area with Randall’s Island via a short bridge over the Harlem river’s narrowest point.

There are several new parks opening along the river too. In addition to Hunts Point Riverside Park and Barretto Point Park, there is the all new Farragut Landing: a 60 foot fishing pier that has a river water pump fish cleaning station! So cool – because we have many fisherman in this area and this is a low cost way to keep things clean and make everyone feel welcome!

Pictures on all of this soon….

Thanks to TED, JR, Mainland Media, and everyone who participated in this!
NY Times coverage

View JR South Bronx in a larger map

You don’t have to go around the world to find “problems” – they’re here.

JR and I collaborated with local community groups on how to use his incredible methods to convey a positive message about the strengths & failings of my hometown, the South Bronx.

The result was a to have several shoots where we only photograph the mothers who live here – the backbone of this and many other communities around the world. Then we’d print the portraits life size, and cut out a band across the face where the mothers’ eyes are.  On our final shoot, various community members (not just Moms) could then be photographed holding the eyes in front of their faces – thus, seeing the community through a mother’s eyes.

Our final prints will be made very large and posted all over exterior walls along the South Bronx Greenway, industrial buildings visible from the Bruckner Expressway, and in places where either people congregate naturally or we’d like to see more people  visiting!

ABOUT THE INSIDE OUT PROJECT = Inside Out is a large-scale participatory art project that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work. Everyone is challenged to use black and white photographic portraits to discover, reveal and share the untold stories and images of people around the world. These digitally uploaded images are made into posters and sent back to the project’s co- creators, for them to exhibit in their own communities. People can participate as an individual or as part of a group. Posters can be placed anywhere, from a solitary image in an office window, to a wall of an abandoned building, or in a full stadium. These exhibitions will be documented, archived and be made available online at http://www.insideoutproject.net/.

Check out this great article here:http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/eyes-on-and-of-a-south-bronx-community/