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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/new-york-citys-sustainabl_b_12082182.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green  
New York City's Sustainable Dream  
New York City is a collection of places and neighborhoods, tied together by a few touchstone elements of cultural values, and built on century-old infrastructure that is constantly being dug up, repaired, and remodeled. I am a New Yorker and have lived here for over fifty years. I grew up in Brooklyn, on East 59th street between Avenue T and Avenue O. I went to PS 236, Junior High School 78, and James Madison High School. After high school I spent a decade in small-town Indiana, Buffalo, New York, Morgantown, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. But the center of gravity for me has always been New York, and I have worked at Columbia University in the City of New York for 35 years. The city I grew up in may be long gone, but the city I moved back to has evolved into a place that I never want to leave.

From its start, New York has been a commercial place. The city that never sleeps has always been about commerce. At one time we manufactured products here: clothing, beer, bicycles, and even the Studebaker auto. Today we make ideas, movies, health care, software, communications strategy, and nightlife. We have over a million post-secondary students here, a number of great universities, several great hospitals, live theater, art museums and galleries, live music, sports teams, great public spaces, a real 24/7 mass transit system, and the most diverse population of any city in the world. About 40% of the people who live here were born in other countries. Including students, tourists, and illegals, most of the people you walk by on the street in New York were born outside America. Even those of us who grew up here, while a distinct minority of the city's population, typically don't have to go back too far to find our immigrant roots.

During most of the second half of the twentieth century, New York seemed like a city in decline. People were moving to the suburbs, and to Florida, California and Arizona. Industry was leaving, and in the 1970s the city came within a whisper of bankruptcy. Some people point to out-migration and still worry that the city is in decline. But in 2010 our population was 8,175,133 and in 2015 it was 8,555,405; that's not a city on the skids. Much of our population increase is due to births. Our international immigration more or less offsets our domestic migration to other parts of the United States. In an excellent report on New York City's population dynamics, Luke Junday of the University of Virginia's Demographics Research Group asks and answers the question: "How is New York City growing if it is constantly losing people?" According to Junday:

New York City... all but Staten Island - were among the eight counties with the biggest losses in net domestic migration last year...The conclusion suggested by domestic migration numbers is that New York is dying as its residents abandon ship...[However,] the city is as crowded and economically powerful as ever. Its population continues to climb despite an astronomical cost of living that suggests even more people would live there if they could... What gives? Outside of major urban centers, domestic migration numbers are generally a pretty good indicator of whether a county's population is growing or shrinking.

There are two parts to the answer [of New York City's growth]:

1. International Immigration
The first answer is simple and readily available. Big cities are gateways for international immigrants, who crowd into apartment blocks in search of economic opportunity before eventually moving elsewhere...

2. Natural Increase and Migration
This brings us to the second and, I would argue, more important answer: this cycle is part of the nature of cities in the 21st century. The additional population is being made up by something called "natural increase." Natural increase simply means that there are more births than deaths in a given location, thus increasing the population. Natural increase in New York and other cities is due to the age structure of those cities... New York is a young city compared to the nation as a whole...Young adults are important in demographics for two reasons. First is what they don't do: die. A population of 20-somethings will have far fewer deaths in any given year than a population of 60-somethings. Second is what they do: have babies.

New York has always been a place where people from other parts of the world grabbed hold of a small piece of the American Dream, but then moved to Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, or Los Angeles where the housing was cheaper and as long as you could buy and drive a car, the path to success looked easier. New York's role as a port of entry continues the tradition that peaked at Ellis Island, where my grandparents began their own American Dream.

But New York City continues to attract ambitious dreamers from all over the world. As Junday indicates, many of those dreamers are young and at the start of their working life. They come for economic opportunity and are assisted by family and friends who speak their language and arrived before they did--and this is not limited to the city itself. While the five boroughs are the heart of the city, it is important to also count the twenty million people in the New York metropolitan area. From Valley Stream to Hoboken, and from Yonkers to Jersey City, these areas are part of the fabric of a place called "the city" that grew out from Flatbush to Astoria, sharing a few core values.

Those values include a tolerance of diversity, even when the foreign seems strange and maybe a little dangerous. New Yorkers may not always like new migrants but they believe that the city was built to accommodate new arrivals. New Yorkers stand in a subway car or walk down Broadway and their senses are always alert because they understand they are in public space not under their own control. This is not your SUV on the freeway, your suburban home with a security system, lawn and garage; you are sharing space on the city's mass transit circulatory system and everyone who pays the subsidized fare gets to ride. You get to control who sits next to you in your personal vehicle, but you share a subway car with scores of strangers.

Another obvious New York City value is a work ethic and, for many, a desire for frequent interaction with others. While it's possible to remain anonymous in a crowd, it's still a crowd. You can't simply drive past the homeless camped under the interstate, and while some try, most New Yorkers do not look away from people in need. They carry baby carriages up a subway stair well, give up their seat for someone who needs to sit, and say something when they see something. New Yorkers give the surface appearance of being tough and hard, but for the most part, there is melting mush beneath the hard exterior.

A growing value, but certainly nowhere close to dominant, is sustainability and environmental protection. Our water and air are cleaner than they've been in many decades. Our water system and parks are all being renovated. Our electric supply system is slowly getting modernized and made more efficient. Our recycling rate is slowly increasing. Government and the private sector are investing billions of dollars to make the city more resilient in the face of sea level rise. We still may end up underwater, but we are not giving up this place without a fight.

While older people may be set in their sloppy wasteful ways, young people are changing the culture. Greenmarkets, gyms, and environmental advocacy are on the rise. Teenagers from all over the world see the city on the Web and want to come to college here. Many come to school and stay here. People from nations with less stable political regimes are buying apartments and stashing cash and valuables in case they need to quickly run from home. New York City is always in the global media and the images of this place are the inescapable backdrop of the emerging global culture.

And that culture does not require the luxury consumer goods that are now available in all of the world's major cities. Its core culture values a place that is safe to raise a family and create a social and home life free from violence, and capable of interaction and acceptance by other immigrants and people who grew up here. Also valued is the vivid place that you see on the media: the parades, fireworks, movies, TV shows, nightlife, restaurants, celebrities, theatre, music and art. And young people are adding environmental sustainability to those core beliefs. Their emerging demand for environmental sustainability is the beating heart of New York's sustainable dream.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jose-maria-figueres/a-better-business-plan-fo_b_12082030.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green  
A Better Business Plan for a Healthy Ocean  
We are used to thinking of the Ocean as a force of nature, but what about the Ocean as a major force in the global economy? After all, with a 'GDP' of US$2.5 trillion (about 5% of the global GDP) and assets modestly valued at over US$24 trillion, the Ocean is the world's 7th largest economy. Yet it has no seat at the G7, G20 or any other decision-making table, and there is no coherent strategy for preserving and nurturing this wealth.

The Ocean directly supports the livelihoods of over 3 billion people, puts vital food on the table for over 2.6 billion around the globe, and transports 90% of our internationally traded goods. Yet it has been chronically neglected - even in the sustainable development arena - and has suffered decades of declining health, largely as a result of human exploitation.

It's time for a concerted intervention to reverse this trend. It makes no sense for the powers that be to just sit by and let one of the world's financial powerhouses and a lynchpin of its entire economy quietly deteriorate without putting up a fight and reversing the trend.

Yet these impressive financial figures represent just a fraction of the Ocean's true worth to humanity and the functioning of our planet. Some contributions are impossible to price, like the fact that the Ocean provides the oxygen for every second breath we take, and absorbs 30% of our CO2 emissions, making it the largest global carbon sink. It has also absorbed 90% of the additional heat generated from these emissions as a result of which it is becoming warmer and more acidic at unprecedented rates. As we envisage a sustainable future we look increasingly out to sea for renewable energy production from offshore wind and tides, and to fishing and aquaculture to feed a growing population. Finally, the Ocean is also home to more than 80% of all life on Earth, much of which remains undiscovered but is already threatened by the impacts of climate change, pollution and overfishing.

A healthy Ocean is an absolute prerequisite both for maintaining the marine financial assets so vital to the global economy, and for allowing the Ocean to go on providing its life-giving services. To achieve this, a radical change is needed in the way we treat the Ocean. A 'business as usual' trajectory depicts a bleak outlook for the future. Unless urgent action is taken, accelerating deterioration of the marine environment puts us at serious risk of earth system-level collapse, resulting in immeasurable harm for people and the planet.

The Ocean, most of which lies outside state jurisdiction, is our common heritage and our common responsibility. These challenges must be tackled together and the benefits equitably shared. But global Ocean governance is patchy, fragmented and ranges from woefully ineffective to entirely non-existent, while marine resource extraction and use is unsustainable and in many cases illicit. We lack the international legislation, mechanisms and tools to solve the global ocean crisis. The Global Ocean Commission's 2014 Report not only points this out, but articulately elaborates on eight specific actions we can take - all scientifically backed and economically feasible - to restore the Ocean's health.

©Wolcott Henry

We should all recognize the value of the Ocean! We should demand and take action to restore its heath. We live at a time where unprecedented opportunities abound that can restore the ocean, but we have to seize them. Meeting these strong commitments will yield significant returns for global food security, livelihoods, climate security and biodiversity, and for business. From fishing and shipping, to tourism, retail and energy generation, ocean-related industries and businesses have everything to gain from a productive, flourishing ocean.

The ocean needs a 'Business Plan' such as the one set out by the Global Ocean Commission. This Plan incorporates viable solutions that directly and effectively reverse the cycle of decline and establish a way forward which enshrines good governance, sustainable development, and effective conservation for the common good.

Following last year's conference held in Chile, under the leadership of Minister Heraldo Muñoz, the third Our Ocean Conference has just taken place in Washington DC, once again bringing together visionary and bold actors and leaders - including many from business and industry - to forge partnerships and mobilize action. It was the second Our Ocean event hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and I want to personally thank him for his unwavering leadership on Ocean challenges during the past few years. The results speak for themselves: since their launch by Secretary Kerry in 2014, Our Ocean conferences have generated initiatives valued at over US$9.2 billion, and secured pledges to protect 9.9 million square kilometers of the Ocean. These commitments prove that many governments and corporations are ready to be ambitious and inventive in pursuing ocean solutions: we need to build on this momentum.

Our goal now is to accelerate and expand the process of building awareness and understanding of the importance of the Ocean to the business community, and the need for strong corporate engagement and leadership, and to develop and advance a Global Ocean Business Plan that promotes and stimulates ocean health.

A vibrant Ocean is one of the fundamental pillars keeping the global economy afloat. Thus taking action to protect it is one of the best investments we can make.

This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in partnership with Secretary of State John Kerry's Our Oceanconference and Ocean Unite, an initiative to unite and activate powerful voices for ocean-conservation action. The series is being produced to coincide with the Our Ocean Conference (September 15th, 16th) as part of HuffPost's "What's Working" initiative, putting a spotlight on initiatives around the world that are solutions oriented. To read all the posts in the series, read here. The State Department does not endorse the content of this blog. Follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #OurOcean #MakeASplash.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-kanner/meatless-monday-alex-hers_b_12045450.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green  
Meatless Monday: Alex Hershaft, From Holocaust Survivor to FARM Hero  
Before there was PETA, PCRM, Farm Sanctuary, Vegan Street and Meatless Monday, there was Farm Animal Rights Movement. Now celebrating its 40th year, FARM wears its years lightly. So does its founder, Alex Hershaft, 82.



Hershaft was five when he and his family were sent to the Warsaw Ghetto, along with 450,000 other Warsaw Jews. He and his mother escaped and survived. The rest of his family did not. Hershaft, who serves on the Advisory Council of Jewish Veg, speaks about how he went from Holocaust survivor to animal rights pioneer next week in New York.

The short version is, 30 years after the war, Hershaft, a chemical engineer living in the States and struggling with survivor guilt was assigned to do a wastewater study of a slaughterhouse. The facility was piled with bones and bodies -- all part of the process, part of the job. In the same way, he realized, the bones and bodies of millions killed in concentration camps were all part of the job.

Look up the word slaughter --it means mass killing, in a cruel or violent way. What chilled Hershaft wasn't just the cruelty of the slaughterhouse but the callousness that keeps the system going -- and our tacit participation in it. "We subsidize terrible oppression of animals every time we shop at the supermarket," he says. "The terrible price my family paid deserves some kind of lesson. That lesson to me is the germ of oppression is within all of us and we must be forever watchful."

To do that, Hershaft created FARM and initiatives including the Animals Rights National Conference, all designed to create consciousness. Including his own. Hershaft had been vegetarian for years, but as FARM honed its message and expanded its reach, its Board of Directors approached him and kindly but firmly said, go vegan or away. Hershaft laughs. "It was social pressure -- I was forced to become vegan."

Despite all he has lived through, Hershaft laughs easily and often. His secret? He laughs again. "Let me tell you for free what I paid Dale Carnegie $500 dollars for -- work in very tight compartments. Make a path for the week, for each day, then don't think about the problem, get involved in the solution."



A believer in grassroots activism, Hershaft prefers action to prayer, or perhaps action is prayer for him. On October 2, he'll observe a tradition he began in 1983, his annual fast on behalf of animals. This year, the date falls on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, but Hershaft chose the date because it's Gandhi's birthday. Thousands of people have joined the fast each year. For Hershaft, though, the fast remains "a personal thing." You don't have to miss a meal to usher in the New Year meaningfully. Do it "by dropping animals from the menu."



FARM celebrates its 40th anniversary with a celeb-studded party next month. Hershaft will be there -- he loves to dance. But he's also thinking about the future of FARM, now searching for a new executive director. Hershaft officially stepped back from FARM leadership years ago, but he'll always be the spirit of the nonprofit and a hero of the movement. You don't earn a spot on VegNews' vegan Mount Rushmore for nothing.



Even after all these years, Hershaft continues to find purpose and passion in what he does. "Especially the conference," he says. "I really love doing it. Seeing what it does for people, the transformations, the life-changing experiences, is very satisfying."

Apple and Date Coffee Cake

The beloved Rosh Hashanah tradition of starting the new year sweet with apples and honey gets a vegan update. We keep the apples, but swap out honey for dates. Moist, rich, super-quick to make and made with spelt flour, for some whole grain goodness. Lovely with coffee or tea, served plain or dusted with powdered sugar.

1 cup raw almonds
1-1/2 cups spelt flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1 cup evaporated cane sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon clove
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk or almond milk
1/2 cup 1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
1 baking apple, such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady, peeled, cored and chopped fine
1/4 cup Medjool dates (about 4), pitted and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8" layer cake pan.

In a large bowl, sift together spelt and unbleached flour, evaporated cane sugar, baking powder, spices and lemon zest.

Using a blender or food processor, chop almonds fine and add to flour mixture, stirring to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the chopped apple and the fresh lemon juice.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in soy or almond milk and optional brandy Stir lightly, just until the mixture forms a thick batter.

Add the chopped apple, lemon juice and the chopped dates, stir until just combined. Spoon batter into the prepared layer cake pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until cake smells fragrant and coffee cake springs back when gently poked.

Tickets still available for Alex Hershaft's September 27 talk at Hebrew Union College.
Next month in Meatless Monday: FARM looks at 40.
More at soulfulvegan.com

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2016/09/19/france-plastic-cup-plates-ban_n_12080120.html  
France Becomes First Country To Ban Plastic Cups And Dishes  
Au revoir, plastic cups! France is done with you.
According to The Associated Press, France has become the first country in the world to ban disposabl...

Read more: France, Environment, Sustainability, Plastic, Green News

 
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http://twitter.com/TheEWT/status/777837648438104064 
We're counting down to the CITES CoP! The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna... https://t.co/iaExJWQTKS 
https://t.co/iaExJWQTKS 

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Ring of feet  

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Endangered species on the agenda at CITES - @BFFoundation @BFUSA call for curbs on trade https://t.co/VrDLXAt2s6 
https://t.co/VrDLXAt2s6 

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https://www.newscientist.com/article/2106230-tap-dancing-songbirds-drum-with-their-feet-to-attract-mates/  
Tap-dancing songbirds drum with their feet to attract mates  
The superfast tap dance of the blue-capped cordon-bleu is thought to play a role in courtship. Now it seems it's not just for looks noise is also important  
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Inhale  

Kieran Williams Photography posted a photo:

 
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Endangered species on @CITES agenda; @BornFreeUSA & #BornFree Foundation issue stern global warning ~ https://t.co/fq3IwJBJ0C @BFFoundation 
https://t.co/fq3IwJBJ0C 

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Science360NewsServicePictureOfTheDay/~3/ORwABnxxrd4/marine-sponges  
Marine sponges  

Full Text:

Pictured here is a diverse community of marine sponges on a coral reef in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Humans are largely made up of millions of microbes, collectively called our microbiomes. These microbial "ecosystems" contribute to keeping us healthy. It's the same for corals and other species such as marine sponges, scientists are finding. Through a new National Science Foundation Dimensions of Biodiversity grant, Michael Lesser of the University of New Hampshire and colleagues are studying the evolutionary ecology of sponges, and how their microbiomes drive diversity on coral reefs.

Image credit: Deborah Gochfeld, University of Mississippi

 
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Technique for calculating elasticity could aid design of new materials  

Full Text:

Polymers, or long chains of repeating molecules, are found in many objects that we encounter every day, including anything made of plastic or rubber. In many materials, however, a significant fraction of these chains bind to themselves, forming defects. By coming up with a way to measure these structural defects, MIT researchers have now shown that they can accurately calculate the elasticity of polymer networks such as hydrogels. This theory could make it much easier for scientists to design materials with a specific elasticity, which is now more of a trial-and-error process.

Image credit: Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT

 
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Reptilian anachronism: American alligator older than we thought  
From climate to the peninsula's very shape, not much in Florida has stayed the same over the last 8 million years. Except, it turns out, alligators.  
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BIODIVERSITY: EP sets sights high in fight against international criminal trade in endangered species @Gerbrandy @catherinemep #CITES 
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http://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/19/cassini_countdown/  
NASA starts countdown for Cassini probe's Saturn death dive  

Keep Solar System Tidy message heeded despite plan for three probe dumps

NASA has revealed its final plans to crash the Cassini probe into Saturn next year.…

 
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Sun Flares, Lines and a Bridge  

aquanandy posted a photo:

So the summer has vanished from London in a matter of days and all that is left is Memories !!

 
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The American in Charge of the Most Expensive Nuclear Bomb  
She made her way from harassment on the factory floor to overseeing America's weapons stockpile.  
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I Hosted My Own Funeral  
Gerry DeVito decided to host his own funeral - while he was still alive.  
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