Green Screens at Lincoln Center Present Fowl Play

On Thursday, May 13th at 6:30pm, Green Screens film society of Lincoln Center will screen Fowl Play by Adam Durand, 2009, USA; 50m

Most Americans are opposed to the inhumane treatment of animals—which is why the egg industry is so secretive about the operations that yield food for our breakfast tables. Fowl Play investigates hen abuse in the industry, drawing on the dedicated documentation of activists. Interviews with rescuers, veterinarians, and animal behaviorists challenge us to consider the politics of ethical eating.

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Cows Are Nice (Kor ar Fina), Stephan Jarl, 2007, Sweden; 13m

A gentle look at the last day at a small Swedish dairy unable to compete with EU factory farms. While local farms shut down, Sweden is now importing milk.

Following the screening there will be a Q&A with Matt Rice, Mercy for Animals; Jenny Brown, Founder, Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary; Martha Lazar, chicken keeper and blogger (brooklynfeed.com)  and Elizabeth Ayer, BK Farmyard’s farmer /consultant, Farm Director and Caretaker at Wyckoff Community Garden and Farmers Market.  Followed by a reception in the Furman Gallery.

Walter Reade Theater, 165 W 65th Street, upper level

Tickets available at the box office or online here.

The Film Society’s Green Screens program addresses through film the vital environmental concerns of global warming, the safety of our food supply, sustainable living, and more. Programmed by Isa Cucinotta and Marian Masone.

What to do with your old Christmas Tree

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After my sister-in-law told us that her 3 year-old son wanted to sleep under his Christmas tree, my husband and I remembered our daughter’s love of our Christmas tree when she was about the same age. When our tree was dry and brittle, we started to break the news to Lindsay that we were going to take it down. She was really upset and kept hugging the tree, which of course just added to the already alarming loss of needles. Every year we take our tree to a local park, where they have a chipping program called Mulchfest. We brought our tree there, much to Lindsay’s skepticism to “be with it’s friends”. She bid it a tearful farewell and fortunately didn’t notice the crew feeding trees into the huge chipper.

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I always find it a little sad to see Christmas trees tossed out with the trash. The fact that they were once a treasured part of the holiday and are now tossed out on the street with the garbage bags always startles me. Plus it’s hard to wrap my head around all that organic matter going to a landfill with old batteries, diapers, etc. So, let’s try and come up with some great uses for old Christmas trees to prevent them from going into landfills. TREECYCLE!

  • Find out if your community has a tree collection or chipping program. Here in NYC we have mulchfest this coming Sat. 1/9 from 10am-2pm. You can look at this site to find a park in your area that will take your tree. And while you are dragging your tree down the street, why not stop and grab one or two others that are just lying on the sidewalk waiting for trash pick up? A lot of these programs allow you to bring some wood chips home with you for your garden.
  • If you don’t have a mulching/chipping program in your community, do it yourself. Prune branches off your tree and lay them down in your garden beds. Pine branches can look nice arranged around a tree on a city sidewalk. You can add them to your compost pile, although pine needles can take a while to break down.
  • You can prune branches and make small bundles. These are great to help start fires in your fireplace.
  • If you have the land, drag your tree out into a woodsy area to be used as a wildlife refuge for birds and small animals.
  • If you have a pond, weigh your tree down and put it in the water. It becomes a nice home for fish.
  • If you live near a beach, see if your community uses old Christmas trees in an effort to restore dunes like Bradley Beach in New Jersey.
  • You can save the needles and make potpourri or sachets.

If you have a great use for an old Christmas tree, please post!

PARK(ing) Day NYC

Sustainable Flatbush's space from 2008. photo © Sustainable Flatbush

Sustainable Flatbush's space from 2008. photo © Sustainable Flatbush

Tomorrow is the 3rd annual Park(ing) Day in NYC. It’s a day when people take over parking spots in creative ways to raise awareness to the extra public space that is normally hogged by cars. People play music, lay down sod, have kid’s activities, hold environmental workshops, etc.

Sustainable Flatbush will have a space on Cortelyou & Argyle this year with a puppet show, worm composting demo, a solar-powered cell phone charging station, etc. To find a Park(ing) Day space near you, visit the Park(ing) Day NYC site and look at their map.

It’s too late to register for this year, but I’m dying to make a park next year!!

Saturday at the Greenpoint Food Market

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Right around lunch time we headed over to the Greenpoint Food Market in Brooklyn. The market is inspired by all foods fresh and local, artisanal and homemade and encourages community involvement and DIY methods of food production. Sounded great, plus our friend Megan of Brooklyn Honey was going to be there and we hadn’t tasted her honey yet. Megan keeps bees on her roof in Brooklyn. She gardens and recently got chickens. Plus, who can look as cute as she does in overalls!?!

Our timing was great, because we were getting hungry and the food looked amazing. Our first stop was, of course, to see Megan. She sells honey that is still in the wax comb. It’s a totally different honey eating experience because once you taste the honey, you can chew on the wax like gum. She had other products made with her honey including nuts and the most delicious granola ever! I’ve tried making granola a couple of times and it is always the same recipe. “Bake the granola until it’s dark brown, then throw it in the trash and try not to think about how wasteful that was”

Soup from The Soup Spoon

Soup from The Soup Spoon

We got soup from the very sweet ladies at The Soup Spoon. We shared a delicious gazpacho and a curried cauliflower puree. It was a drizzly day, so there was nothing better! I usually make gazpacho a few times during the summer, which is Neil’s favorite soup. Neil got cheated out of it this summer as I never got around to making it. Theirs was chunky and tangy and delicious, so Neil was very happy. They are looking to get a food truck, so keep an eye out for them.

We also had yummy kimchi pancakes, cookies and cinnamony mandelbrot. There was so much more to try – like the most beautifully decorated cookies from Sugarbuilt. Take a peek at their website to see what I mean. You need to scroll to see the different designs. Their Day of the Dead faces are amazing. I also love the architectural details they incorporate into their designs.

If you live in the area, I recommend going. It is going to be held every Saturday from 12-6. You can get more info on their site.

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Seriously, where else are you going to get delicious food from fabulous Brooklynites? She’s selling angel food cupcakes and deviled eggs.

Gowanus Scavenger Hunt and BBQ

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Littlefield is hosting its 1st annual Super Festive 4th of July Gowanus Scavenger Hunt and BBQ. They start the fun at 2pm (622 degraw, brooklyn, ny 718-855-3388) with bbq, djs, free booze and prizes. Your team (sign up at hey@littlefieldnyc.com) can earn 100 points if you are the first to drag out an old tire from the Gowanus Canal. Yikes. You might be glowing brighter than the fireworks after wading in the water!

Twilight Hour in Prospect Park

<div xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" about="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintagehalloweencollector/342827421/"><a rel="cc:attributionURL" href=Tonight at the Audubon Center in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, there will be a Twilight Tour. Enjoy wine and cheese on the balcony of the boat house and then tour Lullwater on their boat Independence, which is a replica of a turn-of-the-20th century boat. After the ride, you will go on a bat walk with an Audubon naturalist.

Call 718-287-3400 x 102 for reservations. $30 per person (cash only).

Selected summer Thursdays,  6:30 p.m.

If you miss the one tonight, there will be others on:

July 2, 9, 30,
August 6, 13, 20, 27