News & Events: Press Releases, Articles
GREEN ENTREPRENEURS LAUNCH NEW BUSINESS FOR LIKE MINDED ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS
New York, NY – February 12, 2008. “It’s amazing what can happen when people connect and work with one another to do business,” says Jennie Nevin, Partner of Green Spaces and Interrupcion.
“One major challenge of starting a company is getting an office space for just one person. Often times, it is a single individual who serves as the driving force of a new business,” says Charlie Kickham, Partner of Green Spaces, and Entrepreneur. “The other challenge is having other people to connect with and use as resources. Idea sharing is key.”
Green Spaces, announcing its launch on Tuesday, February 12th at Green Drinks NYC, is an eco-minded work space in downtown Manhattan. For just $395 to $695 a month, green entrepreneurs will be able to hit the ground running. They will have a desk, free wireless Internet, and a conference room area to call their own.
The vision for the company started when Nevin and Marissa Feinberg, Partner of Green Spaces and Partnership Development of DESIGN 21, started an interest group in May of 2007 called Green Business Leaders.
“We wanted to hold discussions in a casual setting to meet like-minded environmental business people,” says Feinberg. “Out of this group, Jennie, Charlie and I came up with the idea for Green Spaces. We recognized the need for a place where green entrepreneurs can connect.
“We want to give environmental entrepreneurs the same opportunity we had,” continues Nevin. “Through networking events and working in a green, idea-sharing environment, we want them to form partnerships and new businesses and make their dreams come to life just like ours are.”
Green Spaces is now a reality for Nevin, Kickham and Feinberg. The response has been positive and they anticipate filling roughly 50 work spaces in their first Manhattan location.
“When an entrepreneur joins Green Spaces, they’re not just becoming part of an office,” says Kickham. “They’re becoming part of a larger network. A network that serves as a home to a movement of leaders who care about the environment and want incorporate such social issues into their businesses and everyday lives.”
About Green Spaces
The entrepreneurs of Green Spaces will enjoy an open loft in an environmentally
minded office. In addition to office space, the participants will have
the opportunity to make connections through Green Business Leaders, what
has become an exclusive organization for nearly 100 environmental leaders
in the New York community. In addition, entrepreneurs will have access
to interns for their project research and work.
To join Green Spaces, or learn more, contact: greenspacesny@gmail.com or visit www.greenspacesny.com.
NYC REUSE GROUPS TACKLE SHARED CHALLENGES
New York, NY – November 13, 2007. New York City's reuse organizations came together November 7 at The City College of New York for a one-day conference to explore approaches to improve operations, weigh in on sector strategies, and connect with colleagues: all in an effort to keep valuable resources out of the waste stream.
The conference, “Overcoming Shared Challenges to Strengthen NYC’s Materials Exchange and Reuse Sector,” was sponsored by the NYC Materials Exchange Development Program (MEDP). MEDP is a joint effort between The City College of New York’s Grove School of Engineering and the NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling to assist the local reuse sector. This up-and-coming sector is comprised of organizations that facilitate the transfer of surplus or good-quality used materials from one entity with an excess of materials to another with a need for materials.
Robert Lange, Director of DSNY’s Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling, delivered opening remarks, which were followed by a presentation on MEDP’s recent study, “Sector Assessment Project, A comprehensive study of NYC’s materials exchange and reuse sector”. The study found seven key challenges common among sector organizations and offered recommendations to address them. MEDP’s program manager MaryEllen Etienne stated the study has “created a robust inventory of the reuse sector, identified entrepreneurial programs that are models of best practice, and serves as the foundation for MEDP’s future services.”
A series of panels and presentations explored the top four challenges highlighted in the study and provided practical strategies to address them. The challenges included transportation and logistics, data and technology, marketing, and finance. The day concluded with a workshop that considered additional sector concerns and collectively work on solutions.
MaryEllen said “we were delighted to bring together such unique and innovative organizations to discuss, and potentially overcome, the sector’s shared challenges”. She describes MEDP as a “significant investment in a sector with the potential to have a positive impact on NYC’s waste stream” and added that “NYC’s Department of Sanitation is demonstrating their commitment to both waste reduction and the organizations that provide reuse services by supporting MEDP’s work”.
One attendee, Harriet Taub of Materials for the Arts, said “the day was useful and informative. I’ve been working in the sector for several years and I was able to consider different operational strategies and make new connections. I’m looking forward to good things from MEDP.” Another, Linda Jacobs of Empire State Development’s Environmental Investment Program, said it was “wonderful to participate in a discussion of common challenges and solutions.”
Moving forward, MEDP will begin to develop and implement a wide range of services in order to meet the challenges documented by the study and ultimately strengthen the NYC’s materials exchange and reuse sector. Services will include web-based resources, training seminars, and networking opportunities - including a funder and sector “meet and greet”. Two of MEDP’s long-term goals are the establishment of a sector-wide standard for data collection and a cooperative transportation contract. Ms. Etienne stated, “MEDP is looking forward to continual feedback from the sector as we develop and implement these capacity-building services.
If you would like for information about MEDP, or to schedule an interview with MaryEllen Etienne, please call Ben Rose at 212-650-8014 or email him at ben@nycmedp.org.
NEW YORK CITY E-SCRAP PROGRAM APPROVED
New York, NY – April 2, 2008. (From E-Scrap News) New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has signed into law a measure that makes the Big Apple the first U.S. city to compel electronics manufacturers to be responsible for the products they manufacture. The measure is one of two e-scrap bills passed recently by the New York City Council, broken up as a compromise with Mayor Bloomberg.
The first measure, Introduction No. 728, will establish a manufacturer-responsibility program for the recovery of used and moribund computer central processing units, computer peripherals, printers, computer monitors, cathode ray tube (CRT) and non-CRT televisions, as well as other similar video display devices.
The program will require that producers pay an initial registration fee of $1,500 and establish an approved take-back system that involves such collection methods as curbside pickup, in-store and mail return or neighborhood collection events. With each subsequent year, producers will submit a $1,250 payment along with its annual program report. According to officials, manufacturers that fail to recycle returned merchandise could be fined $1,000 for each violation.
Additionally, the measure establishes a citywide landfill ban — to commence July 1, 2010 — with consumers being fined $100 for illegally disposing of old computers, televisions and other gadgets.
The second measure, which is expected to be vetoed, addresses the mandatory manufacturer recycling performance standards that Mayor Bloomberg opposed in the original legislation (Intro. No. 104) he vetoed. Under Intro. No. 729, the measure establishes collection standards that range between 25 percent (as of July 1, 2012) and 65 percent (as of July 1, 2018), giving producers a three-year grace period to reach such standards before penalties would be levied. Manufacturers missing their intended recycling goal would be assessed a $50,000 penalty for each percentage point below the designated performance standard.
For more articles of this sort visit E-Scrap News