CIVITAS News and Events: May 6, 2011

Street Tree Stewardship

On Thursday, May 26, CIVITAS presents a Street Tree Stewardship workshop. The event will take place at The Arsenal in Central Park (Fifth Avenue at 64th Street) at 6pm.
RSVP Required: info@civitasnyc.org <mailto:info@civitasnyc.org> or 212-996-0745.
Learn how to report and care for sick street trees, maintain healthy trees, and how to advocate for new trees on your block. Attend this event to tell us where you would like to see new trees planted, and sign up to “Adopt a Tree.”

CIVITAS has been responsible for planting street trees on East 86th Street, and other locations on the Upper East Side and in East Harlem. We have also reported more than one hundred dead or injured street trees and empty tree pits for urgent attention to the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. Find more information and event updates at: http://civitasnyc.org/live/trees/ <http://civitasnyc.org/live/trees/>


Newsrack Box Enforcement
Please take a minute to sign the electronic petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/newsracks/ <http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/newsracks/> and spread the word by forwarding this link. CIVITAS has been working for several years to clean up the plastic and metal newsrack boxes cluttering the sidewalks in our neighborhood. We are pleased to report that as a result of CIVITAS and partnering efforts, the A1 News boxes, which were long neglected and did not contain newspapers for over two years, have been removed. More boxes that are broken, vandalized, or filled with garbage, still clutter NYC streets, and the current law does not require sufficient maintenance. You can learn more about the Newsrack Box Enforcement initiative and view recent press at http://civitasnyc.org/newsrack-enforcement/ <http://civitasnyc.org/newsrack-enforcement/>


Community Events:

It’s My Park Day – East River Esplanade
Saturday, May 21
9am-4pm
Volunteers should enter at the East 60th Street Greenway entrance - gardens near dog run.
It’s My Park Day is an opportunity to improve parks throughout the city. Join Carl Schurz Park Conservancy, East River C.R.E.W., Inc., Upper Green Side, and Friends of the Esplanade in cleaning and painting the East River Esplanade. Volunteers are welcome to join for any length of time. For more information, visit: http://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2011/05/21/its-my-park-day-at-east-river-esplanade <http://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2011/05/21/its-my-park-day-at-east-river-esplanade>


Recycle-O-Rama
Sunday, June 26
9am–3pm
92nd Street Greenmarket (on First Avenue between 92nd-93rd)
Accepted recycling materials include:
Electronics (computer equipment and accessories, network devices, TV and audio-visual equipment, cell phones and telecommunication devices), paper and usual recycling. Appliances will not be accepted.
For more information, visit http://uppergreenside.org/blog/ <http://uppergreenside.org/blog/>

Recent News Coverage on CIVITAS' Newsrack Initiative

CIVITAS speaks out against lax enforcement of vandalized and abandoned newsrack boxes and urges NYC Council to schedule an oversight hearing to address this issue. You can sign the petition at www.ipetitions.com/petition/newsracks and find recent media coverage at:

Our Town East Side
DNAinfo.com
WPIX11 News Video

Plan to attend and show your support at CIVITAS’ upcoming presentation on newsrack enforcement at the Community Board 8 Transportation Committee meeting:

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 6:30pm
New York Blood Center, Conference Room 1
310 East 67th Street, (Between First and Second Avenues)
New York, NY 10065