The Civic Council’s twice-yearly Civic Sweeps are a success at making Park Slope shine, thanks to the many volunteers from our community. This year’s Fall Civic Sweep, held on Oct. 16, was certainly no exception.
“The event represents one of the largest activities of the [Civic Council’s] Sustainability Committee,” said organizer Candace Woodward, “and this fall was the strongest yet. A number of new community members joined the Civic Council at the event, each of whom received a new Sustainability Committee ‘No Plastic Bags’ tote.”
Using space in front of the John Jay High School building as a base, volunteers this year focused on Seventh Avenue — picking up litter, mulching trees, and weeding tree pits. Bags full of leaves from the cleanup were donated to 6/15 Green Community Garden. As per tradition, the Civic Council gave away daffodil bulbs for public planting.
The Civic Council also partnered with the Lower East Side Ecology Center, whose unique electronic-waste recycling allows residents to dispose of working and nonworking electronics in an environmentally responsible way. Transportation Alternatives promoted street safety, offering bicycle light sets for $5. Free coffee and bluegrass music by Vincent Cross and Good Company gave a warm backdrop to the busy work on a beautiful Sunday.
More than 70 volunteers participated in the sustainability effort. In addition to individuals and families, participants included groups from Stuyvesant High School, Millennium High School, and the Park Slope Food Coop.
This year’s Civic Sweep was supported by a number of sponsors, including New York Methodist Hospital, Astoria Federal Savings, Brooklyn Properties of Seventh Avenue, Brown Harris Stevens, Brownstone Real Estate LLC, Garfield Realty, Leopoldi Hardware, Orrichio Anderson Realty, Park Slope Copy Center, Park Slope Food Coop, Slope Realty Co., Tarzian Hardware, Universal Mortgage, Inc., and Warren Lewis Realty. We thank them all.
The next Civic Sweep will be in April 2012. Check our website or e-mail sustainable@parkslopeciviccouncil.org over the next few months for more details.
— Rebeccah Welch
from the November 2011 Civic News
Photos by David Herman