Conversations
Thursday, February 28, 2008 7:00–9:00pm
Green, Greener, Greenest: Approaches to Living Green in NYC.
This dialogue will offer a wide spectrum of views on sustainable life choices—from big picture to little picture, from buying green to not buying at all.
Organic snacks and free beer and wine from Peak Organic Brewing Company and Lieb Cellars, will be served.
Converts and skeptics alike are welcome. Please RSVP to rsvp@austerevents.com
Panelists will include:
Jacquie Berger | Executive Director, Just Food
www.justfood.org
Having volunteered with Just Food in the mid-90s, Jacquie set out to acquire the wide variety of skills, hands-on experience, and academic expertise needed to lead and further develop a thriving food systems-oriented organization. Over the past ten years, Jacquie has held both direct service and senior management positions with a number of non-profit organizations focused on urban agriculture, sustainable food systems and environmental issues. During that time she also completed a Master of Business Administration degree at the Yale School of Management, having previously obtained a BA in Environmental Science from Barnard College. Jacquie became Just Food’s Executive Director in August 2006.
Mark Caserta | Owner, 3r Living
www.3rliving.com
Mark Caserta is an environmental advocate and lobbyist by trade. For more than twelve years, he has played a leading role in fighting for the city’s parks, (Deputy Director of New Yorkers for Parks), Waterfronts (Director of the Waterfront Parks Coalition), and air and water quality (NYC Lobbyist for the New York League of Conservation Voters). In April 2004, Mark and his wife Samantha opened an eco-friendly home and lifestyle store in Park Slope, Brooklyn, known as 3r Living. A second store in Maplewood, New Jersey, opened in October 2007. The products found in both 3r Living’s retail locations and online are carefully selected with the principles of reducing waste, reusing unwanted or discarded materials, and recycling in mind—Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. *3r. *Mark also writes daily blog posts on his site, commenting on the economic, social and government forces affecting our planet.
Ben Jervey | Author, Big Green Apple Guide
www.greenapple.northeaststandard.com
Ben Jervey is a journalist, environmental consultant, and ecopreneur. He reports on sustainability issues for Good magazine, Men’s Journal, and the Huffington Post. His book—The Big Green Apple: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Living in New York City—has been called the “bible of green living for NYC.” Mr. Jervey is also a founder of Evolvist.com, an online directory and resource for smarter, sustainable urban living. He works currently with the Natural Resource Defense Council, developing content for their youth-targeted ItsYourNature.org web-zine. He has worked for many other community and environmental non-profits, including Solar One, a non-profit renewable energy, arts and education center committed to inspiring New Yorkers to become more environmentally-aware urban citizens.
Emily Main | Editor, The Green Guide
www.thegreenguide.com
Emily Main is senior editor of the National Geographic Green Guide, a magazine and web site that provide consumers with the information they need to make environmentally conscious lifestyle choices.
Colin Beavan (No Impact Man) | Local Nyc Activist
www.noimpactman.com
Don’t we all want a healthier planet and a cleaner environment, but often don’t know how to help and where to start? Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, discusses the triumphs and difficulties, the personal satisfaction and the sacrifices, that he and his family are experiencing during his No Impact project. His simple goal is to personally reduce his “footprint” on planet Earth. At times unbelievable, often hilarious, but always serious, Colin’s stories connect us all to the larger picture, while helping us see how anyone can do their small part to help change the world, and in the process their own lives, for the better.
Moderated by:
Gita Nandan | President, GreenHomeNYC
www.greenhomenyc.org
Gita Nandan received her Masters Degree in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley in 1997. Shortly after leaving the Bay Area in 1999 she co-founded Thread Collective, a multi-disciplinary design firm currently based in New York. Thread Collective’s projects are the coalescence of an integrated design approach and include landscape, architecture and temporary installations. Thread Collective is committed to exploring the physical and philosophical edges between building, art and landscape that are rich with design opportunity. In addition, Thread Collective is committed to exploring sustainability as a holistic and supple design approach, integral to all aspects of the design process. Gita is currently board president of GreenHomeNYC, a non-profit organization whose mission is to be a hub of resources for small building owners, to promote the understanding of green building issues, and to connect building owners with local green building service and materials providers.