From NeighborWorks America

Profile of Thomas Yu of Asian Americans for Equality

by Madelyn Lazorchak, Communications Writer

“Home is where we are anchored. It’s a starting place for many of us. It can be nurturing or it could be traumatic or a testing ground. It can be all of those things at the same time.”

“Home is something that shapes us.” Yu wants home to be as safe and stable as possible for as many people as possible. In last year’s NeighborWorks America Housing and Financial Capability Survey, 50% of Asians said their home did not feel safe or secure, while 44% of Blacks and 44% of Latinos shared the same sentiment.”

“Yu recalls living in neglected tenement housing as a child. “Immigrant families don’t always know where to go to create change,” he says. “Or where to go for help. But we had a neighbor who was an organizer, rallying tenants together to promote change and fight for building repairs.”

“One way Yu hopes to bolster the community is by bringing art and culture to Chinatown’s Forsyth Plaza, near the Manhattan Bridge. Chinatown has the lowest open-space ratio, per person, in the city. Yu says turning the plaza into a long-term arts and performance space will utilize an area that is empty after dark and bring economic activity at the same time. But it will also bring the community much-needed joy, starting with an art installation at the end of May.

“We want to reclaim spaces to say, ‘We are not afraid.’ We are here, as a people.”

“Lord Ganesha clears the obstacles and paves the way for us to move forward in life“

We hope for more international assistance for the people of India as the devastation of the COVID pandemic continues around the world. [aide finally shipped from The United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, France, Israel, U.S., Russia, Belgium]

Ganesha “Wisdom and understanding and help in overcoming obstacles”

“Many countries, including Mexico, Nigeria, Egypt, and Jordan have faced oxygen shortages that have led to deadly accidents and driven up virus deaths. The World Health Organization estimated earlier this year that 500,000 people were in need of oxygen supply every day, but that number is likely to be much higher with the outbreak in India” – NYTimes

From Hindustan Times: “Baker Neha Divekar, whose son was stuck in Paris due to the pandemic, decided to celebrate the festival for the first time by installing Ganpati idol at home after his return home in June. “I knew that I wanted to install the idol but at the same time I was sure that I was not going to leave home to buy an idol…No guests have been invited…”

Pranali Sahasrabudhe, a professor and a Vile Parle-East resident: “I have been installing eco-friendly Ganpati at home for four years now, but this is the first time that I have not used any decoration material that needed to be bought…all my flowers are made from papers available at home so that I don’t have to enter a market place to buy them. .. I have even asked my extended family to remain at home and have assured them to video call during the aarti”. [a Hindu religious ritual of worship in which light (usually from a flame) is offered to one or more deities]

From Deccan Herald: “Several of the Ganesh mandals have decided to run health campaigns, organized blood and plasma donation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

More from The Lotus Sculpture website:

THE SACRED SYMBOLS OF LORD GANESH STATUES

“Lord Ganesh, the Remover of Obstacles, is rich in symbolism used as spiritual guides. Each symbol associated with the elephant-headed Hindu god is viewed as a reminder to manifest the powers held within us. Ganesh, a much-beloved and worshiped deity, is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. He is also known as the God of wisdom, prosperity, and auspiciousness.

A Ganesh statue can be hand-carved in many postures and forms, typically with four or eight arms, holding various symbolic objects. Lord Ganesh is often displayed dancing or playing a musical instrument, such as a flute. He is sometimes accompanied by or riding a rat (or the mouse) – a symbol of all-pervasiveness. The rat can be interpreted as under Ganesh’s control, which is symbolic of a spiritual pursuit to attain self-realization and grace.”

May 8th, 2021 World Migratory Bird Day site here.

Artwork by Sara Wolman who grew up in Queens, New York

Global Event Map Here.

“During this year’s event, World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) will imbue the activity of birdwatching, a past time enjoyed by some 86 million Americans, with deeper meaning. WMBD will teach participants at more than 700 locations from Argentina to Canada how to identify birds, how to connect with them, and how to delve deeper into bird biology, investigating such topics as the difference between birdsong and call, the mysteries of migration, and the astounding power of flight.”

The ‘3.5% rule’: How a small minority can change the world: HERE.

Key Message in 2021

Photos above Lily Lasovick

Thanks to volunteers from Audubon NY. Removing garbage and weeds and planting indigenous flowers from:

NYC Park Department’s Arthur Ross Citywide Nursery

Thank you Lily, Yamina and Richard for organizing everyone!

Bird Sightings today: Baltimore Orioles, Black and White Warblers, Cardinals, Yellow Warbler and Robin‘s nesting.

Rivington, Betty Hubbard, and more..

All other photos K Webster

EARTH DAY 2021!!

Thank you to Pamela Ito of “The Hort” and NYC Parks Department‘s Johnathan Young and to Neighborhood Volunteers. 

“Last Saturday we worked in SDR park from Grand – Hester along Forsyth.  Hort Staff and local Volunteers weeded, fertilized (with kelp meal) planted and  mulched.  Dozens of heuchera and astilbe perennials were planted for color and texture. 

Our horticulture crew is expected back in a few weeks to plant more.” – Pam Ito

Funding made possible by the New York City Council and a generous allocation by Councilwoman Margaret Chin District 1.  

And please note the amount of garbage picked up!!

Haywood, one of Sara Roosevelt Park’s Gardeners (retired)

A step in the right direction… Protects children and all park users equitably, and the park workers and volunteers who help with upkeep.

From NYT article

“Paula Rogovin has a rule for teaching small children: Whenever you expose them to upsetting problems, remind them that they can look for solutions. So they decided on a goal: to ban pesticides in the city’s parks, playgrounds and open spaces.”

From the NYT “City agencies’ use of glyphosate, the main ingredient in the weed killer Roundup, has dropped since 2014, when Mr. Kallos first introduced a version of the bill. Since then, it has been ruled a carcinogen and Roundup’s manufacturer, Monsanto, later acquired by Bayer, has been ordered to pay $158 million, in separate lawsuits, to two California cancer patients, a school groundskeeper and a gardener, who were sickened by it.

Agencies can seek waivers to use toxins in specific cases, but input is required from the local community board, council member and borough president. Exceptions will include areas on median strips, where using organic products, which require more frequent applications, would more often expose workers to danger from vehicles.”

[What about exposure to toxic chemicals to workers?]

More information from “Beyond Pesticides” here.

Center for Urban Culture‘s introduction to Stretching New York City’s Capital Dollars

Key Findings

• Reforms to New York’s capital process could save the city at least $800 million over five years, according to our analysis of estimated cost overruns tied to major problem areas plaguing the capital project design and construction process for public buildings.
• That $800 million in savings could be used to pay for 150 full-time parks maintenance workers for the next decade..
• The report’s analysis of reforms enacted by DDC beginning in January 2019 finds notable improvements in front-end planning, project management, payment, avoiding change orders, and pre-qualifying contractors. As a result, the average project duration decreased from 96 months to 90 months as of June 2020—a promising achievement in a year and a half.
• 5 ongoing challenges continue (below)
• …the state- requirement to award contracts to the lowest bidder can delay the average project by at least 6 to 9 months and adds at least 20% or $1 million to the original bill due to poor performance and delays..the low-bid requirement annually costs the city at least $100 million.
• Delays created by the change order process, on average, can add at least $600,000 to each project annually—on top of the cost of additional work…we estimate that change-order-related delays cost the city more than $60 million each year.
• While some improvements to project delivery have been made, capital project staff at sponsor agencies say that too few DDC project managers are acting as the client’s best advocate and could do more to anticipate roadblocks, navigate approvals, and speed up the process…sponsor agencies can help improve project delivery by limiting scope changes after a project is initiated.
• Multiple capital eligibility reviews by the Office of Management and Budget—conducted for every budget modification..add between four and six months to the average project timeline… requirements for registering contracts with the Comptroller’s Office has delayed projects hundreds of times, as initial applications are denied and returned with additional questions.
• When allowed to self-manage projects via pass-through funding, sponsor agencies..can complete projects in just 20 percent of the time of DDC-managed projects, and at one-third of the cost.

New York can no longer afford to squander its limited capital funds. The city’s infrastructure needs are simply too great and capital funding too limited.

New York can no longer afford to squander its limited capital funds. The city’s infrastructure needs are simply too great and capital funding too limited.

“public parks are straining to accommodate a surge in use amid the pandemic”  

…But right now, the city’s broken capital construction process is standing in the way.

…the city’s limited infrastructure funds don’t stretch very far, leaving many needed projects on the drawing board and causing unacceptable trade-offs between maintaining current infrastructure and building innovative new structures to meet growing demand.

Reforms Are Taking Hold, But Need to Go Much Further 
…the city’s capital project management agency, the Department of Design and Construction, announced a major overhaul of its processes. The agency’s Strategic Blueprint for Construction Excellence mapped out plans to expand front-end planning to reduce delays before construction even starts; modernize the procurement process; implement more effective project management within DDC; and improve coordination among sponsor agencies, oversight agencies, and vendors across hundreds of different projects.

The Center for Urban Future report provides the first assessment of DDC’s reform efforts.

…reforms are taking hold, resulting in more thorough front-end planning, more responsive project managers, better avoidance of lengthy change order delays, faster payments, and better-qualified contractors.

But..”A capital process where the average project still takes 90 months remains badly broken.”

Five Keys to Fixing NYC’s Broken Capital System
…analyzed in more detail on page 11 of the report.

1. DDC is not yet getting the help it needs from OMB and other city agencies that play a significant role in the delays that plague the capital process. 

2. The low-bid requirement produces an underwhelming pool of contractors, leading to subpar performance and routine delays.

3. The approval process for change orders still takes too long.

4. Projects still suffer from inadequate project management.

5. Libraries and cultural institutions lack the authority or capacity to self-manage more projects

A Glimmer of What’s Possible: DDC’s Performance During COVID 

..DDC leveraged emergency powers granted in response to the pandemic to overcome the usual restrictions and procedural hurdles and execute projects at warp speed. For example, a new outpatient healthcare facility in the Bronx was completed in just six months, while DDC was also building 15 new testing centers and two temporary field hospitals—a pace that would be unthinkable under the current process.

…At this moment of crisis, the city needs to maximize the impact of every dollar invested into vital social infrastructure—and seize the opportunity to transform a dysfunctional capital construction process.

The next mayor and the City Council will need to build on this progress and go a lot further.”

More details here.

Full report here.

Sign the petition here.

From “The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) and over 150 organizations and individuals in signing on to a letter initiated by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Zero Waste USA asking President Biden and Vice President Harris to establish policies and programs for waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting that will stem climate disruption, address racial justice, and create thousands of jobs throughout the country. 

Asking “the Biden-Harris Administration to consider these items in a stimulus package, infrastructure bill, racial justice and/or climate change legislation..also sent to Congress for them to advocate for and include in proposed legislation, such as the Clean Future Act and bills being developed now on infrastructure such as the American Jobs Plan.”

Key goals to be included in federal policies and programs that are detailed in the letter include:

1. STOP TRASHING THE CLIMATE: The US Environmental Protection Agency has long documented the significant connections between wasting and climate change. Our linear system of materials extraction, processing, consumption, and disposal in landfills and incinerators is intimately tied to core contributors to climate change (energy use, transportation, and deforestation). We urge adopting a Zero Waste approach – via redesign, reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting – which is one of the quickest and most effective strategies to protect the climate.

2. CENTER EQUITY: Design federal policies and programs to support the safety, equitable access to sustainable job training and jobs, elimination of toxics and pollution in frontline communities and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Create a just and inclusive system for a sustainable and regenerative future

3. REDESIGN: Require manufacturers to minimize and eliminate hazards and redesign products for highest material and energy efficiency and a closed circle economy. Focus services and products to embody durability, repairability, reuse, with recycling or composting as the final option.  Waste less through right sizing and better design.

4. BAN WASTEFUL PRODUCTS: Direct EPA and other appropriate federal agencies to support and implement product bans for products that are demonstrated to be wasteful by design.

5. MAKE PRODUCERS RESPONSIBLE:  Require companies to eliminate the hazards their products pose to the environment and human health throughout the entire life cycle of the product, from resource extraction to final disposition. Producers should be held financially responsible for remedies of their products’ impacts.

6. REDUCE AND SEPARATE AT THE SOURCE: After redesign, collect all discarded materials and products separated at the source and further sort them into higher quality fractions for reuse, recycling, or composting.

7. KEEP COMPOSTABLE ORGANICS OUT OF LANDFILLS AND INCINERATORS NOW: Compost or digest organic materials to make and use compost and mulch to reduce greenhouse gases and sequester carbon. Support and implement incentives, penalties or controls to prevent food scraps and yard materials from entering incinerators and landfills.

8. SUPPORT AND EXPAND REPAIR, REUSE AND RESCUE: Support existing reuse and repair organizations and infrastructure and expand opportunities for reuse and repair through outreach and education, promotion, and investment. Establish programs to rescue edible food for people and animals.

9. BUILD ZERO WASTE INFRASTRUCTURE: Invest in Zero Waste infrastructure, including resource recovery parks, to safely salvage usable items and parts and handle all discards as resources to be conserved and recovered. To maintain robust and self-sustaining recycling markets in North America, increase the purchase of products with recycled content. Include the use of reuse systems, recycled content and compost products in infrastructure projects to increase the benefits of those investments.

10 END WELFARE FOR WASTING: End subsidies for resource extraction and support choosing recovered materials first for manufacturing, including eliminating subsidies for fossil fuel extraction.

11. LEVY FEES AND SURCHARGES: Adopt fees and surcharges on wasteful products, landfills and incinerators.

12. RETIRE EXISTING INCINERATORS AND STOP NEW FACILITIES: Eliminate investments in incineration and landfilling to free up taxpayer money for resource conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy solutions.

The final letter was sent to the Biden-Harris Administration on March 31, 2021, the day the Administration announced its Infrastructure Plan, known as The American Jobs Plan. The NRC believes that recycling is also an integrated part of America’s infrastructure as well as a means toward addressing climate change, and therefore has initiated this petition for recycling to be included in infrastructure and climate change legislation.

Support the Biden-Harris letter by signing this petition and sharing it with your colleagues and friends.

As the American Jobs Plan forms into legislation, please contact your Congressional Representatives and U.S. Senators and ask that the components in the Biden-Harris letter be included in infrastructure and climate change legislation, because Recycling is Infrastructure Too.

More information about the National Recycling Coalition

To become a member: website.

To sign the petition on behalf of an organization, please write to change@NRCrecycles.org“

Thank you!

All candidates invited.

Who came: Art Chang; Shaun Donovan; Kathryn Garcia; Ray McGuire. Thank you for taking the time to speak about this precious resource.