NEW YORK—City officials, environmental activists, and local bloggers gathered on Thursday at the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew in Brooklyn for the launch of the Change By Us (nyc.changeby.us) website. Change By Us is a social networking platform where New York City residents can initiate local green projects.
“We’re launching Change By Us today for neighborhoods such as this one because we know that New York City has this important commitment to be greater, and better, and more sustainable,” said Stephen Goldsmith, deputy mayor for operations.
Goldsmith added that he hopes that Change By Us is not a mere announcement and encouraged New Yorkers to participate. The website uses the latest in social networking tools to allow people to vote up the projects they support and disseminate the information to other social media. Successful projects will be linked with grants from public and private sources.
“It’s wonderful to have the administration here to announce this initiative, to engage in an interactive discussion with the public, so that the public recognizes that real change relies on them and that they can embrace change, and that change can come from the ground up as opposed to top down,” said Councilwoman Letitia James.
James claimed that her district is the “bloggiest” area in New York City, with many individuals affecting change on a local level via blogs and social media. As opposed to PlaNYC, the city’s top down initiative for environmental change, Change By Us provides a platform for interaction between neighbors, community organizations, environmental activists, and other individuals and groups.
“The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew is excited by the possibility for collaboration that will emerge through the Change By Us platform,” said the Rev. Michael Sniffen.
Sniffen’s church was chosen as host for the website launch likely because it has taken on the kind of initiatives Change By Us seeks to support and encourage. The parishioners have been putting in an effort to make the building and the block more green with assistance from Sustainable Sanctuaries, a program that enables houses of worship to make environmentally conscious improvements.
The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew is the group to adopt the Change By Us platform. They posted a project that would use the space opened by the fall of some trees next to the church to create a vegetable garden. The project’s current goals are to have the soil tested and to use rainwater collected from the roof to water the plants. The church plans to share the fruits of its labor with local residents and homeless visitors to the seasonal shelter located within the church.
Jake Barton, founder of Local Projects, the design firm contracted to create the website, said similar websites are popping up around the country.
“We'll be launching in Philadelphia and Seattle this summer and in San Jose in the fall. We are very proud to be launching it in New York City to begin with. And we hope that it spurs on more community gardens, more block parties and more incredible civic activities for change by us,” said Barton.
“We’re launching Change By Us today for neighborhoods such as this one because we know that New York City has this important commitment to be greater, and better, and more sustainable,” said Stephen Goldsmith, deputy mayor for operations.
Goldsmith added that he hopes that Change By Us is not a mere announcement and encouraged New Yorkers to participate. The website uses the latest in social networking tools to allow people to vote up the projects they support and disseminate the information to other social media. Successful projects will be linked with grants from public and private sources.
“It’s wonderful to have the administration here to announce this initiative, to engage in an interactive discussion with the public, so that the public recognizes that real change relies on them and that they can embrace change, and that change can come from the ground up as opposed to top down,” said Councilwoman Letitia James.
James claimed that her district is the “bloggiest” area in New York City, with many individuals affecting change on a local level via blogs and social media. As opposed to PlaNYC, the city’s top down initiative for environmental change, Change By Us provides a platform for interaction between neighbors, community organizations, environmental activists, and other individuals and groups.
“The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew is excited by the possibility for collaboration that will emerge through the Change By Us platform,” said the Rev. Michael Sniffen.
Sniffen’s church was chosen as host for the website launch likely because it has taken on the kind of initiatives Change By Us seeks to support and encourage. The parishioners have been putting in an effort to make the building and the block more green with assistance from Sustainable Sanctuaries, a program that enables houses of worship to make environmentally conscious improvements.
The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew is the group to adopt the Change By Us platform. They posted a project that would use the space opened by the fall of some trees next to the church to create a vegetable garden. The project’s current goals are to have the soil tested and to use rainwater collected from the roof to water the plants. The church plans to share the fruits of its labor with local residents and homeless visitors to the seasonal shelter located within the church.
Jake Barton, founder of Local Projects, the design firm contracted to create the website, said similar websites are popping up around the country.
“We'll be launching in Philadelphia and Seattle this summer and in San Jose in the fall. We are very proud to be launching it in New York City to begin with. And we hope that it spurs on more community gardens, more block parties and more incredible civic activities for change by us,” said Barton.
Friends Read Free