Greenwich Village Green

You would have to be in a coma not to see all the green initiatives sprouting out everywhere these days. Recycle bins in unexpected places, reminders not to use plastic bags, restaurants encouraging tap, instead of bottled water. The list goes on.

I have heard a few notable experts remark that “all the easy things have been done” adding that the significant planet-saving we do from here on in will be difficult, expensive and complicated. WRONG. Every day I see some creative new re-use or innovative reduction or recycling tricks. What follows is my favorite from this week.

In Greenwich Village, (on the island of Manhattan, between the majestic Hudson River and the rich mysterious Atlantic Ocean— container for and home of the warm Gulf Stream waters and cold water cod), there are lovely little streets that run between the major big avenues. The Avenues have subway stations, many-laned corners with multiple traffic light and pedestrian direction combinations, and the other, usual city street stuff, i.e. trash (and recycle!) bins, Starbucks, newspaper machines, street people, honking horns, frantic-paced taxis, and a conspicuous absence of trees or shrubbery. Running to and away from the Big Daddy Avenues at inconsistent acute and obtuse angles are quiet little streets with names like Christopher, Barrow, and Cornelia. These are quieter with apartment buildings or shops or tiny trattorias and cafes. Many of them are lined with small trees in their own little square yard—literally a “square yard”— surrounded by brick or wrought iron.

Generally the yard is bare dirt or perhaps a little chipped mulch or a ground cover such as a vinca. Along the streets I visited last week, I found that many of those square yards were lush with greenery, the evergreen kind—fir, pine, hemlock. It appeared that wreathes, roping, and small branches had taken on a new life as natural winter protection surrounding the planted dormant landscape trees. And no petrol-fueled power tool had been fired up to grind it to mulch. Imagine that—skipping the whole “collect the Christmas trees, haul them away, pulverize them to spreadable form then redistribute for landscaping material!" What a great way to shrink a neighborhood carbon footprint.

So, was this an organized city initiative, a neighborhood project or just someone’s personal beautification project? I have no clue. But it brightened my day to walk along and find holiday greenery exhibiting one more life of use, adorning the next generation of trees along grey winter sidewalks.

No, all the easy actions have not yet been taken. And we need every little innovative energy saver, as well as all the big changes that will require Herculean effort, courageous leadership and a few well-place miracles to get to sustainability. May the forest be with you!