Sun to Stars returns to Solar One for its 6th season on September 10, 2011 from 2-10 pm [Rain Date September 11]

This year’s performers include: Neel Murgai │ Shobana Ram│Indrajit Roy-Chowdhury│Gaurav Shah│ Parul Shah Dance Company│Malini Srinivasan│ Rujuta Vaidya │Jay Gandhi │Nitin Mitta

Please click on the links above to learn more about the artists!

This year’s Festival will have a special emphasis on children, with special activities for them in the early part of the Festival (2pm-4pm). These activities will include traditional kite and lamp making, coloring South Asian deity puppets, learning to wrap a sari and a special storytelling performance.

Curated by Parul Shah with Reena Shah

Artistic Direction by Tamar Rogoff

Food from Five Star Banquet and Catering

East India Pale Ale from Brroklyn Brewery

For more information about Sun To Stars, click HERE.

Saturday September 10 from 2pm-10pm with special activities for kids from 2pm-4pm

Schedule (subject to change):

2pm Kids Program: Student Performers, Arts & Crafts, Storytelling, Kite Making

4pm Dance Performances: Malini Shrinivasan, Shobana Ram, Parul Shah Dance company, Rujuta Vaidya

6:30pm Music Performances: Neel Murgai, Jay Gandhi & Nitin Mitta, Indrajit Roy-Chowdhury, Gaurav Shah

Sun To Stars Video by Andrew Baker

It’s probably obvious, but thanks to Hurricane Irene and her imminent arrival, events are canceled this weekend. We’ll be posting new dates on the Film page as soon as we figure out what and when we can reschedule.

Stay safe and dry this weekend, and think positive thoughts about the Park!

What is our relationship to water as NYC residents? How often do New Yorkers think about water or even remember that four of our five boroughs are located on islands? In the mind’s eye of the average resident, New York is more likely to be a city of concrete canyons, not bays, rivers, and wetlands that are home to other species besides people. Perhaps that is because today we are used to seeing waterways as dividers that lie between our useful spaces, stormwater as a nuisance for the municipality, and potable water as a problem for engineers. The average New Yorker neither has an active relationship with the water bodies that surround the city nor gives much thought to how we know that the quality of our tap water is safe and secure. But when we start thinking more about water, we find that it has seeped into many seemingly unrelated aspects of our urban lives a long time ago.

On a large scale, it is no exaggeration to single out water as humanity’s most precious resource.  After all,  it is the foundation of life itself. Water is much a part of our bodies as it is an unseen but essential component in the production of food, clothing, energy, and in the operation of industry, buildings, and transportation. In nature, it is a renewable resource thanks to the brilliant simplicity of the hydrologic cycle. In places of dense human activity, however, its lifecycle is often linear: from fresh water to wastewater, which, even when treated, never regains the purity that makes it again suitable for human use. Considering that only 1% of the Earth’s water is suitable for human use, we must reconsider our relationship to water to make it more sustainable for the sake of ecological stability as well as our own security.

The City of New York has an intimate relationship with water. Water defined our city’s physical boundaries and laid the foundation for its financial prosperity. New York, like many cities before and after it, was founded on water for reasons of transportation and, therefore, trade. The City became the financial powerhouse we know today largely due to the Hudson River and the Eerie Canal. And yet today NYC’s port has shrunk dramatically, prompting industry and advocates to re-envision the function of the waterfront in an innovative and sustainable way.

New York’s waterways still retain the polluting footprint of recent heavy industry. While water quality in the Hudson and East Rivers have improved, other waterways, like the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek have recently earned federal Superfund designations due to heavy post-industrial contamination. Government-led efforts are on the way to clean them up, and community groups are teaming up with landscape designers, ecologists, and engineers to devise strategies to keep those waterways clean after the remediation is complete. Some strategies focus on limiting the volume of water that washes over our streets, into sewers, and then into water bodies when it rains while others explore how we can use water in our buildings more smartly and reuse it when possible.

The remaining piers that bristle out of the water all around Manhattan appear to most New Yorkers as the most visible vestige of a more active waterfront. Some have been reclaimed by enterprising individuals and organizations to be transformed into destinations; the Frying Pan on Pier 66 comes to mind. Nevertheless, such destinations are endpoints, often of a lengthy journey from the nearest subway. Rethinking transportation, some urban planners and designers are re-imagining these endpoints as hubs and positing that waterborne transportation can relieve NYC’s roads and subways that chocking with traffic. In that case, water can once again become a connecting medium instead of a divider, much like it had been in the days before Fulton’s Ferry was made obsolete by the Brooklyn Bridge.

Our waterfront must innovate not only in the interest of health, commerce, and connectivity, but also to engage people by offering them access to water and opportunities for recreation. Destinations like the Brooklyn Bridge Park and Hudson River Park, water sports like kayaking and small boating, all serve to grant access and allow New Yorkers opportunities to learn from and relax on the water.

Water, however, is both our friend and foe. As a coastal city bounded by water, New York is especially vulnerable to sea level rise. Last year’s exhibition “Rising Currents” at the Museum of Modern Art asked several groups of architects and landscape designers to imagine how the city’s landscape might cope with the disastrous invasion of water. If one were to take this scenario a step further, one could imagine the world transformed by an excess of water, both of the macro level of society and the micro level of individual human lives. This feat of imagination is being undertaken by artists and actors to help us glimpse one possible dystopian future, a future that, unwittingly, we might have helped to bring about.

We at Solar One think a lot about New York’s relationship water. After all, we are an organization located on the East River next to a combined sewer overflow discharge point; we manage a park of water-saving native plants; and we look forward to building a water-smart building, Solar 2. As part of our ongoing series, NYC the Future Metropolis, we invited some of our friends to share their thoughts about the importance of water to New York City on Sunday, May 8. We hope you can join us as well.

Please see the event page for more details: solar1.org/nycfm

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12th: Learn to fish (catch and release only, please) through the Department of Environmental Conservation’s I FISH NY program. Bait, tackel and help figuring out how to fish will all be available.

RSVP: melissa@solar1.org

JULY 30th- AUGUST 1: The Fifth Annual Solar-Powered Dance Series features 14 emerging choreographers in a diverse variety of styles, from African/hiphop to circus to vaudeville/burlesque and beyond.

Performances are accessible to a general audience and are appropriate for all ages!

This week’s dances will include choreography by: Adelka Polak & Larry Hunt, Faye Lim, Julie Troost, Catch Me Bird, Sharon Mansur, Gabriel Forestieri, and Alexandra Joye Houston.

Dances begin at 6 PM!

Rain Date: August 2

Harbor Seal at Stuyvesant Cove Park

On Saturday March 28th at about 8:00am Stuyvesant Cove Park had a visitor stop by for a while….a Harbor Seal!

It was hanging out on the rocky outcropping in the East River at about 20th street. Many people gathered around to see the seal and to make sure it was okay.  According to CRESLI

“Population counts over the last 12 years have indicated a dramatic increase in the number of seals utilizing Long Island’s waters, as well as a shift in the species composition of the region…”

So to see a seal hauled up on a rock in the East River or other bodies of water around the city is not such an uncommon occurrence.  Look at CRESLI for viewing guidelines when you see a seal.  This however was the first one that we know of that came to the rocky outcropping since Stuyvesant Cove Park was built. For more information on marine mammals and rescue efforts go to Riverhead Foundation

At about 10am just after the police and fireman had arrived the seal, which didn’t seem to be hurt or in distress, slipped back into the water and swam away. Photographers from a few different newspapers came by to get a glimpse of the seal, but the above photo (taken by park manager Melissa McDonald) with the exception of a few cell phone pictures, was the only photo to capture the seal.

The seal looked like a yearling, which means it is between the ages of 1- 2yrs old and a length of 3.5′-4′. Harbor seals mature between 4-6 years and live for about 25 years. The increase in seal sightings in the Hudson River Estuary and around Long Island are a testament to increased water quality as well as a reaction to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.

with Kate Zidar, Storm Water Infrastructure Matters (S.W.I.M.)

On rainy days, New York City’s sewer system combines everything that is flushed from your apartment with the rainwater that drains from the street. Often the total volume of this combination exceeds the capacity of the city’s waste treatment facilities to process it in its entirety. As a result, the system shoots significant quantities of untreated sewage into the local waterways through hundreds of points called combined sewer overflows, or CSOs. The phenomenon, which occurs regularly throughout the year, negatively impacts the water quality of our harbor, compromises ecosystems, and limits healthy human use of the estuary.

Decreasing the quantity of stormwater that reaches street drains would reduce the incidence of sewage outflows on rainy days. One way to do that is by Increasing the number of street trees in the five boroughs. Unlike impervious surfaces like asphalt and concrete that shuttle water into the sewer system, trees create an absorptive buffer that retains water.

In this talk urban planner, CSO expert and founding member of the S.W.I.M. coalition will explain how street trees can help mitigate our most chronic water quality problems, and discuss planning strategies that the city is or should be pursuing to maximize this potential.

Koh’s project, Fair-weather forces is a series of architectonic interventions which suggest a reciprocal relationship between human behaviour and natural phenomena. Using the tidal fluctuations of the East River at the Solar One site, Koh has electronically linked the motion to a series of velvet ropes that respond to the depth of the water at the Eyebeam gallery space.

Untethered: A sculpture garden of readymades
Date: September 25 – October 25
Opening: Thurs., Sept. 25, 6PM
Location: Eyebeam, 540 W. 21st St., NYC
Cost: Free

Welcome back teachers and students!

Now with the new school year underway, our education team is putting together our calendar for education programs with our many school partners all over the city.

We are now accepting applications for programs for Fall 2008 and Spring 2009! Please email application forms to education[at]solar1.org or call 212-253-1813 to schedule a class today! This season we are expanding our K-12 enrichment programs to include:

• Renewable Energy
• Sustainable Design
• Estuary Ecology and Water Testing
• Environmental Art

Upcoming Events and News

Outdoor Education Fair
Tuesday | September 23rd | 4:30pm
New York City Outdoors! An Environmental Education Exposition on Tuesday, September 23^th, 2008 at Pier 66 Maritime in the Hudson River Park at West 26^th Street in Manhattan. The Expo showcases the environmental education resources for New York City teachers and educators. Soil and Water

Solar Sprint
Thursday | Sept. 25 – 4-7pm
The Junior Solar Sprint will be hosted at MS 74 in Queens, NY.

Harlem River Festival
Saturday | Sept. 27th
Join us for Harlem River Festial, celebrating National Estuaries Day and takes place at our Swindler Cove Park in Washington Heights/Inwood. Organized by New York Restoration Project.

Butterfly Tagging Day
Saturday | Sept. 27th | 1-3pm
Join us for a fun-filled day of monarch butterfly tagging and learning about the animals and plants of Stuyvesant Cove Park!

Hudson River Snapshot Day
October 7th | 9am – 1pm
Solar One will be a host site for NYC’s annual Hudson River Snapshot Day. Contact Chris Kennedy (kennedy [at] solar1 [dot] org) to sign up your school to be apart of this event. Learn more about the program here.

For everyone who has been wondering about what is happening at Solar One on July 4th, wonder no more. We will once again be working with Rooftop Films to sandwich some great music and short films around the (insert favorite sandwich filling) that are the Macy’s East River fireworks display. Once again we will offer a front row seat for the fireworks – word is we might even have a better view this year if that’s possible), plus great refreshments (some free from 5-7pm). Tickets are $30 and the proceeds go to support Solar One and Rooftop Films – two great non-profit organizations that (we hope) make New York City a more informed and more entertaining place to live. For full details and to purchase tickets, please head on over the the Rooftop Films site for the event.

The event will start at 5pm and everyone needs to be on site by 6pm in order to comply with NYPD rules that will have access blocked off after that time. Please note that in the case of inclement weather, our event will be happening as long as the fireworks are still happening. If the fireworks are moved to a different night (likely Saturday), we will honor all tickets. Otherwise, tickets are non-refundable.

If you have any questions, please call us at (212) 505-6050. Now here’s a photo from last year to whet your appetite.

For everyone who has been wondering about what is happening at Solar One on July 4th, wonder no more. We will once again be working with Rooftop Films to sandwich some great music and short films around the (insert favorite sandwich filling) that are the Macy’s East River fireworks display. Once again we will offer a front row seat for the fireworks – word is we might even have a better view this year if that’s possible), plus great refreshments (some free from 5-7pm). Tickets are $30 and the proceeds go to support Solar One and Rooftop Films – two great non-profit organizations that (we hope) make New York City a more informed and more entertaining place to live. For full details and to purchase tickets, please head on over the the Rooftop Films site for the event.

The event will start at 5pm and everyone needs to be on site by 6pm in order to comply with NYPD rules that will have access blocked off after that time. Please note that in the case of inclement weather, our event will be happening as long as the fireworks are still happening. If the fireworks are moved to a different night (likely Saturday), we will honor all tickets. Otherwise, tickets are non-refundable.

If you have any questions, please call us at (212) 505-6050. Now here’s a photo from last year to whet your appetite.

On the occasion of Pope Benedict’s visit this weekend, NYC Harbor and Scuba police were patrolling the area near the UN, about 20 blocks north of Solar One, when a beaver graced their view of the East River. Apparently struggling to stay afloat, the four foot-long, 40 lb. rodent was rushed to an UWS animal hospital but unfortunately died en route to a specialist in Utica.

Although the cause of death is still unknown, doctors suspect that she was already in bad shape before hitting the inhospitably salty waters of the East River, a tidal strait connecting the New York Harbor with the Long Island Sound. As beavers are fresh-water creatures, she likely drifted into the estuary from the Bronx River, where beavers may be in the process of re-establishing colonies.

This marked only the second confirmed beaver sighting in New York City since the early 1800s. The first beaver, José (pictured), was photographed in early 2007 after building a 12-foot lodge in the Bronx River. He was nicknamed after US Representative José E. Serrano, who has led a major initiative to revive the health of that river. More information on the efforts of Serrano and others can be found here.

On March 29th Solar One kicked off spring 2008 with its first volunteer day in Stuyvesant Cove Park. The day started at 9:00am with coffee donated by Starbucks and guest speaker Claudia Joseph, from The Old Stone House, who spoke to the volunteers about permaculture . After the lecture volunteers were assigned tasks in the park. New volunteers partnered with seasoned ones to cut back last seasons grasses and perennials and to weed unwanted plants in preparation for this season’s new growth.

In total there were over 20 volunteers that came out to help on Saturday, of which 2 were new to the park. The volunteers were also surprised to see their Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh, who represents the 74th Assembly District, put on a pair of work gloves and volunteer his time to help in the park clean up day.

The day ended at 12:30pm with pizza and soda provided by the Stuyvesant Cove Park Association. If you are interested in participating in the next volunteer day or becoming a regular park volunteer, please contact us.

Source control strategies that decrease the amount of stormwater entering the wastewater treatment system are valuable tools to reduce the occurrence and volume of CSOs and other stormwater discharges. Effective source control strategies also provide other benefits, such as decreased energy consumption and economic benefits associated with supporting local markets for source control strategies. The Council finds that the development and implementation of a sustainable stormwater management plan is vital to improve water quality in the City and thereby better protect the public health through the restoration and protection of the ecological health of the City’s waterbodies and to the enhanced use and enjoyment of the City’s waterbodies for recreational activities.

Among the strategies to be considered in drawing up the plans are green roofs, permeable pavement, cisterns and rain barrels, and tree/vegetative cover. This is all great news for the city and its waterways, which currently absorb up to 27 billion gallons of untreated waste water each year via CSOs. It’s also great news for beaches and other water-based recreational opportunities as part of the plan will include a more comprehensive system of warnings to protect public health when CSOs do happen.

Of course, legislation like this doesn’t happen without the hard work of a lot of dedicated people, in this case the folks at the S.W.I.M. coalition. Congratulations to them for everything they did to get this legislation passed.

For more information on water resources, check out our East River resource page. And if you haven’t already, take a look at our plans for Solar 2, which will include many water-saving and recycling techniques.

Tonight’s program with Teresa Crimmens, from Storm Water Infrastructure Matters (SWIM), is the exciting beginning of a new and educational fall/winter series!  Many Renters were at capacity crowds last year, and we expect to only go up from there.

The above picture is of a GROSS combined sewer overflow (cso) spewing poo into the East River after a rain.

The Green Renter will be held at Solar One (directions) every Tuesday, 7pm, and as always, is FREE.

Weeks after they were formally dedicated by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, six underwater turbines that turn the river’s currents into electricity have been shut down for repairs and a basic redesign. The East River’s powerful tides have been wreaking havoc with the giant turbine blades since the first two were installed in December.

“But the good thing is that there’s more power in the East River than we thought,” said Mollie E. Gardner, a geologist for Verdant Power, which owns the equipment.

This is the reality of new energy projects, which often seem more attractive on paper than they do in practice. Verdant’s principals, along with the state officials who have supported the project with large grants, say the setback is only temporary, even expected — a way to work out the kinks before moving onto the next, expanded phase.

The turbines are expected back online sometime in November, and there are other companies now looking into projects further north near the Hell Gate area. Find more Tidal power news here.