Spring Community Day
As part of an effort to improve the environment in Lower Manhattan, the Alliance for Downtown New York, Andaz Wall Street and 75 Wall Street Condominium Residences are teaming up to host Spring Community Day on Saturday, May 7.
From 10 a.m. to noon, volunteers will plant more than 300 annuals at Mannahatta Park on Wall Street between Water and South Streets. The Andaz hotel will also launch its annual farmers’market that day, open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Water Street, where renowned chef Maximo Lopez May from the hotel’s Wall & Water restaurant will be preparing samples.
Rounding out the day’s activities, from noon to 2 p.m., 75 Wall Street Condominium Residences will offer story time, face painting and a balloon artist for children, and mini-massages by Andaz spa therapists for adults. The festivities will take place on the building’s roof, where there will be a supply of cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop for people to decorate — and eat.
Immigrants to join weeklong
budget-cut protest
From May 9 to May 12, thousands of people will be speaking out against Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed budget cuts that would slash funding for education and other vital services.
Make the Road New York, a non-profit organization that primarily serves low-income Latina immigrants, is inviting immigrants to join a mass assembly and a teach-in on May 12 to demand an end to cuts in services to immigrant communities. The assembly will be held at 4 p.m. in Battery Park, overlooking Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty — monuments significant to New York’s immigration history.
Funding has already been reduced for English language classes. The protestors fear additional cuts to services such as GED classes, job training and placement and legal services.
Mother’s Day jewelry-making
The Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center invites Friday Night teen members, senior citizens and enrollees in Manhattan Youth’s Programs to join jewelry makers to create special pieces for Mothers Day. The event will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 6, at the Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center (120 Warren St.) Space is limited so advance registration is recommended. To RSVP, email bob@manhattanyouth.org with your name and phone number.
Earth Day laws will protect State’s environment and improve health
A multi-pronged legislative package passed in honor of Earth Day aims to make New York State more environmentally friendly by banning the use of dangerous chemicals, setting clearer policies for disposing of hazardous waste and protecting New York’s wetlands.
On Monday, May 2, New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Robert Sweeney announced the passage of the package.
“This legislative package builds on the Assembly’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of New Yorkers and protecting our state’s natural resources,” said Silver, in a statement. “These measures will help preserve our natural resources and create cleaner, healthier communities.”
The package includes laws that would protect the State’s wetlands by giving the Department of Environmental Conservation authority over wetlands greater than one acre and requiring violators to repair damaged areas near wetlands. It also aims to improve recycling policies State-wide and provide cleaner water by establishing and promoting stricter standards for testing drinking water from private wells.
“New York should serve as a leader for practices that will create and maintain a healthy environment and improve the well-being of its citizens,” Sweeney said. “These measures will help give New York a brighter, healthier and more prosperous future.”
