By Aline Reynolds
East Village businesses are changing their light bulbs, cutting down on power consumption and taking other eco-friendly measures thanks to an environmental incentive program by the Lower East Side Ecology Center.
Named EcobizNYC, the program matches sustainability staff members with East Village business owners to step up the companies’ environmental pratices toward improving the neighborhood’s overall air quality.
“We have daily interaction with the small businesses” to assess their day-to-day operations, and then offer recommendations, said Angie Cho, EcobizNYC manager. “We try to take on as much work as possible to make it easier for the small business owners, because they have very little time.”
Once the participating businesses have implemented three out of 10 of the EcobizNYC suggestions, they’re eligible to apply for an EcobizNYC grant of between $150 and $1,000. The ecology center has received $63,000 in funds from Con Edison and another $15,000 from H.S.B.C. Bank for the grant program since last fall.
Since working with EcobizNYC, the staff at B-side bar, on Avenue B. between 12th and 13th Sts., has installed compact flourescent light bulbs and made a habit of turning off the bar’s power supply when the place is closed. B-side owner Sivan Harlap has also lowered the venue’s electricity use by keeping the beer cooled on ice rather than refrigerating it.
Harlap, who has received $1,000 in EcobizNYC grant money, said she has already saved on operational costs since starting the program.
“I was pleasantly surprised over the last few months,” she said. “I was expecting the electricity bill to be higher than it was.”
Harlap has also signed up for trash services with Action Carting Environmental Services — known for its reliable recycling methods — and has switched to eco-friendly products to clean B-side’s bartops and glasses.
The bar also allows pedestrians to come in and and refill their water bottles with filtered tap water.
Ost Café, at 12th St. and Avenue A, has been awarded between $300 and $400 that it plans to use toward the installation of L.E.D. light bulbs and the purchase of nozzles to clean its milk-steaming pitchers.
Owner Alex Clark has already made strides to make operations more environmentally friendly by lessening the toilets’ water supply, for example, and cutting down on air conditioning and artificial lighting.
Though he’s glad to be part of the EcobizNYC program, Clark said, unlike Harlap, he hasn’t yet reaped the financial benefits of his eco-conscious efforts.
“Unfortunately, there is money you have to sink in first, in terms of work and product, before seeing the result,” he said. The grant program, Clark said, helps “to defray some of that and make it more affordable.”
The ecology center is aware of the small businesses’ budgets when making recommendations and assigning grants, according to Executive Director Christine Datz-Romero.
The businesses, according to Datz-Romero, if not already, will soon see the economic rewards of their actions.
“When it comes down to it, there are day-to-day decisions they have to make based on financial realities,” said Datz-Romero of the businesses. “If you show people they can actually save money and do the right thing by the environment, they realize it’s really a win-win.”
Eighteen of the participating businesses have collectively saved $19,385 from lighting upgrades alone, according to L.E.S.E.C. The environmental results have been equally promising: 128 tons of carbon dioxide have been eliminated in the last 12 months, equal to 24 fewer cars on the road in a year.
The number of EcobizNYC participants has doubled since this January, from 20 to 40, according to manager Rebecca Kraus, attributing the program’s success partly to increased face-to-face meetings with business owners.
“By meeting on site, EcobizNYC representatives can intuit more information about the business, leading to more sensible recommendations,” she noted.
Moving forward, L.E.S.E.C. hopes to partner with the Lower East Side Business Improvement District.
“We want to expand to the south [below Houston St.] to spread the momentum and the sustainability even more,” Kraus said.
“Their passion for the program is definitely inspiring to do these reasonable and small changes that can make a big difference when everyone does them together,” said Jared Boxx, an owner of Big City Records secondhand vinyl music shop on E. 12th St. between Avenues A and B. Boxx will use the grant money to buy recyclable bags and an energy-saving cover for the store’s air conditioning unit.
The ecology enter received an additional $30,000 from Con Edison last week for its electronic-waste recycling program, which encourages residents to discard unwanted electronics in environmentally friendly ways.
