Expert Q&As

Scott Kessler is the assistant project manager at The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which is the premiere energy efficiency administrator in New York State. NYSERDA recently completed a three-month energy savings competition within two Brooklyn neighborhoods in an effort to encourage participants to reduce their energy use through awareness and education. Scott received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics at Middlebury College in Vermont.

> Read More

• Education | Leave a comment • Email Article

A nonprofit green energy, arts, and education center founded in 2004, Solar One seeks to promote sustainable energy in New York City, offering a variety of community events. Since joining the organization in 2009, Celia Salgado has transitioned from a career in real estate into a role as the NYSERDA Energy $mart program assistant, helping to promote and organize programs such as Solar One's "Green from the Inside Out" events, which target co-op and condo owners throughout the city. She is also involved with circulating information about energy efficiency, recycling, and composting programs to New York residents, and making sure that building owners and landlords are kept up-to-date on NYSERDA's money-saving incentives. MGB spoke to Salgado about her work, how community members can get involved, and what Solar One has planned for the future. To find out more about upcoming Solar One events, visit solar1.org.

> Read More

• Education | Leave a comment • Email Article

Bronx teacher Stephen Ritz is not only passionate about the environment—he is passionate about educating his South Bronx, New York City students about sustainability in hopes that they will share his passion. So far, Ritz has succeeded—his Green Teen Program at Walton High School in the South Bronx was met with tremendous student approval and support. Now, Ritz has another sustainable education program in the works—the development of Hunts Point High School for Sustainable Community Initiatives in the Bronx.

> Read More

• Education, Sustainability | Leave a comment • Email Article

Elisabeth Cary is the director of education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA, which is one of the one of the oldest public gardens in the country. Elisabeth runs the garden's Horticulture Certificate Program, which gives both amateurs and professionals the skills they need to successfully run a small garden, design a landscape and run a business.

> Read More

• Education | Leave a comment • Email Article

The people behind Junior Achievement of New Jersey know education in business and finance can make a difference in a person's life, even at a young age. JANJ is a nonprofit organization committed to teaching New Jersey's young people not only financial literacy and career development, but also how to be ethical citizens. President of Junior Achievement New Jersey Catherine Milone-Richards shares what the organization hopes to do for the thousands of young students it educates each year.

> Read More

• Education | Leave a comment • Email Article

Author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers You're Broke Because You Want to Be and It's Called Work for a Reason, Larry Winget has just released his latest book, Your Kids Are Your Own Fault: A Guide for Raising Responsible, Productive Adults. Combining a tough-love attitude with the author's own parenting experiences, the book rejects common ideas with a new brand of behavioral discipline, covering everything from dinner table manners to fostering a professional attitude. In one chapter, Winget focuses on financial responsibility, a quality which he feels is lacking not only in today's children, but in today's business world as well. Addressing this topic, Winget provided MGB with a sneak peek into the chapter, and with practical advice that can benefit not only concerned parents, but the fiscally challenged as well.

> Read More

• Education | Leave a comment • Email Article

Dr. Sylvia Earle has been exploring the oceans since 1953. She has been called "Her Deepness" by both The New Yorker and the New York Times, has been named a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress, and was Time magazine's first "Hero for the Planet." Earle has participated in over 75 National Geographic expeditions, logging more than 6,500 hours underwater, as well as lectured in 70 countries and authored more than 170 publications. Her new book, The World is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean's Are One, with a forward by Bill McKibben, is being called the Silent Spring of our era. She is a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and 2009 TED prize recipient as well as the founder of Deep Search Foundation.

On Tuesday, December 8, 2009, Earle will be the honored guest at Green Drinks New York City's annual holiday party, themed "Our Oceans" (to be held at 15 East 27th Street; greendrinksnyc.com). She will also speak on Monday, December 7, 2009 at the Explorers Club Public Lecture Series' Second State of the Oceans Forum: "Facing the Crisis, Reasons for Hope," at The Explorers Club, (46 East 70th Street; www.1planet1ocean.org; 212.628.8383). MetroGreenBusiness.com caught up with Earle prior to her New York appearances.

> Read More

• Education | Leave a comment • Email Article

The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is the largest botanical garden in any city in the U.S. and is known as a national historic landmark. Founded in 1981 and nestled in the Bronx, the garden is an expansive, 250-acre living museum with over one million different trees, flowers, and other plants. NYBG has always made education a priority, aiming to get the public interested and involved in the fascinating world of horticulture. As a result, the Continuing Education program was created for adults who wished to either create a new hobby or explore a career related to horticulture or landscaping. Jeffrey Downing, vice president of education, manages NYBG’s educational departments and was happy to share more about the program and the variety of courses offered. Visit conted.nybg.org for more information.

> Read More

• Education | Leave a comment • Email Article