Bright Lights, Big City: Report from Element, Times Square West, The Day Before the Start of the 2013 Prius Plug-In-MPG Challenge

by Paul E McGinniss

On Tuesday, I traveled by bus from New Paltz, Ulster County, New York to NYC, excited to pick up my Prius the next day to begin my month long journey with a Prius Plug-In-Hybrid. (See end of post for background info about the 2013 Prius Plug-In-MPG Challenge.) 

Upon arriving at the Port Authority on 42nd street, I was, literally, just steps away from Element, Times Square West where I stayed the night before picking up my Prius.   
 

Entrance Element, Times Square West in NYC

Element is a great location because it is a short walking distance to all the subway lines, both for the East and West sides of Manhattan, Uptown or Downtown and going to Brooklyn, Queens or the Bronx. (Anyone coming to visit NYC really needs to take the subway and experience all the boroughs to get the full, real, diverse flavor of NYC.)

The first thing I noticed upon entering Element is how really great it smells inside.  The pleasing quality of the air was very subtle, but I noticed it immediately upon entering the lobby from the sometimes grungy hubbub of a frenetic city.  As soon as I left 39th Street, I sensed something soothing and relaxing. When I mentioned this sensation to Russell Porter, Director of Sales for the hotel, he told me that, like Element, all of the Starwood Hotels have their own scent and that Element is infused with the scent of green tea.  

I can tell you that clean, healthy indoor air quality, pyschologically and physically, makes a real difference to me, as I have become more chemically sensitive and in tune with the air and environment that surrounds me.  Even if one does not feel overly sensitive to chemicals and air quality, good air, indoors and out, does make a real difference in how we feel, whether it is super noticeable or not.

Lounge Area off the Lobby of Element

And, it is not just the scent of green tea that makes the Element air quality better.  No smoking is allowed anywhere in the hotel.  Element has made history, actually, as the only major hotel brand to mandate that all of its properties pursue LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for high-performance buildings.  

Each Element hotel is built green from the ground up. All are powered by 100% renewable energy.  The hotel interior throughout uses eco-friendly materials and fabrics.  All of the carpeting, paints, adhesives and wall covers have low content VOC (volatile organic compounds) which do not off gas any unpleasant or harmful gasses and minimize airborne pollutants.

Russell Porter, Director of Sales, and Vickiana Castillo, Sales Manager of Element

The second thing I noticed upon entering the lobby were bicycles, both just outside the entrance door and also inside the lobby.  Once inside I was greeted by a really ecletic mix of people, old and young, business people and tourists, speaking a variety of languages.  I soon found out that Element offers free bikes to guests, which is really cool, especially since the hotel is just a few short blocks to miles of  bike paths and parks that line the glorious Hudson River, all the way from the southern tip of Manhattan in Battery Park to the very Upper West Side.   

View of Hudson River from Private Roof Deck at Element, Times Square West

I urge anyone visiting NYC to take at least a half day, if not a whole day, to just bike around the waterfront of Manhattan and see how NYC is truly transforming itself into a green waterfront city for the future.  The green development of NYC's waterfront and the health of New York's waterways is due in no small part to the Waterkeeper Alliance, the group that I am competing for in the 2013 Prius Plug-In-MPG Challenge.  (Check out #Pluginforcharity)

This international group of committed Waterkeepers started out as a small group of environmental activists who wanted to clean up the Hudson River from decades of industrial pollution.  Waterkeeper now helps protect the world's water on every continent to make sure the waters of the world are swimmable, drinkable and fishable!  

A future Riverkeeper enjoys the Hudson River thanks to Riverkeeper’s 30 years of work to clean up the river and make happy faces like this possible.  New York's Riverkeeper was the genesis of the Waterkeeper Alliance which is now active worldwide with hundreds of alliance members.  Photo via EcoWatch.com.

The success of a small group of concerned citizens, who turned their love of the Hudson River into a worldwide advocacy platform, tells us two things.  One, small steps can lead to big accomplishments.  And two, You Gotta Love New York!!!   

And, before I forget. The Element's private rooftop terrace offers stunning views of the Empire State Building, the Hudson River and Midtown Manhattan.  

 

View from roof deck of Element, Times Square West in NYC

You do not truly experience NYC until you experience it from above. At Element, the birds eye views are without crowds, and a quick elevator ride from the comfort of your room.
 

Another view from roof deck of Element, Times Square West, NYC

I will be reporting for the next month on Wave Two of the 2013 Prius Plug-In-MPG Challenge. Keep checking in to read about some amazing environmental advocates and news about sustainable, amazing New York State.

BACKGROUND

The winner of the challenge will receive a $2,500 donation to the charity of their choice. 
For the next 30 days (from July 12th to Aug 12th), I will be driving a Prius Plug-In-Hybrid as part of the 2013 Toyota Prius Plug-in-MPG Challenge.  Toyota has partnered with seven prolific environmental influencers (myself included) from the tri-state area for Wave Two of the 2013 Prius Plug-In-MPG Challenge – a fun competition to help educate local communities on the benefits of electric vehicles.

 

Check out #Pluginforcharity

The charity I am competing for is New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance, a global movement of on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect over 100,000 miles of rivers, streams and coastlines in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa.

I would like to thank Earth Day NY for facilitating my participation in the Prius Plug-in-MPG Challenge and Element, Times Square West for providing hotel accommodations while I was in NYC for the Challenge.

Copyright 2013 Paul E McGinniss

Toyota 2013 Prius Plug-In-MPG Challenge: I Will Be Representing Waterkeeper Alliance During the Month Long Event

Posted by Paul E McGinniss

I was invited to participate in a month long Toyota Prius Plug-In-MPG Challenge. On Wednesday, June 10th, I and a select group of six other environmental advocates will each pick up  a Toyota Prius Plug-In-Hybrid at Solar One, the green arts and education center on the East River in Manhattan, NYC.

As part of the challenge, Toyota partnered with seven environmental influencers from the tri-state area for the 2013 Prius Plug-In-MPG Challenge - a competition to help educate local communities on the benefits of electric vehicles.

Times Square on  Earth Day NY 2013

Participants like myself will borrow a Prius Plug-In for 30 days.  The highest overall MPG per 30 day challenge, according to the Prius computer, receives a $2,500 donation to the charity of their choice - with second-place and third-place finishers earning $1,000 and $500 charitable contributions.


My charity of choice is the awesome Waterkeeper Alliance.   Founded in 1999 by environmental attorney and activist, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and several veteran Waterkeeper Organizations, Waterkeeper Alliance is a global movement of on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect over 100,000 miles of rivers, streams and coastlines in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa.

Beginning this week, you can follow me as I travel throughout NYC and The Hudson Valley, reporting on cool, inspiring green people, places, businesses and happenings in New York. 

My enthusiastic involvement in this challenge was made possible by Earth Day NY.


(More details about this event will be forthcoming on July 10th, once the official media announcement  is released by Toyota.)

My good friend, Margaret Lydecker, founder of Green Drinks NYC, will be accompanying me to the opening event and be my first Toyota Prius Plug-In-Hybrid passenger!  As a native New Yawker (sic), I am pleased to report that Green Drinks NYC, with almost 15,000 members, is the largest Green Drinks Chapter in the world .  (There are over 600 Green Drinks chapters around the world.)

2009 Photo of Margaret Lydecker, Founder of Green Drinks NYC, with Edwin Datschefski, founder of the world's very first Green Drinks Chapter (London). There are now over 600 Green Drinks Chapters worldwide..

Pamela Lippe, Executive Director and President of Earth Day New York

I have Pamela Lippe to thank for suggesting me to be part of this Prius event.  I have known Pamela for many years,  having run into her time and again, including Green Build in Chicago to the annual North East Sustainable Energy Association conference in Boston! Besides spearheading Earth Day New York,  Pamela is President and Principal of e4, inc., a green-building consulting firm. Notably, e4, inc. consulted on the first “green” skyscraper built in the US by the Durst Organization, the Condé Naste Building in NYC.  

Picture I took in SoHo, NYC a few years ago with Adrian Grenier, producer Peter Glatzer, architect Lauren Gropper and Pamela Lippe, founder Earth Day NY.

Everyone should know that Earth Day is already hard at work putting together next year's Earth Day events in New York.  Please get in touch now, if you'd like to get involved!  Earth Day NY works with an incredible,  wide variety of individuals and organizations throughout the 5 boroughs of NYC, including environmental advocacy campaigns, media outlets, national companies, schools, community organizations, and local businesses.  Feel free to reach out at 212-922-0048 or info@earthdayny.org for information.

Please Check out My Facebook and Twitter Stream. 

#‎PlugInForCharity‬

And, I would like to thank Element, Times Square West for providing hotel accommodations while I am in NYC for the challenge.

 Check Out the Earth Day NY Video Below
(Double click to watch full screen)

 

Copyright Paul E McGinniss 2013 

Please Check out My Facebook and Twitter Stream.

Paradise or Parking Lot? Video Interview with Graham Hill, Founder of TreeHugger & LifeEdited

Graham Hill Speaks About The Delicate State of Our Environment, Inspiration and How Those More Fortunate Can Consume Less and Give More

By Paul E McGinniss   

  

I recently attended a Green Drinks NYC event at Resource Furniture in Midtown Manhattan that featured Graham Hill talking about his LifeEdited project.The ethos of the project is that for some of us "Less is More." We can consume less, live with fewer things, exist in less space and still be happy, all the while helping the environment. 

Stefanie Spear,  founder EcoWatch with Graham Hill, founder TreeHugger and LifeEdited in NYC

I was lucky enough to interview Graham in SoHo the day after meeting up at the Green Drinks NYC event. Check out the video below this post. We spoke on his doorstep while Fast Company was inside his LifeEdited apartment conducting a photo shoot.

The LifeEdited project began with the clever renovation of a studio apartment in downtown Manhattan undertaken by the LifeEdited team. A small, non-descript space was transformed into a multi-functional setting adaptable for use as office/work, entertainment and/or living space. Graham recently penned an article entitled "Living With Less, A Lot Less" about LifeEdited for the New York Times. So, if you want to know more about this subject, check out the article. 

Stefanie Spear, founder of EcoWatch, also attended the recent Green Drinks NYC event and I introduced her to Graham Hill. I plan to do a joint interview with these two environmental mavens so look out for the video of a Stefanie and Graham dialog in a future post.

CHECK OUT THIS MUST SEE VIDEO OF GRAHAM HILL
(Double click to watch full screen or click on link at top to watch on YouTube.) 

 

Copyright 2013 Paul E McGinniss