Manhattan

People trying to do good in this city naturally come together. The 501(c)(3) nycTIES has raised over 150K for local causes  since its inception in 2006. Some of their good deeds include rewarding young Harlem scholars with special opportunities or affording a cancer-stricken family a day of fun. That’s why we want to let you know about their upcoming benefit, where they’ll launch the leadership program APPLE initiative (Advancing Professionals through Philanthropic Leadership Experiences) and announce their 2010 charity partner.

nycTIES promotes philanthropic giving and enhancing young professionals’ involvement with local charities. So come out for their 1st annual fundraising benefit: “Harvest The Potential” on Nov. 17th, at Providence near Columbus Circle; benefit the city you love, meet other professionals who care, and, well, drink all you want. ‘Cause it’s an open bar.

Event info:

nycTIES’ Fall Benefit “Harvest The Potential”

The Launch of the Apple Initiative

When: Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 from 8:00 p.m. -11:00 p.m.

Where: Providence at 311 W. 57th St (between 8th  and 9th Aves.)

Details: Three Hour Premium Open Bar from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.!

Price: $50.00 per ticket. Proceeds support nycTIES’ philanthropic efforts.

nycTIES’ mission is to enable young professionals to strengthen their ties to New York City through partnerships with local charities. Members learn the tangible impact of philanthropic giving and develop invaluable leadership skills by serving charities through raising funds, awareness, and applying their personal skills and talents.

We made the decision to  depart from the bar scene for our first Carrotmob event–and are we glad we did! We’ve teamed up with Carrotmob Hoboken’s Andrew Lascar, and he’s convinced The Peoples Improv Theater (PIT) to donate 100% of the revenue from a comedy show to environmental improvements on the theater.

Yes–One Hundred Percent! You could say we’re stoked.

Owner and founder Ali Farahnakian and his staff are eager to work with us on this. The event will likely take place in December 2009 or January 2010.

So, we have a venue and excited people. The next step to plan a Carrotmob is measuring the baseline of the PIT’s current environmental status. Later, it will be easier to determine the best ways to make environmental improvements and track future impacts.

Professional environmental audits measure a company’s green-ness. The PIT has agreed to two, and at least one of them is coming with an affordable price tag: $0.00! Allow me to introduce a friendly Carrotmob supporter, Michael Zawacki, who founded the environmental consulting company Sage Environments. The Co-Chairman of the Emerging Green Builders of New York and a member of the Urban Green Council, Michael is just the kind of person we want on Carrotmob’s side. His most exciting current venture–and the one that takes most of his time–is the environmentally-friendly Brooklyn coffee shop he’s working to open! (Stay tuned for many more details on that.) He’s generously donating an environmental audit on waste management, air quality, etc. After that, a separate energy audit will be administered.

As always, get in touch with us if you’d like to help out, and check back for progress and details!

Home of talent such as Kristen Schaal (Daily Show), Ellie Kemper (The Office), Randy Pearlman (Michael and Michael Have Issues), and Grace Helbig (Daily Grace mydamnchannel.com), The Peoples Improv Theater (The PIT) has agreed to commit a percentage of sales for greening its theater. Yeah! In order to spread the word, email us here at Manhattan Carrotmob if you want us to speak at your green event.

Check out this awesome video about Carrotmob!!!  Carrotmob Makes it Rain

andrew

Carrotmob Manhattan is currently determining which lucky West Village bar will host the borough’s first event. Soon we’ll have a venue that promises to spend a certain percentage of their Carrotmob revenue reducing their carbon footprint. You may be wondering what changes, exactly, that business might undergo.

How this fortunate Carrotmob victor chooses to green-ify is up to them, but past Carrotmobs in other cities often involved retrofits. Perhaps the simplest example is switching to more efficient light bulbs (e.g., CFLs). Maybe the company will improve its insulation, buy and install more efficient appliances, or add timers to efficiently regulate temperature controls. Alternately, the successful locale could switch to a more recyclable packaging of their products or stop selling a certain item known to be environmentally detrimental.

Another interesting commitment for businesses to consider: here in Manhattan, the main power supplier is Con Edison. Did you know that you, as a resident or small business owner, can now request that your consumption come from a renewable, green source? You even have a choice! Pay an extra one cent per kilowatt hour for “green” power (65% small hydro power, 35% wind) or buy 100% wind-generated power for 2.5 cents more. While eventually the cost may go beyond the initial amount the company made during its Carrotmob, using green energy is a great bragging right for a bar to attract New York City’s environmentally-aware crowd. (For the “Green standard” in NYC bar/clubs, check out the eco-friendly and lush Greenhouse of SoHo.)

Because we Carrotmob activists are always thinking long-term, we’ll clue you in on where we’d eventually like to expand our Manhattan Carrotmob ventures – social responsibility. As we attract participation and public interest, hopefully one day we’ll encourage businesses to engage in socially accountable policies like providing group health care options for employees or participating in fair trade for international goods.

For now, keep sending us your input by commenting on this blog or sending us an email. More info on our maiden event is coming very soon!

Carrotmob Manhattan has arrived!

What IS a Carrotmob? It’s a group of consumers who combine their purchasing power to encourage businesses to change in socially and environmentally responsible ways. It’s also knows as a “reverse boycott”–we use a dangling carrot instead of a stick.

First event? Drinks! We took a bite out of  Hoboken’s carrot and washed it down with a brew, deciding to throw our first reverse boycott at a bar. Who says environmental activism can’t be a party? We’ll ask a number of bars in the West Village to bid on a chance to be the first Carrotmob Manhattan venue. The business that pledges to invest the largest portion of profits made on specific Carrotmob dates toward reducing their carbon footprint wins the bid. Simple enough, no?

Meet Carrotmob Manhattan so far: We’re Ari & Laura, volunteers and happy Manhattan dwellers with an eye toward a new brand of activism. We’ll use this space to post information about upcoming events, update you on our progress, distribute promotional materials, and solicit your advice.

If you’ve got suggestions of your favorite bars in the W. Village, add them to the comments below or shoot us an email.

Want to get involved? Beyond future drinkers at our first Carrotmob, we’re seeking people to help us with the planning stages of the event. Specifically, we’d love input from someone with a little more green expertise than us, who can help us create our pitch to the bars.

Check back for updates or follow us on Twitter!

For more on Carrotmob jump to the video below  or read the
Time article that generated quite a bit of buzz.

-Ari & Laura