Tequila, Totes, and Totally Great Neighborhood Connections

A heartening exchange at Sunac just now, where, at midnight, and true to the spirit of earnestness, I was buying cat litter (but not for want of hanging out or fun, in the form of my dear friend Daniel and potent margaritas). A guy and his girl (both in what seemed to be hand-sewn garments) were buying strawberries, and she went to grab some bottled water. He told me to go ahead in line, since I just had a couple of bananas. I said, well, I in fact also have this cat litter and lettuce (yes, a fascinating night here down Under). And he said that he was really letting me cut not because of the bananas but because I had brought my own grocery tote, a thing he was trying hard to do more often (to which I say hurrah, as four to five TRILLION plastic bags are manufactured each year, and of our share, Americans recycle only .6% of the 100 billion we use - so carry a tote bag, for crying out loud).

This exchange reminded me of a request I had earlier today, from Neighbors Allied for Good Growth, a "volunteer-based community planning and environmental justice organization that has been performing grassroots organizing, advocacy, and outreach/education to the North Brooklyn waterfront community of Williamsburg/Greenpoint since 1994." Among their many projects, NAG (an unfortunately acronym?) is ensuring that North Brooklyn zoning rules are abided by, that neighborhood artisan and manufacturing jobs are preserved where possible, that a new location is identified at which to host large-scale music events in 2009 (this is the last year of Pool Parties, as the Pool is going to once more become...a pool!), and that the North Brooklyn waterfront is protected for community use. The organization recently began a blog, Neighborhood Watch, largely authored by a board member...which reminds me: in case there are big Brooklyn donors out there reading this blog, here's what I would like to do: collect enough money to buy the defunct gas station on the corner of Withers and Meeker, and turn it into a garden Under the BQE. Donations welcome.