Going Green's in Fashion, Even at the Library

It’s a big week for going green--and we don’t just mean because of Saint Patrick’s Day.
A new Public Library opened yesterday in Battery Park City, and it will be one of the city’s “greenest” libraries. An all-day series of events celebrated the library’s official opening.
The branch, the city’s 88th, incorporates such green technology as energy-efficient heating and cooling systems and lighting; it was built with recycled and renewable materials. The floor? Made from wood scraps from window-frame manufacturing. The upstairs carpet? Car tires. If you were wondering, the sanitary fixtures are low-flow, which reduce water consumption. It will receive LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council.
We’re not sure what that means, but doesn’t it sound impressive?
The $6.7 million enterprise includes a two-story, 10,000 square-foot library with 24,000 items. It offers three dozen public computers, a large space for various programs, and separate reading areas for kids, teens and adults. Another groovy feature: two self-checkout machines—plus plenty of windows. It’s a heartening development in an economically troubled time; especially when so many public services are being shuttered. (More good news: This branch is actually open until 8pm Tuesdays and Thursdays.)
The library will offer a wide range of classes, workshops, and community programs.
It’s located at 175 North End Avenue at Murray Street. Call (212) 790-3499 for more information.
Another welcoming fact about the library? It plays host, rising many stories above it, to the city’s newest--and greenest--residential high-rise.

Free Verse: Poets House Moves to Battery Park City

Maybe you haven’t picked up a book of poetry in a couple of years, or your last memory of trying to compose a poem was writing a Valentine’s Day limerick to your fourth-grade crush. Well, you can change all that, because as of last week, New York’s Poets House has a bigger, better, splashier new home in Battery Park City. (Ten River Terrace; 212 421-7920)
The 50,000 volume library and literary center, which was founded by poet Stanley Kunitz and arts administrator Elizabeth Kray in 1985, just re-opened in a new space by the water. The 11,000 square-foot space offers poetry lovers more than twice the area of the former Soho second-floor loft. It features a Children’s Room; multimedia archive; Reading Room (added bonus: fantastic views of the Hudson River); and an exhibition space.
The center offers more than 200 public programs a year, including workshops, lectures and readings; it has a poetry collection that includes books, journals, chapbooks and digital media. It’s a delightful resource for anyone interested in poetry, and wonderful memorabilia includes handmade Christmas cards by Robert Frost and a first edition of Dylan Thomas’ “A Child's Christmas in Wales.”
The center has been granted rent-free use of the space for the next 60 years.