How organic living expert and NYC mom Alexandra Zissu keeps her loft clean, cozy and eco-friendly

Eco expert and author Alexandra Zissu’s West Village loft that she shares with her 6-year-old daughter Aili and her partner Olli Chanoff lets off a cozy air amidst its über-green ambitions.

Olli Chanoff, Aili and Alexandra Zissu.

The walls are painted in soothing, muted shades, a mix of vintage and modern furniture is perfectly arranged for engaging adult conversation and piles of welcoming books are always within reach. But rather than pointing out the collection of retro prints and eclectic furnishings that she’s gathered from her childhood home, Zissu is most excited about the perfect amaryllis that’s in full bloom on her dinner table.

“Can you believe I planted that?” she said. “It was just a bulb with a tiny bit of green sticking out of the top.” The flower is a vibrant poppy red and is, unquestionably, a cheerful touch on a cold winter day inside this green guru’s abode. Without a doubt, Zissu has forever been a nature-minded Manhattanite. “I had always eaten super organically because I was raised eating whole foods,” she said. “I joined a CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] in the late 1990s and turned very organic, learning a little bit more about the way food was raised.”

But it wasn’t until she started considering pregnancy that Zissu really jumped on the eco-friendly bandwagon. “I was talking to a friend who was also thinking about getting pregnant,” she recalled. “I started researching everything from paint to nail polish to cleaning products, which can affect growing children.”

As Zissu dove deep into the world of eco-conscious parenting, she reacted like most moms-to-be. “I started freaking out. It’s a house of horrors. What am I sitting on? What kind of foam is in here? Is it offgassing? What am I breathing? You get in the shower… there’s bleach residue getting up in your feet. The nail polish you’ve loved for years has hormone destructors! It’s going to do something unbelievably horrible!” she remembered with humor.

After methodically going through each aspect of her home and work life in an effort to make things greener, Zissu started to become fluent in the organic and natural lifestyle. Her next step, naturally, was writing The Complete Organic Pregnancy with Deirdre Dolan, the friend with whom she had shared that initial conversation.

And that was the beginning of her career. Six years and three more books later, Zissu fully embodies the environmentally responsible way of living and writes about it regularly on her blog at alexandrazissu.com. One of her biggest must-dos? Shared meals at the family table and purchasing food locally. “We spend Saturday afternoon at the farmer’s market at Abingdon Square. We can get apples, bread, fish, meat, eggs—everything. Then we usually head home for a farmer’s market lunch.” Back at the apartment, Zissu describes her living space as a “wholesome urban home setting.” While the loft is a good example of conscious design choices, like the sleek yet rustic dinner table, Zissu feels strongly that “it’s more about what’s green.”

The layout of the family’s living space is a testament to her commitment to clean and responsible living. The first floor features a central lounging area, including an antique table paired with new hardwood chairs. The office furniture is hand-me-downs—solid wood and classic in design—while Aili sleeps on her mother’s childhood bed frame, topped with a new organic mattress, of course. Toys are neatly stacked in non-plastic bins and rugs are made from natural fibers without backing. But Zissu is especially proud of her kitchen, most notably her glass container collection.

An entire cabinet filled with jars of all shapes and sizes provides an attractive and safe alternative for storing food. “Look…no plastic!” Zissu exclaimed. Aili goes to school with a stainless steel Japanese lunch box while her mom chooses to cook in enamel pans—never nonstick. “A good alternative is a cast iron pan. They cost about $25 and last forever.”

While committing to a green lifestyle may sound overwhelming, especially to a busy parent, there are some simple steps you can immediately take to improve conditions in your home. “Take off your shoes!” insisted Zissu. “It’s the public health equivalent of washing your hands. We all walk around in NYC and we know what we’re stepping on, and then we see our kids crawling around on the floor [at home]. You wouldn’t let your kids crawl around the street. Right there you minimize your exposure to pesticides, auto exhaust and even dog poop.” To make shoe removal easier for her own guests, Zissu has placed a charming bench with storage right next to her entryway.

When helping clients, she starts by finding the easy fixes. “It might not be easy to throw out your mattress, [so] change what’s already there…Look underneath your kitchen sink. What are you willing to give up? Take everything out and switch it with green products. Just doing this can result in a drastic reduction in inner air pollution.”

With an apartment that’s as pure as can be, Zissu now looks forward to cultivating a green thumb. “I would like to grow things. To experience that full circle…watching something grow from seed to corn.” Alexandra glances back at her amaryllis. “There’s something magical about growing things with a kid.”
For more tips on green living, read “Home, Green Home” at newyorkfamily.com

By Linnea Covington

For over 20 years, Victor Nazario has opened doors, fixed plumbing, changed light bulbs, found dead people, helped save a man’s life and dealt with a slew of complaints. Now, as he caps his sixth year as the residential building manager at The Whitney at 311 E. 38th St., he has been dealing with a new project—making the building green.

As residential building manager at The Whitney, Victor Nazario is in charge of eco-fitting the building. Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein.

“The whole industry is changing and going green,” Nazario, 52, said. “You can retrofit the instruments, equipment, lighting and even the plumbing so that the building can save money and be more environmentally friendly.”

This change is a far cry from when he started in the industry at 18 years old, following the path of his father. His first gig was as a doorman at a residential building on 59th Street. It was here Nazario got inspired to move up and do more with his life by watching Mr. Ramirez, the building manager. As Nazario marveled at his mentor’s clothes, the respect he got from the tenants and his ability to organize everything, he knew that was the path he wanted to go down.

“Every day I would open the door for his wife and children,” said Nazario, reminiscing. “I looked at them and thought, ‘One day I would like to have a doorman open the door for my wife and children.’”

So instead of sitting idly by, Nazario took charge and asked Mr. Ramirez how to become a building manager. The first suggestion he got was to attend the Thomas Shortman Training School, which taught everything from plumbing, carpentry and electrical work to all you ever needed to know about boilers. For six years, Nazario attended night classes while keeping his day job as a doorman.

Because of his tenacious studies, Nazario was the first one in his family to finish high school, and it enabled him to write a short book for his thesis, Prosperous Leaders in the New Millennium.

“It renewed my thinking,” he said. “You meet a lot of successful people in this industry and it helped me to talk to them.”

Though he completed his goal and got promoted, after a few years, Nazario decided to take a hiatus from the service industry and took a job as regional director with the Promise Keepers Organization, a nonprofit religious group that works with men to teach them how to be better fathers and husbands. He worked with them for 12 years before returning to his first love, building managing.

Six years later, Nazario has happily held his post at The Whitney and lives there with his wife of 32 years. The couple has three grown children, two of whom, like Nazario, have followed their father’s path as a concierge and a building manager.

“It just goes to show you how one man impacted a kid at 18,” he said. “And it’s not only me, but my children. Because of him, they were able to pick from my experience, which helps them in their careers.”

As he attends more classes at his alma mater in greening the building, Nazario continues to greet the residents and try to make The Whitney as pleasant as possible.

“I can’t satisfy 100 percent,” he said. “But I find it’s a great thing when you can turn their anger and sadness around and make them feel happy in their home.”

The plan features self-composting toilets, part of a system that would treat and compost waste on site. The facilities—which would likely include a men’s room with a stall and urinal, and a ladies’ room with two stalls—would run on solar power. Waste would be used to fertilize a grassy area that is currently a parking lot.

A feasibility study, with preliminary drawings of the site plans, is scheduled to be presented at the April 26 meeting of Community Board 7’s parks and environment committee. The Riverside Clay Tennis Association and Riverside Park Fund, which are making the presentation, are seeking approval of the concept, rather than a specific design, which they hope to adjust according to feedback from both government and private sector groups.

Output from a “green” toilet—not quite like this one—would fertilize a grassy area that is currently a parking lot near the Riverside Park tennis courts.

“I can’t imagine there being any objection to this plan,” said Mark McIntyre, the tennis association’s executive director. “Anyone who’s used, or even come within 35 feet of one of the toilets that we use now, is aware of the public need for this.”

Currently, the tennis courts are served by two portable toilets, which are used by players and other park patrons. The site is not connected to the city’s sewer grid because it sits between the Hudson River and West Side Highway.

“Right now, the closest facility is at the 97th Street playground,” McIntyre said. “But to get there, you have to go up four or five blocks, get to a spot to cross the highway, then go four or five blocks. The next closest bathroom is at the boat basin, on 79th Street.”

McIntyre also noted that the facilities have grown increasingly inadequate as more and more players use the courts.

“When I first started 15 years ago, we had 8,000 people sign up to use the courts, per year,” he said. “Now it’s up to 30,000 people.”

The feasibility study was done by the architectural firm Cook+Fox, best known for the Bank of America tower at One Bryant Park. The plan would also call for a tennis maintenance facility, a post for court monitors and viewing stands, as well as offices for the tennis association, which currently shares space with the fund. Funding would come from city and state dollars, supplemented by private donations.

The proposal, which is only in a preliminary stage, would need to be reviewed by several layers of government, including the City Planning Commission and both the city and state departments of environmental protection, a process that could take at least two years.

When I go grocery shopping, I’ve started using my many free cloth bags that I’ve accumulated from various street fairs, my husband’s job and a couple of clothing stores that encourage the demise of the plastic menace. I am also making a conscious effort to remember to fold one up and carry it in my handbag, in case I make an impromptu Gristede’s pit stop for milk or bread. Sure I want to help maintain the planet, but I’m also in it for the acclaim, which I thought came with the territory.

When I was still a plasti-holic, I experienced eco-envy of those ahead of me on line at the aforementioned Gristede’s, as well as C-Town, Key Food and Food Emporium, with their coveted Whole Foods “I’m Not A Plastic Bag” bags or even the less notable cloth equivalent.

These consumers-cum-environmentalists seemed to hold their heads up a little higher, and walk out of the supermarket a little taller for their noble efforts to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. I swear I saw the usually Is it time for my break, yet? cashiers embrace these admirable customers with their eyes, grateful for being kept from becoming forced accomplices in this crime against nature.

I wanted membership into this elite, revered group that was saving the planet one food-shopping trip at a time.

Okay, the first few times after making my decision, I forgot the recycle bags when I went to the store. My bad.

When I finally remembered to bring the cloth totes, I apparently was not swift enough whipping them out at checkout. Suddenly, it seemed that cashiers, who I never recalled as being that efficient, moved with the speed of Quick Draw McGraw. By the time I had my good-for-the-environment bags out, my groceries were packed in plastic, sitting on the counter and ready for me to be on my way.

The first time this happened I was going to skulk away, chalking it up to a failed attempt because I had not yet honed my eco-skills. But wait. I had finally made certain to bring the bags. I was on a mission—only one person, perhaps, with only two bags of groceries, but according to Gore & the Gang, it could make all the difference.

“Oh no,” I said, standing there like Oliver Twist, but instead of an empty bowl outstretched, I had my empty cloth bag. Nodding to the fait accompli before me, I added, “I don’t want those.”

No welcome smile or admiring gaze for tree-hugging me. I thought the cashier was going to take my bag, yank it over my head, lead me to the automatic doors and, with her foot on my behind, push me out on to 86th Street. Needless to say, the customers behind me, who had to wait for my groceries to be re-bagged, didn’t have my back either.

I’ve since learned to announce the presence of my cloth carryalls from the get-go. Yet, still no “you-go-eco-girl” fist bumps. In fact, cashiers even make me pack my bags myself. (I guess if you BYOB, you can just DIY.)

If “green is good,” then why are so many being environmentally unfriendly to me? Perhaps it’s time to start using Fresh Direct.

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Lorraine Duffy Merkl’s debut novel, Fat Chick, by The Vineyard Press, is coming soon.

Go Green was about the sustainability of our neighborhoods, but as the project continued, eventually spreading as far north as Washington Heights and Inwood, and south to the Lower East Side, we realized that the sustainability of New York goes hand-in-hand with the sustainability—i.e., the health—of New Yorkers.

We came to understand that yes, there is a link between the dinner table and the doctor’s office, and that a movement for a healthier New York starts with better access to fresh, healthy food for everyone in our city. The politics of food must become a priority, not just for New York, but for cities across the world.

Earlier this summer, we celebrated a victory for low income New Yorkers when the Costco Corporation agreed to extend its food stamps program to the store currently under construction on East 106th Street. The change will have a serious impact on the local community—30,000 people receive food stamps in East Harlem alone—and it represented an opportunity to empower the city to influence the way businesses and developers participate in the health and nutrition of the communities in which they build.

The food stamps campaign was just one part of a growing movement that places New York City at the forefront of efforts to rethink our national system of food production and distribution, beginning with looking at development through the lens of public health. One method proposed begins with a change to the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) that would require an analysis of fresh food infrastructure. Development projects that would bring new residents and visitors to neighborhoods lacking adequate fresh food access would be encouraged to provide support for new supermarkets, farmers’ markets and similar operations.

Earlier this year, the borough president’s office tested such an analysis of healthy food availability in two adjoining Manhattan neighborhoods, looking at the number of fast food restaurants per block versus grocery stores that offer fresh produce. We found that East Harlem has half as many fresh supermarkets as the Upper East Side, and double the rate of obesity. Like the city’s renowned CompStat program and its role in crime prevention, measuring healthy food availability will be a tool for directing city resources to places where they are most needed.

There is plenty more that needs to be done, of course; our food system in New York City is in need of a radical overhaul. As we saw with the growth and success of Go Green, New Yorkers across the city have brought a movement for proactive health policy to our streets. It’s time for city government to step up as a leader as well, and take on the challenge of building a brighter future for nutrition and health in New York.

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Scott Stringer is Manhattan Borough President. Melissa Mark Viverto represents the 8th Council district, which covers part of the Upper West Side, East Harlem and part of Mott Haven in The Bronx.

That’s because the developer had no information to present about the board’s suggested meeting topic: environmental sustainability. Instead, the chair of Board 7’s Green Committee read aloud sustainability concerns, covering topics like

Board 7’s Green Committee catalogued its sustainability concerns for the Riverside Center project, which stretches from West 59th to 61st streets between West End Avenue and Riverside Boulevard. Photo by Andrew Schwartz

green building standards, an underground “Energy District” that could efficiently provide heating, cooling and electricity, and the use of “greywater” for irrigation and industrial uses. Extell representatives mostly declined to respond, noting that they were present only to listen. After the meeting, the board sent questions to the developer in hopes of a reply.

In a statement, George Arzt, a spokesman for Extell, said, “As we stated at the meeting, we are reviewing these issues and will be addressing them during the ULURP process,” using the acronym for the city’s land-use review procedure.

At the meeting, Extell representatives mentioned that they are currently in the process of studying cogeneration, when heat from generating electricity is used to heat and cool buildings and produce hot water. And in response to concerns about too many parking spaces, representatives said the number was carefully chosen based on current use and proposed future demand.

Participants also once again raised the possibility of including a Metro North station on or near the site. Dan Brucker, a spokesperson for Metro North, said in a separate interview that in the coming weeks, the agency plans to involve the public, local businesses and government officials in discussions about the proposal.

“We are definitely considering it, and considering it seriously, because indeed we do want to serve that area, and we think there are many benefits for it,” he said.

Although the meeting was billed as a discussion focused on sustainability, architect Paul Willen presented “A New Proposal for Riverside Center.” Willen is an advisor for the Riverside South Planning Corporation, but the proposal was his independent work in collaboration with Dan Gutman.

Willen pointed out that the “green” space in the current proposal seems “private” and inward looking, ill-suited for public activity. The arrangement of buildings would create shadows, limiting direct sunlight in the park, and would prohibit direct access to the waterfront park and the Con Edison IRT powerhouse, which is being considered for landmark status. Willen proposed removing one of the buildings to solve the problem.

Another plan presented at the meeting came from Craig Whitaker, an architect working for the Coalition for a Livable West Side. Whitaker pointed out that under the current arrangement, retail planned within the project will be difficult to sell, as it will face park area rather than highly traversed streets. He added that most of the park space doesn’t feel like true public space because it is situated among scattered buildings. Whitaker suggested clearly separating buildings from the park area, using gridded streets to delineate the park border in a similar fashion to Gramercy and Washington Square parks. The arrangement would have all buildings facing the park, and would create approximately two acres of true public space. He added that in many of the possible configurations for such a plan, the developer would actually have more land on which to build. Moreover, the streets and park could be installed before the buildings are constructed, allowing the community to enjoy the park before the project’s 2018 completion.

Helen Rosenthal, chair of Community Board 7, hopes the Riverside Center Working Group can meet in September to discuss a status update and community concerns. Once Extell’s application is certified by the Department of City Planning, which will likely happen this fall, the board will have 60 days to issue a formal recommendation.

The league reviewed 13 bills from the 2008 to 2009 legislative session that have been introduced, and ranked Council members on their vote or support through sponsorship. Evaluated bills included congestion pricing, legislation that mandates room for bicycle storage and one that requires large buildings to undergo energy audits every 10 years.

A Brewer-authored law that barred commercial stores from leaving the door open when an air conditioner is operating was also considered by the league.

Other community boards have embedded environmental concerns into already established committees. Board 9, for example, has a Health/Human Services & Environment committee, and Board 6 has a Public Safety, Environment and Human Rights committee. Officially, the mission of Board 7’s Green Committee is to “promote sustainability of the Upper West Side by engaging residents in education, advocacy and direct efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the community.” Working alongside other committees, the group adds its perspective to every relevant conversation within the board.

“Traditionally, bike lanes are the concern of the Transport Committee,” said  board chair Helen Rosenthal. “But there’s a green angle there as well. By being able to ask both committees to review, both sides of the argument get weight.”

The committee has tackled a wide range of topics, including green buildings, solar energy, traffic reduction, recycling, storm capacity planning, pedestrian-friendly streets, energy-efficient lighting and the use of plastic bags.

“We’re kinda the kitchen sink of green,” said Melanie Wymore, the committee’s co-chair (she shares that responsibility with Elizabeth Starkey).

That includes issues extending far beyond Manhattan.

“Whenever we hear of someone doing something interesting or new, we invite them to come and talk,” Wymore said. “We provide a conduit for people to exchange ideas about sustainability issues.”

Jason Post, a spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, praised Board 7 for its innovation.

“Local efforts are crucial to realizing the ambitious goals in PlaNYC,” he said, referring the mayor’s 25-year plan to reduce New York City’s carbon footprint and promote sustainability. “We hope that other community boards follow the stellar example that Manhattan CB 7 has set.”

Borough President Scott Stringer also gave the committee a positive review.
“I welcome efforts like CB7 and other community boards in creating green committees to specifically address local environmental issues,” he said, adding that such efforts mesh with his goals as borough president to address Manhattan’s health and environmental concerns.

One of the committee’s current projects is the massive IRT powerhouse, at 59th Street and 11th Avenue, which ConEd hopes to transform into a steam-and-electricity “cogeneration” plant that is three times as efficient as the current steam-only power plant.

Kate Sindig, senior attorney of the Natural Resources Defense Council, also recently came before the committee to present a citywide “product stewardship” plan. This eco-friendly law would transfer the problem of toxic waste disposal, especially from electronic goods like televisions and computers, from owners to the manufacturers, giving financial incentive to build with fewer toxins.

Also present at the meeting were representatives of a non-profit organization Jewish Heart for Africa, who discussed their venture of providing solar panels to pump water for villagers in remote areas of Africa. They were looking to contact people who might be interested in supporting their cause. Two days after the meeting, Laurie Moldawer, the group’s co-founder, was excited about the result.

“Within 24 hours we were already in contact with people,” she said. “We were open to anything, but this has already surpassed expectations.”

“No, I’m not; it’s this new lighting!”

So went a tenant exchange in our newly renovated lobby. No one older than, say 35, likes to be told they look tired, but naked emperors worldwide will soon ban kindly incandescents for the so-called energy savers which make everyone/every thing they zap look tired when they’re not. Fluorescents are a visual depressant, plus they accent the slightest bit of wear, tear or soil—which is good for the cosmetic, therapy and repair/cleaning businesses.

Ah, how long you and I have argued against doing harm in the process of conserving energy and reducing the carbon footprint. (And this even more dangerously applies to the future banning of safer motor vehicles—instead of reducing the speed limit and giving all out support for affordable/readily available mass transit and passenger train service.)

But to stop the light blight, we must bombard Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann with calls to reintroduce her Light Bulb Freedom of Choice bill, which naked emperors likely ordered her to drop (202-225-2331). And make our own lawmakers see the overwhelming need for reducing the decades of excessive watt use, not sacrificing light that enhances for one that deforms. By the way, warm-whites deform less than cool-whites.

Kindly lighting was still found at the Gracie Mansion celebration of the 25th anniversary of the East 79th Neighborhood Association and its undaunted and tireless president, Betty Cooper Wallerstein. The city is surely a safer, cleaner and more neighborly place for the group’s myriad endeavors, which include a long and desperately sought by yours truly and others traffic signal on our corner.

Benevolent lighting is still found at many restaurants, especially Rafina’s on York Avenue between East 78th and 79th streets. But alas, its 20/20 visioned, singing proprietor Dennis Spilios is leaving on June 1, after serving the Upper East Side for nearly three decades. How grateful my family and I are for Rafina’s most kindly lighting and décor, and especially for the quietly welcoming personnel and friends there. The food is nourishing, too. And unforgettable is my birthday party at Dennis’ former restaurant, Le Panto, which he insisted on doing for far less than it cost him. So many such stories could be told about his generous if sometimes quixotic nature.
Especially endearing to me is the song he dedicates to the mother he loved so deeply, and his strong belief in close ongoing family connections “so no one is left out.”

And so we wish Dennis, his wife and family extended, and his work (music mission!) whatever they need most—with heartfelt affection and thanks.  Rafina’s so able and gracious staff, thankfully, remains under the restaurant’s new ownership.

And do read, disperse and respond to the May AARP Bulletin story, “Under One Roof.” Yup, the recession has more three-, even four-family generations sharing households, which this piece finds fairly positive—unlike advice-gurus like radio’s Dr. Joy Browne. My letter to the editor called for “More such features, please!—with lots of communication/relationship-skills information to help the ‘getting along.’” AARP’s preoccupation with couple bonds and “younger older” people may not find it “fit to print.” But AARP (212-407-3700) and all power-wielders need reminding that caring, ongoing family/social support/interaction is healthcare maintenance and preventive medicine of the very first kind—for all ages and backgrounds.

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dewingbetter@aol.com