Hoboken

Come out to Carpe Diem this weekend and have a drink. Have breakfast. Catch up with friends or meet new people. With your patronage, you will be helping a bar go green. It is easy to do – just do what you would normally do at a bar. It is fun – you will be around people who care about the same things you do.  It is simple – 70% of sales are being spent on energy efficient upgrades.

If the weather holds, and as of 11pm it looks like it won’t rain on Saturday and Sunday is looking better too, then sit outside at the outside patio.

I just emailed Josh at The Lazy Environmentalist and basically said to him that people aren’t going to be made to feel guilty about having to green their lifestyles. Carrotmob uses zero guilt – it uses an awesome community event, which I find much more enjoyable. I am pretty sure anyone shares that stance with me too.

Last but not least, check out the great writeup on Hoboken 411 here.

The First Energy Group did a report on Carpe Diem.  I really want to thank them, especially, Mechele, Rueben, Rickey, and last but not least, Jay. The report is really thorough and here are the main points.

Special Emphasis, Concerns, or Limitations

- Disruption – A key concern is designing and installing any equipment or systems in this facility with no disruption during operating hours.
- Reliability & Durability – Long term solutions with solid life cycle costing are required.
- Operation Cost – A major driver of this report is to reduce operating costs and take advantage of the savings and incentives to subsidize replacement of aging or inefficient equipment and improvement to the environment.
- Rebates –  Utility rebates will be applied for and will be directly sent to the client.

Recommended Energy Conservation Measures:

1. Improve performance of kitchen-hood exhaust and outside air intake fan.
2. Installation of Dual Enthalpy Economizer on the primary roof-top heating and cooling system.
3. Installation of supplementary 2-ton, ductless split, air conditioning system for the first floor.
4. Replacement of the 2 bathroom exhaust fans with units providing exhaust, light, and heat.
5. Installation of programmable time clock to turn the amplifiers on and off on a schedule.
6. Installation of a Honeywell series 8000 programmable thermostat to control the roof-top heating and cooling system.
7. Retrofit the exit signs with LED kits.

Wow. Just still impressed by the amazing flyer that was made by Christian Clothier. He did a great job and it looks great.

As a rule of thumb if you are coming from New York, you want to take the PATH to Hoboken and take a taxi to the bar. You should not try to take the NY Waterway – the ferry does not run from Midtown to Hoboken on the weekends.  Another option is taking the Light Rail from the PATH. It goes behind Hoboken and leaves you three blocks away from Carpe Diem. You can also walk 20 minutes from the PATH.

If you are driving, there is parking around Carpe Diem, but public transportation is encouraged!  If you do not have a Hoboken parking permit, you can park where the sign has a white background with green letters. If you do not have a permit, do not park where there is a green background with white letters sign.

Well the only other main social media outlet that was missing through this entire initiative was MySpace. No longer! Check out Carpe Diem’s myspace and join their page! Myspace!!!!

I am also reinserting the Facebook page link here http://tiny.cc/TXp4c

Carrotmob Makes It Rain from carrotmob on Vimeo.

Carrotmob leverages consumer power to make the most socially responsible business practices also the most profitable choices. A big mob of consumers buys products to reward a business that makes the strongest commitment to improve the world. It’s the opposite of a boycott. Carrotmobs have happened all over the country, and have been featured in such news sources as the Economist and the New York times. On May 2nd and 3rd, a Carrotmob is coming to Hoboken. Carpe Diem, an Irish bar and restaurant, has committed to investing 70% of all sales to energy efficiency upgrades. The more people show up, the smaller Carpe Diem’s carbon footprint becomes. Eat, drink, and be merry – and make the world a better place while you are at it!

You can show support in three ways. 1) RSVP on Facebook 2) Tell your friends (spread the message through word of mouth or invitations on Facebook) 3) Join the Mob on May 2nd and May 3rd!

Where: Carpe Diem bar/restaurant located at 1405 Grand Street, Hoboken, NJ http://www.carpediemhoboken.com/

When: Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3; 11am – 4pm

RSVP: On Facebook: http://tiny.cc/TXp4c | Blog: hoboken.carrotmob.org | Twitter: NJCarrotmob

Thoughts?  What are the strengths?  Where could it be improved?

News 12 is filming a Carrotmob spot tomorrow at Carpe Diem. I along with the owner will be interviewed. Make sure to watch!!!

http://tiny.cc/TXp4c

This link will take you to our Facebook event group. Click on this to RSVP!

The New York Times ran a great piece about why energy conservation is important. And why dontcha visit the company that the writer works for – The National Trust for Historic Preservation:

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NEVER before has America had so many compelling reasons to preserve the homes in its older residential neighborhoods. We need to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. We want to create jobs, and revitalize the neighborhoods where millions of Americans live. All of this could be accomplished by making older homes more energy-efficient.

Let’s begin with energy consumption and emissions. Forty-three percent of America’s carbon emissions come from heating, cooling, lighting and operating our buildings. Older homes are particularly wasteful: Homes built in 1939 or before use around 50 percent more energy per square foot than those constructed in 2000. But with significant improvements and retrofits, these structures could perform on a par with newer homes.

So how does a homeowner go green? The first step is an energy audit by a local utility. These audits can be obtained in many communities at little or no cost. They help identify the sources of heat loss, allowing homeowners to make informed decisions about how to reduce energy use in the most cost-effective way.

Experience has shown that virtually any older or historic house can become more energy-efficient without losing its character. Restoring the original features of older houses — like porches, awnings and shutters — can maximize shade and insulation. Older wooden windows perform very well when properly weatherized — this includes caulking, insulation and weather stripping — and assisted by the addition of a good storm window. Weatherizing leaky windows in most cases is much cheaper than installing replacements.

The good news is that the administration is taking steps to help homes save energy with a program that will invest almost $8 billion in state and local weatherization and energy-efficiency efforts. The Weatherization Assistance Program, aimed at low-income families, will allow an average investment of up to $6,500 per home in energy efficiency upgrades.

It is important to remember that Carrotmob can be replicable anywhere in the world, by anyone who can follow the Carrotmob guidelines. This is the first Carrotmob in New Jersey, and want to meet people who want to do this in NJ/Philly Metro and NYC Metro area, contact me.

Planning this event is an exciting experience. One of my favorite things is learning from past Carrotmob organizers.  I have learned how to better approach a business, build a small coalition of supporters to help spread the word, and a lot about wordpress!