East Harlem Sets A Green Example For Other U.S. Cities
Jun 6, 2008 
Scott M. Stringer was sworn in as Manhattan’s 26th Borough President in January of 2006 after serving 13 years in the New York Assembly, where The New York Times credited him as having “a sterling reputation as a catalyst for reform." During his first two years in office, Borough President Stringer helped breathe new life into Manhattan’s Community Boards, ensuring that every neighborhood has a strong voice in decisions that impact local residents' lives. He revamped the Borough President’s Land Use Division and effectively weighed in on crucial development projects that will shape Manhattan’s future. His continued advocacy for development that reflects neighborhood values has resulted in victories for local residents from Battery Park to Washington Heights. In 2007 Borough President Stringer launched the Go Green East Harlem initiative, a multi-faceted campaign to improve residents' health in East Harlem, and to serve as a model for other environmentally neglected neighborhoods. This includes the Go Green East Harlem Cook Book, which features healthy, mouth watering recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, entrees and – yes – desserts. The bilingual cook book is given free of charge to East Harlem residents, and sold nationwide, with proceeds going to the Community Fund for Manhattan, a nonprofit organization created by the Borough President’s office, which funded the book’s publication.
Guest Blogger Scott Stringer--Earlier this year, I released my a compilation of healthy recipes contributed by East Harlem residents and restaurateurs. But the is more than just a cookbook. This publication is a celebration of East Harlem’s rich culture and traditions and has become a love letter to the community.
The idea behind this cookbook came from the desire to improve eating habits and diet in East Harlem – El Barrio – a neighborhood that suffers from high rates of diabetes and obesity. Each cookbook is bilingual and divided into two halves, with the same text appearing in both English and Spanish.
Recipes were reviewed and analyzed by the experts from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, a Manhattan-based school recognized nationally for its cutting-edge approach to diet and healthy living. The four-color publication also features portraits of local contributors taken by graduates from the International Center of Photography. The photographs depict a mosaic of people from all walks of life, which is what makes East Harlem such a unique and diverse neighborhood.
The cookbook is part of my larger initiative called Go Green East Harlem. Within a year, this project has secured $3.5 million for a new asthma center, created a network of “green building” developers in the community, planted hundreds of street trees and started some farmer’s markets. Led by a steering committee of residents, civic, environmental and business leaders, public health advocates and elected officials, Go Green East Harlem has brought about a sense that we can improve our lives through the choices we make – from what how we eat to how we advocate for crucial changes like better air quality.
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