While eating at Betty’s the other day I noticed that Dining Out For Life is coming up soon. The national campaign is really quite something and it’s fun and easy to participate. Just pick your favorite restaurant to attend on April 29th and a large portion of the proceeds end up going to fight AIDS. A few of the restaurants even donate 100% to the cause. There are even one or two places that have come out of relative obscurity to rally that night… I’m taking a closer look at listing for the ECC City Campus EM Statler Dining option…
Author: Great Lakes United
Yes, there may be a few different social networking sites out there, but it’s Facebook (FB) that appears to be pulling ahead of the rest. Facebook is kind of a mix between LinkedIn and MySpace. It’s a great networking site for Buffalo-based organizations (non-profits), community activists and everyday people. For example, Righteous Babe Records can promote its talent pool, while at the same time you can become friends with Ani DiFranco. The best part is… it’s free and easy. Because it’s free, organizations like the buffOLA dog park can add a page where people with Facebook accounts can join. There…
It’s that time of year to reach into your pockets and pull out some of those loose coins. That’s what people were doing yesterday when they saw James and his Ice Creamcycle cruising down Allen Street. It was his first day back on the job and people were sure glad to see him. I spoke to James about the different areas of Buffalo he was hitting, and he told me that there were some places that he would like to go to, but he was unsure if he would be welcome. I asked him to give me an example and…
The question of global climate change is not as debatable as it used to be: it’s getting pretty hard to deny that the actions of human beings have not altered our atmosphere and climate forever. Some scientists have even created a new term for the most recent period of Earth’s history- the “Anthropocene”- when the activities of the human race first began to have a significant global impact on climates and ecosystems. From changing precipitation patterns to more severe storms, global climate change has already begun to take shape. But with all the complexities of this global problem, it is…
Regional and national economies are continually in a transitional phase. From the manufacturing and industrial past to an increasingly service-oriented base, our economy is poised to change into new directions. Innovative forces from all aspects of the economy are beginning to see the ecological and fiscal importance of sustainable methods. There are opportunities in every sector- from small shops to international industry- to be part of a ‘green economy’. On the morning of Saturday, March 15th, myself and several other dozen individuals representing community groups, alternative energy companies, and other organizations concerned with the future green economy in Western New…
Last week’s interview with Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper Executive Director Julie O’Neill did a tremendous job shedding light on a wide variety of crucial ecological issues. Through the work of Riverkeeper and the wide range of environmental, labor, and citizen groups that participate in the Great Lakes United coalition, many of these issues will see increased attention from leaders and community members. One of the most damaging of these issues is that of combined sewer overflows (CSOs). While a significant problem, they are also an issue with amazing potential for improvement. As Julie mentioned, there are steps the average citizen can…
It looks like Elmwood might be landing a new coffee shop. A long dormant retail location has attracted interest from a regional coffee operation that typically looks at mall locations. Not being much of a mall-goer, I have never heard of Comfort Zone Café, but I searched around and dug up a few tidbits. The website states that the business recently opened its third location in the Galleria Mall. I would assume that the Elmwood location would be the fourth location for the operation. Comfort Zone is known as a coffee shop focused on serving ‘specialty coffees and real home…
If you’re a fan of Mark and Charlie Goldman’s Allen Street Hardware Café, then you’ll be glad to hear that they are expanding towards the back of the building. I asked Mark what brought on the expansion plan and he told me that the additional room would allow them to add a different type of bar-scene to the space. The back room is not a huge addition, but it will give Hardware a different feel that it has at this time. The back room will be a place to get away from the two bustling front bars. It’s going to…
Over the past couple of years I’ve been watching the development progress that has taken place on Wadsworth Street in Allentown. A few weeks ago we witnessed the demolition of the nearby Falcon Building. That was unfortunate for the street, but at the same time, a few doors down Wendes Jones and Kenneth Beaver have been working on solidifying a good portion of the street. As a matter of fact, the couple now owns half of the properties on the east side of Wadsworth (four out of eight). All of the properties but one (the original house) moved forward with…
When Harvey Garrett first asked me if BRO viewers would be interested in a free house on the Niagara Street, I said, “Of course.” Had anyone else asked I would have been highly skeptical. I still wanted to know what the catch was, and he said, “There are two catches. The first is that the home needs work, but you probably assumed that. The other catch is that the home must go to a homeowner. The person that the house is given to must live there.” I then asked Harvey to send me a photo of the house… almost expecting…