Roger Waters: Why am I doing the Wall again now?

I recently came across this quote of mine from 22 years ago:

” What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us to understand one another better, or will they deceive us and keep us apart?”

I believe this is still a supremely relevant question and the jury is out. There is a lot of commercial clutter on the net, and a lot of propaganda, but I have a sense that just beneath the surface understanding is gaining ground.  We just have to keep blogging, keep twittering, keep communicating, keep sharing ideas.

30 Years ago when I wrote The Wall I was a frightened young man. Well not that young, I was 36 years old.

It took me a long time to get over my fears. Anyway, in the intervening years it has occurred to me that maybe the story of my fear and loss with it’s concomitant inevitable residue of ridicule, shame and punishment, provides an allegory for broader concerns.: Nationalism, racism, sexism, religion, Whatever!  All these issues and ‘isms are driven by the same fears that drove my young life.

This new production of The Wall is an attempt to draw some comparisons, to illuminate our current predicament, and is dedicated to all the innocent lost in the intervening years.

In some quarters, among the chattering classes, there exists a cynical view that human beings as a collective are incapable of developing more ‘humane’ ie, kinder, more generous, more cooperative, more empathetic relationships with one another.

I disagree.

In my view it is too early in our story to leap to such a conclusion, we are after all a very young species.

I believe we have at least a chance to aspire to something better than the dog eat dog ritual slaughter that is our current response to our institutionalized fear of each other.

I feel it is my responsibility as an artist to express my, albeit guarded, optimism, and encourage others to do the same. To quote the great man, ” You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

- Roger Waters, 2010

Aliens Among Us — Just Don't Expect ET

Alien life has been among us all along, according to new biological findings announced by NASA Thursday.

Research conducted by biochemist Dr. Felisa Wolfe-Simon from the U.S. Geological Survey has turned the quest for alien life on its ear, suggesting that phosphorous, carbon, and the other fundamental elements found in every living thing on Earth aren't the only signs of life. Wolfe-Simon will explain the findings at a hotly anticipated NASA press conference today at 2 p.m.

After a two-year study at California's Mono Lake, near Yosemite National Park, Wolfe-Simon found that a bug will grow in the presence of the toxic chemical arsenic when only slight traces of phosphorous are present. It's a radical finding, says molecular biologist Steven Benner, who is part of NASA's "Team Titan" and an expert on astrobiology -- forcing the space agency to redefine the quest for other life in the universe.

"When we're searching for alien life, if it's not a Ferengi from Star Trek, what would it be?" Benner asked FoxNews.com. In his estimation, we've always defined life as something that has the exact same chemistry as a life-form on Earth. The new discovery will likely change that equation, because it means the basic building blocks of DNA are not quite what we thought.

Benner, said the arsenic-loving organism at Mono Lake grew without high levels of the nutrient phosphate (although some phosphates were still present). Just as important, it could change how we look for alien life on other planets, especially on Saturn and the moons of Jupiter.

"It's a paradigm shift," says Dimitar Sasselov, an astrobiologist who leads the Origins of Life Initiative at Harvard University. "The possibility that Earth-life biochemistry is not universal is a transformational concept. It fills the search [for alien life] with optimism. NASA is moving in a good overall direction. What is needed is to take alternatives for life's chemistry to heart and fund research work better."

Arsenic is poisonous to nearly all forms of life on earth. Even small amounts of the poison become embedded in living tissue, causing liver failure and ultimately death -- in nearly everything BUT these bacteria. 

However, as science fiction author Robert Sawyer told FoxNews.com, there could be even more profound implications. We have always looked for alien life that matches our biology, but now we have found a different life-form that uses arsenic in its basic DNA structure, he said.

Sawyer explained that NASA science probes have always looked in the most likely places we thought life could exist -- on Mars or Europa, a moon of Jupiter. There is an old joke, he says, about how someone lost a quarter in their garage, then looks out in the yard for it. A neighbor asks why they are looking there instead of in the garage; the light is better, he answers.

"We tend to use the tools we know and the places we know to look for alien life," Sawyer said, explaining that humans want to find a walking, crawling alien and not one that just has different DNA.

The change, he says, is that NASA will start looking for arsenic as well, and possibly other chemicals. This could mean new missions to Titan, which is known for having traces of arsenic. Another change could be the scientific equipment we send to space – probes might be retrofitted to search for arsenic.

Benner said the finding even impacts earlier research. Several years ago, when a Martian meteorite crash-landed on Earth, scientists examined it for the presence of phosphates. Now, it may be possible to re-visit some of the earlier findings. This hints at what experts call the "shadow biosphere" -- the existence of other life-forms, even on Earth, that have a radically different DNA structure.

"It's a huge breakthrough. It changes the probabilities for their being life on other planets," Sawyer told FoxNews.com. "If there is more than one recipe that makes life, then there are chances of rolling the dice in a chemical soup of all over the universe, and the chances of that chemical soup giving rise to life is much larger."

For NASA, the scientific discovery could help the agency acquire new funding, serving as a catalyst to convince Congress to green light for new missions to Mars or Titan.

In fact, the Internet buzz about finding alien life, as Sawyer noted, is partly due to how NASA has timed the announcement. A new Congress means new opportunities for scientific missions. He says the reality of the finding is somewhat of a joykill -- we have not found E.T. -- but there are still major implications for science and the search for extra-terrestrial life in our solar system and beyond.

Benner says the findings need further review -- there are questions about how much phosphorous is needed to sustain life. 

"The next phase is to grow more of the stuff in a lab using a defined cultured, maybe cook up a broth that contains no phosphorous at all, look at this with a critical eye," he said.

However you view the announcement, the Lake Mono findings are profound, and the possibilities for finding life -- especially the primordial kind -- are now even greater.

Story taken from FoxNews.com

WikiLeaks Prove The Facebook Effect Definitely Has Limits

I have recently finished reading The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick.  A much more detailed and less salacious account of the story behind Facebook than the book with which the screenplay for the movie, The Social Network (Horrible movie.  Don't waste your money.) was based off of.  It is a great book that tells the story of how Facebook grew up and the decisions (and no decisions) by Mark Zuckerberg that have kept him in control of his dream. 


The Facebook Effect is the causatum of Zuckerberg's dream to turn our society into a more open, transparent world with the ultimate goal of uniting our fractured cultures via Facebook.  Zuckerberg's logic is that people and governments in that kind of society will be more accounable for their actions in such an open and transparent world in which everyone is so forthcoming with their information about their likes and with what, how, and with whom they spend their time.  The key to Zuckerberg's theory is the information that each individual volunteers to share with his/her network.  The more people share, the more open each individual network becomes and the more transparent and accountable our society as a whole becomes.  With some small privacy control exceptions, there is No Hiding on Facebook. 


Google was created to index the world.  To gather all the world's information in one place to be easily searched, accessed, and engaged.  (That has been accomplished and now they are just starting to try to take over the world tech markets with their Android operating system.)  Facebook was created to unite our own individual social network of friends and family to create a strong, open, and transparent world (network) in with which to live and share.  Although you can Google and find a group, business or any individual's Facebook Profile you can't actually gain access to that information without that party's explicit consent.  That is the real value in the business of Facebook;  Their Ad Space.  The very accurate personal data that is voluntarily entered into their system by people sharing information about themselves within their network has helped Zuckerberg create the first "Pin Point Marketing" System that he can sell to advertisers looking to get their brand or product in front of the most precise demographic as possible.    The Google model of Cost-Per-Click (CPC) advertisements cannot compete.  It is why Google has attempted to buy Facebook countless times and Zuckerberg hasn't broken yet.    Google can't Google the information inside Facebook's servers.  Facebook has basically created the very first world wide intranet.  


And then in The Facebook Effect's Ripple, comes WikiLeaks.  WikiLeaks is an international non-profit media organization that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous sources and leaks.  Its website, launched in 2006, is run by The Sunshine Press.  Within a year of its launch, the site claimed a database that had grown to more than 1.2 million documents.  The organization has described itself as having been founded by Chinese dissidents, as well as journalists, mathematicians, and start-up company technologists from the U.S., Taiwan, Europe, Australia, and South Africa.  Newspaper articles and The New Yorker magazine (7 June 2010) describe Julian Assange, an Australian journalist and Internet activist, as its director.


WikiLeaks has made headlines recently by releasing hundreds of thousands of State Department documents with dangerous and unknown consequences to our national security.   In this Age of Facebook, this is exactly the kind of transparency that, in theory, Facebook is trying to create.  But with one major problem.  The information was not voluntarily shared by The State Department.  The information was stolen by an individual now being held in solitary confinement for months by the United States government.   This article started out many weeks ago titled, "Will We Be Thankful for Facebook?"  I wanted to get it out in time for Thanksgiving.  But I was having trouble writing the article and tying all my thoughts together coherently.  Thanksgiving came and went with me not having enough to publish the article.  So I let it go.  Almost deleted everything that I had staring frustrated at the screen very early Thursday morning.


After reading the papers today outlining exactly what was leaked, this article became much clearer but my main question was still unanswered.   I don't know if I am "thankful" for Facebook.  Yet.  It is way too early to weigh all the positives and negatives to come up with a grand conclusion for its effect on our society.  For as much good it has and will do for us, it has created a world of vultures who think that everything is a matter of public record.  You did not have to read the paper today to know that not everything is for the public's consumption.  The key to Facebook's society is the voluntary submission of information by persons directly involved with said information.  There has to be a line, and not a fine one either.  It has to be clear and concise.  No Shades of Gray.  This what not a bunch of papers leaked that showed how our government was mismanaging our tax dollars.  There was no benefit to the world's peoples by leaking this information.  Besides damaging American relations with foreign dignitaries, the only people benefiting from this information besides Wikileaks was our enemies.  New York Representative Peter King is calling for the swift prosecution of the founder and persons directly involved at WikiLeaks.   Which I believe to be totally justified.  They put many American lives at risk for their own financial benefit.  That to me is the true definition of terrorism.  They should be arrested, tried, and hung from the top of The Empire State Building with all of world watching on YouTube.  They should not be incarcerated and protected from a society that they have knowingly damaged.

The goal of an open and transparent society is a great one.  And one I hope we get to.  It can only benefit our society to hold individuals, corporations, and governments accountable for their actions.  We are definitely not their yet, we still have major boundaries to define.  But the information has to be shared voluntarily and cannot come at the expense of other individual lives and reputations.  


WikiLeaks has shared their information, we know who they are and what they are about.  Let's now hold them accountable for their actions. 


Hopefully many years from now I will be able to write an article entitled, "Why We Are Thankful for Facebook."

Here In 'No Man's Land' (a.k.a. Long Island)

The first time I heard Billy Joel’s No Man’s Land off his River of Dreams album I was seventeen years old.  It was very early in the morning on my way to football practice the summer before my senior year of high school.  It struck a chord in me that his song about one of the loves of his life was so unilluminated.  He really does not paint a pretty picture of Long Island with his lyrics.  Backed up by very heavy drums and an almost unfinished synthesizer.  It was the first song on the new album that I had been waiting four years to hear.  I didn’t exactly understand why he would choose to kick off four years of silence with such an angry song about an object of his affection.  Only a few months later, I  was able to hear him play that song live at the Nassau Coliseum on New Years Eve 1993.   Billy kicked off the concert that night with it.  Sounded amazing.  His songs always sound better live.   But still, I did not understand the dark images he was portraying to his audience.  That was over 16 years ago.

I have been an avid Billy Joel fan since as way back as I can remember.  On my 8^th birthday my parents gave me the greatest gift I have ever received, tickets to his concert on my birthday.  Since then I have consumed his music.  Much to the ribbing of my friends, family and co-workers.  I probably have 30+ Gigs of just his music on my portable hard drive.  And even though I ate his music and memorized all the words, it was not until my early twenties that I shed my cocoon and fully understood his lyrics.  I finally realized that they were not just words to go in rhythm with the music.  He was actually saying something.  Still to this day, probably the greatest thing any fan of a band or musician can say is that, it feels like he is speaking directly to me.

I bring up this song for this post for a reason. I heard it today for the first time in awhile and it made me think about all the times I've listened to it before.  In my opinion, as a whole, Long Island is still the same place Billy Joel was screaming about almost 17 years ago.  Really to me, not much has changed.  The skies  over the Island are is still clouded with uncertainty.   Go through the lyrics with me, they could just have very easily been written yesterday:

I've seen those big machines come rolling through the quiet pines
Blue suits and bankers with their Volvos and their valentines
Give us this day our daily discount outlet merchandise
Raise up a multiplex and we will make a sacrifice
Now we're gonna get the big business
Now we're gonna get the real thing
Everybody's all excited about it

We have turned into a society of gluttonous combative consumerholics sliced up into a million demographics by the mainstream media and government agencies for their own profiteering.  The “blue suits and bankers” have taken us down a slippery road of economic turmoil our country hasn't seen in 70 years.  Our financial system epitomizes the “Needs of the Few Are Greater Than the Needs of the Many” idealism which has become prevalent in our society.  And I’m ashamed to say I was probably leading the gluttonous charge on a few nights, as we all have at some point or another I’m sure.  And New York’s government is Ineptitude’s Poster Boy.  Everyone wants their way, just because it is their way.  And nothing gets accomplished.  Hopefully Billy Joel's song Miami 2017: Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway does not go down in the annals of history as a prophecy.

There ain't much work out here in our consumer power base
No major industry, just miles and miles of parking space
This morning's paper says our neighbor's in a cocaine bust
Lots more to read about Lolita and suburban lust
Now we're gonna get the whole story
Now we're gonna be in prime time
Everybody's all excited about it

You just have to change the line about the Lolita (Amy Fisher) for any of the Dina Lohans that have tried to make themselves famous through the tasteless medium of Fake Reality TV. 

I see these children with their boredom and their vacant stares
God help us all if we're to blame for their unanswered prayers
They roll the sidewalks up at night, this place goes underground
Thanks to the condo kings there's cable now in Zombietown
Now we're gonna get the closed circuit
Now we're gonna get the Top 40
Now we're gonna get the sports franchise
Now we're gonna get the major attractions

Billy grew up on the streets of Long Island.  He came from a broken home.  He knows what it is like to be an easily influenced Long Island youth.  Just listen to his song Captain Jack.  That should speak volumes.  There is nothing to do at night if you are underage on Long Island.  Nothing but movie theaters and street corners to mold these young minds if you wanted to venture away from the TV or internet for a few hours.  Kids don’t even play outside in the street anymore.  I think me and my friends were the last age group of kids that played outside without the need to be setup on a “Play Date.”  We would leave our houses at 10:30am and didn’t return until 10pm.  There was always 8-15 kids playing the popular seasonal sport out on the street in front of someone’s house.  Not anymore.  When he wrote this song, his daughter was still young.  Young enough for him to be concerned with what it would be like for her growing up on the Long Island he was observing.  And all these years later, much doesn't seem to have changed.  Maybe that is why Billy Joel has not written an album of new material since the last one almost 17 years ago.  Maybe he is tired of being the voice of Long Island, only to have his message fall on the deaf ears of people who are blinded by his “Rock Star” status and are only interested in the photo op.

The Refrain and ending of Billy Joel’s ‘No Man’s Land’ goes like this:

Who remembers when it all began
Out here in no man's land
Before the whole world was in our hands
Out here in no man's land
Before the banners and the marching bands
Out here in no man's land
Low supply and high demand
Here in no man's land 

That’s a good question.  Who remembers when it all began?  Well, I certainly don’t.  My parents were still a few years from being born when Long Island became the first suburb of America after World War II.  And the members of ‘Our Greatest Generation’ that are still with us, will not be around for too much longer.  Take the time to ask one next time you are in their company.  But I’m sure it was a time that was filled with endless possibilities in their eyes.  Before all the Pomp and Circumstance and giant shiny carrots, this was No Man’s Land, vast sprawls of potato fields surrounded by bright blue water.  Having just faced down the greatest evil the world had ever known, that generation of Long Islanders reached for the stars and landed humans on the moon among many other great achievements. 

When I heard Billy Joel’s No Man’s Land today, for the first time since I was fully able to comprehend what he was talking about, I do not share his opinion of a dark and unilluminated Long Island.  Yes shades of gray still cover the Long Island skyline but in all its turmoil, it has created a Long Island filled with endless possibilities.  It has made some Long Islanders start to think outside the box.  Believing in their hearts that there has got to be a better way to do things then the way we have been going about our business.  There is a select group of individuals and organizations that in their own way have started to shine their lights through the darkness to lead Long Island into a bright and sustainable future. 

These individuals and organizations are vital if Long Island is going to pick itself up and lead the charge into the 21^st Century.  Their work already has been instrumental in the progress Long Island has made into a greener economy.  To me, Green = Smart.  It also the first movement to promote the “Needs of the Many Are Greater Than the Needs of the Few” idealism that must become our mantra if we are to be an example for the rest of the county to follow.  It is the first movement that is taking a look at what we have become, the damage we are on pace to dump on our children’s laps, and the first to realize that somewhere along the line, we are going to have to pay the price.   

I would like to let everyone else know what I have seen over the last few  years that has given me hope.  Hope that we are not really like the MTV style society that we have become.  This is the next Greatest Generation of Long Islanders who are poised to lead our region down the path to sustainability and be a model for the rest of the country and future generations of Long Islanders to follow. 

Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone – Founder and President of The Babylon Project and helped create the Town of Babylon’s nationally recognized Long Island Green Homes Program. 

Town of Babylon’s Sammy Chu – Board member for the Long Island Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC-LI).  He also helped create Town of Babylon’s nationally recognized Long Island Green Homes Program. 

Vince Capogna and the USGBC-LI Executive Board – Vince Capogna, President, and the U.S. Green Building Council Long Island Chapter’s Executive Board have been instrumental in leading the charge in the green building industry on Long Island.  The USGBC LEED rating system is the premiere green building rating system in the country.  The purpose of the Long Island Chapter of the US Green Building Council is to mirror and advance the core purpose of the US Green Building Council locally; to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.

Sarah Lansdale, Executive Director of Sustainable Long Island - Sarah Lansdale was selected as Sustainable Long Island’s second Executive Director in September 2004. Under her leadership, the organization has engaged thousands of community leaders and elected officials to rethink, rebuild and renew communities across Long Island, resulting in tens of millions of dollars of investment, hundreds of units of housing, and dozens of new businesses.

Sarah serves on the Board of Directors of the Women Economic Developers, was appointed by the Governor to sit on the MTA Sustainability Commission, and was appointed by Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy to the Suffolk County Planning Commission. She co-produced an Emmy-nominated documentary Farming the Future: Farm Life on Long Island. Sarah is a 2006 graduate of the Energeia Partnership and was honored as a Community Leader by the 100 Black Men of Long Island and most recently by the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko – Supervisor Lesko in only a short term in office has become a champion for the future of Long Island and The Town of Brookhaven by creating The Town of Brookhaven Comprehensive Plan 2030.  And just recently his launch of the “Blight into Light” initiative. 

LIPA CEO Kevin Law – Just some of the amazing things Kevin has accomplished at the help of Long Island’s Power Authority:

·         LIPA CHIEF KEVIN LAW, TO UNVEIL NEW FEDERAL PLAN TO ALLOW LIPA TO REFINANCE BILLIONS IN DEBT – WOULD SAVE LI’ERS HUNDREDS ON THEIR ELECTRIC BILLS AND LOWER THEM BY 5 PERCENT

·         LIPA Applies for over $17 Million in Stimulus Funding For Renewable Energy Projects

·         LIPA and Smithtown Schools Announce Largest School Solar Project on Long Island

·         LIPA Proposes 2010 Operating & Capital Budget Which Stabilizes Rates in Volatile Energy Market and Expands Investment in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

·         LIPA Increases Funding for Renewables and Creates New Solar Thermal Program

·          LIPA CEO Kevin Law Announce $12.5 Million Award for Rte 110 “Smart Energy Corridor”

·         LIPA Approves the Largest Solar Energy Project in New York State

RELI - Renewable Energy Long Island - RELI is a membership-based, not-for-profit organization promoting clean, sustainable energy use and generation for Long Island. RELI seeks public participation in energy policy decisions to encourage energy efficiency, use of renewable energy sources, and to protect our environment, economy, and public health.

Ted Reiff, Founder / President of The ReUse People of America - The ReUse People (TRP) are relatively new to the Long Island Community and not many people have heard of TRP or Ted Reiff.  But his not-for-profit organization is the leading building deconstruction and building material reuse organization in the counrty.  Through their efforts The ReUse People have diverted over 260,000 tons of valuable construction and demolition waste from fragile overburdened landfills.  He will teach us how our old buildings are a valuable resource for other Long Islanders.  With Long Island's only 3 working landfills, Ted Reiff and The ReUse People will be a vital cog in the wheel that will shape the future of Long Island. 

KIOLI - Keep It On Long Island Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 - KIOLI is a catchprase. An acronym to be more exact. It is a philosophy and a movement. It stands for Keep It On Long Island, but it means many things. 

It means keeping our money here where it cannot be manipulated by treacherous Wall Street investments. It pleads with consumers to spend money in local businesses that are owned by local residents. Businesses founded by investments made by Long Islanders that result in profits staying here and circulating through our economy. It is a movement that dreams of providing our children with affordable housing alternatives and productive skilled employment. It is a notion whose time has come and kioli.org is where it resides.

Now I can see what these organizations and individuals are accomplishing.  But that is only because I am looking.  Their work has not cleared out all the darkness.  There is still along way to go.  That will not happen until the rest of Long Island can start to see who the leaders of Long Island really are.  For I believe that if Billy Joel could see what I see, it would inspire him to break 17 years of silence and write a less ominous album of songs about the land we all love, our home, Long Island.

My Response to Cablevision Editorial: Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko's "Blight into Light"

Dear Supervisor Lesko,

I have just finished reading the Cablevision Editorial on your "Blight into Light" projects for the Town of Brookhaven.  Let me commend you on a great idea and the amazing job you have done in only a short time in office.  I hope other town leaders follow you down the path of sustainability sooner rather than later.   

My only concern with your plan is what are you going to do with the old homes and buildings?  How are they going to be removed?  The "Blight into Light" project is great for the revitalization of these neighborhoods and the Long Island community but I feel there will be a blight on the "Blight into Light" projects if current demolition practices are used to remove the old structures from these communities. 

Traditional bulldozer style demolition hurts the very Long Island Community that you are trying to revitalize.  Buildings, like everything, have a life-cycle.  When a building is no longer fit for use and has to come down, does this happen just as all of its parts and components wear out?  Most old buildings have some systems and building materials with useful lives.  The trick is efficiently identifying the materials and getting them out of the building.  When redeveloping a Long Island property, it is difficult to see the old buildings as anything but obstacles.  Also, it is important to consider whether their contents and/or components may actually be resources that have net value.

Current demolition practices are not sustainable.  They are also not in the best interest of Long Island and our environment.  They hurt our community by over-burdening our already fragile landfills with valuable building materials that are not at the end of their life cycles just because the homes and buildings they make up are.  Those same building materials can benefit a fellow Long Islander who might not be able to afford brand new building materials. 

Building Deconstruction and Building Material Reuse on Long Island is the systematic dismantlement of building materials and building components, specifically for re-use, recycling, and waste management.  It differs from demolition where a site is cleared of its building materials by the most expedient means and a majority of the demolished materials are hauled to a landfill for disposal.  Building Deconstruction is new by name, but not by practice, as the recovery and reuse of building materials in order to build new structures is as old as buildings themselves.  Reuse of materials might be considered one of the "original" green building techniques, along with the use of local materials.  In the pre-industrial era, building material conservation was driven by the high intensity of the labor effort required to harvest and prepare them.  Reuse of materials provided an economic advantage. In the mid-to-late 20th century, the emergence of machine-made and mass-produced materials, chemically complicated materials, and the relatively low cost of oil allowed this basic idea of "waste not, want not" to fall from usage in the creation of built environment. 

We live in a different world now.  The cost of oil is out of control and puts a heavy burden on some Long Island families who have to pay the increasing gas prices.  And there is no end in sight to our dependence on foreign oil.  Dumping fees are continually going to rise.  Especially as the number of landfills decrease because of capacity issues and remediation is needed on the sites that are still in use.  The reusable building materials from your "Blight into Light" projects could be worth a significant tax write-off when donated to a not-for-profit organization on Long Island like The ReUse People (TRP) and receive a tax-deductible receipt to help offset the overall cost of the "Blight to Light" projects.  These services are among the first steps in the green building process and provide a faster payback and better return-on-investment than any other product or service offered by the green building industry on Long Island.

The ReUse People and their Long Island TRP-Certified Building Deconstruction contractor, Advanced Restoration Corporation, aim is to recycle or reclaim for reuse up to 80% of the structure rather than dumping the materials into Long Island landfills for the next generation of Long Islanders to deal with.

I truly believe Sarah Lansdale, the Executive Director of Sustainable Long Island, when she said, "With the attention and focused resources provided by elected officials such as Supervisor Lesko, we can revitalize our communities and ensure that Long Island is prosperous and beautiful for generations to come."  Please Supervisor Lesko I implore you, don't leave a blight on the "Blight into Light" projects, choose building deconstruction and building material reuse over current demolition practices and help me turn it into a force for the sustainable development and future of Long Island.