What all started as a simple excursion to the hardware store to pick up a vacuum cleaner ended up like a scene out of "Annie Hall." The two of us scratching our heads and muttering as we consulted each other on whether it was recyclable or not. From the plastic on the outside, to the gargantuan cardboard box it came in, to the hard styrofoam packing, we simply could not figure out what to do with all the crap that HAD to be recyclable. But months of fines from the New York sanitaion department had us paralyzed with trepidation.

We try. We really do. Especially considering that I'm the founder and editor-in-chief of a new environmental media company. But dammit if recycling in New York City isn't as baffling and ultimately as difficult as everything else in this city.

It doesn't help when the city constantly changes the rules, either. For a long time — longer than most urban areas — you couldn't recycle in New York at all. Then in 1989 the New York City Council enacted laws for curbside recycling service. But, as Eric Goldstein reported in the Gotham Gazette, "in 2002 Mayor Bloomberg proposed to 'suspend' the recycling of metals, plastic and glass. With the city facing a serious budget shortfall, sanitation department officials forecast that such recycling cuts would result in annual savings of $51 million, due in large part to the reduced number of waste collection trucks that would be needed under the proposed cutbacks." But the economics of of this decision were challenged by city recycling advocates and eventually the city backed down. But that didn't mean they were going to like it or make it easy on residents who did like it.

So now you have, ironically, a sort of hybrid system. And as easy as it SHOULD be (use product, put used packaging into bag, recycle, repeat), it's not always clear what can and cannot be recycled. For example, according to the New York City Residential Recycling Guide I found on the NRDC website, you CAN recycle metal cans, foil, plastic bottles, plastic jugs, glass jars, and wire hangers but not plastic bags, styrofoam, plastic utensils, plates, or wrap. Even if the bag has a recyclable arrow logo on it, it won't fly in New York city. I forget that one a lot. Also, all recyclables have to be in clear bags and placed out on your curb the night before pick up. There's still some confusion over whether clear bags can be the tinted blue kind or not. If your bag is placed out on the wrong day (or too early on the day before) you will be fined. Who pays the fine is also still in question.

If the sanitation worker on the day of pick up decides he or she doesn't like what's in your bag (since they can, of course, see everything in the clear bag), it sits on your curb until someone (usually you) picks it up and does the walk of shame to the corner trash bin. And the irony is not lost on anyone. In fact, the comparative ease of simply putting all of your refuse into a normal trash bag and thowing it "away" makes reclying that much more difficult. You know you're trying to do something for the good of the city, but all the rules and regulations make it a challenge that you really have to feel passionate about.

Still, at the end of the day (or very early in the morning!!) it's still a worthy goal. And the next time you find yourself confused about what to do with a big pile of trash you've accumulated, go online, read the (probably revised) recycling guide and follow it to the T. It can be a pain, but eventually it will pay off for everyone.

This year's power outages caused more than 100,000 people in Queens to suffer through a week of unbearable squalor not to mention Con Ed blunders, excuses, and cover ups. Some of whom were without power for weeks. Additionally, more than 90,000 people in outer NY boroughs had to cope with reduced power that was often just as debilitating and, in one resident's words, "turned the clock back to the 18th century."

It would be easy to say that we should cut Con Ed a break. That mistakes happen and that as they said they were looking into it and figuring out where things went wrong. Except, it happens every single year. It's New York's version of a tornado through a trailer park. And people are literally dying as a direct result. Usually it happens to the people who can least deal with it. Of course, that's not always the case. I moved to NY about two weeks after the big black out in 2003. That was a real aberration (knocking out power to poor and rich alike in Manhattan of all places). But the recent debacle in Queens was not.

So why does it keep happening? And why can't Con Ed fix it? And why do the old and the poor keep suffering every summer? And why oh why is Mayor Bloomberg defending Con Ed when every single mayor before him from Giuliani to Cuomo to Koch has vilified the company for their lazy and sloppy efforts? Who cares? The real question is why hasn't a viable backup solution been established. With the progress of recent alternative energy sources, we are now able to install some sort of emergency backup system that would kick on when the electricity goes out and spare some of the more fragile citizens the pains of an east coast summer (which should be a fun and relaxing time spent with family).

Solar in particular would appear to be a perfect option as wind power generally needs a steady and constant gust of 11 miles per hour to be effective. The great thing about solar power is that it hooks right into the power grid to strengthen the electric flow. So, even better than a fully dedicated citywide solar system that would kick on if the electric power goes out, solar actually becomes part of the electric flow. This would mean a much stronger current to begin with and a much less likely possibility for problems in the future. In fact, if half the rooftops in Manhattan had solar panels it's likely there would never be another black out again.

The cost you ask? First of all, every municipality receives a 30 federal tax credit when they employ solar power. That means that the government would pay for a big chunk of the problem. The rest would most likely be in the form of standard taxes. Truthfully, isn't it a small price to pay? Especially since the blackouts themselves often end up costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Local unions like IBEW (local 5) are already pro solar, having fixed numerous union halls with solar power and establishing a bill of resolutions that addresses the need for new research into New York's energy issues. (You can read the resolution at: www.nycclc.org/news_views/press/Resolutions.asp?Page=4&PageSize=5). Shockingly "the August 2003 Blackout cost New York City an estimated $1.1 billion in economic damage." The site goes on to say that "heavy reliance on a single source of energy can lead to vulnerability to price spikes that result from a volatile energy market."

For $50,000,000 or even $100,000 of solar panels (half the budget of park and subway upkeep and a tenth of the cost of the 2003 backout) either placed on residential roofs or even strictly municipal buildings, NY and its long suffering residents never need to go through another summer of hell, and instead of the 18th century, we could immediately transport ourselves, our citizens, and our way of thinking into a promising future.