Don't Sleep New York

New York City is home to 3 of the country's largest public library systems - New York Public Library, Queens Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library. Although the city's libraries serve 10s of millions of visitors a year, libraries tend to be under resourced and under appreciated. In fact, NYC libraries are currently facing drastic budget cuts which would impact millions of library patrons, young and old. In this episode, we unpack the importance of the library system to communities as well as the challenges city libraries are facing going into the next budget cycle.

We've all been taught the "Three R's" since grade school - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Recycling has been engrained in our culture to a point that we sometimes forget about what it really means - and costs - to really make an impact. Following our episodes on Trash and Compost, we are closing out this chapter by unpacking New York City's recycling - how it works, what it's impact is, and what we could be doing better. Listen to all three episodes to get the full picture on New York City's opportunity to reduce emissions and save millions of dollars.

30% of what NYC sends to landfills is organic waste. Which means the city is paying a lot of money and adding to carbon emissions with material that could otherwise be composted. In this episode, we breakdown the benefits of composting and spend a bit more time talking about the practicality of composting - and how the city is changing its approach to make composting easier and more accessible. Composting is likely coming to your neighborhood soon, so mark the dates and get ready to save your organic material, doing your part as a New Yorker!

Whether you’re visiting New York or you’ve lived here for years, you’ve probably been shocked by one of the city’s wonders, towering high above the streets. We’re not talking about the empire state building. Or the Brooklyn Bridge. We’re talking about trash. In this episode of Don't Sleep New York, we unpack the city's garbage/rubbish/basura and the mechanics behind it. Tune in to the filthy truth of how New York City manages its trash - and the impact that has on you as a New Yorker.

You're probably listening to this episode on a high speed internet connection - maybe at work, at home, or on the go via your mobile connection. Internet access feels like a basic right at this point - its the foundation on which people's work and home life is now built. From doing homework to accessing benefits, a strong internet connection feels like a given. So it might surprise you to know that in New York City, more than 1 million people don't have access to high speed internet. In this episode, we unpack the status of New York's broadband equity - the difference between access and availability, who is impacted, and what the state and city are doing to solve the digital divide.

Over the last few years, you may have noticed buildings posting energy grades, similar to what you see on restaurants in New York City. But what exactly do these grades mean? And how do they ladder up into the larger climate efforts that NYC has been putting in place? In this episode, we do a quick deep dive on building energy grades, the laws behind them and what happens next in the fight to lower emissions in the city. We'll also discuss how you, as a member of the NYC community and a renter/owner can do your part in this fight. 

This summer the US Supreme Court passed major rulings that impacted the lives of Americans everywhere. How each state responded to these rulings varied from state to state, leader to leader. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York state legislature responded rapidly on all fronts - including the passing of new NY gun laws in an attempt to counteract the Supreme Court's rulings around concealed carry in NY. In the Season 3 opener, hosts Arpan, Matt and Ranajoy unpack what the new NY gun laws are and how those changes might impact you. Even if you don't own a gun or plan to own a gun, understanding these changes is key to understanding how NY gun laws continue to shape and change our neighborhoods, our favorite businesses and our community. This episode was recorded on 8/9/2022.

The NY primary election is upon us. Our last episode talked about the race for governor, but further down the ballot is another really important, lesser known topic: State Committee aka District Leaders. In this special episode, Arpan is joined by Don't Sleep friend and resource, Billy Richling. Billy is a Brooklyn-based former local journalist, currently serving as Communications Director for the Brooklyn Young Democrats. He's also an active part of a coalition of political clubs called Brooklyn Can't Wait. Their mission right now - reform the Brooklyn Democratic Party, starting with District Leaders. Billy sheds light on the mysteries surrounding district leaders: who they are, what they do, and why they are important. And he shares some resources to help you get informed before you vote for YOUR district leaders on June 28.

This year, New York will have two primary elections. The first is coming up in a few days on June 28, where New Yorkers will be voting for Governor, Lt. Governor and a few other seats depending on where you live. Unlike the NYC Mayor's race last year, the Governor's race has been fairly quiet. In this episode we unpack why that is, along with some insights into the 3 candidates and the campaign overall. We hope this helps you make a more informed decision as you head to the polls on June 28. 

This episode was originally recorded on June 15, 2022.

A topic contentious enough to delay the passing of the NY State Budget, Bail Reform is a tough one to talk about. It overlaps with issues of public safety and racial equity, and in NY it's gone through several changes/reforms in the last few years. So before we can get into nuanced conversations around bail reform (is it working?), we need to unpack the basics. What is it bail, how does it work, and what are some of the changes that have been introduced over the last few years. This episode of Don't Sleep New York does exactly that - a primer on the topic of bail reform and a kickstart to your own research before the upcoming primary election. This episode was recorded on May 10th, 2022.