On a stretch of Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, the spice trade is thriving.
The Islamic shops that line the blocks between Fourth Avenue and Nevins Street offer thousands of fragrance oils by the jugful — and there’s even one named after the president, Obama Oil.
Standing next to 30-pound sacks of organic soil on the 49th floor of 7 World Trade Center, Dominic Vigliotti talked excitedly how his Long Island company is selling tons of compost for roof gardens.
Ten feet away, Ken Hillman of Green Street Construction showed floor tiles made of recycled glass, and a piece of carpet woven entirely from wool. “It’s sustainable and it grows back every year,” Hillman noted. “Instead of wearing a sweater, we can make a carpet.”
Vigliotti and Hillman were among the dozens of exhibitors who came to the Building Green Expo in Lower Manhattan as part of April’s Earth Day celebrations to network with other green industry entrepreneurs, make new connections – and draw new customers.
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The big story, the reason the throngs descended on Washington, was Barack Obama’s inauguration as president. But there were many more American stories to be told, in the crowds that gathered in the nation’s capitol, and in the groups that came together to celebrate the historic day in New York.
Crisp snare drums bring the rain – and the bass drums bring the thunder. The nervous silence that once whisked through the air is interrupted by the clash, thump and pound of the Approaching Storm marching band.
