Talk about a green party.

Councilman Brad Lander (D–Park Slope) is putting his energy efficient light bulbs where his mouth is, battling his constituents in a yearlong energy-saving competition that aims to reduce electricity throughout his district.

The “Reduce the Use” contest begins on Aug. 1, and is open to any Con Edison customer and resident of Lander’s 39th District — Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Borough Park. Read more »

The city has come up with the money to retain a Park Slope elementary school’s gym program that had been threatened by bureaucratic stinginess.

Parents at PS 39, a historic school on Sixth Avenue that’s too small to have its own gym, raised a ruckus last week when the city refused to renew a lease on a neighboring gym space because the operators of the space, the Camp Friendship Youth Program, sought to raise the rent from $48,000 to $67,850.

“Many PS 39 parents contacted my office and it’s fantastic that they were making their voices heard,” said Councilman Brad Lander (D–Park Slope), who helped mediate the negotiations. “And Camp Friendship showed a lot of flexibility, so it’s a win-win for everyone.” Read more »