Greenest: Park Slope

When TONY went polling for the most eco-friendly nabe in the city, we knew exactly what to expect: Park Slope. “You have that thoughtfulness whenever you have a community focused on child-rearing,” says Margaret Teich, a blogger on eco issues and associate producer of the Lazy Environmentalist radio show.

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons Slopers are such avid recyclers. According to the Department of Sanitation, they have the best recycling rate of all Brooklyn neighborhoods (27.1 percent of its trash gets reused) and the second-best in the city overall (Tribeca wins with 27.9 percent).

Naturally, retailers and restaurants respond to that trend—so you’ve got lots of eco-friendly shopping, in terms of both design (3R Living) and food (Back to the Land). What’s more, one of the oldest green stores in the country, the Park Slope Food Coop, has been around since 1973, “which did a lot to lend this reputation and character to the neighborhood,” says Ben Jervey, author of The Big Green Apple: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Living in New York City.

In addition to taking out the trash like champs and buying smart, Park Slopers are beneficiaries of earth-friendly circumstances. “Filled with parks, green spaces and neighborhood gathering spaces, Park Slope offers farmers’ markets, community gardens, innovative recycling programs, plenty of public transportation and a host of homegrown businesses,” says Jeff Chernick, cofounder and CEO of ride-share company rideamigos.com. “Plus, who doesn’t love brownstones?”

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