Treebranch is On the Air TV Shows

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New York City's ONLY Weekly Environmental Cable Show

Environmentalism in New York City was the focus of "Tree Branch is On the Air", a weekly 1/2 hour TV series on Channel 34, Monday evenings at 8:30 PM on Manhattan Cable, through MNN.

The West Side Bike Path, tree planting on city streets, and gardenification of abandoned city lots were all the results of efforts of New York City's environmental activists. Tree Branch covered all these topics in its weekly show.

Communication for and about environmental organizations had been a goal of Tree Branch, an online service that was founded in 1993, initially as a BBS, then expanded to a website in 1995. Tree Branch provided groups such as Neighborhood Open Space Coalition, City Parks Foundation, EcoFest, Wasteworks and Friends of Clearwater NYC with free Internet e-mail, newsgroups and networking.

Tree Branch then used its experience in online communication and activism to bring the environmental community's presence into the homes of New Yorkers with a weekly public access cable TV show, produced by Mik Muller, and for the first season, with John McHugh.

Below is the episode list from the original website, back in 1997 (link, below, thanks to Archive.org). You can also go to the Videos page to actually see the 31 episodes we were able to dig up.

[July 1997 snapshot of the original website on Archive.org]

Treebranch is On the Air Episodes

mik & anne john mchugh yuko mchugh
Producer, Michael Muller with wife Anne Flaherty Co-producer, John McHugh, episodes 1-9 John's wife Yuko, camera on shows 1, 5 & 8(b)

Season 1 (episodes 1-13): December 1996 - March 1997, Sundays, 5:00 pm on channel 34
Season 2-9: April 1997 onward, Mondays, 8:30 pm on channel 34

Episode Air Date Topic(s)
#1 Dec 29, 1996

First Episode! Mik and John in the studio: Online Resources for the New York City environmentalist (see also links page), how to properly dispose of a Christmas Tree, and a preview of O2, a network of designers and people from related fields using design to foster an ecologically sustainable human presence on earth. Synopsis.
#2 Jan 5, 1997

Mik and Anne interview Dave Lutz of Neighborhood Open Space Coalition and their succeeding efforts at helping create the west side bike path and other greenways and open spaces for New Yorkers. Conversation revolved around urban gardens and greenways. Call (212) 352-9330 for more info.
#3 Jan 12, 1997

John interviews Richard Miller of SUSNET, a network for a sustainable New York. Spoke about sustainable living and displayed samples of recycled building materials.
#4 Jan 19, 1997

Mik on site at the snow covered "6BC" 6th Street and Ave B/C Botanical Garden with the garden's president Diana Signa-Klein and Water Work's Mark Vaccaro, a waste management and composting specialist. Spoke about urban gardens in danger, worm bins, composting and how to start your own urban garden.
#5 Jan 26, 1997

John interviews Darren Port of Strawbale Colloquium (an O2 project) and his design/production company's plans for a Williamsburg Web. Call (212) 769-6387 for more info.
#6 Feb 2, 1997

Mik on site with Christina Romero and Clyde at Lower East Side Ecology Center at 7th Street between Avenues B & C. Discussed/showed WORM BINS (Low cost in-home composting), Recycling and full-scale outdoors composting for a greener New York City. Call (212) 420-0621 for more info.
#7 Feb 9, 1997

Mik on site with Shorewalkers and NOSC in the Bergen Arches Walk. "Join John Gallagher on a six-mile exploration of an eastern canyon cut through the New Jersey Palisades to build a railroad. This space could become a unique and special urban park land, a sunken forest in Jersey City, providing a wild life corridor from Liberty State Park to the Meadowlands and the first link in a cross-state trail system for bicycles and pedestrians. Walk meets upstairs at Grove Street Station of PATH in Jersey City, 11am. Mud abounds." Call (212) 663-2167 for more info.
#8 Feb 16, 1997

Mik with three guests:

  • On site in Astoria Park with John Gallagher of Appalatian Mountain Club,
  • Studio interview with Cy A. Adler of Shorewalkers and author of Walking the Hudson, Batt to Bear. Call (212) 663-2167 for more info.
  • On site with Joe Bernardo from Trees NY, whose mission is to plant, preserve and protect New York's trees as a grass roots, people-oriented organization dedicated to community self-help. Call (212) 227-1887 for more info.
#9 Feb 23, 1997

John on site at Earth General, a general goods store on 8th Ave and 17th Street. Earth General addresses the fundamentals of goods production, distribution and presentation when it adds sustainability to the mix. Earth General seeks producers offering sustainable products and offers their goods in a storefront space crafted of recycled and renewable materials. The store shows off the variety, color and playfulness of today's eco-freindly marketplaces and the goods they offer. Earth General and it's kin are expanding the market for sustainable producers and greening the GNP. Call (212) 929-2340 for more info.
#10 Mar 2, 1997 Repeat of show #6/13
#11 Mar 9, 1997 Repeat of show #7/13
#12 Mar 16, 1997 Repeat of show #8/13
#13 Mar 23, 1997 Repeat of show #9/13
#14 Mar 31, 1997

Mik on site at Neighborhood Open Space Coalition and Friends of Gateway's annual membership meeting and reception, with speakers Dave Lutz, Henry Stern, Commissioner, NYC Department of Parks & Kevin Buckley, General Superintendent, Gateway National Recreation Area. Taped Wednesday, March 26, 1997 at 6 PM at the Theodore Roosevelt House, 28 East 20th St. Call (212) 352-9330 for more info.
#15 Apr 7, 1997

Repeat of show #6 (Miette was born!)
#16 Apr 14, 1997
  • Mik on site at the South Street Seaport with Dave Lutz as he points out and illustrates developments on the East River over the years.
  • Switch to the Union Square Green Market, Saturday April 5th - A follow up interview with Clyde of Lower East Side Ecology Center (see show #6 below) and a few customers as they pick up red wiggler worms and free compost. Call (212) 420-0621 for more info.
  • Also interview City Harvest a non-profit that picks up left over food from restaurants and delivers it within four hours to homeless shelters around the five boroughs.
#17 Apr 21, 1997
  • Gian-Claudia from Transportation Alternatives talks about the release of a new city proposal for more bike lanes in the five boroughs and Transportation Alternatives Century Bike Tour
  • Dr. Steven Dobrow of CBT (Committee for Better Transit), publishers of Street Car News talks about the proposed mono-rail project to JFK and their alternative plan to augment LIRR
  • Carl Schwartz and Sharon Perez Abreau from NYC Friends of Clearwater talk about Jerome Park's Croton Reservoir and the ill-advised proposed filtering system
#18 Apr 28, 1997

GARDENS! Mik and John on site at various community gardens on the lower east side:

  • Mik & John interview Jeff Wright at Chico Mendez Garden 11 St A/B Av. Spoke about their July Festivals to bring awareness of community gardens in peril.
  • Interview with Ralphie of the Lower East Side Childrens Garden 11 St A/1 Ave. Saw their solar powered waterfall and greenhouse.
  • Interview with Eddy at his X-garbage-lot now a garden-in-progress 11 St A/1 Ave. He'll allow people from the neighborhood to picnic and use the children's jungle jim!
  • Interview with another Eddy who built the huge tower/sculpture at the 6th Street Ave B Garden on the corner of 6th street and Avenue B. Eddy climbs to the top of his sculpture.
  • Then spoke with Brenda at the same garden regarding childrens' projects the garden is involved in and their legal status as the first city protected garden.
  • Interviews with Al and Nancy at the Bien Vienudo Garden on 11 St 1/A Ave regarding state of NYC gardens in general.
#19 May 5, 1997

John interviews Joe Eisman of the Green Gorillas at their offices on Broadway. Discussion centers around how to set up a public garden in New York City and why you should. Call (212) 674-8124 for more info.
#20 May 12, 1997

John again interviews Joe Eisman of the Green Gorillas. This time at the Liz Christy Garden at the corner of the Bowery and Houston Street. The event was the unveiling of the LCG Mural (by Catkin and the kids) on a beautiful partly cloudy Tuesday afternoon. Also an interview with Kim, an LCG gardener.
#21 May 19, 1997
  • Mik interviews Felicia Young of Earth Celebrations regarding their Rites of Spring festival on May 25th. Call (212) 777-7969 for more info.
  • A quick visit that same day to the Chico Mendez Mural Garden and spoke with Leslie about the impending buldozers in September and the upcoming Community Board meeting later that week. Call (212) 253-7614 for more info.
  • And then a return visit a few days later to the Chico Mendez Mural Garden to talk with Jeff Wright about the Comunity Board meeting and it's results. Also interviewd three kids as they planted sunflowers. Call (212) 253-7614 for more info.
    OUR BEST SHOW YET!
#22 May 26, 1997

Mik Catches-up on news and revisits
#23 June 2, 1997

Sharon Perez of NYC's Friends of Clearwater talks about President Clinton's River Heritage Project. Footage of Earth Celebration's Rites of Spring Pageant on Monday, May 26th, 1997 to bring attention to the plight of NYC's Community Gardens
#70 April 27, 1998

Parks Walk with Dave Lutz and NOSC
#71 May 4, 1998

Dave Lutz and gardeners at the Human Compass Garden in repsonse to Mayor Giuliani, May 1, 1998
#72 May 11, 1998

May 4th Mayor Giulian press conference at City Hall. Many speakers, including Jeff Wright and Councilman...
#77 Jun 15, 1998

Garden Press Conferences: Interview at 10 B-C Garden regarding the eviction. A Press Conference. Gardeners march to the (now bulldozed) Mendez Mural garden. Coverage by FOX News on bar across the street. Episode by Earth Celebrations. Call (212) 777-7969
#89 Sept 7, 1998

Visit to Covey Park with Dennis and local boyscouts.
The Adventures of Camouflage Kid, by New Jersey Dept of Enviro
#90? Unk

PCBs in the Hudson River video by Clearwater with Andy Mele
#99 Nov 16, 1998

The Struggle for Open Space meeting part 1 (shot November 10, 1998)
#100 Nov 23, 1998

The Struggle for Open Space meeting part 2 (shot November 10, 1998)
#101 Nov 30, 1998

The Struggle for Open Space meeting part 3 (shot November 10, 1998)