I missed this last week – Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment, a 30-year-old environmental education organization, has shut down and laid off all of its staff. Beyond the immediate loss for the employees of BCUE, this is a major loss for the Borough. BCUE’s core focus was environmental issues, but they defined their mandate broadly to include all aspects of creating a sustainable city. In addition education programs on the natural environment, including running environmental education programs in public schools, BCUE also ran education programs on the built environment, including sponsoring walking tours throughout the borough, and even being a regular contributer on Gowanus Lounge.

BCUE’s website is closed too.