aircasting greenpoint: citizen science for clean air...
TRANSCRIPT
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
AirCasting Greenpoint: Citizen Science for Clean Air HabitatMap, Inc.
This project proposes to implement a community-based participatory research project that will: 1) equip Greenpoint residents with wearable sensors and smartphones for recording, mapping, and sharing air quality measurements; and 2) provide the Greenpoint community with innovative ways to visualize and make sense of the collected data to reduce air pollution exposures and address community concerns related to air pollution, health, and quality of life. Major activities include:
• surveying Greenpoint residents regarding their air pollution concerns;
• training participants in air quality sampling, health tracking, and data analysis;
• conducting a GIS analysis to examine relationships between air and health;
• performing a policy analysis to identify initiatives for improving air quality in Greenpoint;
• working with community-based organizations to review potential clean air initiatives;
Grant Request $235,388
Value of Applicant & Partner Contributions $893,508 Location Greenpoint Independent Review Committee Score: 73/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
• 20% reduction in exposure to fine particulate air pollution for participants;
• Inform community action to reduce exposures to air pollution; and,
• Demonstrate how community-based research can make substantial contributions to scientific understanding and public policy.
Project Partners
• Newtown Creek Alliance
• Sonoma Technology, Inc.
• New York University School of Medicine
• New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
• organizing a workshop during which Greenpoint participants, trained in air quality sampling and data analysis, can transfer their knowledge and findings to others.
Personal exposures to air pollution will be reduced via avoidance, once residents are made aware of neighborhood “hot spots”, by behavior change, once participants are made aware of which activities and behaviors have the largest negative impact on the quality of the air they are breathing, and by the community action, once residents are educated as to their air quality environment and how this is related to pollution generating activities and the policies which regulate them. By piloting this state-of-the-art program in Greenpoint and publicizing the community’s findings, AirCasting Greenpoint will raise Greenpoint’s profile at the local, state, and national level thereby helping achieve policies that address community concerns related to air pollution, health, and quality of life.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF) The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation with monies obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects that will address the Greenpoint community’s environmental priorities through a process that is open, transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Curb Your Litter: Greenpoint Greenpoint Chamber of Commerce
Curb Your Litter: Greenpoint proposes a coordinated
effort to address the structural deficiencies and
behavioral patterns that have led to Greenpoint’s litter
problem. This project proposes to implement a strategy
to significantly reduce litter in Greenpoint.
Major project activities include:
an on-the-ground analysis of the community’s litter
problem;
conducting an education and outreach anti-litter
campaign that includes training 15 Greenpoint-based
students to serve as community mentors;
delivering solid waste management and recycling
curriculum at Greenpoint schools;
involving businesses by asking them to take a “Clean
Greenpoint” pledge;
engaging residents in six community litter cleanup
days; and
using the community litter analysis to work
collaboratively with the NYC Department of
Sanitation to adopt structural improvements,
Grant Request
$569,145
Value of Applicant & Partner
Contributions
$269,980
Location
Greenpoint
Independent Review
Committee Score: 75/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
Install more traditional and
innovative trash receptacles
containers on underserved
areas;
Improve neighborhood solid
waste management; and,
Develop both community
members and visitors as litter
stewards.
Project Partners
NYC Department of
Sanitation
ClosedLoops
Placemeter
Center for Urban Pedagogy
New York University Center for
Urban Science and Progress
(CUSP)
The CUSP Open Trash
Observatory
Neighbors Allied for Good
Growth
NYC Community School
District 14, including Frances
Perkins Academy,
Automotive High School, MS
126, PS 110, PS 34, and PS 31
such as adding more traditional and innovative trash
receptacles (e.g., solar, three-bin recycling) in high
traffic areas of Greenpoint.
The negative impacts of littering are numerous and
pervasive. This project seeks to reduce the amount of
litter in Greenpoint green spaces, streets and sewers. By
incorporating waste education and outreach in all
project phases, Curb Your Litter: Greenpoint will teach
residents and visitors the importance of proper litter
disposal to help ensure the neighborhood’s streets stay
clean, and keep reduce litter in Greenpoint’s land and
water.
The project will be conducted in three overlapping
phases: Phase 1: a litter assessment of Greenpoint; Phase
2: a coordinated education and outreach litter-
reduction campaign; and Phase 3: the implementation
of infrastructure improvements.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund
(GCEF)
The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by
the New York State Office of the Attorney General and
Department of Environmental Conservation with monies
obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its
Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects
that will address the Greenpoint community’s
environmental priorities through a process that is open,
transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and
partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Greening Greenpoint City Parks Foundation
This project proposes to develop and implement a comprehensive urban forestry plan for Greenpoint. The three-year project will increase canopy cover by planting new trees and performing maintenance on existing street and park trees. The environmental and social benefits of trees are well–documented, and are recognized to restore and protect air, water, and land resources. The project will also increase pervious surface area, thereby protecting Greenpoint’s water bodies by reducing combined sewer overflow discharges. Major project activities include:
• Planting 500 new street and park trees; • Installing 325 tree guards, and planting bulbs and
groundcover around street trees; • Removing up to 25,000 sq. ft. of impervious
concrete around 675 existing tree beds; and • Training and equipping tree stewards from
Greenpoint schools and community to elevate the level of engagement in long-term tree pruning and care
Grant Request $1,950,719
Value of Applicant & Partner Contributions $1,958,786 Location Greenpoint Independent Review Committee Score: 75/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
• Create new tree canopy cover;
• Promote healthy long-lived trees;
• Add one acre of new green space overall to Greenpoint;
• Treat 787,500 gallons of stormwater annually;
• Eliminate 13,000 pounds of local air pollution in the neighborhood; and,
• Train and educate community members to act as tree stewards long-term.
Project Partners
• Trees New York
• City Parks Foundation-Partnership for Parks
• MillionTrees NYC
• NYC Department of Parks and Recreation-Forestry
• Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn
• Greenpoint Chamber of Commerce
Additionally, up to 10 high school juniors and seniors from Greenpoint will be selected to participate in an urban and community forestry paid internship program. The interns will receive environmental education and hands-on training focused on developing their skills in urban forestry and involving field trips and seminars with “working” professionals from environmental and natural resources fields. New and healthier trees will benefit all Greenpoint residents. The planting and care of trees on the streets and parks, increasing the overall tree “canopy”, and a community-wide forestry program provides for storing and capturing carbon dioxide and other types of air pollution, reducing stormwater pollution, lowering summer temperatures on streets, and creating wildlife habitat and adding native plants back into Greenpoint’s environment.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF) The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation with monies obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects that will address the Greenpoint community’s environmental priorities through a process that is open, transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
West Street Watershed Stormwater Project Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, Inc.
This project proposes to design and install 54 right-of-way
bioswales and greenstreets covering 4,845 sq. ft. on the
ten streets that slope toward the East River between
Manhattan Avenue and Franklin Street.
Major project activities include:
community engagement in site selection and project
design;
site assessments and selection;
design, construction, and planting of bioswales and
greenstreets; and
performing maintenance of plantings.
The project will result in a substantial decrease in the
volume and frequency of raw sewage releases from the
city’s combined sewer system by installing bioswales and
greenstreet “bulb outs” on sidewalks and streets in the
area bounded by Franklin Street and Manhattan
Avenue, and Green and Calyer Streets. This green
infrastructure will capture and treat over 6 million gallons
of stormwater annually, or 35% of the stormwater from
Grant Request
$1,917,717
Value of Applicant & Partner
Contributions
$5,030,000
Location
The area bounded by Franklin
Street and Manhattan Avenue,
and Green and Calyer Streets
Independent Review
Committee Score: 88/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
Capture and treat 6.4 million
gallons of stormwater annually
and reduce combined sewer
overflows;
Restore native plants and
habitats;
Improve air quality and
reduce ambient
temperatures; and
Decrease chronic flooding
and sewer backups for 10,910
people living in the project
area.
Project Partners
NYC Department of
Transportation
NYC Department of
Environmental Protection
NYC Department of Parks and
Recreation
Open Space Alliance of North
Brooklyn
WE Design
eDesign Dynamics
the project area that otherwise would contribute to
sewer overflows and pollute the East River.
Bioswales (sometimes referred to as garden swales) will
be installed on each block in places where they meet
the guidelines for setbacks from buildings, driveways,
street trees and other street infrastructure. Garden swales
resemble long tree pits that are intensively planted with
salt tolerant, hardy, and attractive, perennial plants,
native grasses, shrubs, and trees.
Greenstreet “bulb outs” will be installed at the Franklin
Street end of all blocks and on Franklin Street itself, in
places where they will not conflict with existing street
trees, hydrants, bus stops, etc. Bulb outs are curb
extensions that curve out into the roadway to create a
wider planting area. They provide for enhanced
stormwater capture and treatment. Bulb outs will have
the additional benefit of making crossing distances
shorter for pedestrians on Franklin Street.
Bioswales and greenstreets offer benefits beyond
capture and treatment of stormwater. The trees and
other vegetation in them will improve local air quality by
storing and capturing carbon dioxide and other types of
air pollution, and will lower ambient temperatures by
reducing the retention and radiation of heat from
paved surfaces. This green infrastructure will also create
spaces for the restoration of native plant communities in
areas that have become devoid of native flora.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund
(GCEF)
The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by
the New York State Office of the Attorney General and
Department of Environmental Conservation with monies
obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its
Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects
that will address the Greenpoint community’s
environmental priorities through a process that is open,
transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and
partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Greenpoint Business Environmental
Stewardship NYS Pollution Prevention Institute @ RIT
This project proposes to assist Greenpoint
manufacturing companies to take proactive,
voluntary measures to reduce their environmental
impact on the community.
This project will work with local companies to identify
and implement pollution prevention/environmental
improvements for their operations, with a specific
focus on manufacturing, and help develop solutions
that have long-term positive and sustained
environmental benefits to the community.
Major activities will include:
conduct two workshops about “best”
environmental manufacturing practices to
integrate into day-day-day operations;
perform a sustainability assessment of the
manufacturing processes at 10 companies
looking for pollution prevention/source
reduction opportunities;
Grant Request
$402,202
Value of Applicant & Partner
Contributions
$364,601
Location
Greenpoint
Independent Review
Committee Score: 88/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
Improve air and water quality
and energy efficiency;
Reduce toxic pollutants and
hazardous waste associated
with manufacturing
operations; and,
Improve the overall
environmental footprint of the
community by helping
companies implement
environmentally beneficial
projects.
Project Partners
Industrial and Technology
Assistance Corporation (New
York State designated
regional Manufacturing
Extension Partnership serving
Brooklyn)
Greenpoint Chamber of
Commerce
Greenpoint Manufacturing
and Design Center
St. Nick’s Alliance
Ten Greenpoint
manufacturers, including
potential participants:
o Jos. H. Lowenstein
o The Sarut Group
o Grady's Cold Brew
o Acme Smoked Fish
provide participating companies with a
comprehensive report of findings and
opportunities for environmental improvement;
document expected costs of the proposed
solutions, and identify sources of funding and
financial assistance;
recruit six companies and help them to make
changes to their processes that result in
environmental improvements; and,
conduct three public workshops about the
project, including a project kick-off, interim
project update, and a final showcase of
environmental results to Greenpoint residents.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund
(GCEF)
The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by
the New York State Office of the Attorney General
and Department of Environmental Conservation with
monies obtained through a settlement with
ExxonMobil over its Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s
goal is to fund projects that will address the
Greenpoint community’s environmental priorities
through a process that is open, transparent, and
ensures ongoing engagement and partnership with
the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Greenpoint Eco-Schools: Creating a Legacy of
Sustainability National Wildlife Federation
This project proposes to implement a comprehensive
environmental education program in four Greenpoint
schools serving a total of 1,800 students. Funding for this
project will support four full-time “Sustainability Coaches”
(one in each participating school) who will directly work
with students, teachers, principals, and parents to
increase student knowledge of environmental issues
while enhancing academic achievement in science and
technology. Project partners will provide $10 million in
energy efficiency upgrades, new boilers for heating,
improved lighting, waste collection, and other
improvements for Greenpoint schools. These much-
needed improvements will serve as “learning
laboratories” for students and teachers to learn about
and take action for the environment.
The program is holistic, making connections to all the
environmental issues that Greenpoint faces, including
Energy, Consumption and Waste, School Grounds,
Biodiversity, Water, Climate Change, Sustainable Food,
Grant Request
$1,434,735
Value of Applicant & Partner
Contributions
$10,732,324
Location
Primarily located within PS31,
PS34, PS110, and MS126, with field
trips and community restoration
projects throughout the
Greenpoint community
Independent Review
Committee Score: 87/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
Achieve quantifiable
environmental benefits,
including:
o Reducing school waste
by 25% per year;
o Reducing school water
use by 5% per year;
o Reducing school energy
use by 10% per year;
o Reducing use of toxic
chemicals in schools; and,
o Building school gardens or
other projects to increase
green space at schools.
Project Partners
NYC Community School
District 14 including: PS 31, PS
34, PS 110, and MS 126
Community Education
Council 14
The Greenpoint Gazette
NYC Division of School
Facilities
NYC Department of
Environmental Protection
NYC Department of
Sanitation
NYC School Construction
Authority
NYC Department of Citywide
Administrative Services
Change My World NOW
Children’s Environmental
Literacy Foundation
Healthy Living, Transportation, and Healthy Schools.
Sustainability Coaches would work with teachers,
principals and parents to develop an Eco-Action team
and an action plan in each school around a variety of
topics. For example, student teams would audit air
quality at their school and use resulting information to
suggest and implement projects like eliminating toxic
cleaning chemicals, installing “living walls” inside and
outside the school, and/or establishing “no-idling zones.”
Other general project activities include:
• rewarding schools for sustainability progress, up to
$10,000 per school, per year;
• providing each school with $5,000 for a ‘community
action project’ within the Greenpoint community;
• creating a safe social media platform for students
and parents to measure environmental actions at
home;
• building off of other GCEF projects to inspire students
to learn about specific environmental initiatives in the
Greenpoint community; and
• conducting three community forums to expand
community-school partnerships.
Overall, the project will seek to develop a well-educated
and empowered generation of student leaders and
local residents who are both environmentally aware and
motivated to take action to address problems.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund
(GCEF)
The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by
the New York State Office of the Attorney General and
Department of Environmental Conservation with monies
obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its
Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects
that will address the Greenpoint community’s
environmental priorities through a process that is open,
transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and
partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Solar One's Green Design Lab Environmental
Education Program CEC Stuyvesant Cove, Inc.
This project proposes to implement an interactive
environmental education program -- powered by
student-led greening projects -- serving 1,200 students at
six Greenpoint schools for 15 months. Educators from
Solar One, a local NYC non-profit, will work directly in the
schools, one day per week, up to four classes per day,
instructing and co-teaching through hands-on activities.
Major activities include:
delivering a Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Math (STEM)-based curriculum and teacher training
on energy, air, and food;
conducting a school walk -through to identify areas
for reducing electricity use and improving
environmental health in school buildings;
participating in the Green Design Lab’s Energy
Challenge which offers schools a chance to win
cash prizes for projects aimed at conserving
electricity; and
installing school-wide sustainability projects to
complement the curriculum.
Grant Request
$201,505
Value of Applicant & Partner
Contributions
$45,000
Location
Primarily located at PS 110, PS 34,
PS 31, MS 126, Believe Northside
Charter High School, and
Automotive High School
Independent Review
Committee Score: 76/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Each Greenpoint school involved in the project will
participate in the Energy Challenge. Other schools that
have participated in the Energy Challenge have reduced
their electricity use by an average of 7-8%, with some
achieving as much as 30% reductions.
Approximately 80% of the electricity used in New York City
is generated by power stations using fossil fuels, including
those very close to Greenpoint, in Long Island City and
Astoria. By reducing electricity use, fossil fuel use by nearby
power plants is reduced; improving air quality and
reducing related health risks in Greenpoint.
Each participating school will receive an energy audit and
a building walkthrough. Working with students, Solar One
educators will assist in identifying areas for reducing
electricity use and improving environmental health in the
school building. These recommendations will be forwarded
to the NYC Department of Education for consideration. The
educators will also help each school design and
implement a school-wide, student-led sustainability project.
Through these hands-on activities, the Green Design Lab
will inspire students to apply their learning not only to their
classrooms and schools, but also to their homes, and to
change their behavior in ways that improves the health,
quality, and sustainability of their school environments,
homes, and community.
Project Goals
Achieve a 7-8% or greater
average electricity use
reduction at each school;
Increase student
environmental literacy and
critical thinking; and
Cultivate the next generation
of environmental stewards.
Project Partners
NYC Community School
District 14 including: Believe
Northside Charter High
School, PS 110, MS 126, PS 34,
PS 31 and Automotive High
School
NYC Department of
Education, Division of School
Facilities
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund
(GCEF)
The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by
the New York State Office of the Attorney General and
Department of Environmental Conservation with monies
obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its
Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects
that will address the Greenpoint community’s
environmental priorities through a process that is open,
transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and
partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Greenpoint Community Green Roof Newtown Creek Alliance
This project proposes to install a 40,300 sq. ft. intensive
green roof, and conduct educational programming
focused on stormwater management and habitat
creation. The proposed green roof will be located on the
Automotive High School (AHS) and Frances Perkins
Academy Building.
Major project activities include:
structural analysis of the AHS roof;
designing and installing the green roof;
green roof maintenance training for students and
community members;
delivering public education about the roof
through tours, programs, signs, and social media;
and
developing a curriculum to support science and
technology classes at both schools.
A green roof or “living roof” is planted with vegetation
that uses specialized protection, drainage and irrigation
Grant Request
$1,229,000
Value of Applicant & Partner
Contributions
$407,007
Location
Automotive High School and
Frances Perkins Academy, 50
Bedford Ave.
Independent Review
Committee Score: 88/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
Provide habitat for native
birds and pollinators;
Treat 75,000 gallons of
polluted stormwater annually;
Capture air pollution;
Reduce the urban heat island
effect; and,
Potential heating savings of
up to 145.5 million Btu
annually.
Project Partners
Newtown Creek Alliance
Highview Creations
NYC Community School
District 14 including:
o Frances Perkins Academy
o Automotive High School
systems placed on top of the existing roof. The green roof
on AHS will create an expansive permeable surface that
will be able to retain over 75,000 gallons of stormwater
annually. It will prevent rain from flowing freely into the
combined sewers, which can overflow into Newtown
Creek and the East River when it rains.
Green Roof systems have multiple other environmental
benefits. The proposed green roof will promote local
ecologies by increasing biodiversity, help reduce the
“urban heat-island effect,” and potentially lower energy
costs at the school. Additionally, green roofs are a
recognized and practiced method of improving water
quality in the City of New York's PlaNYC 2030 sustainability
initiative.
Finally, the green roof proposed at AHS and Frances
Perkins Academy will act as a platform to teach residents
and students about urban ecology, natural systems,
combined sewer systems, and the importance of green
infrastructure in urban environments.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund
(GCEF)
The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by the
New York State Office of the Attorney General and
Department of Environmental Conservation with monies
obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its
Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects
that will address the Greenpoint community’s
environmental priorities through a process that is open,
transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and
partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Greenpoint Environmental Education Center at
Greenpoint Library Brooklyn Public Library
This project proposes to remodel the existing Greenpoint
Library as a “Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design” (LEED) silver certified building, and create a
Greenpoint Environmental Education Center (GEEC) in
the new second floor and rooftop outdoor classroom.
LEED buildings are designed, constructed, operated, and
maintained based upon sustainability standards related
to water and energy efficiency, use of “green” materials
and resources, and improved indoor environmental
quality.
The project will design and construct “green” building
components, including a green roof and 200 square feet
of community composting space. The project will also
replace 10,700 square feet of concrete with native plant
landscaping and permeable pavers. Further, the project
will install energy efficient windows, high efficiency
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and lighting
systems, water efficient plumbing systems and fixtures,
rainwater harvesting and other storm water runoff
Grant Request
$5,000,000
Value of Applicant & Partner
Contributions
$6,030,300
Location
107 Norman Avenue at
Leonard Street
Independent Review
Committee Score: 85/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
Create the Greenpoint
Environmental Education
Center;
Remodel the Greenpoint
Library to achieve LEED Silver
Green Building Certification;
Reduce water and air
pollution and energy use
annually, including treating
70,000 gallons of storm water,
removing 33,600 pounds of air
pollutants, and reducing
water use by 50,000 gallons
and heating and cooling use
by 80%; and,
Create new open space for
public use.
Project Partners
Newtown Creek Alliance
Greenpoint Waterfront
Association for Parks and
Planning
Neighbors Allied for Good
Growth
North Brooklyn Boat Club
NYC School District 14: Francis
Perkins Academy, MS126,
Automotive High School, PS31,
PS34, and PS110
Friends of Brooklyn Public
Library – Greenpoint Branch
SolarOne
City University of New York,
Center for Urban
Environmental Reform
Town Square
Community Board One
control systems, eco-friendly interior finishes, furniture and
furnishings, and alternative energy systems such as solar
arrays and wind turbines.
Both during and after construction, the library will
conduct workshops and presentations for Greenpoint
schools, community groups, and residents about the
green building and its environmental benefits.
The GEEC will be housed in the new second floor of the
library and provide an outdoor classroom on the rooftop.
The GEEC will provide more than 300 educational
programs per year to promote environmental awareness
and stewardship, supplemented by a standing collection
of environmental resources including materials about
Greenpoint and Newtown Creek.
The remodeled Greenpoint Library will serve as a hub for
community-based environmental programs, exhibits, and
information in partnership with local environmental
groups, Greenpoint schools, and residents. Meeting
space will be available for use by community
organizations.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund
(GCEF)
The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by
the New York State Office of the Attorney General and
Department of Environmental Conservation with monies
obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its
Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects
that will address the Greenpoint community’s
environmental priorities through a process that is open,
transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and
partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Box Street Park Construction: Enhancing Greenpoint's Recreation NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
This project proposes to support the design and development of a new 2.81 acre city park to be constructed on Box Street on the Newtown Creek waterfront. Major project activities include:
• remediating soil, and potentially groundwater, contamination;
• stabilizing the shoreline and repairing degraded shoreline infrastructure;
• installing green infrastructure, such as bioretention areas, to treat polluted stormwater;
• elevating the lower portion of the park to keep flood waters away from its upland section and the adjacent neighborhood; and
• creating a partnership with local schools and youth groups to explore the ecosystem of the East River and the surrounding park.
Grant Request $1,999,000
Value of Applicant & Partner Contributions $1,999,000 Location 65 Commercial Street Independent Review Committee Score: 71/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
• Remediate and develop a 2.81 acre park;
• Provide 265 feet of waterfront access along Newtown Creek;
• Enhance the usability of the waterfront with active and passive uses;
• Improve coastal resiliency;
• Reduce impacts from storms;
• Capture and treat polluted stormwater.
Project Partners
• Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn
• NYC Economic Development Corporation
Box Street Park has been planned since 2005, and City of New York agencies are working to relocate the site’s current occupants -- a Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Para-Transit vehicle storage facility and an MTA Emergency Response Unit. The initial design work for the Park is fully funded and the requested GCEF grant will support funding to enhance the design and for construction of the Park. Improvements to the park may include, but will not be limited to: provision of active recreational spaces, such as a multipurpose field, smaller practice fields, and lawn spaces, a dog run, and passive recreational spaces such as landscaped pathways with sitting areas, and an esplanade connecting the waterfront to the park, providing views of Newtown Creek and the East River.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF) The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation with monies obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects that will address the Greenpoint community’s environmental priorities through a process that is open, transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Greenpoint's Southern-Most Park: Remediation and Development NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
This project proposes to remediate environmental contaminants, stabilize eroding shoreline, and repair shoreline infrastructure in order to add another 7.5 acres to the development of a new city park on Bushwick Inlet. Major project activities include:
• remediating soil, and potentially groundwater,
contamination; • developing a design for the park addition with
substantial community input; • stabilizing existing shoreline, creating new
shoreline, and repairing shoreline infrastructure; • developing the parcel using a soft edge and
green upland to address flooding and stormwater control; and
• creating a partnership with local schools and youth groups to explore the ecosystem of the East River and the surrounding park.
Grant Request $3,000,000
Value of Applicant & Partner Contributions $6,000,000 Location 1 Franklin Street Independent Review Committee Score: 77/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
• Complete remediation and development of 2,080 linear feet of waterfront along the East River.
• Increase the available neighborhood open space, waterfront and on-the-water access by approximately 2.5 acres of land and approximately five acres of open water.
• Make the shoreline of Greenpoint more ready to buffer against future storms, treat polluted stormwater, and enhance habitat for local and migratory birds.
Project Partners
• Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn
• NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services
Primarily, this project will advance long-held community open space goals for Greenpoint, although it will also benefit the environment by:
• Permanently shielding the site from development pressures by acquiring and protecting the site as parkland;
• Increasing the available neighborhood open space and waterfront access by approximately 2.5 acres of land and approximately 5 acres of open water;
• Improving public health with the addition of recreation opportunities;
• Allowing for waterfront habitat restoration, including enhancing habitat for over 75 species of local and migratory birds;
• Allowing for the remediation of vacant underutilized waterfront land.
The project will provide high-quality open space, with 2,080 feet of shore frontage and will bring approximately 13,100 more Greenpoint residents to within a 10-minute walk of a park.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF) The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation with monies obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects that will address the Greenpoint community’s environmental priorities through a process that is open, transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Grow Greenpoint Project GrowNYC
This project proposes to build a comprehensive
educational and greening network, using McCarren Park
to engage students and community members in
environmental stewardship of the land, through the
hands-on experience of gardening.
Major project activities include:
building a 7,200 sq. ft. demonstration garden in
McCarren Park modeled after a typical Greenpoint
backyard, coupled with community and school
workshops using the site to teach about green
infrastructure and gardening techniques for
backyards, rooftops, and community spaces;
creating a 5,200 sq. ft. walking garden and green
infrastructure corridor in McCarren Park using
bioswales to demonstrate how pollution is removed
from stormwater.; and
providing opportunities for community members to
volunteer at the McCarren Park to help maintain the
demonstration and walking gardens and develop in-
depth skills in this type of innovative gardening.
Grant Request
$450,000
Value of Applicant & Partner
Contributions
$287,500
Location
McCarren Park
Independent Review
Committee Score: 80/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State
Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
Treat 252,000 gallons of
storm water;
Create new “green” areas;
Promote the greening of
privately-owned spaces;
and,
Provide new community
meeting space.
Project Partners
Open Space Alliance for
North Brooklyn
NYC Department of Parks
and Recreation-Green
Thumb
Local, interested
Greenpoint community
gardeners, homeowners
and backyard renters.
The demonstration garden, and walking garden and
green infrastructure corridor, will have large multi-lingual
signs providing information on urban environmental
sustainability, stewardship, conservation, and urban
gardening. This information will address the risks of
contaminated soil and the benefits of raised beds, how
to build a simple raised bed, what variety of plants do
well in certain conditions and times of the years, and the
pros and cons of using a roof space for gardening.
The green infrastructure will capture and treat a
significant percentage of the stormwater that falls at the
Park. Bioswales (sometimes referred to as garden
swales) resemble long tree pits that are intensively
planted with salt tolerant, hardy, and attractive,
perennials, native grasses, shrubs, and trees.
The bioswales and green infrastructure provide many
other neighborhood benefits including storing and
capturing carbon dioxide and other types of air
pollution, helping to lower summer temperatures in the
park, and creating wildlife habitat.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund
(GCEF)
The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by
the New York State Office of the Attorney General and
Department of Environmental Conservation with monies
obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its
Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects
that will address the Greenpoint community’s
environmental priorities through a process that is open,
transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and
partnership with the community.
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Intertidal Wetland Project Research Foundation of CUNY (LaGuardia Community College)
This project proposes to assess degraded shoreline sites along Newtown Creek currently comprised of rip-rap and eroded bulkheads for their potential for greening using “constructed” wetland habitat. Major project activities include:
• creating conceptual designs in collaboration with
the community and professional contractors for intertidal wetland construction at two shoreline sites;
• advancing one of the two sites to a fully engineered design, including construction drawings, cost estimates, and permits;
• installing “soft” salt marsh habitat areas along the walls of existing “hard” bulkheads; and
• expanding marsh habitat units already installed on bulkhead walls at existing sites.
Grant Request $130,178
Value of Applicant & Partner Contributions $130,911 Location Greenpoint shoreline Independent Review Committee Score: 76/100
The Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund is a joint program of the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Project Goals
• Increase the number and extent of intertidal salt marsh areas on Newtown Creek to provide habitat for native birds, small fish, clams, crabs, and other wildlife; and
• Improve water quality by restoring “ecological services” like the filtering pollutants in waterways by bi-valves (ribbed mussels, blue mussels etc.) which will live in constructed wetland habitat.
Project Partners
• LaGuardia Community College
• NYC Department of Environmental Protection
• Newtown Creek Alliance
• North Brooklyn Boat Club
• Outside New York
• City Parks Foundation
Salt marsh wetlands were the natural shoreline habitat of Newtown Creek. It is estimated that Newtown Creek once had nearly 1200 acres of tidal wetland along its banks. The salt marsh and tributaries that once constituted this rich estuarine ecosystem have been severely degraded by fill and development.
The constructed wetland proposed in this project will improve the water quality of Newtown Creek. The sheltered environment of these wetlands, however, will provide many additional environmental benefits. They will provide refuge for small fish and vertebrates. Accumulated sediment in them will provide habitat for worms, clams, snails, fiddler crabs and amphipods, which will serve as food for larger crabs and fish. Additionally, wading birds, such as herons and egrets, are attracted to the invertebrate life of the low salt marsh, and sandpipers, ducks, geese and cormorants are drawn to the salt marsh.
About the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF) The GCEF is a $19.5 million grant program created by the New York State Office of the Attorney General and Department of Environmental Conservation with monies obtained through a settlement with ExxonMobil over its Greenpoint oil spill. The GCEF’s goal is to fund projects that will address the Greenpoint community’s environmental priorities through a process that is open, transparent, and ensures ongoing engagement and partnership with the community.