Tags: environmental education

On June 25, Freshkills Park staff and local Staten Island residents came together at the Greenbelt Nature Center to participate in the first ever “Grasslands Dinner.” The evening centered on the history of grasslands in the United States, the biodiversity of plants and animals associated with these habitats, and how Freshkills Park is helping to bring grassland back to New York City.

This summer, Freshkills Park offered creative workshops about plants at the Greenbelt Nature Center. Using art as a platform, these workshops engaged families and individuals in learning about the relationships between native plants, invasive plants, pollinators, and food plants. The series of two pigment workshops and two plantable paper workshops were open to participants of all ages.

Jessa grew up in a big old farmhouse next to a big old red barn in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. After a childhood with late night summer bonfires, days spent floating on a river, and long drives on New England dirt roads, she knew that the environment would be central to her undergraduate studies.

Arturo Romua has taught thousands of students in New York City about the Freshkills Park project through presentations, workshops, and walking tours. He came to Freshkills Park through New York City’s Parks Fellowship & Conservation Corps, a 40-week public service commitment in which individuals were assigned to divisions throughout the agency to help protect and enhance New York City’s parks and natural resources.

“I see green as far as I can see,” a third grader said as he stood on top of North Mound. One of the 495 students who visited Freshkills Park this fall, this child readily grasped the mission of the park: to turn what once was the world’s largest landfill into one of the largest green areas in New York City.

Late last month, Freshkills Park held a workshop at NYC’s Green Horizons Conference for Middle School students. Students and volunteers gathered on what began as a rainy, blustery day in nature to learn about different careers in Natural Resources and the Environment at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden.