The Roundup: Earth Day 2017

Though the weather was gray, nothing could keep the us from celebrating Earth Day to the fullest. We celebrated Earth Week with events and partnerships across the city.

On Tuesday, the city welcomed 2017’s first Water-On-The-Go fountain at Union Square Park, providing nature’s perfect beverage for Earth Day New York hosted by Earth Day Initiative.

We joined forces with New York City Housing Authority on Thursday to teach fourth-grade students about the green infrastructure being installed at the Edenwald Houses in the Bronx. These P.S. 112 Bronxwood students were able to tale a tour of their immediate neighborhood and learn how green infrastructure, which uses soils and plants to help manage stormwater runoff naturally, benefits both the environment and their local community.

On Friday, some of our staff went on a tour of the Queens Botanical Garden composting facility. During the tour, they received a primer on composting and learned the basic parameters that create the conditions for aerobic decomposition.

But it was on Saturday, Earth Day, that the events went into overdrive. The New York City Department of Transportation brought Car Free NYC back to take over the streets, closing Broadway to traffic from Union Square to Times Square and Water-On-The-Go was right there with them, celebrating the rare opportunity to really take to the streets.

Over in Brooklyn, we opened up the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant to the public for an exclusive tour of the towering Digester Eggs. Participants received an overview of the wastewater treatment process — an essential part of protecting public health and NYC’s waterways. After, guests enjoyed unobstructed views of the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens skylines from the observation deck, a glass-enclosed walkway built atop DEP’s state-of-the art digester eggs.

Rain Barrel giveaways were a highlight of the weekend for nearly 400 homeowners in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. DEP partnered with New York State Senator Leroy Comrie, Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman, Council Member I. Daneek Miller, New York State Senator Martin Golden and Bronx-based community organization The Point to distribute the rainwater saving barrels.

A group of volunteers headed to the Rockaways to have a beach day — a beach cleanup day, that is! The weather is getting warmer and we’re all gearing up for the official start of summer; thanks to the volunteers, we’re going to have some sparkling sand to look forward to!

DEP spent our Earth Day trying to make our great city healthier and more sustainable. How did YOU celebrate Earth Day?