Programs Underscore Earth Day 2020’s “Climate Action” Theme
Marking the 50th
year of Earth Day, the Battery Park City Authority today announced a weeklong
celebration of the environmental movement’s history with a series of virtual
initiatives in keeping with Earth Day 2020’s theme of climate action. A remote poetry
talk, virtual film screening and panel discussion, and launch of the Battery
Park City Sustainability Plan highlight the week’s events.
“Even when staying
home it’s important to recognize Earth Day and its half-century dedication to a
more sustainable planet,” said BPCA President and Chief Executive Officer
B.J. Jones. “I invite everyone to celebrate Earth Day safely this year as
we continue to cultivate the next generation of environmental stewardship.”
BPCA’s
celebration of Earth Day 2020 includes:
Monday, April 20
BPC Sustainability Facts – Each day starting April 20, look for
a new fact about Battery Park City’s sustainability efforts promoted through BPCA’s
Earth Day 2020-branded social media accounts – Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram with
hashtag #BPCGreen.
Tuesday, April 21 @ 1PM
Tuesday Talks: Nature in Poetry with Bob
Holman – Poets House
hosts legendary slam poet, former Nuyorican Poets Café co-director, and Bowery
Poetry Club founder Bob Holman for a virtual reading and talk honoring the 50th
anniversary of Earth Day. His recent award-winning work in language
revitalization will be showcased with a screening of Khonsay: Poem of
Many Tongues, which contains lines from 50 different endangered languages.
Readings and discussions of original poems – as well as works of other poets inspired
by nature – will highlight our connection with endangered species as we reflect
on Earth Day. Event to be streamed via the Poets House Twitter account and
available for repeat viewings on Facebook, YouTube,
and Poets House Program
Archive.
“Poetry
has real work to do – to help us discover our inner voice and strength, and to
listen more deeply to others,” said Lee
Briccetti, Executive Director of Poets House. “Bob Holman is one of the
world’s most energetic poetic voices – able to illuminate nature, climate
change, endangered languages and the heart and soul of our humanness.”
Wednesday, April 22 – Earth Day
BPC Sustainability Plan Launch – Goal 2.2 of BPC’s
Strategic Plan is to “Develop and implement a strategy to
achieve a carbon neutral Battery Park City.” On Earth Day, BPCA unveils its new
Sustainability Plan, which will guide the neighborhood’s sustainability efforts
and initiatives for the next decade.
Earth Day Newsletter – A special Earth Day edition of the
“BPCA Connect” newsletter will include tips on sustainability and plant care, “Zero
Waste” craft ideas (crafts using items normally recycled or sent to landfill),
native ladybug facts – including a coloring book provided by the Lost Ladybug Project
– and more! Subscribe to BPCA’s newsletter here.
Thursday, April 23
Crazy About Compost – Learn all about BPCA’s composting
program, which runs year-round and on-site at the Authority’s 75 Battery Place
facility, with fun facts and a new how-to video. Compost – including the wood
chips produced from Battery Park City residents’ holiday trees; raw, fresh, or
frozen vegetables/fruit; coffee grounds from staff, residents, and local
businesses; and pruning materials from throughout BPC Parks – nourishes and
sustains soils across the neighborhood’s diversified landscape. In 2019, BPCA
composted nearly 50,000 pounds of food and waste, and is on-pace for even more this
year.
Friday, April 24
Arbor Day Street Tree Tips for Success – In honor of Arbor Day, BPCA will
release “Street Tree Tips for Success” to educate and inspire the residential
management teams that aid in the care of Battery Park City’s 680 street trees planted
along approximately three miles of roadway – more than twice the city average.
“Arbor Day
reminds us to care for our trees, to recognize our part in the natural world,
and of our need to connect with the beauty and fragility of our world,” said Anne O’Neill, BPCA Director of
Horticulture, Sustainability, and Landscape Design. “Arbor Day is an
important reminder of how we can have positive impacts, here in Battery Park
City and beyond.”
Saturday April 25 @ 4PM
Virtual Screening of Microplastic Madness,
with Accompanying Panel Discussion
– Created by the non-profit environmental organization Cafeteria Culture, the
award-winning Microplastic Madness inspires
kids, parents, teachers, and policy makers alike to carry out a youth-led
Plastic Free Future movement in schools across the country. The film showcases
the work of 56 fifth graders from P.S. 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn, whose actions
on plastic pollution morph into extraordinary leadership and scalable
victories. Watch the trailer here.
Program is free but space is limited, so reserve
your spot today.
About Earth Day: Fifty years ago, on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans – 10% of the U.S. population at the time – took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for our planet. The first Earth Day is credited with launching the modern environmental movement, and is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit: www.earthday.org/earth-day-2020/.
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