“From coastal resiliency and sustainable green practices to the preservation of affordable housing, world-class public art, and vibrant, year-round programming in award-winning public spaces, Battery Park City leads the way in many of the measures that makes cities livable."
Battery Park City is dedicated to creating a sustainable and resilient future for years to come across its parks and public spaces for residents, businesses, visitors, and cultural and educational institutions alike. In keeping with this vision and in celebration of Climate Week NYC, BPCA is hosting the following lineup of fun and free events, open to all.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 1:30-2:30PM, ROCKEFELLER PARK Join a presentation and talk led by Alveole beekeepers at the Battery Park City hive located at the Chambers St. entrance to Rockefeller Park. Learn about the importance of urban beekeeping and its benefit to sustainability efforts in BPC and throughout the city.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 10:30-11:30AM, TEARDROP PARK (Meet at 6 River Terrace) Join us at 6 River Terrace and explore Teardrop Park through a naturalist’s lens. Learn about the animals and plants that call the park home, and how climate change impacts all of us, and how we can build a sustainable future together!
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 3:00-5:00PM, ROCKEFELLER PARK Drop into the Children’s Garden after school to see what’s blooming! Explore how gardens make our cities more resilient in the face of climate change. BPCA naturalists will be on hand to answer questions and make discoveries about the creatures that grow, crawl, hop, and fly through the garden.
Sustainability in Battery Park City
In 2020, BPCA published the first Battery Park City Sustainability Plan – a comprehensive plan to achieve progressive sustainability targets over 10 years. Developed in consultation with a broad range of residential, local, and governmental stakeholders, the plan provides the framework for developing a carbon neutral Battery Park City by 2050. The Authority has made substantial progress on implementing the plan over since publication, with significant highlights across all topic areas: Energy, Water, Materials & Waste, and Site. A preview of the BPC Sustainability Progress Report 2020-2023, to be released next week, can be found here.
Compost It
Our community compost drop-offs, located at 75 Battery Place, Gateway Plaza, outside 200 Rector, at the North End Avenue dog run, the lower level of River Terrace and Chambers Street, and along the BPC Esplanade by North Cove Marina, are open 24/7 for drop-off of fruit and vegetable scraps.
BPCA’s composting program runs year-round, producing compost from holiday trees, pumpkins as well as coffee grounds, tea bags, raw, fresh, or frozen vegetables, and fruit provided by Battery Park City residents. BPCA continues to find opportunities to divert food waste from landfill, and has even partnered with the New York City Department of Sanitation to compost food waste from the Swedish Midsummer Festival. Thanks to your participation, BPC Community Composting Program has increased its processed weight of organic waste by 57% from 2020 to 2023. To date in 2024, Battery Park City has composted almost 35,000 lbs. of food waste and from the community. Contact compost@bpca.ny.gov for more information or questions.
FOR THE DOGS
Did you know that Battery Park City is home to more than 1,000 dogs? Well, our sustainability efforts expand to their waste too, reducing their carbon pawprint. If you’re walking along the South Esplanade or in one of our three dog runs, help BPCA reach zero waste by composting your dog waste.
BPCA has pioneered the use of dog waste to create compost, now collecting up to 15 pounds of it per day to create compost for application in our gardens and green spaces in a safe and environmentally-responsible way. Since 2019, BPCA has collected and composted 8,500 pounds of dog waste, an innovative way of creating a nutrient-rich compost while reducing methane gas emissions and the number of plastic bags typically used to pick up pet waste, which was diverted from the landfill.
Our Path to Zero: As a decades-long leader in sustainability, BPCA is striving to divert 90% of what is sent to landfill! To continue helping toward our Zero Waste goal, we ask (as always) that you rethink what you throw away in the parks, and please recycle or compost items. Stay tuned for more information about Battery Park City’s sustainability efforts throughout Climate Week NYC!
