Friday, April 22, 2011 will mark the 41th anniversary of Earth Day

In 1970 we rolled up our sleeves alongside New Yorkers to improve the quality of our urban environment.  At the same time, activists around the country launched the first Earth Day to raise environmental awareness and move towards a more sustainable society.

40 years later, GrowNYC works to make every day Earth Day by:

• providing access to fresh, healthy local food through its Greenmarket farmers markets

• growing and maintaining vibrant green spaces and community gardens

• creating the next generation of environmental leaders through educational programs, and

• helping New Yorkers recycle more and reduce waste through the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education

Join us in celebrating 40 years of greening NYC by participating in some of these community Earth Month activities.   

Green your Spring Cleaning

Too busy cleaning house to attend a community event?  Sustainability can start right in your home.  Much of your clutter can be recycled, including shampoo bottles, scratched up frying pans and piles of junk mail.  Our NYC recycling tips can help you sort it out quickly.  Next, check out our Recycling Resources for items you can take elsewhere for recycling, such as old sneakers, Chinese take-out containers and Brita filters.  See additional listings below for ways to recycle electronics, textiles and food scraps and find new homes for useful stuff. 

Compost Drop-off Sites

Community compost programs are sprouting up all over NYC.  In Northern Manhattan, residents are revving up the food recycling at the Inwood Hill Nature Center and Sherman Creek Center.  Down in Harlem, food scrap recycling is sponsored by the 124th Street Community Garden and the 103rd Street Community Garden.  Greenmarket shoppers are bringing their fruit and veggie scraps to the Union Square Greenmarket drop-off hosted by the Lower East Side Ecology Center or to the Ft. Greene Greenmarket for recycling at local community gardens.  Find a drop-off site or learn how to compost in your home or garden at nyccompost.org.  

Clothing & Textiles Recycling Collections

GrowNYC collects clothing and other textiles weekly at select Greenmarkets.  Visit one of our Greenmarket sites or join us at one of these special one-day events.  Acceptable items include clean and dry clothing, shoes, coats, bedding, linens, scarves, belts, hats & handbags.  Materials will be sorted for reuse or recycling into new materials.  Learn more at grownyc.org/clothing.  

Community Swaps

If you haven’t made it to one of GrowNYC’s Stop ‘N’ Swap events experience your first at the Riverdale Y Environmental Fair on Sunday, April 25.  Bring clean, reusable, portable items you no longer need and take home something new-to-you to reuse.  See full event details below.