Greenpoint Environmental Public Panel Forums

In 2014, through a competitive process, Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks and Planning (GWAPP) received a GCEF grant of $11,700 to organize and conduct, in partnership with local ecological and environmental advocacy organizations, the “Greenpoint Environmental Forum,” a series of four public panel discussions on environmental topics. Held in Fall 2015 and the winter and spring of 2016, the panel discussions were tailored to local environmental concerns, including water and soil quality, land use regulations, and community greening. Each session provided an opportunity for Greenpoint residents to learn about the issues of concern and the local organizations engaged in them. The topics of the four forums and activities were:

1. “Greenpoint’s Industrial Pollution and How It Affects You Today,” which was followed by the launch of North Brooklyn Neighbors’ (NBN) interactive map, “The Greenpoint-Williamsburg ToxiCity Map,” which charts contaminated soil, toxic spills, old factories, and other legacies of the industrial activity in the community;
2. “Superfund Seminar – An Environmental Forum on the Variety of Agencies and Programs that are Cleaning Up Our Community,” which was followed by forum attendees joining the Newtown Creek Superfund Community Advisory Group’s quarterly community meeting, as well as hearing updates from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection on their activities and testing in Newtown Creek and from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on sources of contamination to the creek.
3. “How’s the Water? An Environmental Forum,” which was followed by a walking tour to observe the effects of sewage overflows in Greenpoint, and finally,
4. “The Gunk Under Greenpoint – An Environmental Forum on the Harmful Chemicals Lurking at the NuHart Toxic Waste Site,” which was followed by the NBN’s walking tour of the industrial waterfront of Greenpoint, centered on the NuHart site.

• Hosted 4 forums on environmental topics of community concern in partnership with local ecological and environmental advocacy organizations
• Engaged and educated over 200 Greenpoint residents and local organizations about environmental issues including water and soil quality, land use regulations, and community greening

• Greenpoint Environmental Forum (Panel Discussion Series): Superfund Seminar presentation
• Greenpoint Environmental Forum (Panel Discussion Series): The Gunk Under Greenpoint presentation

Greenpointers, Hold Your Nose Up High and Learn About Your Hood’s Polluted Past (Bedford + Bowery, October 7, 2015)

GWAPP Panel to Discuss Greenpoint’s Environmental History (Greenpoint Gazette, September 30, 2015)