i stumbled upon this story by accident. i’m a student at suny esf, and i participated in a job shadow program over winter break. i signed up to shadow the lead environmental educator at shirley chisholm state park, brooklyn, because it was close to my home in westchester, new york, and had ties to my career path. 

i never imagined that after dodging new york city traffic for over two hours, that i was driving towards one of the most inspirational environments i had ever seen. built on top of the old pennsylvania and fountain landfills, shirley chisholm state park was only opened in summer of 2019, and the park is a wide expanse of grasses and shoreline that has stolen the hearts of environmentalists and community activists. 

to me, building a park on old landfills is a revolutionary idea. when the landfills were closed, the area was repurposed through a number of steps including the installation of an impermeable plastic cap, and a gas piping system. then around a million cubic yards of soil was spread on top of the site, on top of which native plants were planted to prevent erosion. 

someone asked me once if it was offensive to name a park built on top of landfills after an african american congresswoman, and although i understand where they are coming from, i would have to say no. shirley chisholm was the first african american woman to ever be elected to congress, and to run for president of the united states from either party. she was a leader who deserves to be remembered in such a beautiful and inspiring way as to have a revolutionary park named in her honor. 

i highly encourage everyone to visit the park. it has something for everyone, such as the shirley chisholm state park bike library. this is a system for free loaner bikes for any park-goers. there are also areas for fishing and birding on the shorefront, in addition to a wide range of educational hikes and activities offered by the park staff. with nearly 10 miles of biking and hiking trails, it’s easy to forget the park’s proximity to new york city. the paved paths and abundance of seating makes the park easily accessible to visitors of all ages and abilities. 

some things you might want to know before going are that there are a few rules, such as properly disposing of waste, plus no smoking, grilling, or fires. because the environment is so new at the park, staff has asked that all pets are left at home, and that the wildlife found there are not fed. 

but you don’t have to go to the park in order to understand what it can mean for society. it’s a unique connection between history, the environment, and the surrounding community. 

is this the future of how we build the environment, and could everyone have access to a park like this? is this how nature, culture, and society come together? 

it’s located at 1750 pennsylvania ave., brooklyn, n.y. and after years of anticipation, shirley chisholm state park is now open 365 days per year, 9 a.m. to dusk. you can find more information on shirley chisholm state park at parks.ny.gov. 

keeping in mind the racial, and socioeconomic impacts, i’m proposing that the market start by eliminating the use of plastic grocery bags. as a participant, an observer, and a researcher, i believe there are four different possible first steps that could be taken toward eliminating all plastic grocery bags from the market.

so, if you’re in syracuse, please join me in promoting this idea, and if you’re somewhere else please consider that you could push for the same change in your own community. 

we address why composting is so important to the environment, and esf’s history when it comes to sustainability on campus. the program is off to a fast start, and we believe the campus’ total diversion rate could be close to 47% by the end of the spring semester.

she assures us that through food and flies, or the distinct lack thereof, composting is attainable for anyone, whether at home, work, or on a college campus. 

we broke it down so that you can break it down too.

but all this information is just words unless you do something about it. it’s important to recognize that regardless of where you are, you can make a difference. it’s easy to complain about the large organizations for the role they play in relief, but what is more important is that we hold them accountable. some organizations approach disaster relief with ideas already in mind, but it is up to us to tell them what the needs of the community are. we have to insist that they build a relationship with the community first, and not after. people go on vacations and seldom realize the positive the impact that tourism could have, if done correctly. keep in mind where your money will go in the community and make sure you are supporting locals rather than corporations. its also important to realize the environmental impact of vacationing and adopt the “leave no trace” mindset. the island struggling to gain access to water and food, so consider bringing your own of both, and if you’re going to bring plastic, make sure you carry it off. the struggles are not over for vieques, as climate change is only causing storms to increase. after hurricane maria, it was said that the people of vieques were very resilient, and while i’ve found this to be true, resiliency is a term used to describe things over short periods. in addition, i believe the community to be resistant. each year they go through hurricanes and tropical storms, and they still have a thriving community and this is what it means to be resistant. if we all take this lesson and apply it to the way we approach environmental problems, we can begin not to only solve problems for the short term, but find permanent solutions for reoccurring problems.

these photos and the story represent the collaborative experience of the suny college of environmental science and forestry’s students, faculty, and friends. in january of 2019, each of the people in this picture wanted to make a difference and traveled out of their comfort zones to vieques. we spent a week asking the community what they needed and getting involved. while doing so we fell in love with the island, and continue to maintain a collaborative relationship in every way we can.