to be sure, effective green infrastructure is more complex than simply planting more trees as trees have ecosystem disservices as well: roots can interfere with sewer pipes, tree pollen can exacerbate allergies, and branches can fall over in storms. but even if no one ends up volunteering to water trees or weed tree pits, subway announcements can still bring awareness of and appreciation for city trees to show how the urban environment is not just buildings and people but a multidimensional ecosystem.

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. 

an estimated 7 million people worldwide flooded the streets in the largest uprising for the climate in the history of humanity. starting with the youth climate strike on sept. 20, days prior to the united nations climate summit, young people led the world in a crucial discussion on the catastrophic consequences of policy inaction. with the goal of motivating world leaders, young people have drawn universal attention to global warming in ways that decades of scientific progress could not. 

i had the honor not only to march alongside greta thunberg and other fascinating young adults from all over the world but also to attend high-level meetings in preparation for the general assembly week. witnessing the rallies and demonstrations — from canberra, australia, to kabul, afghanistan; and cape town, south africa, to mcmurdo station in the antarctic — i couldn’t help but think about the impact that my generation is having on climate rhetoric. whether motivated by fear or hope, young people were able to transform the climate conversation in its entirety. unsatisfied by the profound injustice of an existential threat to our generation, we have fueled a wave of activism that is hard to ignore. 

through multiple discussions with demonstrators in new york, i have found yet another common trait: young people have not had to suddenly adapt their worldview to issues of climate change. instead, it serves as a somber backdrop to our dreams throughout our existence.

“this is an emergency. our house is on fire,” greta thunberg said, addressing the crowd of about 300,000 people on sept. 20, proclaiming the notion told by hundreds of scientists previously warning the world.

the empty promises of our world leaders and inaction of those we empowered have accumulated anger that is hard to contain. the fear, anger and hope will only be satisfied once the demands are heard: an immediate end of the extraction and consumption of fossil fuels, prioritization of the frontline communities, workers, and those least responsible for the climate crisis, as well as the accountability from fossil fuel executives and the global north. a just transition to renewable energy is the only outcome that will satisfy generation z, which refuses to become the last generation living on earth, as its title suggests. 

as a result, more than 75 leaders pledged to eliminate their countries’ carbon emissions by 2050, and plenty of european countries committed to spending billions to fund renewable transition for developing nations. the world’s largest economies, however, abstained from making such promises.

“how dare you,” is the message that thunberg and other brave young people communicate to the world.

“it is only the beginning,” they keep chanting.

“the ticket to enter today’s united nations climate action summit is not a beautiful speech, but a concrete plan,” agreed the united nations secretary-general antónio guterres. 

the planet forward series “faces of the climate march” aims to shed light on a handful of those young people who brought hope to all of us, and who will not stop even if, temporarily, their demands were left unmet.

for a graduate level course on urban sustainability at the george washington university, our group studied ways in which boston, chicago, dallas, and new york are working towards sustainability. we presented our research at the american institute of architects in washington dc