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Sustainability at NYC Parks

What is sustainability?

Sustainability is a commitment to social, economic, and environmental factors that promote long-term survival, a capacity to endure, and a sustained quality of life. Most importantly, it means thinking about the impact our actions have on the environment, on the economy, and on future generations. At Parks, sustainability provides the lens for addressing many of the city's most pressing challenges, including the impacts of climate change.

Our parks, community gardens, street trees, and other greenspaces across New York City play a vital role in creating a greener, healthier, and more ecologically diverse city. NYC Parks is leading efforts to make our city more resilient in the face of climate change by restoring and protecting our city's greenspaces. 

How NYC Parks Fights Climate Change

We're expanding greenspaces on neighborhood blocks, in parks, and on rooftops, in addition to adding water features in our parks, to help lower the city's heat index and provide respite during the warmest months. Learn more

Explore how we're keeping our waterways clean to provide our city with cleaner water, beaches, and habitat for aquatic wildlife, and examine how we're making our shorelines more resilient in the face of sea level rise. Learn more

Our trees and other plantings play a vital role in removing harmful pollutants. Delve into the science behind how our plantings improve air quality and discover how we're shifting to renewable energy to help keep the air clean. Learn more

Both development and climate change have dwindled our natural resources over time, reducing wildlife habitat and leaving our city vulnerable to climate change. Examine how we're restoring these vital greenspaces and reinforcing how they protect us and wildlife. Learn more

How to Engage in Climate Action with NYC Parks

Join us in the fight against climate change and help New York City become a greener and more resilient city.

Steps You Can Take to Fight Climate Change

Learn how you can volunteer with us to restore natural areas and discover how you can join the fight on your own by caring for your street tree, growing pollinator-friendly gardens, and reducing your carbon footprint!

Learn more about steps you
can take to fight climate change

Urban Park Ranger Programs

Join the Urban Park Rangers for educational programs to learn about and explore our natural environment, including the vital benefits our parks provide, how you can support local ecosystems, how stormwater affects the habitats around us, and more. 

Learn more about our
Urban Park Ranger programs

Volunteer at an NYC Parks Stewardship Event

Volunteer at an NYC Parks Stewardship Event

Help us protect NYC's natural resources for future generations by helping with restoration projects, cleanups, plantings, and more at an NYC Parks stewardship event.

Learn more about NYC Parks Stewardship

Partnerships

In addition to working with other City agencies and park groups, NYC Parks also collaborates with community organizations and initiatives to support efforts to make our city more resilient. Here are highlights of a few of our partners: