Earth Week began with a powerful reminder that community led advocacy and public investment matter. The week opened on the heels of a meeting with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and the South Bronx Unite team to celebrate the recent $1.3 million allocation secured by her office to advance equitable waterfront access in the South Bronx. This investment represents years of organizing and partnership—and set an important tone for the week ahead: that resilience work must be rooted in equity, community leadership, and tangible action.
From that starting point, Earth Week unfolded as a series of moments designed to strengthen connection, to water, to place, and to one another, while building the social infrastructure needed to face growing climate impacts. At Waterfront Alliance, we see Earth Week not as a single moment, but as a catalyst for long-term engagement. This year’s Earth Week programming reminded us that while resilience grows through plans and policies, it also grows through relationships, shared learning, and spaces that invite people to connect, emotionally, culturally, and collectively, to the waterfront.
We see Earth Week not as a single moment, but as a catalyst for long-term engagement.
Throughout Earth Week, Waterfront Alliance focused on bringing people together around water as both a source of life and a lens for understanding climate risk. One of the most grounding expressions of this work took place through Estuary Explorers, our education and stewardship program that connects students to the ecology, history, and care of the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary. In partnership with PS 189X Cornerstone of Social Academy, Waterfront Alliance marked Earth Day with a student‑led beach cleanup at Orchard Beach. Students worked alongside educators and NYC Parks Rangers, who shared the history of Orchard Beach and introduced students to the ecological systems that shape the Bronx coastline. From learning how estuaries function to understanding the human impacts on coastal environments, students engaged directly with the waterfront – removing debris, asking questions, and building a sense of responsibility for the shoreline. The day embodied what Earth Week is about: hands‑on learning, stewardship, and helping young people see themselves as caretakers of the places they call home.
A key highlight was the Coney Island Creek Resilience Project Public Workshop, where residents shared experiences of flooding, access, and environmental conditions in Kaiser Park and along Coney Island Creek. These conversations directly inform the future of on the ground resilience strategies, grounding technical planning in the realities people face every day.
We also co-hosted conversations around the economic dimensions of climate impacts, with Rebuild by Design and City Sponge. During the panel “Flood, Recover, Repeat: The Cost of Climate Events to NYC Small Businesses,” community partners explored how flooding affects small businesses caught between outdated infrastructure and limited control over their buildings. The discussion underscored that climate resilience must account for livelihoods, not just landscapes, and that lasting solutions require cross sector collaboration and policy change.
Earth Week also included moments of joy, learning, and creativity, recognizing that awareness and preparedness are strengthened when people can engage with climate issues in accessible and affirming ways. From participating in Healthy Kids Day with the Castle Hill YMCA, where families connected environmental health with physical well‑being, to engaging audiences through cultural and science‑based programming like “The Weirdest Thing: A Science Gameshow and Dance Party” at the American Museum of Natural History, Waterfront Alliance helped connect climate awareness with curiosity and play. These shared experiences reflect our belief that social cohesion is foundational to resilience—and that building community around the waterfront should be welcoming, intergenerational, and rooted in joy.
Earth Week also included moments of joy, learning, and creativity.
This Earth Week also made space for reflection, storytelling, and healing. A particularly meaningful highlight was participating in the Climate Film Festival’s screening and conversation around The Unfixing, an award‑winning autobiographical documentary by filmmaker Nicole Betancourt. The film offers a poetic exploration of chronic illness, grief, parenting, and transformation, drawing powerful parallels between personal healing and the health of the planet. Through intimate storytelling, The Unfixing asks audiences to sit with uncertainty and loss – while also pointing toward hope, faith, and renewal through deeper connection to nature and to one another.
As communities confront increasing climate risks, emotional, cultural, and spiritual impacts cannot be separated from physical ones. Spaces like this allow people to process grief, build empathy, and imagine new narratives of care, ingredients for long‑term resilience.
Our Earth Week work also extended to youth leadership and long‑term stewardship. Waterfront Alliance was honored to serve as a keynote speaker at the New York Aquarium’s Youth Conservation Summit, engaging high school students in conversations about flood risk, waterfront access, and the interconnectedness of social and environmental resilience. Investing in youth leadership is essential to preparing for the future – and ensuring the next generation sees themselves as caretakers of our waterways and coastlines.
While we were disappointed to postpone our Earth Week Community Day due to rain, the spirit behind that gathering remains strong. We look forward to welcoming neighbors, families, and partners to Community Day on May 31, when we’ll activate Water Street with hands on activities focused on “minding your water,” flood preparedness, and actionable tools for living with—and caring for—our waterfronts. The postponement served as a reminder of the very realities Earth Week programming seeks to address: climate impacts are already shaping how and when we gather, reinforcing the need for preparedness and flexibility.
BPCA hosted an Earth Day Panel on “Building a Greener Waterfront: The Story of Wagner Park.” The program, moderated by chief waterfront design officer Joseph Sutkowi, featured the design team behind Wagner Park who spoke about the natural designs, the architecture, and sustainability.
Joseph Sutkowi speaking about WEDG at Wagner Park. Credit: BPCA
Ultimately, Earth Week is not about a single slate of events: it’s about nurturing an ecosystem of community awareness that continues year‑round. Each workshop, screening, and celebration added to a growing network of informed, connected residents better equipped to face climate challenges together. By strengthening connections to water and to one another, Waterfront Alliance is helping communities build resilience rooted not just in infrastructure, but in trust, creativity, and shared purpose.
To explore the remaining lineup of Earth Week events and stay connected to upcoming programs, visit linktr.ee/waterfrontalliance.
As we move forward, we’re grateful to everyone who showed up, shared their stories, and helped make Earth Week a meaningful step toward a more resilient and connected future.
