Run! Plant! Green the Ghetto!

Overview

Saving the world, starting in the South Bronx. Every one of our projects does two things: cleans the environment and produces local jobs - we never do one without the other.

Mission

Environmental Justice through innovative, economically sustainable projects informed by community needs.

Programs

B.E.S.T. - Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training program: free green-collar job training for the people and places that need it most. after 4 years, we have 85% employment with 90% of those working in green-collar fields; 10% have gone on to college; over 90% were on public assistance before graduating from BEST.

SmartRoofs, LLC - Our for profit green roof installation company that helps pay for the BEST program while improving the environment across the City.

South Bronx Greenway - Pressuring the City of NY to follow through and intelligently implement the greenway plan made possible by Majora Carter's $1.25M Fed Transportation grant. This 11 mile network of on-street bike/pedestrian paths connects neighborhoods to waterfront parks and esplanades, and to each other. Not just recreation, the SSBx Greenway will serve as an alternative transportation route and small business magnet.

SSBx Greenway Stewards - initial funding for this program came from Barry Segal via the Clinton Global Initiative. Our Greenway Stewards are the horticultural engineers of the future S.Bronx Greenway. They are able to assess the needs of the community in terms of safety/street light penetration and energy consumption/shade cover, etc with on the ground knowledge of how both trees and neighborhoods operate. They encourage tree care, neighborhood improvement, positive employment through their daily examples throughout the South Bronx.

Sheridan Expressway Decommission - replace the 1.3 mile poorly planned and largely disused relic of the Moses Highway boom along the newly restored Bronx River with 28 acres for affordable mixed income green housing, small business space, and parks. Currently, the NY State D.O.T. wants to spend a half billion dollars to add more ramps into residential neighborhoods. Our community-centric transport plan solves several problems and takes into account the Metro North stations to be opened in 2011.

FabLab - M.I.T. and SSBx have partnered on a project that puts the power of digital design and fabrication into the hands of South Bronx residents. We are encouraging the FabLab users to design with materials found in the vast quantities of recyclables that flow through the South Bronx as "waste" now.

Hunts Point Hustle 5k - the Second Annual running on the future path of the South Bronx Greenway is happening on June 21st. This race encourages physical activity, community pride, and a chance for our runners to shine on their home turf instead of always having to run elsewhere.