Sustainability

Our signature achievement was building and opening a state-of-the-art composting facility at 95th Street, the first of its kind in an NYC Park. The complete transformation of what was previously an abandoned lot included the construction of a series of large bays to support the site’s new functionality, as well as improvements to the surrounding landscape and site accessibility.

The goal of the site was to reduce the amount of organic material from park maintenance activities that were ending up in landfills, while also cutting down on unnecessary trucking of materials across the City. An enormous amount of plant debris – including fallen leaves, logs, branches, twigs, prunings, and weeds – are collected by staff and volunteers and brought to this location. Before the site’s transformative overhaul, this debris was picked up and transported by truck to be composted at other sites in the city. Due to a lack of funding, infrastructure, and functional policies for composting in New York City, a large amount of organic material was being mixed in with trash and sent to landfills where it fails to decompose and produces harmful greenhouse gases.

We have triumphantly closed this loop in Riverside Park and have learned how to make our own, high-quality compost for use in the Park’s maintenance operations, and trained our staff on how to use the site effectively. 

We celebrate another major success in our efforts to spur systemic change in how the city handles plant waste in all public parks, our innovative model for in-house composting was the inspiration for a new law. In October 2024, the City Council passed a resolution, introduced by our own Councilmember Gale Brewer, that will require NYC Parks to establish composting facilities for plant waste in at least five parks in each borough over the course of the next three fiscal years. Our compost facility was the first site of this kind, and we are honored to have been the catalyst for this historic legislation. 

Through access to the Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University, our Sustainability team has been able to send samples of all compost created in Riverside Park for a thorough evaluation. Through this process, we’ve learned that our compost is of a high quality, with good nutrient content, appropriate moisture levels, and no dangerous contaminants.

Our expert Zone Gardener program is tackling climate issues by creating pollinator-friendly meadows and protecting native bees—and the native plants they pollinate— which is critical to sustaining habitat health in Riverside Park while strengthening New York City’s overall ecological resilience. Native bees play a vital role in the life cycle of plants by facilitating pollination, which supports seed production, promotes genetic diversity, and ensures the growth and reproduction of healthy, thriving ecosystems. 

The Conservancy is in the middle of a multi-year process of converting to alternative energy sources. Ranging from trucks to gators, we are striving towards sustainability by converting to e-vehicles. Currently, we cut our carbon footprint significantly by converting 70% of our fleet to fully electric models – and that number will continue to grow!

Beyond building our internal capacity, a cornerstone of the Sustainability Initiative’s work has been creating impactful opportunities for community members of all ages and backgrounds to connect with nature, learn about environmental justice, and get directly involved in sustainable practices.