Rooted Community Lecture Series: Hot Box Composting

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About the Series:

Join Riverside Park Conservancy’s Sustainability Team for four lectures led by local activists, environmentalists, educators, and composters. All events are free and open to the public and will include time for a Q&A and discussion. Stay tuned on social media and/or sign up for our mailing list at riversideparknyc.org for dates and details.

About the Event:

Join Nando Rodriguez, one of the co-creators of the Hot Box Composting system, to learn about how this innovative method for urban composting came to be – and how his 30+ years of experience in environmental education continues to connect youth in Harlem to the soil hands-on. With a focus in restorative justice, Nando is working to take local composting to another level of community support and push local representatives to deepen participation in NYC.

Discussion and questions are enthusiastically encouraged – bring questions along with you! Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Nando Rodriguez was born and raised in the Lower East Side and the Dominican Republic. Raised in a single-parent household, his mother raised 6 children (older sisters helped with the little ones) and he was the youngest. His mother’s reasoning to send him away for a portion of his life was her fear of Nando following in the footsteps of his elder brothers, who were caught between the street life of Alphabet City. Nando spent 5 years in Bonao, D.R. He always felt the need to help others, especially his peers who were less fortunate, and in D.R. he would create spaces for his peers to play games, often inviting youth from other communities to join.

Nando eventually returned to NYC and enrolled in East Side Community High School. It was there that he was introduced to Open Road of NY, as well as The Brotherhood Sister Sol. With Open Road of NY, Nando started to connect his purpose on Earth with Mother Earth and began to assist Open Road with the development of the HotBox. Nando also worked on green space designing with participants of these selected communities using the Participatory Designed process and developing or redesigning green spaces for community engagement.

With The Brotherhood Sister Sol, Nando continues to empower youth to become leaders in their communities. Through love, support, resources and guidance, The Brotherhood Sister Sol team is able to create a Rites of Passage experience for all youth to question what’s not clear to them and speak up when they feel their voice is not being heard.

Instagram: @HotBox.Composting

Join the Riverside Park Conservancy for a live presentation on the history of Riverside Park and the people who made it special, by Stephanie Azzarone, author of the new book Heaven on the Hudson: Mansions, Monuments, and Marvels of Riverside Park. The event will also include a reading from the book, author Q&A, and book signing (books will not be sold at the event, however, we welcome those of you with your own copies to bring them for signing).

Heaven on the Hudson: Mansions, Monuments, and Marvels of Riverside Park, is a colorful tale of a singular New York City neighborhood and the people who make it special. Told in the personal voice of a long-time resident, the book features the history, architecture, and personalities of this often overlooked neighborhood, from early days through the present. A native New Yorker who has lived across from Riverside Park most of her life, author Stephanie Azzarone has spent many joyous hours learning about the city’s history and architecture, and even more wandering up and down Riverside Park and Riverside Drive. A former journalist (freelancer for The New York Times and New York magazine, among others), she also ran an award-winning Manhattan public relations agency. A graduate of New York University, Stephanie has a degree in Journalism.

Registration required. Visit soh.eventbrite.com.