Green Social Justice: Donald Rakow Talks about Gardens in Our Communities

Happy St. Patrick's Day, readers! This morning as I was strolling down to Union Square, my neighborhood in NYC, for food shopping at a green market, I saw many people wearing green for the occasion. Here at Ampleen, we are also all about celebrating green -- imagine one day people wearing green to celebrate Earth Day with the same enthusiasm!

This week, I went to a great talk called "Why We Need Green Space? The Importance of Gardens & Parks in Our Communities" at 92Y, a nonprofit community and cultural center here in New York, that was led by Dr. Donald Rakow, Director of the Elizabeth Newman Wilds of Cornell Plantations at Cornell University.

I learned a great deal about parks and gardens. Did you know a public garden should have a mission statement? Did you know that there are four different types of gardens? Among many interesting topics,  the topic of gardens and social justice was one I was really intrigued with. The main demographics of garden supporters can be defined as white upper and upper-middle class. But there is a gap in needs between the community near these public gardens and the supporters of the gardens. When we regularly experience beautiful parks and gardens, we know that these places can bring many positive benefits to neighborhoods and individuals, such as a scenic and tranquil environment to help people relax. Ironically, though, the communities most in need of such places are often the communities with the fewest resources to advocate, create and maintain them. 

Speaking for myself, I wonder why I don’t ever spend any time in the Bronx when I visit the New York Botanical Gardens. The reason is I simply feel unsafe walking around the streets once I step out of the Botanical Gardens. But why is there this gap and how can we fix it?

According to Dr. Rakow, the role of the public garden is changing in response to the pressing needs of local residents. We can fix this gap by introducing more community programs and encouraging residents in the community to get more involved in public gardens. And the good news is that there are already many success stories about transforming the community by promoting beatification around the community, such as the Greenest Block in Brooklyn Contest or Let's Move Museum & Gardens promoted by first lady Michelle Obama.

By bringing more green to our communities, we can create a safer and more stable living environment for all of us!

A children's program at the New York Botanical Gardens