ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Pioneering Urban Sustainability Since 1987 Sustainability Urban Pioneering LES Ecology Center Organization Partners Organization
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ANNUAL REPORT 2017 1987 1990 Stewarding NYC Environment Community Garden on 7th Street
1993 1998 Compost Collection at Union Stewardship of East River Park Square Greenmarket
1998 2001 Compost Yard at East River Park Environmental Education Program & Learning Center
2005 2012 Partnership with DSNY – E-waste Warehouse in Gowanus NYC Compost Project
2012 2013 Prop Library & ReUse Store Electronic Waste in the E-waste Warehouse Collection Day Events
3 Years of History 30 based models in urban sustainability based models in urban since 1987. The LES Ecology Center (Ecology Center (Ecology The LES Ecology community- pioneered Center) has
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4 ABOUT US ABOUT 5
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Mission & Programmatic 30 Overview
The LES Ecology Center (Ecology Center) has pioneered community- based urban sustainability programs since 1987. Over the last 30 years, the programs pioneered by the Ecology Center have been replicated by city agencies and community organizations across New York, and inspired hundreds of thousands of individuals to action.
Today, the Ecology Center continues to provide leading e-waste and composting services, environmental stewardship opportunities and educational programming. We offer opportunities to all New Yorkers to learn about environmental issues and play an active role in creating a healthier and greener New York City and planet.
5 . welcomes Electronic Waste , a 10,000-square- ReUse Store and Prop Library Stewardship Program to improve access to responsible The E-Waste Warehouse thousands of corporate, student and community volunteers to steward this park annually. As the Ecology Center moved into East River Park and opened a Compost Yard there, it also entered into a license agreement with Since 2005, the Ecology Center has been the Manhattan Since 2005, the Ecology Center has been the (DSNY) branch of the NYC Department of Sanitation providing Compost Project, a citywide program In 2013 education and technical assistance for residents. (Brown DSNY launched its Organics Collection Program Bins) curbside collection program. Today, composting’s increasingly popularity is on the rise nationwide and coming into the mainstream. In 2003, the Ecology Center started its (E-Waste) Program collects disposal of electronic waste. The Ecology Center events in electronics by offering weekend pop-up passed Legislation city. the throughout neighborhoods in New York State in 2011 (the Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act) made electronic equipment manufacturers responsible for the end of life of their products and created an opportunity for the Ecology Center to expand its program to offer a permanent e-waste drop-off center. foot facility in Gowanus, opened in early 2012 and has allowed the organization to run the e-waste program more efficiently, and to create a focus on reuse and repurpose of discarded e-waste with the The Ecology Center’s the Ecology Center secured a larger site in East River the Ecology Center secured first in-vessel compost system in Park and developed the scraps food collects now Center Ecology The Manhattan. all materials at eight locations in Manhattan, processing site uptown, for one collection Park, except in East River where we partner with Harlem Grown. Community the decades, three of course the Over model for Compost Program has served as a pioneering programs other groups to start food waste collection the nation. across the five boroughs and in cities across to LES Ecology Center Lower East Side Ecology Center works citywide. recycling of food waste can improve the quality of life and ecology in our community. The space has now been reduced to 6,000 square feet but is permanently protected as a community garden, and there is still a compost drop- off at the site. In 1994, the Ecology Center expanded collection to the Union Square Greenmarket, the largest farmers' market raise helped location higher-profile This city. the in awareness of composting in the city. Having outgrown the community garden space as a processing site in 1998, The program was a huge success, so huge in fact that the in fact that so huge a huge success, The program was and leased Ecology Center soon needed a bigger space, between four rubble-filled city-owned lots on E 7th Street allowed Avenues B & C. This 15,000-square-foot space also expand the organization to collect recyclables, and Ecology 1990, the In composting. community into drop off fruit its neighbors to to invite Center started their with along composting, for peelings vegetable and bottles and cans. Volunteers also started to pick up food stores food as health such businesses, local from scraps and restaurants, to add to the growing compost piles. The Ecology Center slowly began transforming the lots into an attractive, landscaped garden, demonstrating how and sustainable living. They later changed the name of and sustainable living. They later changed the organization to the in their better reflect the work the organization was doing efforts quickly grew to include neighborhood. But their more neighborhoods, and today the (Ecology Center) and The Ecology Center started small, in a 3-foot-wide Street 6th the at fence chain-link a of nook 30-foot-long materials & Avenue B Garden, with the goal of recycling six was This plastic. glass and metal, paper, including program. years before there was a citywide recycling When Christine and Clyde met in 1986, they shared When Christine and the environment and improving a deep passion for they lived. They launched the neighborhood where of spring the in Inc., Enterprises, Renewal Outstanding approach to conservation 1987 to bring a people-powered HISTORY
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6 6 HISTORY
the Department of Parks & Recreation, allowing the organization to have offices in the Fire Boat House and to mobilize volunteers to care for East River Park. Over the years, the popularity of this 57.5-acre waterfront park, east of FDR Drive, stretching from Montgomery Street to E 12th Street, has blossomed, welcoming over 1.5 million visitors to its many ball fields, tennis courts and bike and jogging paths as well as its bountiful native flora and fauna.
The Ecology Center started its Environmental Education Program in 2001 and offers robust public programming in East River Park as well as in classrooms in the Lower East Side. The program aims to connect New Yorkers of all ages with the urban environment that surrounds them. The education program offers immersive workshops for students from K-12 at the Learning Center in the Fire Boat House in East River Park year-round. Inspired to educate the next generation of young adults about environmental impacts on everyday life, the education program continues to be a high-demand hands-on option for many educators in the city.
Three decades later, the Ecology Center continues to lead the way in sustainability, developing new community- based models of urban ecology and environmental education as well as advocating for a balanced approach to green living in this harbor city. ANNUAL REPORT 2017 7 Christine Datz-Romero Co-founder & Executive Director We are dedicated to continuing this work, and together with your support we can find solutions to seemingly overwhelming We are dedicated to continuing this work, and innovative programs, as well as the next generation of leaders. From our problems. I hope we can count on you to support innovative through reach citywide our to Park, River East in anchored programs stewardship and educational composting, many ways to do just that. e-waste reuse and recycling programs, there are the gritty but rewarding work of creating change from the ground up by We are looking forward to the next decade of be part of this journey. developing programs and leaders for the challenges ahead and hope you will Sincerely, showing tenacity to see programs through are our best chance to chart our way for a sustainable future. showing tenacity to see programs through are can provide the spark that ignites change. In 1990, we started collecting Our work has shown how a small organization of transforming one rubble-strewn lot into a green oasis. This idea inspired food scraps to create new soil with the idea local food movement, and eventually translated into a curbside collection people active in the community gardening and will make significant contributions toward reducing our city’s carbon program for organics in New York City, which footprint and fighting climate change. local, recognizing that educating and empowering individuals and The work we do has a global impact but is inherently Center who had volunteered with the Ecology planet. This summer, an intern are essential to saving our communities home to the Lower East Side after his first year in college and paid us a since he was a freshman in high school returned reliable, persistent, active and a leader from volunteering at East visit. Ronnie reflected, “I have become knowledgeable, River Park.” Dear Friends, New environmental programs by involving 30-year anniversary of pioneering community-based We are celebrating our make change. Educating, raising awareness, collaborating with partners and Yorkers of all ages to dig in, participate and
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CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE & EXECUTIVE CO-FOUNDER DIRECTOR LETTER FROM FROM LETTER 8 ANNUAL REPORT 2017
9 and collecting and processing 15,000+ and collecting and processing over 3,000 households over 3,000 households addition to collecting and processing food scraps into compost. The resulting compost processed scraps into compost. The resulting compost processed and processing food addition to collecting used at the park and distributed to neighborhood at our Compost Yard in East River Park is a truly complete closed loop to local recycling gardens and residents across the city, providing and conservation. The Ecology Center pioneered composting at scale in New York City, and was one of the first composting at scale in New York City, The Ecology Center pioneered Center Ecology The to compost. how Yorkers New teach to education large-scale do to groups serving runs nine collection sites, Center is the borough-wide Manhattan partner for pounds of food waste each week. The Ecology programming in assistance and educational DSNY's NYC Compost Project, offering technical COMMUNITY COMPOST COMPOST COMMUNITY PROGRAM
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received free compost 30 community groups
338 metric tons of carbon dioxide avoided 382 diverted tons of organics landfills from
10 10 NYC Compost Master Composter Project Certification Program
The Ecology Center hosts the Manhattan Every year, the Ecology Center trains branch of the NYC Compost Project, a 18 select individuals in this intensive citywide compost education and outreach certification. The NYC Compost Project program funded by the NYC Department Master Composter Certificate Program is an of Sanitation’s Bureau of Recycling and advanced composting course that trains New Sustainability. In collaboration with the Yorkers to support, develop and maintain NYC Compost Project, we host workshops community-based composting projects exploring home composting and more across all five boroughs. The course requires advanced composting skills. 24 hours of classroom instruction, two field trips, 30 hours of compost-related fieldwork and a final project. ANNUAL REPORT 2017 11 of electronics over 8.5 million pounds million 8.5 over
for e-waste also includes an Artist-in-Residence program that provides free access to electronics for e-waste also includes an Artist-in-Residence for artists and creative outlets. divert In the last 15 years, the Ecology Center has helped from landfills with these programs. The Ecology Center is the largest non-municipal provider of electronic recycling services in New The Ecology Center is the largest non-municipal collection events in pop-up neighborhood-based scores of hosts Center The Ecology City. York across the city. For many groups, businesses and elected officials with community partnership options to dispose of consumer electronics city residents, there are limited free and accessible events make it possible for residents to discard safely. The Ecology Center’s free all-day collection right in their own neighborhoods. large and small consumer electronic items (e-waste) Warehouse in Gowanus that is open to New York The Ecology Center also operates an E-Waste for drop-offs year-round. The 10,000-square-foot City residents, nonprofits and small businesses pounds of unwanted electronics annually. It also E-Waste Warehouse processes over 1 million to thousands of "vintage" electronics for filming in houses a Prop Library that gives a second life at the warehouse provides an affordable option movies and television shows. The ReUse Store repurposed technology. Supporting a second life for those who are interested in refurbished and ELECTRONIC WASTE WASTE ELECTRONIC PROGRAM (E-WASTE)
ANNUAL REPORT 2017 million+ pounds of e-waste diverted from landfills between 2013-2016
8.5 1,008,503 pounds of e-waste diverted from landfills in 2017
12 12 Public Workshops Artist-in-Residence
What is inside our everyday electronics and The Artist-in-Residence at the E-Waste how can these components be repurposed? Warehouse is a self-directed residency The E-Waste Warehouse in Gowanus hosts program designed to support local artists, a variety of workshops open to the public exhibit creative reuse and bring public to disassemble electronics for the purpose awareness to electronic waste. Each year two of creative reuse, upcycle, education and to six artists are chosen to use a section of the discussion. warehouse as studio space and are given free access to electronic waste materials. Their work highlights alternative uses for items that would otherwise be considered garbage and keeps the material from entering the waste stream. Artists are selected based on their proposed project’s use of recycled items and ways their work can engage the public. ANNUAL REPORT 2017 13 SCAN QR CODE SEE INTERACTIVE MAP 316 E-Waste Collection Events Events Collection 316 E-Waste Across the City From 2013-2017 the City From Across
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14 14 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 15 public green space that public green space that 57.5-acre FPAC WISE Zenith annually. Brand Network 1.5 million visitors Chelsea Property Trust North Middlesex Regional High in Lower Manhattan, with an estimated hours to the East River Park Stewardship In 2017, 5,056 volunteers donated 6,529 conservation program. For 20 years, the Ecology Center has partnered with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation Center has partnered with the NYC Department For 20 years, the Ecology and programming in East River Park, a to provide stewardship Every year, thousands of from Montgomery Street to 12th Street. runs along the FDR Drive help maintain this valuable green space, the largest corporate, community and student volunteers EAST RIVER PARK PARK RIVER EAST STEWARDSHIP Stewardship Partners Stewardship
ANNUAL REPORT 2017 donated by volunteers in 2017
6,529 conservation hours 5,056 volunteers donated in 2017
16 16 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 17 Fish Crow American Crow Black Back Gull Killdeer Mallard Duck Common Grackle Northern Mockingbird Gray Catbird Yellow-Rumped Warbler Cedar Waxwing Barn Swallow Herring Gull Brown-Headed Cowbird Coopers Hawk Common Yellowthroat Goldfinch House Finch Brant Rock Dove European Starling House Sparrow Dark-Eyed Junco American Kestrel American Robin Double-Crested Cormorant White-Throated Sparrow Red-Tailed Hawk Mourning Dove Blue Jay The Ecology Center and countless volunteers have dedicated over two decades of love, sweat and The Ecology Center and countless volunteers neighbors, the Ecology and of friends With the support this beloved park. to restore perseverance to bring this park’s native flora and fauna back to Center’s Stewardship Program has been able of migratory birds and human visitors annually. life, making it a destination for the growing list This is truly an urban ecosystem in full bloom. Sightings East River Park Bird Life at East River Park Life at East EAST RIVER PARK PARK RIVER EAST STEWARDSHIP
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18 18 This Year’s Catch
Striped Bass Oyster Toadfish Sea Robin Magikarp Cunner
Summer Flounder ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Tautog (Blackfish) Blue Crab Black Sea Bass 19 skills for advocacy conservation and build knowledge and habitat for native enhance existing plants and animals
observe impacts environmental Observation Restoration Education existing maintaining environments The unique location of the Environmental Learning Center inside the Fire Boat House in East The unique location of the Environmental Learning water and ongoing restoration and conservation River Park provides close proximity to the experience. The learning center on the efforts necessary to create an immersive educational indoor space that program participants can use to ground floor of the Fire Boat House provides to a number of education animals, including a learn and explore activities in depth. It is home the accessible waterfront allows workshops collection of insects, reptiles and native fish. Utilizing as well as participation in the Billion Oyster on water testing, fishing and the Hudson Estuary animals help programming to come full circle, Project. Personal encounters with the education City may not always be readily apparent but it emphasizing that the biodiversity of New York is always present. The Environmental Education Program works to increase development, awareness and access to Program works to increase development, The Environmental Education Center brings an immersive education for all ages. The Ecology interactive urban environmental to at least 50 public, charter learning about the environment around us education approach to city. institutions annually across the and private schools, higher learning and cultural ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM EDUCATION CORE VALUES The Education Program uses the C.O.R.E. values as part of the immersive learning approach. The Education Program uses the C.O.R.E. in pursuit of confronting and Education Restoration Observation, are Conservation, These values C.O.R.E. values throughout and incorporates issues. Programming environmental modern-day schools to offered workshops Educational programs. Center Ecology other to connections makes that and community groups emphasize the urban setting and the unique circumstances regarding living practices in their can apply more sustainable that participants setting. This is done such lives and communities. Conservation
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20 20 Volunteer Profile
Alnaw Elnaw, a sophomore at Millennium High School, has volunteered for nearly 100 hours in 2017! He is a valuable member of our Education program, helping with animal care such as enclosure cleanup feedings, and ensuring that equipment is maintained. He provides special enrichment for our resident box turtle, Bernie. ANNUAL REPORT 2017 21 47,595 48,895 64,744 47,614 450,326 568,747 452,952 589,705 1,388,782 Total ExpensesTotal 1,240,679 Stewardship Education Compost E-Waste Admin & Fundraising 125,116 Stewardship Education Compost E-Waste Admin & Fundraising 233,767 Total Income Total FINANCIAL FINANCIAL REPORT 2017 2017 Income Expenses
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22 22 SUPPORT US
From the beginning, the success of this organization depended on you. Join us for the next 30 years as we pioneer more community- based models of sustainability for the city that we love.
Donor Profile Celebrating Louise Woehrle
We first met Louise and her husband at the Union Square Greenmarket when we started our Compost Program in 1994. As early adopters, Louise and Walter would visit our drop-off collection station with their pre-compost on a weekly basis. Louise even asked in April how to dispose of a Christmas tree that she had been saving for possible use in an art project. This was true dedication.
Louise was always willing to help and became involved in our e-waste events and volunteered on numerous occasions. As part of her environmental activism, she also participated in more complex citizen science projects. This included counting and tagging horseshoe crabs at night in Jamaica Bay for two years. She spent many summer weekends identifying and counting bees and pollinator populations throughout the city under the auspices of a program with the Museum of Natural History. Hers was a passion that extended to the smallest of living things.
While Louise was a trained and licensed architect who worked on significant restoration projects, she also became an accomplished artist and produced a surprising abundance of paintings, drawings, sculptures, collages, scarecrows and even costumes.
We at Lower East Side Ecology Center were saddened by her unexpected passing in August 2017 and would like to acknowledge her friendship, dedication and many contributions. In her memory and spirit, we have established the Louise Woehrle Memorial Fund that will help carry on our collective task of making a better city and planet for all.
How to Donate
• Visit www.lesecologycenter.org and select Donate on the main menu • Mail in your check or credit card donation by using the reply envelope attached to this annual report Mailing Address Office and Environmental E-Waste Warehouse P.O. Box 20488 Learning Center 469 President Street New York NY 10009 Fire Boat House, Brooklyn NY 11215 East River Park 718.858.8777 New York NY 10002 212.477.4022
www.lesecologycenter.org
Special photo credit to Melinda Billings Printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper.