GREEN GROWTH New York City’s green trajectory includes community gardens and protected greenspaces throughout the five boroughs. Earthjustice works to protect these important spaces, especially in underserved communities.
AND JUSTICE FOR ALL Sustainability is the watchword for these four New York organizations. by Noemi Florea
SUSTAINABILITY IS a hot topic today, yet few people really understand its nuances. In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as a “triple bottom line” of social, economic, and ecological equality, and today it has become an all-encompassing concept addressing the racial, socioeconomic, industrial, urban, and ecological disparities that exist globally. The four organizations featured here — Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, Earthjustice, New Economy Project, and New York Communities
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for Change — are emphasizing climate justice in its multifaceted reality across New York. They are expanding the social, economic, legal, and charitable boundaries of our city in an effort to kickstart a paradigmatic shift into a more egalitarian future. They’re thinking about the economic parameters of capitalism and serving those who have been left behind. They are questioning the industrial pollution and challenging our policymakers to see what lies ahead, and they advocate on behalf of communities across New York lying in the
wake of environmental destruction to attempt to rewrite the history of discriminatory urban planning that now makes communities of color most vulnerable to climate change. Fostering these ideas is not an easy task, but the leaders of these organizations are anchored by a strong set of principles and a vision for a future we can all thrive in. Legions of volunteers, who show up every day to support the causes they believe in, are the backbone of these and other organizations worldwide.
