Four months after Queens Community House and Friends of Travers Park launched their campaign to create a community-driven plan to green Jackson Heights, neighborhood residents will assemble for the “Green Agenda Solutions Session” at the Renaissance Charter School on March 20th from 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.  They will begin devising proposals for creating a healthier, more environmentally sustainable neighborhood.  Watch Len Maniace of Friends of Travers Park discuss the project on NY1!

The Green Agenda for Jackson Heights kicked off on Nov. 7, 2009 with an environmental fair and “visioning session” attended by more than 100 stakeholders who were asked to pinpoint the neighborhood’s strengths and opportunities for improvement.  Since then, 200 residents of Jackson Heights – one of New York City’s most ethnically and economically diverse neighborhoods – have come together across the divides of age, income and language in a series of smaller visioning sessions held in English, Spanish and Bengali.  These sessions have incorporated the voices of youth, immigrants and older adults and have been held at houses of worship of various religious groups.  Staff members from the Pratt Center for Community Development have provided professional assistance and resources to those guiding the planning sessions.
 
Participants identified areas for improvement which were physical— more park space, green solutions for trash, and environmentally sound alternatives to the private car—and social—the need for new multi-ethnic community facilities and for programs that bring the community together across linguistic and racial divides.  Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in flux, and as such there’s an urgent need for services that respond to the changing demographics.
 
New Yorkers for Parks, a civic organization that promotes parks and open space, validated the residents’ assertions concerning park space, ranking Jackson Heights and its City Council District 25, nearly last in park space among New York City’s 51 council districts.  This lack of recreational space puts neighborhood residents, especially children, at greater risk for obesity and other health problems.  Among the early solutions recommended by participants include park expansion, additional and better-planned bike lanes, and a community-composting strategy.
 
The Green Agenda complements Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC 2030, a project designed to create a more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable New York City.  The Green Agenda attempts to adapt the spirit of PlaNYC2030 to one neighborhood, serving as a model for other city communities.

The groups hope to complete a final action plan in May which will address up to eight environmental issues, each with series of solutions to be enacted by individuals and families, private homes, co-ops and rental apartment buildings, local institutions and community organizations, and government.

The Green Agenda Solutions Session is free and open to the public.  It will take place at the Renaissance Charter School, 35-59 81st St., Jackson Heights on Saturday, March 20, 2010 from 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.  For more information, contact Anna Dioguardi at 718-898-7461 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .