Why Greenpoint Floods and What We Can Do About It (Greenpoint Library)
Serious flooding now happens repeatedly in Greenpoint, especially during the summer. Why is this happening and what can we do about it?
Join 350Brooklyn for an evening of conversation and information-sharing as we talk about causes and solutions. The night will feature three panelists, including climate activist Sara Gronim, historian of waterways Eymund Diegel and founder of The City Sponge Nick Nyhan.
Whether you rent, own a home, or operate a small business, flooding matters. We are in unprecedented territory as the world heats beyond human experience. Yet we have solutions when we work together.
Participant Bios:
Sara Gronim has been a climate activist with the local group 350Brooklyn for the past eleven years. She is an historian who had a career teaching the environmental history of the United States, a subject she loved. owever, she found the failure of the United States to act effectively to curb global warming increasingly distressing which springboarded her into the world of activism. She has collaborated with others to stop a fracked gas pipeline expansion off New York City, pass strong climate legislation in Albany, and support the expansion of solar, wind, and battery storage. Currently she works to help Brooklynites cope with the impact of global warming right now, even as we continue to push to replace burning fossil fuels with renewable energy.
Eymund Diegel is a city map maker and citizen scientist working with Brooklyn community groups to map the City’s Ghost Streams through a project called NY CSI (Creek Scene Investigation). As forgotten streams and springs are directly tied to the city’s flooding history and largest trees, he is also mapping the history of New York City’s oldest trees and their spring patterns. By collecting community backyard expertise about flooding basements and local memories, he is hoping to assemble more data driven solutions to urban climate change.
Nick Nyhan is the founder of The City Sponge, a Brooklyn-based climate data and analytics platform focused on flooding resilience, community engagement, and practical flood mitigation strategies for New York City residents
350Brooklyn is a volunteer-driven group that mobilizes people to take effective local action to address the climate crisis. This program is part of their Facing the Future Series and is supported by a grant from Citizens Committee for NYC.