On Saturday, September 15th the outdoor classroom at MS 126 was bustling with activity. The Brooklyn Public Library and Greenpoint Eco-Schools were co-hosting an event to celebrate the Back to School season by highlighting the work students and their families have been doing to improve Greenpoint’s environment both in and outside of school.
Reporter and PS 110 alumni, Laura Ellision-Mroz thoroughly documented the event. For more information about Laura’s experiences protecting water, check out her prior contribution to GoGreen Brooklyn.
Take it away, Laura!
My name is Laura. I went to PS 110 and now I am in 7th Grade.
My favorite memories as part of Greenpoint Eco-School’s Program were from the Green STEM Afterschool Program and the student Green Team. I really enjoyed attending a special event at Brooklyn Borough Hall where we taught other kids about our water robots. And I liked building the lego water robots too! I also liked checking classroom bins and leaving notes for teachers on how well their classroom recycled.
Today at this special event the following things happened:
- A Scavenger Hunt
- A Tree ID Walk
- Compost Hand Out
- Eating Food
I asked a few questions to Acacia Thompson, Greenpoint Outreach Archivist with the Brooklyn Public Library.
According to Acacia, the purpose of this event is to collect oral histories and artifacts from people who were born and raised in Greenpoint. She talks with people about how they were raised and what the environment was like when they grew up in the neighborhood.
I also talked to Sarah from the Greenpoint Tree Corps who lead the Tree ID walk. She said she took a class about trees where she met Acacia. After the class she saw trees differently. She started seeing them as individuals! She also wrote a pamphlet called “Tree Bed Care 101”, teaching people about tree health.
At the end of the event I asked my family members their favorite part of the afternoon.
Here is what they said:
Holly (my sister in Pre-K at PS110): Seeing the different plants.
Emma (my sister in 1st grade at PS110): The scavenger hunt!
Logan (my brother in 1st grade in PS110): The scavenger hunt and the watermelon.
My Mom: The EGGPLANTS!
It’s amazing to see so many people care about Greenpoint’s Environment. If you would like to contribute an oral history or an artifact about the Environmental History of Greenpoint, please reach out to our friends at the Brooklyn Public Library.
For more information about the Greenpoint Oral History and Community Scanning project, contact Acacia Thompson, the Outreach Archivist: [email protected] or 917-226-8712.