The sun was beating down on the pavement in Long Island City one summer afternoon, as 24 Brooklyn teens straddled their bikes, ready to take off down the proposed Brooklyn Greenway, a 14 mile route down through Brooklyn. On another such day, the group took to the waters, with kayaks in Valentino Pier in Red Hook, exploring their neighborhood’s waterfront. Yet another day, they went up to the roof a building on Red Hook, where an unexpected garden sits, encouraging ecological connectivity. Why were they doing this, you might ask? To put together a Green Map® of their local neighborhood, Red Hook.
The group of young people was from Hook Productions, a video production program of City Parks Foundation, and they teamed up with Partnerships for Parks for this Green Mapping project. A Green Map is a “locally-made map of the natural, cultural and social environment” in one’s community. Its aim is to promote sustainability, and grow a closer community. The Red Hook Green Map is one of 600 projects in 55 countries.
Working as part of the Green Mapping project, many of the youth from Hook Productions experienced the reality of environmental issues, and raised community awareness. This was a hard task, as they realized after the first couple of days into the job. They started by taking research trips throughout Brooklyn, visiting with the Red Hook Boaters, going up to a green roof on top of a metal factory, and going to most of the parks in Red Hook. Along the way, they learned about the history of pollution and its danger to the community.
One of their favorite trips was the epic 14-mile bike trip from Long Island City, Queens, to Red Hook, Brooklyn. Here’s what can be said about it:
“I was on the double bike and fell once, but it was okay,” said one of the Brooklyn teens. “The double bike is the fastest bike! I was at the front at one point. The greenway will be a big success once it is done.”
Another student said, “The greenway is not yet complete, but the 14 miles that we did bike was absolutely exhilarating. I thoroughly enjoyed the bike path that took me all through Brooklyn!”
“The greenway is something I think all Brooklyn residents should experience,” said another. “It has 14 miles worth of bicycle riding and fun. You can always take a break at the local Recycle-A-Bicycle shops to check out all the cool bikes they have to offer there.”
If you want to head out to the green spaces in Red Hook, check out the Red Hook Green Map!
Hook & Smith Productions are CityParks Education’s multimedia / technology after-school programs offering video production training, media literacy, new media, academic support and life skills training.
– Text by J Glazer.
