Welcome May | NYC Green Events
Here's the curated list of volunteer and social opportunities for NYC environmentalists from April 28th through May 4th.
Hi friend,
I’m writing you this note from Amtrak (again!) en route to spend some quality time with my dad after a lovely week off from work. I spent three days in a row sitting in Riverside Park, coloring, and listening to an audiobook during my time off. I made a zine with Nicole Kelner (and Arielle!) via Zoom in between jaunts to the ice cream store and the park. I had intended to go to a handful of events, but reconnecting with myself and nature in my neighborhood turned out to be exactly what I needed. I hope you honor what you need this week!
🌎, Jasmine
I do not run any of the events below. If you have questions about event specifics, please contact the event organizer directly.
🌾 = My top picks of the week
Monday | April 28
[MNHTN] Volunteer at the Compost Compound!: 9-11 am. “The Conservancy’s Sustainability team invites you to support us with compost processing and gardening work at the 95th Street Compost Compound.”
Tuesday | April 29
[BX] Stewardship Mornings at the Foodway: 10 am-12 pm. “Lend a hand in tasks including laying mulch on paths, weeding garden beds, and planting native plants in Concrete Plant Park.”
Thursday | May 1
[BX] Trail Work Thursdays: 9 am-12 pm. “Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.”
[BX] River / Park Cleanup in the Bronx River Forest: 9:30 am-12 pm. “Help our Conservation Crew remove litter and debris from the Bronx River and surrounding parkland!”
Friday | May 2
[MNHTN] Volunteer in South Park!: 9:30-11:30 am. “Work together with our gardeners to maintain select areas of South Park. We will be primarily doing weeding and general horticultural maintenance.”
Saturday | May 3
[BK] Street Tree Care w/ Franklin Ave. Merchants Association: 9-11 am. “Join us to clean, care for, and add mulch the street trees in District 35!”
[BX] West Farms Rapids Stewardship Event: 10 am-12 pm. “Help remove litter from this riverside park, and steward local green infrastructure by removing invasive species and planting native species.”
[MNHTN] RiverKeeper Sweep 2025: 10 am-1 pm. “Every spring, we partner with Riverkeeper to host the annual Sweep. Volunteers assist with removing litter from the Park and Hudson River shoreline.”
[BX] Street Tree Care w/ NYRP & NYPL Mott Haven: 2-4 pm. “Join us to clean, care for, and add mulch w/ New York Restoration Project, thanks to District 8 CM Diana Ayala!”
[BK] Street Tree Care w/ STC w/ Grace Church: 9 am-12 pm. “Join us to clean, care for, and mulch to the street trees thanks to District 33 CM Restler!”
Sunday | May 4
[MNHTN] Green Oasis Community Garden Volunteer Days: 12-2 pm. “Help local communities as we help cultivate these beautiful community gardens.”
Submit an event for an upcoming newsletter! Make sure you hit submit by 12 pm the Saturday preceding the event if you’re interested in being considered for the newsletter.
Tuesday | April 29
[BK] Flatbush Craft Circle: Sashiko Basics: 6-7 pm. “Each participant will choose a simple pattern and complete their own piece of Sashiko embroidery that can be turned into a patch for mending clothes or a coaster.”
Interested in more mending events? My friend Anne has a weekly newsletter dedicated to them!
[MNHTN] Adverse Abstraction Presents a Clothing Swap: 6-8 pm, $2.50+. “The idea behind a clothing swap is for you to bring your gently-used items that you no longer wear and love, and swap them out for new-to-you pieces!”
Wednesday | April 30
[MNHTN] Surge Concert & Trinket Swap: 7 pm, $23.
[BK] Brooklyn Hour of Climate Action: 8-9 pm. “We'll do all the legwork for you to take action, advocate for bold, science-based, equitable climate solutions. All you have to do is show up.”
Thursday | May 1
[MNHTN] May Day Rally & Mobilization: 12 pm. “In NYC, we will join hands with workers around the world as we stand up against the right-wing billionaire agenda of Trump’s White House and in solidarity with the people of Palestine. “
Friday | May 2
[QNS] Green Infrastructure Park Tour with Urban Park Rangers: 3-4 pm. “They will be describing the different green infrastructure of the park including our bioswalwes, native vegetation, rip-rap, and more.”
Saturday | May 3
[MNHTN] Gotham Park's Community Block Party: 12-6 pm. “Join Gotham Park for a fun-filled day of music, skate, food, and community engagement at our third annual Community Block Party!”
[BK] Riverlandia: An Immersive Sound Story Experience + Author Q&A: 2-3:30 pm. “Riverlandia invites you into an immersive fictional sound story for ages 7+, created in response to a real-life river restoration project in Somerset, UK.”
[MNHTN] Words for the Planet: Writers Confronting the Climate Crisis: 3 pm. “Join poet Marie Howe (New & Selected Poems), biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures), and Emily Raboteau (Lessons for Survival; Mothering Against the “Apocalypse”), for a cross-genre moderated conversation by James Tager. Together, they’ll explore how their work responds to the climate crisis and how we can envision a sustainable future.”
[MNHTN] Jane's Walk 2025: Sustainable Walking Tour of the East Village: 4-5 pm. “Learn the history of NYC's amazing community gardens.”
Sunday | May 4
[QNS] Interfaith Walk to Washington (Launch): 11 am-7 pm. “To be climate activists under this new administration, we must defend our right to be activists at all. The Quaker/Interfaith Walk to Washington is trekking 300 miles to demand our rights in person.”