Our community gardens and walkable, tree-lined streets are one of the reasons people love living in the East Village.
Some of our active East Village sustainability projects and efforts include:
Community Composting
EVCC continues to advocate for the return of the curbside compost pickup program, which is mandated to be citywide by October 2024.
Composting reduces food waste and methane produced by landfill emissions, while improving the quality of soil found in our community gardens, parks, tree beds and schools. Every time you bring your food scraps to a compost collection site, you’re actively contributing to the health and well-being of our neighborhood!
There are five compost sites in and around the East Village working to turn your food scraps into nutritious soil:
- Tompkins Square Park Greenmarket (Lower East Side Ecology Center)
East 7th St. b/w Ave A and B, north side
Hours: Sundays, 8:00am-5:00pm, year-round
Not accepted: meat, bones, or dairy
- Union Square Greenmarket (Lower East Side Ecology Center)
Northeast corner of the market, along East 17th St., by Union Square East/Park Ave
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 8:00am-5:00pm, year-round
Not accepted: meat, bones, or dairy
- 1st Ave and 1st Street
1st Ave between Houston & 1st Street, on the west side of 1st Ave
Hours: Mondays 9:00am-2:00pm
Not accepted: meat, bones, or dairy
- Down to Earth Garden (formerly Children’s Garden)
546 East 12th St, New York, NY 10009
Tuesdays 1:30pm-4:00pm and Sundays 12:00pm-4:00pm, year round
Keep food scraps and plant material separated. Accepts meat, fish, and dairy
- La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
674 East 9th Street
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 2:00pm-4:00pm, April-November
Please carefully read instructions here: https://bit.ly/laplazadropoff; Not accepted: meat, bones, or dairy
NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) corner compost bins collect food waste for compost and clean energy. This includes ALL food scraps, plant waste, and food-soiled paper: meat, bones, dairy, prepared foods, even greasy uncoated paper plates and pizza boxes! Visit the DSNY website to download smart-phone apps for iOS or Android, to unlock an orange bin near you 24 hours a day / 7 days a week!
Open Streets
Reduce and slow traffic to make the street safer for pedestrians, cyclists and others.
Provide an opportunity for social and cultural programming for community residents while supporting local artists and businesses.
Street Tree Survey
Not only do trees look nice, they provide a better quality of life! They improve air quality by absorbing pollution, reduce urban heat by creating shade, slow the movement of storm water, and provide nesting sites for our beloved hawks, and other wildlife.
EVCC is an active partner in the District 2 Street Tree Survey. We look forward to sharing the results soon!
Sustainable Transportation
Transportation is a critical aspect of any sustainability effort in an urban setting. We champion better public transportation and encourage human-powered transportation. We’ve advocated for Select Bus Service (SBS) on Manhattan’s East Side, and for protected bike lanes. We worked with Transportation Alternatives on the East Side Action Plan – A Community Vision for Safer Streets.
We continue to push for better public transportation for our underserved neighborhood, including additional stops on the M14 A & D. Historically EVCC held Kids’ Art Bike Parades along the waterfront with hundreds of attendees and many local partners, to raise awareness and teach bike safety.
Tompkins Square Park
The Tompkins Square Park Field House Reconstruction was originally approved in April 2020 and is now underway. Additional plans for improved pathways and the training field are in progress.
East River Park Closure
The loss of East River Park is deeply felt within our community.
The City of New York and the federal government have jointly funded the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project, as a coastal protection initiative to reduce the risk of flooding from rising sea levels and coastal storms. Construction began in Fall 2020 and will continue through 2026. For updates and volunteer opportunities, check out The East River Alliance and the LES Ecology Center.
These are just a few of the key sustainability issues and projects impacting our neighborhood.
Have questions or opinions to share? Get in touch!
