A concert venue underneath the Kosciuszko Bridge is fueling the growth of native plants.
It’s a program established by the nonprofit, North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, to create more green space and greenery.
What You Need To Know
A concert venue underneath the Kosciuszko Bridge is fueling the growth of native plants
It’s a program established by the nonprofit, North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, to enhance biodiversity in New York City
About 10,000 plants are up for grabs for anyone who wants them
The giveaway ends on Oct. 26
About 10,000 plants are up for grabs for anyone who wants them this fall.
Ray Machan, the assistant events manager at Under the K, says the plant nursery is a “wonderful example of how nature can grow and thrive in an industrial space.”
The area is mainly an industrial business zone, with warehouses and factories.
But in 2019, when the state finished the bridge, the city started transforming nearly 7 acres under it into a public park.
Huge stars like Cardi B and Tyler the Creator have performed at the concert venue. Those concerts help the park.
“We produce these concerts and hold these concerts so that we can raise money for all the green work that we do throughout the district,” Machan said.
There is now a dedicated space for growing native plants.
“It is strange. Specifically, Under the K is a post-industrial area, but we are surrounded by industrial uses, waste transfer stations, fossil fuel storage, warehousing, manufacturing, a lot of waste management practices,” Lisa Bloodgood, the director of Horticulture and Stewardship with the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, told NY1. “So practicing ecological gardening and horticulture for biodiversity in this environment is pretty novel, extra challenging and even more impactful.”
Bloodgood says they are planting more than 100 different native species.
“We’re not just gardening for aesthetics, although that is always important. We love a beautiful garden, but we’re also gardening for ecology and for the ecosystems that are here, were here, can be here,” she said.
Katie Denny Horowitz, the executive director of the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, said the purpose of the park is to “restore biodiversity in the urban landscape here in New York City.”
She says their goal is to distribute at least 10,000 of their plants for free to schools, community gardens and more.
All of this is possible because of the music.
“Part of the use of having concerts on site allows us to have a robust staff [and] have us do ecological initiatives here on site,” Horowitz said.
Anyone can come to this nursery and pick up a plant for free during its open hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The giveaway ends on Oct. 26.