Latest news with #GreenestBlockinBrooklyn
Time Out
05-08-2025
- General
- Time Out
This is officially the greenest, most beautiful block in all of Brooklyn
Brooklyn has spoken—or, more accurately, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has—and crowned the 2025 Greenest Block in Brooklyn. That picturesque title officially goes to Eastern Parkway between Franklin and Bedford Avenues, where flower-filled sidewalks, lush street tree beds and a whole lot of neighborly TLC have created an urban oasis worthy of borough-wide bragging rights. Announced at a press conference held today along the winning stretch, the award marks a first in the contest's nearly 30-year history: A block built predominantly of apartment buildings has taken home top honors. Translation? You don't need a brownstone stoop or sprawling front yard to go green—you just need committed residents and a knack for turning concrete into paradise. The Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest, a project of Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the office of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso (with National Grid as major sponsor), is more than a beauty pageant for plants. It's about sustainable gardening, street tree stewardship and good old-fashioned community spirit. This year, more than 100 blocks threw their trowels into the ring, representing neighborhoods from Downtown Brooklyn to Flatlands and Bay Ridge to East New York, with stops in Flatbush, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights and Park Slope along the way. An expert panel of judges—BBG staff, trustees and local horticulture pros—fanned out across the borough, taking in window boxes bursting with blooms, storefronts dripping in greenery and community garden streetscapes so verdant you'd swear you'd stumbled into the countryside. Beyond the big win, other 2025 honorifics include Greenest Storefront, Best Street Tree Beds, Best Community Garden Streetscape, Best Window Box and Rookie of the Year. It's no small feat: In a city where space is at a premium and summer heat can scorch even the hardiest petunia, winning takes serious coordination. On Eastern Parkway's winning block, we can only assume that meant synchronized planting days and vigilant street-tree care through July heat waves. It turns out the payoff isn't just prettier sidewalks—it's also stronger bonds with your neighbors.
CBS News
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Brooklyn's "Greenest Block" contest plants seeds of community
With spring in full swing, dozens of Brooklyn residents are gearing up to enter the annual "Greenest Block in Brooklyn" contest. The friendly competition promotes streetscape gardening across the borough. CBS News New York's Hannah Kliger spoke to last year's champs about how to grow a winning garden. Yellow tulips bloom and neighbors nurture tree beds on a leafy, brownstone-lined street in Crown Heights. It's no wonder Lincoln Place was crowned Brooklyn's "greenest block" in an annual contest organized by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. "It's really rooted in just building connections with those around you and making Brooklyn a greener, healthier and more vibrant place to live in," said Jibreel Cooper, community program manager at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Sidewalk planters along Lincoln Place, between Nostrand and New York Avenues become floral showcases, part of an annual tradition that has grown from seeds planted decades ago. "It's from my mom," said resident Perri Edwards of her love of planting. "I have a snake plant from the 1940s that was my grandmother's." Edwards and her neighbor Althea Joseph formed an ad-hoc group called P.L.A.N.T., which stands for "Preserving Lincoln's Abundant Natural Treasures." An array of awards decorate their fence; since 2019, every time they've participated in the friendly growing contest, they took home first place. "The secret is I think we like to give a theme," Joseph said. Last year's theme was "Everything, Everywhere All at Once." "We didn't actually depict the movie. We just wanted to be able to do tons of upcycling," she said. Since P.L.A.N.T. won last year, they cannot participate this year. So instead, they've taken on a mentorship role, sharing their seeds of knowledge with two other blocks hoping to win the gold in 2025. Valerie Nero-Reid is with a neighboring block association called H.S.V.K. A contender for this year's prize, her gardening group is picking up tricks of the trade from the ladies of Lincoln Place. "They are special people and, of course, they gifted in the arts and just greening, but they care. They care about the Earth and about people. So that's what you see come through," she said of her neighbors. Geneva Collins found the block by accident last year while riding her bike. The homegrown beauty and sense of community was enough to inspire her to form her own group, called "MULCH" in Ocean Hill. Now they're entering the contest for the first time. "Just being on the block, the energy and seeing how inviting the two ladies were. And they just took me in like a baby," she said, adding the new passion makes her feel connected to her grandmother. Applications for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's competition are open until June 1, and the winners are announced in August. For more information, visit . Have a story idea or tip in Brooklyn? Email Hannah by CLICKING HERE .
