To me, Elizabeth Street Garden is a secret Narnia: ‘an imaginary and very real land of magic and people and animals’. Imaginary in that even when you’re there – it seems like it can’t actually be real. Its overgrown beauty is overseen by legions of volunteers committed to the space. Concrete lions watch over the lush space that houses grandmothers with grandchildren, artists sketching, people picnicking, birds chirping, insects insecting. It is equally edgy in its live music or poetry nights with artists trying out their wares (hands shaking) but showing up fearful/less all at once. It is quirky (think annual Halloween dog costume parades) and unique and stunning – everything New York City is. And it needs saving from possible destruction for new housing. Read on to learn more about this secret garden and how you can help save it.
It’s really not about what Elizabeth Street Garden does or even what it is. It’s more about how you get to feel when you’re there. You are held for the time you’re there by the true values of the city. Art. Beauty. Wildness. Inclusion. Quirk. Freedom. This garden is committed to the highest ideals of what New York City stands for.
Elizabeth Street Garden is not curated like Central Park or other botanical gardens (which I equally adore but for different reasons). This is not commercial or touristy. There is no cost to enter. There is a wildness. A wonkiness. An asymmetry. An imperfection. Exactly as Mother Nature intended. Allowing those visiting its grounds to fit right in. We need more of this in NYC not less.
This space is not just nice to have – it is a part of the environmental legacy of New York City. A legacy we must consider and protect. The space not only protects butterflies but equally protects the spirit of all who arrive to it (animal, plant or human).
And if all this weren’t reason enough to save the garden? Importantly, saving it aligns to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda is intended to be a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requiring action by all countries to help, in part, tackle climate change and work to preserve our oceans and forests.
By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
-Source: Target 11.7 UN SDG Global Indicator Framework
Ultimately, saving Elizabeth Street Garden helps the US reach its overall Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 to: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable by supporting the target for green and public spaces.
Each year, different countries choose to present voluntary national reviews to the UN to share their country’s progress against the 17 SDGs. Interestingly, NYC was the first city in the world (under former Mayor Bill de Blasio) to provide a local voluntary review of how New York City was planning to advance these SDGs at a local level back in 2018.
New York City released its strategy ‘OneNYC 2050’ in April 2019 based on the premise that the fights for environmental sustainability, economic equality and social justice are “deeply intertwined”.
Source: OneNYC 2050 Strategy
Let’s keep NYC healthy, intertwined and accountable to its commitments to environmental stewardship as a key pillar for the health and prosperity of the planet and its inhabitants. There are so many ways we can advance this sustainable development goal in our cities and in our countries. Destroying what the UN (and all countries that adopted the 2030 Agenda and 17 SDGs) explicitly seek to protect is not the way forward.
Let’s combat this:
With every inch of this:
If you want to help, Elizabeth Street Garden suggests you can write a letter to the mayor. Or you can donate to their legal fund here.
I love Elizabeth Street Garden. Please help save her.
