Green City Force Graduates its 27th Cohort
Green City Force Graduates its 27th Cohort
On September 9, Green City Force (GCF) held a graduation at LaGuardia Community College’s Performing Arts Center to celebrate Cohort 27’s six-month service term. GCF operates an AmeriCorps program that provides New Yorkers ages 18 to 24 who are residents of NYCHA or other low-income housing with full-time service projects, training, and education on sustainability and green technologies, as well as a stipend and assistance with career placement post-graduation. GCF operates six urban farms as Eco-Hubs at Astoria, Bay View, Forest, Howard, Mariners Harbor, and Wagner Houses. During their service term, the cohort harvested 12,000 pounds of organic produce for NYCHA residents, processed over 33,000 pounds of waste into compost, and hosted more than 100 events.
In addition to friends, family, GCF staff and alumni, and partners, other guests at the celebration included speakers such as New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Con Edison Jen Hensley, Cohort 27 graduate Xavier Phifer, and NYCHA’s Farm Partnership Manager John Lisbon. The festivities also featured a performance from Blue Angels Drumline.
Mr. Lisbon delivered the keynote address to the graduates: “I wanted to leave the Corps Members with something to think about, as their theme was introspection. This is a saying that was told to me many years ago, and I try to keep it in mind as I do the work I do: ‘It is the selfless person that plants the tree whose shade they will never sit under.’”
To read more about the ceremony, visit: https://greencityforce.org/2024/09/11/congratulations-cohort-27.
To connect with NYCHA’s Farms and Gardens team, email gardens@nycha.nyc.gov.