Visit to the site of the Rock ‘n Renew Ecology Center w/ Browning School students and the N.R.D.C’s It’s Your Nature
Strapped for outdoor space around their Upper East Side school, the boys of the Browning School habitually venture out of the classroom to share in the vibrant green spaces New York City has to offer. One sunny Wednesday, I had the opportunity to accompany them on a different kind of outing. Thanks to Jonny Dubowsky of Rock ‘n Renew and two very cool science teachers, the fifth grade class of Browning got to escape the island of Manhattan and venture into the “wilds” of Bayonne, NJ where some exciting new prospects in Urban Ecology are blossoming.
Using an undeveloped lot as an outdoor classroom, Rock ‘n Renew is working to build an Ecology Center to house examples of local and seasonal agriculture, native plant life, and rainwater harvesting. By collaborating with students the center hopes to become a practical guide to sustainable livingletting students plan and implement best practices for the space and using the projectas a mentoring program to teach small business skills. Crops grown within the garden will be sold at markets in an effort to raise funds. Designed to be an example for future use of urban space, the Ecology Center in Bayonne will have one feature that most community gardens lack…a stage where bands like the Kaiser Chiefs, Everclear, Jonny Lives, and the Strokes may be set to perform. It will probably be one of the smallest venues for these bands, but the stage at the Rock n Renew Ecology Center will most likely be one of the “greenest” venues around.
During our day in Bayonne, I had a refreshing chance to watch as the boys of Browning dug in the dirt, played with earthworms, and drew plans for their ideal garden. While I have to admit I envy that these kids will learn from a young age the importance of conservation and sustainable use of the land, but what I envy even more their opportunity to get hands-on experience in implementing these practices. Had I been taught about rain gardens or rain water harvesting in my fifth grade science class, I’m sure I would have been one of the first to bug my parents to help start planting wetland edge vegetation and set up a capture system to catch storm run-off. By allowing kids to experience these practices, especially in the densely populated New York/New Jersey area, Rock N Renew is truly creating a generation of environmental stewards, ones who can hopefully have a say in the future urban spaces of our increasingly interdependent communities.
Rock 'n Renew has teamed up with Arbor Skateboards and Snowboards on a number of awesome projects. We began with the building of a Native Plant Garden which uses only catchment water to show students how to create spaces that help cleanse their local watershed. Look for the first set of ARBOR SKATEBOARDS featuring Rock 'n Renew STUDENT ARTWORK-THIS SUMMER!
