With 600+ Events Citywide, Climate Week Offers Plenty Downtown
Climate Week, the annual summit of events focused on driving change around the world toward a more sustainable future, began yesterday in New York City. Offering more than 600 events and activities throughout the five boroughs, and addressing sectors from industry to energy, transportation, education, and finance, Climate Week is run in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly. Downtowners will find plenty to do south of Chambers Street.
At the South Street Seaport Museum, the Art at the Edge exhibition on Pier 16 through October 5 features “Tide” (an installation that creates the illusion of water bubbling up through the surface of the dock), “Anxiety Tower” (a fiber-arts sculpture highlighting the hazards of single-use plastics), and “Shadows at the Water’s Edge” (a banner draped along the railings of Pier 16 portraying environmental desolation of air, water, and land). A Wednesday evening screening of the documentary “WindShipped” — chronicling how the schooner Apollonia has restarted the business of delivering goods up and down the Hudson River by sail — will be held aboard the tall ship Wavertree, starting at 6:30pm, followed by a group discussion of the prospects for zero-emissions freight shipping. On Thursday, starting at 6pm, also aboard Wavertree, a panel discussion will consider how art can translate difficult climate concepts for the general public and spur action. Click here for details.
On Tuesday, September 24, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, at One Bowling Green, will host the “Educating for Climate Action Summit,” starting at 1pm. This half-day event will explore themes in climate change education, such as the integration of youth perspectives, Indigenous knowledge systems, and climate justice in learning experiences.
Tuesday is also the beginning of Climate Week events in Battery Park City, starting with a Meet the Beekeeper presentation. Participants are invited to gather at the Chambers Street entrance to Rockefeller Park at 1:30pm, and proceed to the nearby hive for a closeup look at the bees. The next day, September 25, the Battery Park City Authority will host a compost tour at 75 Battery Place, starting at 1:45pm, for a behind-the scenes-look at how the community’s parks staff processes hundreds of pounds of organic waste each day. On September 26, a nature walk starting at 10:30am will explore Teardrop Park through a naturalist’s lens, with a focus on the animals and plants that call the park home. And on September 27, kids and caregivers are invited to stop by the Children’s Garden in Rockefeller Park for a presentation about how gardens make cities more resilient.
On Governors Island, nearly 50 events — from art installations to film screenings, presentations, panel discussions, tours, and music — will delve into myriad aspects of addressing climate change. Highlights include a day-long climate tech showcase on Wednesday hosted by the New York Climate Exchange, and a panel discussion about “Imagining Climate Resilient and Thriving Communities” showcasing youth education programs with an emphasis on virtual mapmaking and data literacy on Thursday at 10am. Also Thursday, starting at noon, “Growing the Green Collar Workforce” will examine training models, investments, and policies to strengthen efforts to develop an effective, efficient, and fair green economy. Later the same day, starting at 6:30pm, the short film screening and panel discussion, “Outside the Climate Bubble,” will consider how to democratize conversations about climate through the lens of health, bringing together arts, policy, and research. On Friday, starting at noon in Admiral’s House, the “Healthy Choices, Healthy Planet: Climate Awareness in Health Education” roundtable will explore innovative ways to integrate climate awareness into the health education curricula across disciplines such as public health, medicine, nursing, and social work.