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ECOLOGICAL CITY-Climate Solutions Action project engages community through cultural strategies to learn, explore and take action on climate solution initiatives to mitigate climate change impacts of flooding, carbon pollution and the consequences of sea-level rise throughout the network of community gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.
Gardeners, artists, residents, youth and over 50 community partner organizations collaborate through 9 months of creative engagement, environmental research and learning, partnership building, Art & Climate Solutions Workshops, and a co-created public cultural action, a procession with 21 sustainability site performances throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront.
Through the creative process, Earth Celebrations’ artists-in-residence and environmental experts, engage participants to learn about local climate solution initiatives and develop visual art and performance works addressing the climate challenges and solutions embedded within neighborhood sites. The artistic works are presented in a theatrical pageant, the Ecological City: Procession for Climate Solutions on Saturday May 10, 2025, featuring a spectacular procession of visual art with 21 site performances of music, dance, theater and poetry, that communicates the neighborhood’s story of climate challenges and solutions.
Through cultural strategies, Ecological City deepens connection to the natural world within the urban environment, builds action on climate solutions, communicates climate science, and amplifies the importance of local efforts to city and global climate challenges
LEARN MORE – Ecological City – Art & Climate Solutions Workshops March – May – Ecological City Workshops
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS & SUSTAINABILITY SITES
GARDENS – green infrastructure design, sustainable urban agriculture/vertical farming/permaculture, solar gazebos, permeable pathways, water filtration bio-swales, rain/pollinator gardens, water-harvesting ponds, composting/recycling/zero waste zones, and plant and soil carbon sequestration and air filtration and mitigating heat island impact with cooling effects.
NEIGHBORHOOD – community solar projects, art & science school programs, green roofs and rooftop bee farming.
RIVER-WATERFRONT – oyster planting to organically clean the river, bio-remediation projects to add beneficial nutrients to improve water quality, grey-water recycling, community vision for the ESCR (East Side Coastal Resiliency) waterfront redevelopment plan including a rolling hillside seawall berm and wetlands to buffer erosion and sea level rise.
ECOLOGICAL CITY SUMMARY VIDEO
PROGRAMS
EARTH CELEBRATIONS PROGRAMS | FALL 2024 – SPRING 2025
CLIMATE WEEK 2024 – GOVERNORS ISLAND WITH NYU
Join Earth Celebrations for an Art & Climate Solutions Workshop & Action Event
Natural Paint Workshop & Climate Solutions Costumes
Sunday May 22, 2024 12-3pm
Governors Island – Climate Church
NATURAL PAINT WORKSHOP @ LUNGS Gardens Harvest Arts Festival
Saturday September 28th @ 1-3pm
@ La Plaza Cultural Garden (9th St. Ave C SW Corner)
ARTISTS & CLIMATE ACTION 2025 — ARTISTS OPEN CALL
ART & CLIMATE – ECOLOGICAL CITY
ART & CLIMATE SOLUTIONS PANEL DISCUSSION Zoom
Ecological City Planning Meeting
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 | Wednesday, February 5, 2025 from 6:30 – 8:00pm on Zoom
Discuss local climate challenges and solutions and share ideas for visual art, performance, dance, music, and poetry exploring local climate challenges and solutions.
SIGN UP EVENTBRITE (FREE – LIMITED) TO RECEIVE ZOOM LINK
ECOLOGICAL CITY – ART & CLIMATE SOLUTIONS WORKSHOP
Collaborate creating visual art, bio-art, costumes and giant paper-cache puppets, exploring climate solution initiatives for Ecological City: Procession for Climate Solutions.
March 1 – May 7, 2025
Saturdays 12pm – 4pm
Artists-in-Residence
– Puppet workshops with artist Lucrecia Novoa
– Costume/Bio-Arts with Yohanna Roa
@ Sixth Street Community Center (638 E. 6th St btw. Ave B & C)
SIGN UP ON EVENTBRITE (Free Limited Tickets)
SIGN UP COSTUME / BIO ARTS WORKSHOPS
FREE – SIGN UP TO | LEARN MORE – WORKSHOPS
BIO ARTS WORKSHOPS
Participants learn to use natural bio materials for sculpture and costumes, growing mycelium (mushrooms root) into a structural bio-degradable material that is grown into molds in various forms. Learn how to make Kombucha (fermented mushroom tea) into a leathery textile that will be integrated into costumes for Ecological City.
SIGN UP COSTUME / BIO ARTS WORKSHOPS
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ecological-city-art-climate-solutions-workshop-costume-bio-arts-tickets-794511755047
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FREE – SIGN UP TO REGISTER | LEARN MORE – WORKSHOPS
MOBILE MURAL WORKSHOPS
Urban Climate Solutions with Earth Celebrations
Artist-in-Reside
April, 2025 (TBC)
Artist Katherine Freygang engages community on a Mobile Mural through workshops in April in collaboration with Earth Celebrations’ partners Lower East Side Ecology Center, Henry Street Settlement (JRC & BGR), University Settlement and Morus. The mural will be featured in the culminating Earth Celebrations’ Ecological City: Procession for Climate Solutions on Saturday, May 10, 2025, featuring spectacular visual art, giant puppets, costumes and 21 site-performances celebrating climate solution initiatives throughout the community gardens and East River Park on the Lower Side.
ART & ECOLOGY YOUTH WORKSHOPS
Earth Celebrations artists collaborate with community partner groups, schools and organizations to create arts projects exploring sustainability and climate solution initiatives. Artworks developed are presented in the culminating Ecological City: Art & Climate Solutions Pageant. To participate or engage your group to join, contact us!
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PUBLIC CULTURAL ACTION
Ecological City – Procession for Climate Solutions
Saturday, May 10, 2025 | 11am – 5pm (rain date Sunday, May 11) |
Gardens to Waterfront – Lower East Side, NYCThe theatrical pageant, co-created by the Lower East Side community, artists, gardeners and residents, features a spectacular procession of visual art, giant puppet and costumes with 21 site performances exploring climate solution initiatives throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.
Become a #ClimateSolution | LEARN MORE – ECOLOGICAL CITY| VOLUNTEER SIGN UP to wear a spectacular climate solution costume, assist with visuals, puppets and as marshals.
2024 ECOLOGICAL CITY INFORMATION (update 2025 to come…)
Earth Celebrations’ ECOLOGICAL CITY – Procession for Climate Solutions
SATURDAY MAY 11, 2024 – 11am – 5pm
(rain date Sunday, May 12)
An urban ecological pilgrimage featuring a spectacular procession with 21 sustainability site performances celebrating climate solution initiatives throughout the community gardens, neighborhood, and waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.
GARDENS TO WATERFRONT – Lower East Side NYC
visual art – costumes – giant puppets – performance – music – dance – poetry
BECOME A CLIMATE SOLUTION – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Dance a spectacular climate costume, help with puppets and assist as a marshal.
Free- Limited Tickets
SIGN-UP EVENTBRITE
ROUTE & PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE 2024
Route & Performance Schedule Link
The theatrical pageant, co-created by the Lower East Side community, artists, gardeners and residents, features a spectacular procession of visual art, giant puppet and costumes with 21 site performances exploring climate solution initiatives throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.
BECOME A CLIMATE SOLUTION LEARN MORE – ECOLOGICAL CITY | VOLUNTEER SIGN UP to wear a spectacular climate solution costume, assist with visuals, puppets and as marshals – an unforgettable experience
ROLES
– Wear Earth Celebrations’ Spectacular Garden-River-Climate Solution Costumes
– Assist with Puppet & Visuals – Marshal Procession
FULL PROCESSION ROUTE SCHEDULE 2024 – ARTISTS & SITE PERFORMANCE CREDITS
Download: Volunteer Sign Up Flyer
Ecological City Promo Video
Art Building Community, Collaboration & Climate Action
Join us in creating what is possible for a sustainable future!
ECOLOGICAL CITY – Art & Climate Solutions Action project applies Earth Celebrations’ innovative cultural strategies to engage our Lower East Side community and build engagement, collaboration and action on climate challenges and solutions to mitigate impacts of flooding and sea-level rise, decrease waste, improve water quality and conservation, cultivate sustainable urban agriculture and reduce carbon and global warming.
9 months of educational research, design, planning sessions, and Art & Climate Solution Workshops, engage our community, including gardeners, residents, artists, youth, schools and organizations, to work together creatively and mobilize action on climate solutions throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and waterfront. Community participants collaborate with Earth Celebrations’ artists-in-residence and environmental experts, to learn about local climate solution initiatives and develop visual art and performance works addressing the climate challenges and solutions embedded within these sites. The artistic works are presented in a co-created theatrical pageant, featuring a spectacular procession of visual art with 21 site performances of dance, theater, music and poetry throughout the gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City on Saturday May 11, 2024.
Ecological City provides an inspiring creative, collaborative and public platform for residents, artists and organizations, in our Lower East Side neighborhood, to address, amplify and build action on local environmental challenges and solutions.
ECOLOGICAL CITY PARTNERS
Earth Celebrations in partnership with – Lungs (Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens), Elizabeth Street Garden, Green Map, Loisaida Inc. Center, Lower East Side Ecology Center, Solar One, Waterfront Alliance, East River Park Coalition, East River Alliance, Goles, University Settlement, The Children’s Workshop School (PS361M), Henry Street Settlement, Boys and Girls Republic, Jacob Riis Cornerstone, Chinese American Arts Council- Gallery 456, East Village Community School, Stuyvesant High School, The Earth School (PS364), East Side Community School, Green Apple Kids, Sixth Street Community Center, White Box, Arts Loisaida, Clemente Center, Lower East Side Girls Club, East Village Community Coalition, Educational Alliance, Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, Mos Collective, Gaia Institute, Moving for Life/Studio 55C, Global Water Dances, Grace Exhibition Space, FABnyc, SVA-Bio Art Lab, Columbia University (CUNY) Hunter College, and New York University.
ECOLOGICAL CITY SPONSORS 2024
This program is made possible with support from National Endowment for the Arts, Howard Bayne Fund, Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Puffin Foundation, W Trust, Joseph Robert Foundation, Bluestein Family Foundation, Con Edison, Timon Malloy, private foundations, and individuals.
Ecological City: Cultural & Climate Solutions Action ProjectECOLOGICAL CITY PROMO VIDEO 2022 |
Ecological City 2018 slideshow:
PARTNERS
ADVISORY COMMITTEE / PARTNERS
Earth Celebrations’ directs ECOLOGICAL CITY in partnership with over 50 partner organizations and groups:
ADVISORY COMMITTEE / PARTNERS
Earth Celebrations’ directs ECOLOGICAL CITY in partnership with over 50 partner organizations and groups:
Earth Celebrations in partnership with – Lungs (Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens), Elizabeth Street Garden, Green Map, Loisaida Inc. Center, Lower East Side Ecology Center, Solar One, Waterfront Alliance, East River Park Coalition, East River Alliance, Goles, University Settlement, The Children’s Workshop School (PS361M), Henry Street Settlement, Boys and Girls Republic, Jacob Riis Cornerstone, Chinese American Arts Council- Gallery 456, East Village Community School, Stuyvesant High School, The Earth School (PS364), Green Apple Kids, Sixth Street Community Center, Arts Loisaida, Clemente Center, Lower East Side Girls Club, East Village Community Coalition, Educational Alliance, Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, Mos Collective, Gaia Institute, Moving for Life/Studio 55C, Global Water Dances, Grace Exhibition Space, FABnyc, School of VIsual Arts, Columbia University, Earth Matters-NYU, Office of Sustainability-NYU and New York University.
This program is made possible with support from Howard Bayne Fund, Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, W Trust, Joseph Robert Foundation, Bluestein Family Foundation, private foundations, Con Edison, individuals and with public funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by LMCC.
EARTH CELEBRATIONS PROGRAMS – CALENDAR – Click here
ECOLOGICAL CITY PROJECT UPDATES PROGRESS
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ECOLOGICAL CITY PROJECT PRESS – Click here
IN THE PRESS
Earth Celebrations cultural organizing (community-based arts, grassroots coalition efforts and environmental action projects) have been extensively covered by local and international newspapers, TV news, radio, academic journals, books and film documentaries.
Interview with Felicia Young, Founder/Executive Director of Earth Celebrations and director of the Ecological City project discusses 30 years of cultural organizing projects to generate ecological and social change.
Read full interview here
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