As a waterfront community with public parks and green spaces that are core to its character, preserving the environment is a priority for Battery Park City (BPC). With a long history of environmental leadership, since its inception the parks and open spaces within BPC were designed with environmental quality as a top priority. Initially envisioned as an extension of Manhattan’s street grid, which prioritized open space, today BPC has over 22 million square feet of building area, interspersed with 36 acres of parks and open spaces. Seeking to serve as a model for sustainability, BPC is committing to more precisely define, enhance, and measure our sustainability objectives by achieving a TRUE Zero Waste Certification.
When rolling out its Zero Waste Initiative, BPCA began by focusing on staff behavioral changes first. Our thinking was that by focusing on the staff’s perception and education on Zero Waste, we could create a solid foundation for the project. By taking incremental steps and publicly engaging staff when introducing changes, we were able to secure support throughout our organization. Some of BPCA’s newer Zero Waste Initiatives included: distributing reusable service ware to all employees, implementing monthly waste audits, creating a seed paper program from outdated Parks Programming calendars, and reaching out to vendors to search for alternative sustainable packing materials.
Our vision is for Battery Park City is to build on its past achievements and its freshly-articulated commitment to take bold and effective action to promote environmental sustainability and rigorous greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. Moving forward, we will work together with the community to realize these efforts across various scales—from individual action, to actions at a single building level, to actions taking place in the neighborhood at-large. Looking beyond our neighborhood, we seek to inspire, collaborate with, and offer guidance to other urban communities to take resolute action on environmental sustainability.
“A half-century ago the Battery Park City Authority was created with a mission of renewal, transforming the dilapidated lower west side waterfront into a haven of green space and sustainable development. From our environmental guidelines for new commercial and residential construction, to organic maintenance of our open spaces, to sustainable practices spanning our operations – like TRUE Zero Waste certification – we continue that legacy today.”
- BPCA President & Chief Executive Officer B.J. Jones
Learn more about this project's work in their Battery Park City Sustainability Plan and Battery Park City Resilience Action Plan.