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Past Events
This 5-mile bike tour, hosted by Newtown Creek Alliance and the Last Mile Coalition, will explore the expanding infrastructure of commodity circulation, and the real-world footprint of e-commerce, around the Creekside neighborhood of Maspeth. This present condition comes in the context of 200+ years of Newtown Creek transportation logistics, from horse-carts and barges to rails and trucks.
The rise of e-commerce has seen a rapid increase in last-mile developments in the industrial business zones, like those surrounding Newtown Creek. These mega facilities bring significant amounts of increased truck traffic to overburdened communities leading to higher levels of congestion, worsened air quality, urban heat island impacts, stormwater runoff, as well as ongoing issues with worker protections, fair wagers, and labor rights. NYC is now working to implement a special permit process to curtail the proliferation of last mile facilities, thanks in large part to the advocacy from elected leaders and the Last Mile Coalition (of which NCA is a member).
This 7-mile bike tour will follow the proposed route of the Department of Environmental Protection’s planned Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Storage Tunnel for Newtown Creek. Years in the making, this massive, multi-billion dollar infrastructure project will bring much needed relief and reduction to the repeated discharging of untreated sewage entering Newtown Creek during rain events. 2025 is a critical year for designing the tunnel and getting everything lined up to begin construction in the coming years (the project completion date is 2040).
Along the way, we’ll pass pump houses, sewer grates, and CSO discharge points, stopping frequently to talk about existing infrastructure and the DEP’s planned underground work.
Join us for Open Hours at Kingsland Wildflowers — an opportunity for the public to learn about the green roofs, the native plants present, and the Newtown Creek while enjoying the golden hour from our scenic wildflower meadows. Open hours are free and open to the public and will take place every Friday from April 18 to June 27, 2025, weather-permitting.
For the 2025 Open Hours season, we are excited to also be opening our Newtown Native Nursery, allowing visitors to explore (and purchase) native plants that we grow on site, and can be a great addition for any greenspace you may have or be involved in!
This is a family friendly event, kindly keep in mind that we use our green roofs as an educational resource, we prefer that furry friends stay at home.
🤔Did you know over 1.2 BILLION gallons of raw sewage enters Newtown Creek every year? Why is there so much untreated sewage getting released into the Creek? Where does it come from? How does it impact water quality? How are humans and wildlife affected by this? What are the health concerns? What is being done to address the raw sewage? How can we help?
Wanna know the answers to these questions? Newtown Creek Alliance is hosting recurring community information sessions at the Greenpoint Library to provide neighbors with knowledge about Newtown Creek and create an ongoing dialogue for environmental advocacy, stewardship, and action. Each session will discuss ongoing topics about Newtown Creek, how it became so polluted, what the concerns are now, and what we can do about it. Come join the conversation!
When: Thursday, February 20th, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Where: Eco Lab 1, Greenpoint Library, 107 Norman Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222
🗓️Mark your calendars for the next Newtown Creek Superfund CAG meeting in February!
Join us to learn more about EPA’s plan for cleaning up the East Branch tributary of Newtown Creek, as outlined in the Record of Decision. EPA will also discuss their responses to the comments submitted by the CAG last fall regarding the East Branch Early Action Proposed Cleanup Plan.
When: Wednesday, February 19th, 6:30 PM
Where: LaGuardia Community College, Room: E-111, 31-10 Thomson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101 & Zoom