The peaceful settings of Governors Island offer everything you could want in a city getaway: a gorgeous location for exploring, recreation and picnicking; plenty of food options; outdoor art and ; and an extraordinary landscape with stunning views of Manhattan and the surrounding harbor. As well, it is now open year-round for visitation.But the island is far more than a bucolic retreat; it is a rollicking hub for sustainability, home to urban farming projects, zero waste efforts and marine restoration initiatives. These dimensions of the island's identity are about to be further catalyzed: the City plans to establish a on the island in 2029, to cultivate problem-solving for the challenges that a warming climate presents to metropolises around the world. Governors Island is increasingly invaluable to NYC as a lab at the forefront of innovating solutions for urban sustainability—an urgent imperative for a city especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Here are some highlights of this green accelerator in NYC's backyard.Low Impact Restart Since the and the National Park Service took control of it in 2003, Governors Island has continually ratcheted up its commitment to a green ethos. The island's transformation into a park that offers recreational activities and supports well-being through green infrastructure exemplifies the philosophy of "adaptive reuse," in which existing structures or landscapes are given new purpose—an approach that fueled the creation of notable NYC sites like the , and the as well as a proposal to transform into a hub for renewable energy. Waste Not, Want NotOn Governors Island, reducing waste is an operating principle. The , established as a partnership between the Trust for Governors Island and , seeks to eliminate garbage entirely. In line with this, all food vendors on the island have to use compostable containers and utensils, which are ultimately discarded in dedicated organics bins that, along with food waste and landscape trimmings, become the raw material for compost operations on the island.Circular ThinkingBy reducing waste through these policies, Governors Island is proving the viability of and approaches—an essential lesson for NYC as a whole, which is targeting zero waste for all five boroughs by 2030. The beauty of the process is that the island is producing a valuable material from the organic waste—a soil complement perfect for urban gardening—while simultaneously preventing the emission of methane created by food waste in landfills. Plus, any waste produced on the island needs to be hauled away by ferry, and then further on to landfill sites, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing the amount of "garbage" is a sustainability plus, creates a valuable product, simplifies logistics and saves money.Where Food Goes to Be Reborn At Earth Matter NY's composting operation, a monthly average of 1,850 pounds of food scraps, paper containers and other compostables break down and then are and harvested for new life cycles; the entire process takes 12 to 15 months from start to finish. The eight , the massive mounds of biodegradables that are initially 8 feet high by 100 feet long and reach temperatures of 151 degrees Fahrenheit as the organics decay, are a striking feature of the organization's grounds—as are its diminutive barn, goats and food-scrap-eating chickens.Urban Farming Lab Governors Island hosts a farm, which is used for educational purposes. Partners in this include the one-acre GrowNYC Teaching Garden, where urban agrarians harvest berries, eggplants, herbs, squash, fruit and flowers. During the pandemic, the farm, which was originally set up to educate young people about urban farming, to provide produce donations to communities in need. Another partner, Earth Matter NY, which runs a "soil start" farm featuring herbs and produce as well as a field of lavender, did the same.Old-Fashioned Weed Wackers Governors Island combines climate innovation with the meme-able cute factor, due to its flock of organic, biologic weed-control systems, aka . The quintet—named Bowie, Jupiter, Evening, Chad and Philip Aries—eats invasive plant species, such as mugwort and phragmites, that threaten local flora and cause disruptions in the ecology. As well, Earth Matter NY employs two goats each year to help combat weed growth on its Soil Start Farm.Fossil-Free MovementThe bucolic sustainability setting of Governors Island is enhanced—and especially quiet—because the island is car-free (with a few exceptions for official vehicles). To travel around on Governors, visitors can amass their or ride the that are distributed throughout the island.Keeping Water at Bay A more subtle element of Governors Island's sustainability strategy is reflected in the landscape design. The rising seas caused by climate change—as well as storm surges generated by extreme weather—threaten to damage both infrastructure and landscape on the island, as in NYC. To ensure resiliency, engineers created the Hills, a series of elevations that rise to 70 feet as a barrier to protect the island from surges. This topography, made in part from construction material from buildings and parking lots demolished on the island, features lookout points, a granite scramble, paths and a 57-foot-long slide for kids. In addition, stonework around the paths directs water into planted areas specifically designed to absorb water. Such strategies inform the redevelopment of and other long-term plans for protecting NYC from climate change.The Oyster of My EyeAnother anchor of the sustainability fleet that thrives at Governors Island is the , an initiative to restore native mollusks that once thrived in NYC's marine environments. The project has so far brought back more than 140 million oysters and offers multiple benefits: the oysters filter the water of New York Harbor while the reefs where they live, built from collected from NYC restaurants, provide habitat for marine life and protection from storm damage, by dissipating the energy of incoming waves and reducing shoreline erosion.
