An Environmental Collaboration: Broadway Stages and Newtown Creek Alliance

Since 2002 the Newtown Creek Alliance (NCA) has been working to restore community health, water quality, habitat, access and vibrant commerce along Newtown Creek. Serving as a catalyst for effective community action, NCA has made a positive and enduring impact on the health and quality of life of Creek-side communities. Their efforts to restore, reveal and revitalize Newtown Creek have played a key role in advancing environmental initiatives in our community, among them Kingsland Wildflowers.  

NCA is also the steward of educational programming at Kingsland Wildflowers, a green roof initiative supported by a group of collaborators including the New York City Audubon, Alive Structures and NOoSPHERE Arts.  Located atop a Broadway Stages building on Kingsland Avenue, Kingsland Wildflowers was made possible by the Greenpoint Community Enviromental Fund (GCEF), along with initial matching funds and continued maintenance efforts supported by Broadway Stages. Initiated by the New York City Audubon who took the lead in submitting the GCEF grant proposal, the project is among our proudest environmental sustainability efforts, and has become a blueprint for other green roof projects. 

Broadway Stages’ interest and concern about the condition of Newtown Creek, along with a deep-rooted desire to help improve the environment, brought our two organizations together.  Broadway Stages Founder, Tony Argento, has actively participated in community meetings that address environmental concerns, including the condition of the creek. With a mutual interest in helping to restore the environment, a relationship between NCA and Broadway Stages transpired. “Tony is not just interested in the waterway because he is a creek-side property owner,” said Lisa Bloodgood, Director of Advocacy and Education at NCA, “he has invested in environmental initiatives that help to advance ecosystem services that are critical to habitat and community.”  To date, Broadway Stages has invested in more than 20,000 square feet of green rooftops, including the 6,000 square foot Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, and 50,000 square feet of rooftop solar panels.  In 2018, Broadway Stages opened their doors to NCA, providing the organization with a facility to call home. This gesture has allowed NCA to grow their advocacy efforts, while at the same time stewarding Kingsland Wildflowers, a role NCA took-on in 2019.  “We are eternally grateful to Tony and Broadway Stages for their generous offering of office space and support of our mission,” said Willis Elkins, Executive Director of NCA. “Our relationship with Broadway Stages and our work at Kingsland Wildflowers has been enriching and broadened our ecological reach,” continued Elkins.  

Broadway Stages is proud to support organizations that help to enhance the quality of life in the communities where we work and live. We encourage you to join us, and get involved in one or more of the many events hosted by NCA, from creekside clean-ups and bike tours, to volunteer plantings and more at Kingsland Wildlfowers. #GOGREEN

New Green Roof Teacher's Guide Now Available

Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages has recently released a green roof teacher's guide aimed at grades pre-K through five. In our changing world, it's important that at a young age, students learn about the environment and how they can do their part to create a positive impact. Green rooftops are a great way to introduce children to ecosystems and offer an opportunity to learn about their functionality and importance in the metropolitan area.

The guide itself breaks down the lessons by grade to accurately and effectively engage and enlighten students about the benefits of sustainability. Created by local STEM teacher Vicki Sando, the guide will first be implemented by her current school, PS 41. We encourage educators from all over the city to inquire about the green roof teacher's guide for use in their own curricula! For more information, contact the NYC Audubon or the Newtown Creek Alliance.

Kingsland Wildflowers — Arts and Education in Full Bloom

It's been a wonderful season at Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages, and we've celebrated in full bloom with a flurry of activity that you can view for yourself below. If you missed any of these events, there is still time to experience Kingsland Wildflowers on Saturday, June 29; please join us for our last open house of the season from noon to 3 p.m. Tour the native plant garden, visit our community engagement space, and enjoy an amazing view of the city from our rooftop. It's free and open to the public, and no registration is required. Until next season, we wish you a safe and happy summer! #GOGREEN

Broadway Stages wishes to thank the stewards and collaborators of Kingland Wildflowers, including New York City Audubon, Newtown Creek Alliance, Alive Structures, and NOoSHPHERE Arts, for their leadership and support of environmentally sustainable programs that benefit our community.

Culminating Events at Kingsland Wildflowers 2019

Friday June 7 - Sunset Ecology Tour with NYC Audubon and Atlas Obscura

Saturday June 8 - Rooftop Concert with Ernesto Villalobos and Kathy Gunn Produced by NOoSHERE Arts NYC

Friday, June 12 - Rooftop Explorations with Author Leslie Addato and Green Roof Landscape Designer Marni Majorelle

Saturday, June 22 - Semillas Collective Performance with NOoSHPERE Arts NYC

Monday, June 24 - Alive Structures and North Brooklyn Chamber Panel Discussion about NYC’s New Green Deal and the Future of Green Roofs

Semillas Collective Perform With NOoSPHERE Arts at Kingsland Wildflowers

Don't forget to join us at Kingsland Wildflowers on Saturday, June 22 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for a rooftop dance performance with Semillas Collective and friends, followed by a rough-cut screening of "Papalotl-Muyus" (Butterfly-Seeds) at Last Frontier NYC.

Experience environmentally focused live art jointly presented by Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages and NOosphere Arts, a nonprofit housed at Last Frontier NYC, the artist studio located just below the roof gardens. NOoSPHERE Arts produces multidisciplinary public arts programming from acclaimed artists all across the world. To learn more about the performers and their dramatic rendition of "Papalotl-Muyus," click here.

This performance is the culminating event at Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages in celebration of National Pollinator Week. The performance and film screening is free, but limited to 200 guests; registration is required.  

This Weekend at Kingsland Wildflowers: A Landscape Designer, an Author, and Artists

Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages has another busy weekend ahead. Check out the free events described below and be sure to RSVP. And don't forget Open House Saturday on June 22 and 29; from noon to 3:00 p.m. the green roof at Kingsland Wildflowers will be open to the public. Tour the native plant garden and visit the community engagement space. No registration is required, and Open House Saturday is free to the public. We welcome you to enjoy the view and step into nature atop Broadway Stages' production studio. For more information, visit www.kingslandwildflowers.com.

Broadway Stages wishes to thank the stewards of Kingsland Wildflowers, including New York City Audubon, Newtown Creek Alliance, Alive Structures, and NOoSPHERE Arts, for their leadership and collaboration of environmentally sustainable programs that benefit our community. Come see for yourself and visit this weekend!

Friday, June 21, 2019 (4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)

Rooftop Explorations With Marni Majorelle and Leslie Adatto
This week's Field Day Friday celebrates National Pollinator Week. Join landscape designer Marni Majorelle for a Q&A tour of the Kingsland Wildflowers green roof, followed by a talk with author Leslie Adatto as she discusses her new book, 111 Rooftops in New York That You Must Not Miss, featuring our very own Kingsland Wildflowers! Please RSVP here.

Saturday, June 22 (6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.)

Semillas Collective Performance With NOoSPHERE Arts Join us for a rooftop musical dance performance by Semillas Collective, a dance troupe dedicated to Indigenous American traditions. After the performance, enjoy a rough-cut screening of Collective co-founder Daisy Bugarin's film, Papalotl-Muyus (Butterfly-Seeds). The screening will be held at the Last Frontier NYC artist studio located just below the rooftop garden, where the piece was filmed last year. The performance and film screening is free but limited to 200 guests, and registration is required.  

Rooftop Concert — Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages

Music, flowers, and fellowship! It was another picture-perfect day and fun-filled event at Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages. Ernesto Villalobos and Katy Gunn, in collaboration with NOoSPHERE Arts NYC, each performed atop Broadway Stages' film production facility in Greenpoint this past weekend. The sold-out performance was one of several events held at Kingsland Wildflowers. Broadway Stages encourages you to take a look at the schedule of events and come out to see how our green roof is thriving, helping our environment, and bringing our community together.

Sunset Ecology Tour — Kingland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages

It was a picture-perfect evening for the Sunset Ecology tour and lecture that was held on Friday, June 7 at Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages. NYC Audubon ecologists presented findings from the past year of monitoring and research at the Kingsland Wildflowers green rooftop. And as you can see from the photos, the weather cooperated, and participants were treated to a beautiful sunset.

Thanks to all who attended and especially to those who arranged the event. Broadway Stages is committed to support environmentally sustainable programs. We are proud to share our rooftop with our community and to partner with environmental organizations who share our passion for green initiatives that positively impact our local ecosystem and environment.

SIEDC Green & Clean Was a Sweep

The Staten Island Zoo was the location of this past weekend's Green & Clean Festival hosted by the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC). A day-long marketplace, sustainable businesses and organizations showcased their services and spread information about sustainability and environmental awareness.

As a member of the Board of SIEDC, Broadway Stages is proud to have supported this event and to help promote the value of sustainability. In fact, our very own green roof project was represented by Niki Jackson of the NYC Audubon on behalf of Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages, along with Monica Holowacz, Community Relations Director at Broadway Stages. Take a virtual stroll via the photo gallery below. #GOGREEN

Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages — Upcoming Events

It's spring, and a number of events are scheduled to take place at Kingsland Wildflowers Green Rooftop at Broadway Stages. Take a look below at the upcoming events. We encourage you to join us!

• Friday, June 7 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: Join Kingsland Wildflowers and Atlas Obscura for a rooftop tour and lecture with NYC Audubon, who will present findings from the past year of monitoring and research at Kingsland Wildflowers. Food and refreshments will be provided. Tickets are limited. RSVP here.

• Saturday/Sunday, June 8/9 from noon to 4:00 p.m.: Greenpoint Open Studios Weekend. Bring your sketchbooks or easels and let the rooftop garden and cityscape inspire.  Free. No RSVP required.

• Saturday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m.: Rooftop concert with Ernesto Villalobos and Katy Gunn. Produced by NOoSPHERE Arts NYC. Free and open to the public. Limit 150. RSVP here.

Fantastic! Go Green Brooklyn Festival

FANTASTIC — the weather, the festivities, the people! This past Saturday, June 1, Town Square hosted their 11th annual Go Green Festival at McCarren Park. It was a picture-perfect day. Exhibitors were on hand with fun and creative activities for all ages. And festival goers were able to sample local food, art, and music while learning about local sustainability initiatives such as the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm. Built atop one of Broadway Stages' film production studios in Greenpoint, this 6,000-square-foot internationally acclaimed green roof is a commercially operated vegetable farm.

Green roofs are an excellent way to advance ecosystem services that are critical to habitat and community. Other green roof projects supported by Broadway Stages include Kingsland Wildflowers, solar panels that offset about a third of our annual electric consumption, and Broadway Stages Green Corridor — in cooperation with Alive Structures — we are in the planning phases of a 1.4 acre green roof project funded through New York State’s Environmental Facilities Corporation's Green Innovation Grant Program.

Take a virtual stroll through the festival by viewing our photo gallery below.

Sunset Ecology Tour - Kingland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages

Join Kingsland Wildflowers and Atlas Obscura on Thursday, May 30 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for a green rooftop tour and lecture with NYC Audubon ecologists, who will present findings from the past year of monitoring and research at the Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages. There is a $40 admission fee that also includes food and refreshments. All profits from the event will go towards supporting Atlas Obscura, The NYC Audubon, as well as future events at Kingsland WIldflowers. To register, click here.

Spring Has Sprung at Kingsland Wildflowers Rooftop Garden

It’s official. Spring has sprung, and that was evident this weekend at Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages, the interactive and educational green rooftop garden, designed by Alive Structures and managed by NY City Audubon and Newtown Creek Alliance.

The weekend began with Field Day Friday, which included tours of the green roof and an opportunity to participate in discussions and workshops focused on conservation, stewardship, and ecology. Later that evening a screening of the documentary film by Sidney Beaumont, From Paris to Pittsburg, was shown. The film explores the national and worldwide effects of climate change and was narrated by Emmy Award-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan.

Open House Saturday followed, with tours of the native plant garden and our community engagement space. It was a great way to spend a weekend in nature right in our own backyard. Just in case you missed it, take a look at the photo gallery and then check out the events calendar. We welcome you to visit Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages.