About the Let’s Green NYC Initiative
NYC Parks has a long and fruitful legacy of volunteerism. Through Let’s Green NYC, a strategic initiative to engage a record number of volunteers in City parks through the end of 2024, we intend to celebrate and renew our commitment to the hundreds of diverse volunteer groups who actively care for greenspaces and engage thousands of new volunteers to help enhance our parks and our city’s environment.
Why Green NYC?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, while people were living in unprecedented isolation, parks and open spaces were community hubs for New Yorkers. Now, parks are playing a role in the city’s recovery, by providing free and open spaces to gather safely and stay active. In this time of climate change and climate anxiety, we believe connecting New Yorkers to their local greenspaces will help them to feel more positively about the city's green future.
The Health Benefits of Volunteering
Many studies have shown that being outside and in nature offers both mental and physical health benefits. Time outdoors can increase life expectancy, reduce stress, and lower heart rates.
Volunteering Fights Loneliness
Making the choice to spend your outdoor time volunteering with a park group confers even more benefits. Working with a group is one of the best ways to build community and fight the epidemic of loneliness that is afflicting New Yorkers. Indeed, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy expressed gratitude to NYC Parks for creating Let’s Green NYC, noting that “Giving back strengthens not only our communities but also our relationships with one another. Volunteering is a powerful way to combat the loneliness crisis.”
What We’re Doing
We estimate that over 230,000 New Yorkers are volunteering in their parks each year. While that figure is admirable, we know that there is even more to be done. In a survey conducted by Partnership for New York City, it was found that 73 percent of New Yorkers would like to volunteer to help with the city’s resurgence, but that many don’t know how. That’s why we’ve committed to taking the following steps to improve volunteerism:
- Improved Tracking and Reporting of Volunteer Activities: We’re gathering Information to tell us where volunteer programming is needed most. Our expanded metrics will be shared publicly in the Mayor’s Management Report, to show our commitment to increasing our outreach each year.
- Enhanced Web Resources for People Looking to Volunteer: NYC Parks has launched a new volunteer directory designed to match interested New Yorkers with park volunteer groups that are right for them, based upon their interests or location.
- New Marketing Campaign: NYC Parks has debuted a brand-new marketing campaign in City bus shelters and LinkNYC, designed with QR codes to provide a direct link to volunteering opportunities.
- New Exciting Partnerships to Reward Volunteers: With the WENYC campaign, Parks announced its first unique private-sector collaboration to help incentivize volunteering through a partnership with Wicked. Additional partnerships and perks for volunteers are in development.
- Strengthened collaboration with large event permit holders and concessionaires that operate in parks to promote and support volunteer engagement in our Parks.
Get Involved
There are many ways for New Yorkers to get involved with Let’s Green NYC.
Use our volunteer website to find opportunities based upon your neighborhood or area of interest.
Visit the Volunteer Directory
If you're involved with a nonprofit group, parent group, corporate group, or other organization, we'll work with you to develop an exciting volunteer project for your team.
Bring Your Group To Our Parks
Tell your local civic and community groups to get involved in Let's Green NYC! They can join our directory, list upcoming events, and work with our team to stand up and be counted!
Reach Out to Your Community