Downtown Alliance and NYC Parks Department Help Green Water Street Corridor with Nine Honey Locusts

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation planted eight more trees around the Water Street corridor last week, bringing the total to 23 trees planted by the city in Lower Manhattan through the Bloomberg administration’s MillionTreesNYC program.

The Parks Department planted three trees in front of 10 Hanover Square, two in front of 88 Pine Street, one in front of 126 Water Street and one in front of 130 Water Street. All eight are honey locusts. Building owners and decorative tree pit guards designed by the New York Tree Trust ensure a safe environment for the trees.

“Water Street is getting greener, thanks to Mayor Bloomberg and Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe,” said Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Alliance for Downtown New York. “I’m delighted that the City has brought the MillionTrees initiative to the east side of Lower Manhattan.”

“MillionTreesNYC is pleased to plant new street trees in Lower Manhattan in partnership with the Downtown Alliance,” said Morgan Monaco, the Parks Department’s Director of MillionTreesNYC. “The new trees will clean the air, reduce storm water runoff and beautify the neighborhood, and they are a wonderful complement to the Alliance’s Going Green Initiative. MillionTreesNYC is excited to help transform Lower Manhattan into one the nation’s greenest central business districts.”

Mayor Bloomberg referenced the value of public-private partnerships like MillionTrees in his radio address recently.

“Everyone talks about encouraging the private sector to do more in the public arena,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We make it happen. For nine years, we’ve created such partnerships to do everything from plant one million new trees to train the next generation of school principals.”

MillionTreesNYC is a key component of Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC to create a healthier, more sustainable city. A public-private partnership between the City of New York and New York Restoration Project, MillionTreesNYC is planting and caring for one million new trees in the five boroughs by 2017. Since the initiative was launched in October 2007, more than 400,000 trees have been planted citywide. Through MillionTreesNYC, the Parks Department is planting trees in parks, natural areas and on streets, including those in Lower Manhattan.

This week’s MillionTrees planting is the third MillionTrees installment in Lower Manhattan. Last November, the Parks Department planted two London Plane trees at 1 Battery Park Plaza, two Zelkovas at 10 Hanover Square, one at 36 Water Street and another at 105 Broad Street, and two American Lindens at 180 Water Street. And last April, the Department planted five London plane trees at 1 New York Plaza on Water Street, a honey locust in front of 75 Wall St, and a male ginkgo in Trinity Plaza.

The Alliance-Parks partnership is part of the Alliance for Downtown New York’s Going Green initiative, a series of planting events and community programs that green Lower Manhattan. The Going Green series runs year-round, and includes three park beautification events: Adopt A Geranium Day and Fall Community Planting Day in Bowling Green, and Spring Community Planting Day in Mannahatta Park.

The trees were planted just days before this year’s Spring Community Day this Saturday at Wall Street Park. Already, more than 50 volunteers have signed on to volunteer plant at the park starting at 10 AM. Additionally, Andaz Wall Street is launching its Farmer’s Market that day and offering food tastings and mini-massages, and 75 Wall Condominium Residences is hosting a rooftop celebration with book readings, cape-makings and cupcake decorating for kids. You can learn more about the event at https://downtownny.com/node/3199.

The Going Green series also includes MulchFest, where, in partnership with NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and Department of Sanitation, Lower Manhattan residents’ holiday trees are recycled into mulch to be used in city parks. Last year, the Alliance teamed with the Lower East Side Ecology Center and added an e-waste recycling component to the MulchFest event.