As promised, on Tuesday August 24th at 10 am, there will be a presentation and behind-the-scenes tour of the world-renowned green roof at the 5-Boro Parks complex on Randall’s Island.  The roof currently has 21 uniquely designed landscapes over a whopping 26,000 square feet.  From Hempstead Plains and Rocky Summit grasslands to a vegetable garden, there are a variety of amazing things growing up on this roof.   Please RSVP to jessica.kratz@parks.nyc.gov by August 16th so that I can provide our hosts with an accurate head count.

For photos and more information about the roof, which has recently had visitors from England, France, Ukraine and the Netherlands, check out the following:

• NYC Department of Parks & Recreation – Green Roofs
• Green Roof Expansion at 5-Boro Complex
• Green Roof is coming to a Recreation Center near you

For directions, click here or continue to read below.  Randall’s Island is a short bus ride from the 125th Street NYC transit station, which is only a block or so away from the Metro North station.  The RFK bridge [formerly known as the Triborough Bridge] enables access from Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan.

Getting to Randall’s Island

Subway/Bus

Can walk over to the M35 bus stop from the 125th street Metro North station

The M35 bus runs to the Island from the NW corner of 125th Street and Lexington Ave.
Transfer is available from the Lexington Avenue 4, 5, or 6 trains at 125th Street.

For updated MTA travel information, (718) 330-1234 or www.mta.info.

Pedestrian/Bicycle

The 103rd Street Pedestrian Footbridge connects the southern end of Randall’s Island to Manhattan, linking to the East River esplanade and across the FDR to 103rd Street in East Harlem.  The footbridge is open year round from 6am to midnight.

A new Bronx Shore Footbridge at the Park’s northern end remains closed until construction is complete on the Bronx River Greenway Connector to 132nd Street.

Pedestrian Ramps connect the Park to all three spans of the RFK Bridge.

Manhattan: 125th Street and 2nd Avenue to just behind the Golf Center
Bronx: Cypress Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard to the Bronx Shore Fields
Queens: Hoyt Avenue and 28th Street, adjacent to the Astoria Boulevard N/W station, to mid-Island, adjacent to the Central Fields

Automobile

All automobile access is via the RFK Bridge.

Please note below, there is a new ramp to Randall’s Island off of the RFK Bridge from both the Bronx and Manhattan.

From Manhattan:
If paying with E-ZPass at toll: Stay left at toll plaza for the exit ramp to Randall’s Island, immediately after the toll plaza.

If paying cash at toll: Stay right for the exit to Randall’s Island, about a half-mile past toll plaza.

From Queens: Stay right for the exit to Randall’s Island, immediately after the toll plaza.

From the Bronx: Stay right for the exit to Randall’s Island, about a half-mile past toll plaza.

Wind Wisdom in the Classroom

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) in collaboration with the New York State Outdoor Education Association (NYSOEA) is facilitating Wind Wisdom for School Power Naturally, a free professional development workshop for formal and non-formal educators on Saturday, April 17 at the Greenbelt Nature Center on Staten Island, NY from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Wind Wisdom for School Power Naturally offers a hands-on introduction to the technology and engineering involved in renewable wind energy and provides a context for teaching scientific and engineering principles related to properties of the wind, energy transformations and electricity.

This workshop is suitable for teachers who work with grades K-6. At this workshop educators will receive:

• engaging, hands-on science and engineering activities that support New York State Learning Standards and Core Curriculum, addressing specific performance indicators, and enrich existing scholastic programming;
• a free Wind Energy Education Kit;
• curricular units Wind Wisdom for School Power Naturally (two units), grades K-4 and 5-6.

Registration is required. TO REGISTER visit the NESEA website http://www.nesea.org/k-12/events/ click on 4/17 Wind Wisdom workshop and click on “here” for a downloadable registration form. Fill out the information and email or fax to:

agrindrod@nesea.org or 413-774-6053

For questions please contact NESEA’s Education Director at 413-774-6051 x 21 or email agrindrod@nesea.org

This workshop is part of the Solar Sails New York Project: an Expansion of Solar and Wind Energy Education for School Power…Naturally. MANY THANKS to our sponsor: the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for making this project possible