BROOKLYN GRANGE CO-FOUNDER GWEN SCHANTZ, STEPS DOWN
After 12 years of co-leading Brooklyn Grange, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Gwen Schantz has stepped down. It takes a true leader to recognize that the thing they’ve started is in a position to thrive even in their absence. It also takes a courageous and confident person to see that they have more to offer the world by venturing into the unknown than by staying safely where they are. While we could never encapsulate Gwen’s contribution to the business in a blog post, here are some highlights of her impactful 4,455 days at Brooklyn Grange.
CELEBRATING 4,455 DAYS
It’s hard to know where to begin measuring the impact Gwen has had on this organization, so let it suffice to say there wouldn’t be a Brooklyn Grange without her. Even when we were just starting up, Gwen demonstrated the decisiveness and confidence of a seasoned pro. Gwen is a builder, and a doer. When we needed things, she built them. If things broke, she fixed them. Gwen is a progressive and forward-thinking leader. She often brought bold ideas to the table that were ahead of their time, all while mothering her two children, the first of which was born just a year after we started the farm.
In 2012, Gwen introduced the idea of developing a Design/Build arm of our business to meet growing interest from restaurants and residential clients for a bit of Brooklyn Grange in their backyard–or on their rooftop, balcony, or even indoor office space. In the years that followed, we witnessed Gwen go from farmer to landscaper to landscape designer, creating urban green spaces atop and amongst structures large, small, public, and private, all with the goal of fostering ecosystems that allow plants and organisms to thrive in harmony with–rather than in spite of–dense urban populations.
“As more and more of us choose to live in cities, it’s important that we maintain our connections with nature. Urban green spaces play a critical role in uplifting human health while combating some of the greatest challenges and impacts of climate change - namely carbon emissions, urban heat, and stormwater. The city of the future is a green one, full of plants, trees, soil and vibrant ecosystems. It’s an honor and a thrill to do this work, and to help our cities make this important transition toward true sustainability.”
In 2015, Gwen designed and managed the installation of the green roof atop Vice Media’s HQ: a 15k sq ft expanse complete with biodiverse lawn, bluestone patio, engineered slope, and a perennial meadow. That year, Gwen was selected as a Curbed Young Gun Designer of the Year. Only halfway through her tenure at Brooklyn Grange, Gwen had already helped NYC’s green building industry develop its identity. More recently, Gwen led Brooklyn Grange’s design submission for The Farm at The Javits Center, and Project Managed the design and construction of our events building atop the Sunset Park farm–huge undertakings! But if you asked her, she’d probably say that she’s most proud of helping to grow a team of inspiring and inspired designers, builders, and stewards; folx who will honor the legacy Gwen created of thinking creatively and working tirelessly to build a greener and more resilient NYC.
We're sad to lose such an impactful member of our team. At the same time, we’re incredibly grateful for the trust Gwen has in us to lead the business forward. It's a gift, really, to acknowledge that our business is bigger than the sum of its parts, let alone one or a few individuals and their origin story: the answer to the question "how did you get this idea" is never as interesting as the answer of how Anastasia, Ben, Gwen, our ~70 current team members, and the hundreds of folx that have graced the business with their talent and hard work over the last decade–grew Brooklyn Grange into the dynamic and multifaceted business that it is today.
THANK YOU FOR 4,455 BEAUTIFUL DAYS, GWEN! WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR YOU. ❤️
