SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING

ADDING GREEN SPACES TO NYC

Since we began offering landscaping services to New Yorkers in 2012, our Design/Build/Maintenance team at Brooklyn Grange has installed over 57,000 square feet of green roof area to the City, in addition to our 135,000 square feet of cultivated area on our own farms. We have also installed and activated dozens of other spaces, including terraces, back yards, tree pits and vacant lots with soil and plants. Adding and improving green space in New York improves the city's air, water, temperature, biodiversity, and overall well-being, and it is one of the most rewarding ways that we work to achieve our mission of making cities greener and more livable. 

MATERIALS AND PLANTS

Wherever possible, our installations utilize green materials such as reclaimed and/or sustainably-harvested lumber, post-industrial recycled green roofing materials, and durable, inert metals that are designed to last for generations. We don't use chemically-treated wood products, and we work with certified organic soils and natural, untreated mulch and other materials. Our plants are sourced from nurseries throughout the East Coast, and although much of the available nursery stock is not organically-grown in this region, we always use organic practices to maintain them once the plants come into our care. 

MAINTENANCE METHODS

We maintain all of our farms and gardens in accordance with organic principles, using only organic-approved soil amendments. You will never find chemical fertilizers or pesticides on our projects sites, and we are committed to adhering to sustainable farming and garden practices, and avoiding toxic implements at all costs

RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING

Many of our installation sites include on-site composting, and for those that don't, we remove all organic waste and bring it to local composting facilities for recycling. We are also committed to re-using materials, and our team will save and re-use everything from garbage bags to wood scraps to every extent possible. We even go as far as saving damaged or discarded plants, bringing them back to our farms to nurse them back to care and integrate them into our ornamental plant areas. 

WATER USE AND RETENTION

Almost all of our installations employ water-efficient drip irrigation systems, which include rain sensors and timers to ensure that water isn't being wasted. What's more, our rooftop installations are responsible for retaining tens of thousands of gallons of rainfall every time it rains in New York, which keeps stormwater out of our sewer system and helps to combat New York's Combined Sewer Overflow problem. Green roofs, terrace gardens, and permeable pavers in urban back yards all have an important impact on cleaning up our local waterways, and we are proud to do this important work.