Founded: 2009

Farm locations: Manhattan (Wagner Houses Farm); Brooklyn (Howard Houses Farm, Bay View Houses Farm); The Bronx (Forest Houses Farm); Staten Island (Mariners Harbor Houses Farm)

Farm Details: Outdoor farms on New York City Housing Authority properties

Example of Crops Grown: Salad and cooking greens, herbs, squash

Vision: One day we will live in green cities where everyone can thrive.

We are working toward a “green city” rooted in social, economic, and environmental justice. We view young adults from frontline communities as the essential force for driving the emergence of sustainable and resilient cities—by transforming their own lives, leading community transition, and promoting the values of a new regenerative and inclusive economy.

We envision young people building the green cities we want to see through engagement in service years that also lead them on a path to satisfying and rewarding careers.  We view service, purposefully designed, as a systemic solution to create a just, collaborative and connected society. Our ambition: that service to help build green and equitable cities becomes an avenue to opportunity for a generation of young residents of public and low-income housing.

Sustainability Backstory: Green City Force is a nonprofit organization working with New York City youth who live in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). Their programs’ ethos embodies a triad of Service, Training, and Support by providing hands-on experience at urban farms, in-person classroom trainings, and social and emotional support. Green City Force also works extensively within the larger NYCHA community, organizing seasonal produce farm stands, compost collections, and community education workshops. Their farm stands are volunteer powered and run from May through November (currently paused due to COVID-19 restrictions). 

In Green City Force’s 2019 sustainability report they found that “These farms build on the long history of urban gardening on public housing property, but are distinct from the community garden model in scale and in their accessibility to all development residents rather than a select few” (Green City Force, 2019). 2018 alone saw over 24,400 pounds of produce distributed to NYCHA residents. With their large scale urban farms and composting programs, they successfully diverted 13,816 pounds of food scraps from landfills and prevented stormwater from overwhelming NYC’s sewer system. 

The Service Corps

“The Service Corps responds to climate resilience and community cohesion through environmental stewardship, building green infrastructure and urban farming, and resident education at NYCHA. We have a holistic approach to sustainability and pride ourselves in training our corps in a range of areas, from composting techniques and energy efficiency to behavior change outreach. Alumni initiatives build inroads into targeted aspects of the green economy, such as solar and energy efficiency. GCF operates an all-alumni Social Enterprise focused on energy efficiency improvements for low-to-moderate income families.

GCF’s programs are rooted in the belief that young NYCHA residents are uniquely positioned through leadership, training, and service to drive change in public housing communities while building skills, earning certifications and gaining experience to help achieve economic prosperity. Partnerships with residents, agencies, local and city-wide organizations, funders and employers are essential for the holistic approach required to realize the change we envision” (Green City Force, 2021)

Alumni Support

Alumni of Green City Force’s programs have access to support services to advance their education and careers. They offer career counseling, job newsletters, and one-on-one support.