Community Beehive

With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, Seren Zamore created a honeybee habitat with two hives and secure fencing to ensure safe care for the bees at Zinsser Community Gardens. The installation will include signage that highlights the purpose of the new space and the value of beehives. Read more.

Community Bird Boxes

With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, Ava Levinson and Emma Boudrias built 22 birdhouses to promote pollination, pest control, seed dispersal, and to provide shelter and protection for birds. They will set some of them up in the Zinsser Community Gardens and make others available to members of the community to install in their yards. Read more.

Community Milkweed Planting

Noah Berkowitz and Jonah Goldberg used their grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund to encourage sustainable landscaping practices, create pollinator-friendly habitats, and build climate resilience at the neighborhood level. They distributed and installed two milkweed plants to at least 35 households around the village. Read more.

Cultivating Calm and Connection

A Therapeutic and Sustainable Zen Garden at The Graham School

Through a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund,  students and faculty at The Graham School  created a dedicated outdoor space to support students’ emotional regulation, mindfulness, and sensory well-being. Beyond its therapeutic purpose, the Zen Garden emphasizes sustainability through water-wise landscaping that features drought-tolerant and native plants, and through the use of locally sourced, recycled, or natural materials such as raked gravel, natural stone paths, and sustainable seating. Read more.

Digging Deeper

 A Learning Experience for Hillside Students

Through a  Bloomberg Philanthropies YCAF Microgrant, Eden Greenberg helped build a greenhouse at Zinsser Community Gardens last year. This year, she and her sister Sydney put the space to work, educating 1st-4th graders. Their project goals were to educate children about nature, native plants and ecosystems in a fun, hands on way, through activities, gardening, walks, etc., which they accomplished in spades! Read more.

Downtown Revitalization

Bowie Mcneil & Matilda Vishab used their Bloomberg Philanthropies YCAF Microgrant to enhance a downtown area. They removed hazardous and invasive plants and replaced them with pollinator-friendly natives. They enhanced their project by implementing a clean drinking fountain for birds. These improvements not only make the area aesthetically nicer, but improve ecological balance and support local wildlife as well. Read more.

Greenhouse Garden Sustainability Initiative

Cultivating Climate Resilience Through Student-Led Agriculture at Greenburgh Graham School

Thanks to a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, YCAF, The Graham School was able to transform its greenhouse into a sustainable growing space that supports student learning and strengthens environmental goals. Students learn about rain water cycles, composting, and climate change through hands-on work. The project included installation of a rainwater collection system, a compost area using food scraps from its Culinary Arts classes, and a drip irrigation system to save water. In addition, it made space for reduced soil planting with hydroponic towers and six outdoor planters. Read more.

Hope Grows

Greening the Grounds for Climate Resilience

With support from the Bloomberg Philanthropies' YCAF Grant Program, Andrus expanded its Hope Space into a  living, youth-built Green Infrastructure Demonstration Site. Students designed, developed, and  maintained a rainwater capture and irrigation system, incorporating raised garden beds, pollinator habitat features, and solar-powered watering to connect ecological learning with  hands-on stewardship. Under Andrus resident Zeke’s guidance, students and staff worked  together to install gutters capturing roof runoff that redirect to a barrel system; built and filled raised beds; installed solar-powered irrigation; and created habitat elements to support pollinators. Throughout, students debated alternatives (such as gravity pumps) and made  design decisions. The project was imbued with joy, curiosity, and teamwork, under Andrus staff member Dr. Argentina’s mentorship. Read more.

Let’s Get Bee-zy

Expanding pollinator habitat in our community

A lack of pollinators negatively affects many of the plants in Hastings. To combat this, Margaret Evans, Bridget Evans & Genesis Chacha decided to build a pollinator garden at the Lower Burke wetlands with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' YCAF Grant Program. The goals of the project are to increase the populations of pollinators in Hastings, specifically bees, and to help increase biodiversity at the Lower Burke wetlands. Read more.

Restoration of Warburton's Pocket Park

With a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, William Weber refurbished and improved the Chess and Checkers Vest Pocket Park on Warburton Avenue. He restored the park’s concrete tables, walls and wooden benches, saving resources that wd be used to replace them. William also planted pollinator bushes and bulbs and cared for the existing trees and plants in the park to increase pollinator habitat, provide shelter to wildlife, and improve biodiversity in the village. Finally, he installed a game-lending library, so residents can recycle and reuse boardgames at home and have chess and checker pieces to use at the gameboards in the park. Read more.

Roots of Renewal

Roots of Renewal was founded by Ellie Esposito & Sara Dehgan through Bloomberg Philanthropies' YCAF Grant Program to educate, raise awareness, and provide resources for green practices. In addition to producing educational pamphlets and seedlings to target food waste and sustainable gardening, which the teens made available at the Hastings Farmers' Market, they created a sustainable green garden in the Farmers' Market plaza. This renovation will serve as an enduring enhancement to all who frequent the market or park nearby to catch the train. Read more.

Seedling Society

Gia Levinson and Georgia Schmit wanted to expand pollinator habitat in the Village, so they provided access to native plants to foster the growth of more eco-friendly home gardens of Village residents. Thanks to Bloomberg Philanthropies' YCAF Grant Program, they supplied free seeds and bulbs to help others plant native pollinator gardens themselves. Plant selection included butterfly milkweed, bee balm, echinacea, alliums, and many more. Read more.

Solarizing the Zinsser Greenhouse

Thanks to Bloomberg Philanthropies' YCAF Grant Program, Colin Sexton and  Sam Kastner built upon last year's successes by installing a functioning solar power system onto the greenhouse at the Zinsser Gardens. The system provides energy to irrigate the greenhouse and nearby plots. The greenhouse and irrigation system were both constructed the previous year through YCAF funding, the irrigation system by Colin and friends, and the greenhouse by Sasha Fuller and Eden Greenberg. Read more.

Supporting Monarch Butterfly Populations

With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' YCAF Grant Program, Marcello Gonzalez & Ryan DeMarchis-Bilman installed a garden to support monarch butterflies. Through planting native pollinator plants and milkweed they increased monarch habitat, and by locating the garden on the oft-traveled Old Croton Aqueduct, they provide pollinator education and community access. Read more.

Tiny Gardens

Ella Chiu and Francesca Asher wanted to contribute to Hastings in a way that would both improve the environment and bring joy to its residents. Noticing the lack of biodiversity across downtown, they chose to work on the empty tree pits that had become a site of matted soil and litter. With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' YCAF Grant Program, they installed perennial plants so the gardens come back each year. Introducing greenery and color to the Village's downtown scenery will benefit our ecosystem by promoting biodiversity. Read more.

Zinsser Community Gardens: Sustainable Practices

This project expanded on renewal work completed in Zinsser Community Gardens during the first YCAF round. Thanks to funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' YCAF Grant Program, Sophia Ballard purchased materials eco-friendly materials, with an emphasis on using sustainable materials like redwood or cedar structural lumber for raised garden beds, to build beds and new fencing for the resident gardeners. In addition, Sophia led instructional meetings to show new gardeners how to build beds and fencing in a more sustainable way using  more sustainable materials. Read more.

The RainCycle Project

Jalen Pekkala-Bitterman & Joaquin Toledo-Chae  used their grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climage Action Fund to provide a sustainable water source for the members of Zinsser Community Gardens. They designed and implemented a passive rainwater collection and storage system through custom-constructed gutters, downspouts, and rainbarrels for the newly built Greenhouse for Growth, and used FDA-compliant materials suitable for gardeners growing food. Read more.

Project Rainwater

Thanks to funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' YCAF Grant Program, Devin and Lachlan Muldoon installed a rain garden at Draper Park that includes native plants, decorative features and a permanent educational sign. The project goals are to reduce stormwater runoff, thereby preventing property damage and reducing pollutants in local waters; to support pollinators with native plants; and to educate the public and encourage the installation of additional rain gardens and native plants. Read more.

Repurposing Rainwater Through Rain Barrels to Promote Water Conservation

Alina Abrams and Simrin Eklund erected two rainbarrels, adjacent to two gardens: one at Hillside Elementary School and the other at the Hastings Farmers' Market. Their hope is to inspire those who see it to educate themselves about water conservation and perhaps implement some strategies at home. Read more.

Water-Wise Hastings

Zoe Gonzalez, Yianna Latona, Fiona Casey, and Emerson Swart used funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' YCAF Grant Program to create practical water-capture methods to advance village-wide conservation and stormwater management. They installed a rain barrel at the Hastings Historical Society, planted a shade garden on an overgrown plot, and created a reel and webpage to document the process and demonstrate rain-barrel installation. At the Hastings Farmers Market, they hosted an information stand, spoke with area residents, and raffled off a free barrel. Read more.

Community Reforestation Project

To increase native tree canopy in Hastings, Siri and Hanna Lambert used funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund to offer 16 free trees to Village residents on a first-come, first-served basis. They ordered the trees from Rosedale Nursery and arranged for delivery (residents were responsible for the planting and watering of their trees). They provided information about the trees, including how to plant and care for them, and lent tools (shovels, a wheel barrow, soil, and mulch) to help participants plant their trees. Read more.

Community Tree Planting

With funds from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, Kai Ghalib provided Hillside elementary school students with the opportunity to gain experience and expertise with planting trees, and to add beneficial trees and shrubs to the Sugar Pond area in Hillside Woods. The project thereby beautifies a beloved and frequently used landmark. Kai chose the tree, shrub, and planting locations based on conditions near Sugar Pond, with the aims of helping mitigate flooding, enhancing climate resilience and increasing carbon sequestration in the surrounding environment. Read more.

Microforest for Resiliency

Thanks to a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, Jakob Kessman planted trees and bushes at Zinsser Community Gardens to address the issue of water buildup and clogging, which causes problems for both the plants and the walking paths in the park. He installed species of trees and bushes that will help absorb excess water and reduce flooding in certain areas. This public project will also demonstrate to the community how to use green infrastructure to reduce flood risk. Read more.

Saw Mill River Planting and Restoration

This project planted trees along a section of the Saw Mill River at the intersection of the Saw Mill Parkway and Farragut Parkway in Hastings-on-Hudson. Thanks to funding from  Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, a 10-person youth crew was able to clear an area of invasive plants, install 110 native trees that reflect a variety of species appropriate to the site, and water them during the summer and fall season. Read more. 

Student-Village Vine Squad Collaboration

The goal of this project is to help village-wide efforts to fight invasive vines. With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, Reuben Belasco purchased tools for the Hastings High School Environmental Club and organized two sessions to teach members of the club how to identify and remove invasive plants. In addition, he built bridges between the students and the Hastings Vine Squad. Reuben's YCAF project last year also addressed invasive plants by creating a website and map with information describing what and where they are in Hastings. Read more.

The EcoShed Initiative

With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, Marcus Gelman and friends built a tool shed for the volunteer workers dedicated to ongoing restoration work of the Burke Estate wetlands. They designed the shed to provide a central, organized space for tools and equipment, which have been carted around in Don Erwin's car for every work session. Having completed a YCAF grant last year to build a wildflower garden at Zinsser Gardens, they discovered how rewarding it is to take on a hands-on environmental project that makes a real, visible difference. More info.

Hope Grows

Youth Voices in Environmental Education and Action Mural and Educational Initiative

As an artistic anchor for the Hope Grows Climate Resilience Hub, youth designed and painted a layered mural depicting life above and below ground, ecological cycles, and themes of renewal with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund. The mural serves both aesthetic and educational roles – bringing environmental awareness to life and embedding climate literacy into our space. Read more.

Small Business, Significant Impact

Adelaide Sledge spoke canvassed small businesses to find out how climate change has impacted their bottom line. Small businesses are more than 90% of the business community, and their losses affect the economy at a local level. Her project is the beginning of a long-term public information campaign, for which Adelaide has started using social media accounts. Her online small business survey collected more than 50 reports from business owners, including tallies of financial loss. Read more.

Run It Back

With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, Francesca Molakides set up six collection boxes around town to gather as many used sneakers as possible and send them to gotsneakers.com (a sneaker recycling service). Gotsneakers resells gently used sneakers and recycles parts of well worn sneakers, thereby keeping them out of the waste stream. Francesca also produced educational flyers and hosted a promotional event. Her goal is to raise awareness around the toxic effects of sneakers in landfills and incinerators and to encourage people to start recycling rather than discarding their old sneakers. Read more.

WasteWise

Composting for Change, Recycling Waste into Fresh Growth

With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund, Nate Sollars and Ronan Zweifler constructed two receptacles: one to divert commingled recycling and the other to capture food scraps from Hastings High School's waste stream. They donated the tools they purchased for the project to the school's robotics team, which will enable the team to enhance their robots and strengthen the school's mechanical department. Read more.