How Radical Gardeners Took Back New York City
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology, History, Health
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Vox
What it is
- This video from Vox tells the stories of two influential women in New York, Hattie Carthan and Liz Christy, who worked tirelessly to improve their communities through gardening and greening abandoned urban areas.
- It provides the historical context for these events and the present-day benefits that remain for these urban communities.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The interviews, maps, historical footage, and photographs make this video tangible and impactful.
- It highlights women, immigrant communities, communities of color, and low-income communities.
Prerequisites
- There are ads before and during the video.
- The video content ends at 11 minutes, 53 seconds.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Social studies, history, and civics classes can use this video when discussing redlining, the lack of trees and parks in low-income neighborhoods, and gentrification.
- Though briefly noted in the video, teachers may want to address the importance of spreading seeds for native and noninvasive plants.
- Teachers and students can discuss the health benefits and carbon sequestration services provided by trees and green spaces.
- Advanced students can explore this Google Earth resource about urban heat islands and come up with solutions that could be applied to the northeastern United States.
- To explore this topic further, consider using these StC lesson plans about redlining and green spaces and this video about the benefits of urban trees.
From the scientist review
This resource is a 13-minute video that presents an inspirational discussion about ways in which marginalized communities in New York City worked hard to prevent overdevelopment within their neighborhoods and worked to form and preserve community gardens. This is an interesting look at a particular chapter in U.S. history and is recommended for teaching.
Ready to use it?
Hosted on youtube.com
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
