BBG is hiring: Could you be a Greenest Block in Brooklyn judge?

[Nina Browne]

Brooklyn Botanic Garden's legendary gardening contest needs first-round judges! Please check out the job description below... but in a nutshell, you are driven around, you are fed, and you have a chance to enjoy the amazing streetscape gardening that is happening at the grassroots of Brooklyn — from front yards and community gardens to hell strips and street tree beds... window boxes, too! Be on the lookout for use of native plants and regenerative practices. Judging takes place on weekdays only (no weekends), begins June 9, and finishes no later than June 27th.

Please spread the word and thanks! 
Nina

Greenest Block in Brooklyn Judges (Temporary)

Start Date: June 9  Compensation: $22 per hour, plus daily lunch expenses.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden is looking for two horticulturists to work as judges for the first round of the 2025 Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest. We expect 100–150 blocks to enter. Judging this contest is a great way to learn about the diverse neighborhoods of Brooklyn and its many environments. Orientation and training of judges will be provided beforehand.

Responsibilities/Duties

• First-round judges work in a team of two and are driven block to block by BBG staff, which coordinates the contest. Expect to work 8 hours and cover around 15 blocks per day (more or less depending on the number of entrants).
• Judges evaluate each block based on established criteria, complete and turn in score sheets at the end of each day, and tabulate results at the end of the first round of judging.
• Judges also photograph exceptional window boxes, street tree beds, storefronts, and community garden streetscapes for further judging.

Qualifications/Requirements

• Knowledge about appropriate plantings for city residential and commercial blocks
• Interest/experience in community horticulture. Experience with native plants a plus.
• Detail oriented in filling out forms.
• High energy!

Additional Information

Email or mail letter stating interest and qualifications to:

Jibreel Cooper
Community Program Manager
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
1000 Washington Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225

Contact Information

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Contact Name: Jibreel Cooper
Email: jco...@bbg.org
Phone: 718-623-7385 (office phone)

Nina Browne

Community Field Manager

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

nbr...@bbg.org

(718) 623-7209 (ofc)

she/they

 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Bloom! 

Don’t miss spring in the Garden. 

@brooklynbotanic | bbg.org/spring 

[Browne, Nina]

Hi Elizabeth,

Here's some advice BBG has been sharing for years:

In Linda Yang’s book Town and City Gardener (Random House), according to a NYC building department inspector, window boxes must “appear to be no more hazardous than a carefully installed window air conditioner.” BE SURE TO FASTEN BOXES SAFELY so the window box cannot TIP OVER or SLIDE OFF the sill. By the end of summer the box will be very top heavy with plants and could fall out of your window.

I'm curious to hear if anyone else has advice to share.

Best of luck,

Nina

Nina Browne

Community Field Manager

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

nbr...@bbg.org

(718) 623-7209 (ofc)

she/they

 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Bloom! 

Don’t miss spring in the Garden. 

@brooklynbotanic | bbg.org/spring 

---

From: Elizabeth Goetz <ebg...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 9, 2025 3:47 PM
To: Browne, Nina <nbr...@bbg.org>
Cc: NYC Community Composting <nyc-communit...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: window boxes

 

You don't often get email from ebg...@gmail.com. Learn why this is important

Hi folks, does anyone on this list know where to find information on the legality of window boxes in NYC? My partner installed 3 window boxes in our fourth-floor apartment according to safety specifications he found from Grow NYC, but now our landlord is giving us a hard time and claiming they're unsafe. We know they're safe, but we want to make sure our landlord doesn't dismantle them.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer!

All best,

Liz Goetz 

[e b]

I used to grow on my wide windowsill for many many years. Just recently everything on my windowsill was evicted by my landlord - our building is under inspection for many things, especially windows.

Here's how to join a community garden and grow in the ground. https://www.nycgovparks.org/greenthumb/

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NYC Community Composting" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to nyc-community-comp...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/nyc-community-composting/SJ0P220MB06348B14C0731D7A4A5EA370A4B42%40SJ0P220MB0634.NAMP220.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.

[Elizabeth Goetz]