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    • 2 min read

Out-of-Office & Eco-Friendly Volunteering in NYC

While New York City is known for being a concrete jungle, the hot summer days are the perfect time to experience its hidden and refreshing greenery. From gardening and cleaning up parks to beautifying overlooked areas, there are so many opportunities for your corporate team to spend time in nature and away from the office this summer – all while helping the city’s parks and gardens flourish!

Here are some eco-friendly volunteer experiences that will allow you to explore the beauty of the city while supporting the organizations that keep it that way:

Preserve an East Village park


Photo by Gartenmoebel.de on Unsplash


If you’re interested in conserving a historical wildlife habitat while learning more about the ecology of New York City and having a fun day outdoors with your team, consider cleaning up a park in the East Village. You will work together with your team to remove harmful plants from the park, while also learning more about the significance of ecology in environmental preservation. You will even get the opportunity to taste some of the unique, edible plants that are grown on the shores, such as beach plum and eastern black nightshade. 

Lend a helping hand at Van Cortlandt Park

Are you missing the woods and mountains? Spend an afternoon restoring the beautiful forest and hiking trails of Van Cortlandt Park. This is an especially great way to explore the greenery of New York, as it is not every day that you encounter such a green and vast area of nature in the city. This experience will not only allow the area to flourish, but will also support the environmental education of over 6,500 people yearly.

Revitalize a community garden in East Harlem

It’s true — East Harlem has a hidden gardening culture. You can connect with the environment there by volunteering at a community garden. Through hands-on groundskeeping and spending time with the neighborhood green-thumbs, you and your coworkers can spend an afternoon exposed to the greenery of NYC while supporting the wellness and community of East Harlem residents.

Beautify Hunts Point Riverside Park

Through gardening activities such as weeding, planting, and mulching, your team can help beautify a boat launching area near the Bronx River. This area is used by a South Bronx youth empowerment program that teaches young people how to work together through the process of boat building. 

 

Summer is one of the most enjoyable times to be outdoors, and there is no better time to give back to your community than the present. While all of these experiences are amazing ways to spend time outdoors in the city, this list contains just a handful of them. If you are interested in getting involved in these activities and finding even more valuable experiences for your team, Visit.org can help! Email impact@visit.org to get started.

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