Sustainability Weekly
Fridays are for…
Earth Month, Green Building Materials, The Rights of Nature, and more!
by Alli DiGiacomo
Happy Friday and Earth Month! It is not too late to celebrate the Earth this month, and there are still so many great events happening around the city this weekend. (See the list below) Don’t forget about our bike challenge happening this month and next. Biking is a great sustainable way to get outside and around the city this weekend! Every mile counts!
Keep reading for sustainability news…
EARTH MONTH EVENTS 2025
🌎April 25, 10:00AM-2:00PM: Join GrowNYC’s Earth Month Extravaganza at Union Square Greenmarket! Connect and get to know their passionate team and learn about regional agriculture, composting, and environmental action. While you’re at it, shop local at the oldest and largest Greenmarket in New York City!
🌎April 26, 10:00 AM - 4:00PM: Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day offers environmental programming by City agencies and community organizations along the routes to promote activism and education surrounding climate change, sustainability and other relevant topics. All ages, free all day. Citi Bike is offering free 30-minute rides with code "CARFREENYC25” in the app.
🌎April 26, 11:00 AM - 3:00PM: Broadway Celebrates Earth Day. Taking place in Times Square’s Pedestrian Plaza, this free outdoor concert will feature live performances from Broadway stars. Presented by the Broadway Green Alliance, Times Square Alliance, and SUMMIT One Vanderbilt. Location: Times Square’s Pedestrian Plaza
🌎April 26, 12:00-3:00PM: Visit Randall’s Island for the Earth Day Festival, a free, family-friendly event full of activities, live music and art all in the spirit of sustainability. Location: Fields 62/63 & the Urban Farm on Randall’s Island
🌎April 26, 12:30 PM: NYC Breakfast Club x Blue Brown Cafe: Coffee & Walk. A walk to celebrate Earth day for those in their 20’s! Enjoy 10% off your drink at Blue Brown Cafe, freebies, and more! Must RSVP to receive the items. Location: Blue Brown Cafe, 45 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11211
🌎April 27, 12:00PM - 7:00PM: EARTH LOVE FEST by House of Yes brings together creators, artists, performers, speakers, climate experts, ocean conservationists, sustainable designers, and more to share knowledge, open hearts and inspire action to save our environment. All ages & free. Location: 2 Wyckoff Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237, USA
🌎April 29, 4:00-8:00PM: Brooklyn Sustainable Building Resource Fair. Co-sponsored by CM Restler and BK Borough President Reynoso, this event is for buildings of all sizes. Learn about heat pumps, solar, weatherization, HVAC, lighting, electric, renewable energy, green infrastructure, and waste management for your building, as well as monetary incentives, financing, and tax credits to help you do the work. Register Here Location: Borough Hall - 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY
🌎April 1-30th, 9:00AM - 5:00PM: Tangle Teezer x The Elk Earth Month. Throughout April, bring in + recycle your old hairbrush at The Elk (*West Village location only) and swap for a free Tangle Teezer Plant Brush! Plus, enjoy a special collab Strawberry Matcha. Location: 128 Charles Street, New York, NY, 10014
T H I S W E E K ’ S T O P S T O R I E S
WHAT ARE THE RIGHTS OF NATURE?
The “Rights of Nature” movement is a fast-growing global effort to recognize ecosystems and natural entities, such as rivers, forests, and animals, as living beings with legal rights to exist, thrive, and regenerate. The idea is that nature has the right to exist, thrive, and regenerate, just like people or even corporations do, treating them as living beings instead of property people can just use or destroy. It builds on the understanding that humans are deeply interconnected with the natural world and that our survival depends on healthy ecosystems.
The movement has grown worldwide, starting in a small town in Pennsylvania in 2006 and spreading to countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, Panama, India, and more. Ecuador even added nature’s rights to its constitution in 2008, enabling courts to prioritize ecological integrity over industrial interests in several key rulings. Since then, courts there have ruled in favor of protecting endangered species and ecosystems against things like mining and pollution. These laws go further than typical environmental rules because they focus on stopping harm before it happens, instead of just limiting how much damage companies are allowed to do. They are enforced through legal guardians who represent ecosystems in court, following a concept similar to how corporations are represented by lawyers.
Indigenous peoples have been central to this movement, advocating for nature’s rights often at great personal risk. Some industries and politicians worry it could slow down development or lead to more lawsuits, but that has yet to happen. Supporters say it’s not about giving up modern life, but about making sure we don’t destroy the Earth in the process. The movement is also influencing how people think, from the legal world to religion and education. In Ecuador, for example, many young people are growing up believing that nature has rights, which is helping change how society treats the environment.
BIPARTISAN BILL TO BOOST GREEN BUILDING MATERIALS IS PASSED IN THE HOUSE
Congress is pushing forward on support for clean industry projects despite the Trump administration pulling back, including canceling grants and potentially slashing funding for low-carbon cement and concrete. A new bipartisan bill called the IMPACT Act (short for the Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies Act) just passed the House with strong support. The IMPACT Act’s goal is to boost research and deployment of climate-friendly versions of concrete, cement, and asphalt. These materials are big contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, especially cement, which on its own makes up as much as 8% of the world’s carbon output. The bill gives the Department of Energy the green light to fully support clean alternatives, and another bill in the works would let states and cities promise to buy these greener materials in the future, helping startups scale. One example: Massachusetts-based Sublime Systems, which makes low-carbon cement using electricity instead of high-heat kilns, is building a commercial plant thanks to federal support. Other projects across the country, backed by the Energy Department’s under-threat decarbonization office, are doing similar work. This kind of federal investment is crucial, not just for the environment, but for cutting long-term building costs and keeping U.S. industry competitive.
JUDGE RULES WHITE HOUSE MUST UNFREEZE BILLIONS IN CLIMATE FUNDING
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must unfreeze billions of dollars in funding meant for climate and infrastructure projects, which had been paused since Trump’s first day back in office. The funds, originally approved under the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, had been halted by an executive order. Environmental nonprofits sued, arguing the freeze was illegal and harmed critical projects like protecting giant sequoias, improving air quality, and reducing wildfire risks. Judge Mary McElroy, a Trump appointee, agreed with the plaintiffs, saying the freeze was “arbitrary and capricious” and that government agencies can't block laws passed by Congress just to align with a new president’s agenda. Her temporary nationwide injunction is a big win for climate advocates, and forces agencies like the EPA, the Department of Energy, and others to release the funds while the lawsuit continues.
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