PROJECT OVERVIEW 
 
New Yorkers share a common experience of commuting around the city, most 
stereotypically defined by public transportation that acts like a teleport to many 
different contrasting communities either for work, school, or recreational 
purposes. For example, my daily schedule and travels consist of my school 
commute from Battery Park City to Hells Kitchen and my commute to tennis on 
Randall’s Island travelling from Grand Central Station to Harlem. Throughout the 
whole day, I see a variety of different environments and social conditions, 
highlighting those with specific privileges that majority of the city lacks. Although 
many social issues arise such as gentrification, educational and work 
opportunities, housing conditions, local governmental funding, and systematic 
racism, Project Generation EcoEducation was inspired by environmental 
concerns. An image that has always resided with me is a class of elementary 
students walking through sewage air exhausts and then taken down into a train 
station. As a result, the hope that students like me grasp onto allows us to believe 
that New Yorkers are genuinely uneased by similar images. Most of us, especially 
those with the financial capabilities, choose to live in the city known for its hustle 
and bustle, the bright lights and loud noise, and endless opportunities, and 
hopefully, all of us would like to make our home a better setting for not only 
future generations but humans today. Furthermore, thinking about this image 
has encouraged me to reform the way kids view the environment around them 
and what they perceive as the communal norm. As a result, I related my own 
commute and exposure to a wide range of neighborhoods such as the industrial, 
construction-infested, and materialistic surroundings of Beacon, initiating 
personal concern with schools that lack access to sustainable parks with “healthy 
air” and green playgrounds. Living in NYC, everyone is exposed to toxic fumes 
from construction, garbage, traffic, carbon emissions, air, and light pollution, and 
it’s extremely important to shed light on those individuals encounter 
environments like these more than others. 

“People who live in poor neighborhoods suffer disproportionately from health 

issues related to poor air quality. ​A 2011 report​ found that PM 2.5-attributable 
asthma emergency department visit rates were ​more than three times higher 
among children in high poverty neighborhoods… ​The city recently estimated that 
up to ​2,700 premature deaths a year​ could be attributed to fine particulate 
matter and ozone in the air—more than ​eight times the number of murders​ that 
took place in 2013… One important measure of air quality is the amount of fine 
particulate matter that can be found in the air. ​PM 2.5​ are small particles that are 
two and a half microns or less in width and are produced by vehicle exhaust, fuel 
combustion, power plants and other sources. These small particles can travel 
deep into the respiratory tract and contribute to health conditions ranging from 
coughing or lung irritation to chronic bronchitis and cardiovascular hospital 
admissions​.” 1

SOLUTION ​&​ CAMPAIGN FEATURES  

This campaign features a greenhouse over (first) underprivileged elementary 

schools (due to financial limitations) without access to parks and sustainable 
playgrounds. This greenhouse would have healthy levels of CO2 and oxygen like 
any other, along with lots of green space and plants, eco-friendly playgrounds, a 
small scale animal barn compromised of fish, chicken, rabbits, and other 
classroom pets, and a garden on the building’s roof with its own separate 
greenhouse to provide the cafeteria with its own vegetables and fruits. A team 
dedicated to Project Generation EcoEducation would be assigned to each school 
to hold science classes and recess in this environment (along with all other class 
subjects to experience learning outside the classroom) to help kids understand 
ecosystems, green sustainability, and preservation of our dying Earth.  

1
​Jeremy Hinsdale. “​By the Numbers: Air Quality and Pollution in New York City.” ​State of the Planet. ​Columbia
University: June 6, 2016. ​http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2016/06/06/air-quality-pollution-new-york-city/
INTENT ​&​ IMPACT 

The goal of Project Generation EcoEducation is to give elementary students a 

strong foundation for what it means to be global citizens. In teaching them about 
ecosystems, sustainability, and healthy interactions, I hope to create a future 
generation and promote today’s that would reform government policies and the 
way politicians treat climate change. The main step towards this is education 
which always prevails ignorance. In each interview, a common theme of relying 
more and reliable information was brought up. Mr. Miller, Alan, and Lucas, a 
teacher, a high school student, and a middle school student, all suggested 
having more classes based on environmental problems, the drasticity of them, 
and how we can prolong the Earth’s survival, solutions such as compost projects, 
less usage of cars, more public service requirements to clean up littered streets, 
planting trees, and monitoring climate change on a regular basis. Mr. Miller 
interestingly added that this would combat fake news, along with arguments of 
climate change denial. Another high school student, Emil, on the other hand, said 
to entice kids with educational yet fun cartoons to spark interests they would 
relate to. Consequently, each interviewee spoke on the subject of activism and 
acting on political topics in order to save our planet, such as contacting local 
legislators and congressmen, discuss concurrent issues to avoid desensitization, 
voting, and sharing information through social media.  

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Jeremy Hinsdale. “​By the Numbers: Air Quality and Pollution in New York City.” ​State of the
Planet. ​Columbia University: June 6, 2016.
http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2016/06/06/air-quality-pollution-new-york-city/