Annual Day of Action

ActionCultureNews

ARO is committed to an annual Day of Action as a way to connect with our local communities, distribute our labor to a community-serving organization, and spend time together as a full team!

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Photograph of a group people wearing volunteer shirts in a park
ARO at Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2022.

Since 2023, ARO has volunteered with Fort Greene Park Conservancy, which nurtures our neighborhood park as a “public space that puts community first—protecting everyone’s right to belong, organize, and connect with nature.” Over the years, the team has learned about the Park’s history; assisted in erosion mitigation efforts; supported plant health and growth, from new seeds to the historic elm trees; and general park maintenance, raking leaves, spreading compost, and clearing glass from the trails.

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  • Photograph of people shoveling a pile of mulch into wheelbarrows
    For Day of Action 2023, ARO volunteered with Fort Greene Park Conservancy.
  • Photograph of people raking
  • Photograph of people and wheelbarrows in a park
  • People carrying leaves in a park.
  • People standing with landscaping tools in a park.

For our second annual Day of Action, ARO completed a clean-up with Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. At Pier 1 Salt Marshes, the team raked and disposed of dead marsh grass to allow for new growth, and collected trash that had accumulated in the area. Salt marshes were once common across the Northeast coasts and provide a critical habitat for ducks, birds, crustaceans, and bivalves. ARO has a special connection to Brooklyn Bridge Park, having designed three projects in the Park over the past decade.

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Group picture of ARO team members at GrowNYC's Governor' Island Teaching Garden
ARO at GrowNYC's teaching garden on Governors Island in 2021.

In 2021, ARO held its inaugural Day of Action volunteering with GrowNYC, a local nonprofit working to secure a clean and healthy environment for future generations of New Yorkers. We volunteered in person at their Governors Island Teaching Garden, a one-acre urban farm where NYC students learn to plant, water, harvest, and cook the garden’s wide array of vegetables, herbs, and fruits. Remote employees helped GrowNYC read grant applications from community groups across the city for publicly accessible gardens.

Collectively, we:

  • Contributed over 80 hours of volunteer time
  • Cleared out a mugwort infestation from plant beds, walking paths, and a long stretch of the main road
  • Moved 100 sand bags to help protect plantings for the winter season
  • Reviewed 6 applications for new community gardens across the city
  • Deconstructed and rebuilt 1 bench

 

Read more about ARO’s actions and initiatives.