Along with New Yorkers for Parks, we recently announced the winners of our Earth Month photo contest, which was held to raise awareness about their Play Fair campaign.
We asked members to post pictures of their favorite park, playground, or other natural area with the hashtag #PlayFair on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The entrants included why the park was important to them in order to raise awareness about the importance of green spaces in New York City.
The best photo overall was of Highland Park Ridgewood Reservoir, at the Brooklyn/Queens border posted by Jessica. She won a certificate for 2 people for an outdoor class or outing, sponsored by REI.
In addition, the following entrants won a reusable bottle, tote bag, and t-shirt for the best photo in their borough:
- Colleen, First Avenue Green Art Park in Manhattan
- Daniel, Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn
- Emily, Concrete Plant Park in the Bronx
- Rowie, Little Bay Park in Queens
Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone who entered our Earth month photo contest!
All the photos captured the importance of parks as recreational resources and environmental infrastructure, showing the need to ensure they have the resources necessary for them to be properly maintained. When New Yorkers help spread their appreciation of parks across social media, it’s a win for the environment.
Parks are one of New York’s most important environmental assets. They help mitigate climate change, provide clean air, serve as habitats for wildlife, and contribute to the well-being of New York residents.
The Play Fair coalition was founded by New Yorkers for Parks, and District Council 37, and NYLCV in February. It is now supported by a super-majority of the City Council and comprised of more than 100 groups. The coalition is raising awareness about insufficient funding for the NYC Parks Department and calls for a $100 million increase in its expense budget. While funding has been made available for capital improvements, inadequate funding has been provided to support the care and maintenance of parks, playgrounds and natural areas. Despite making up 14% of our land area, the NYC Parks Department receives less than 1% of the City’s budget.
The contest is over but the Play Fair campaign is going strong in our push for parks maintenance funding in this year’s city budget.
NYLCV, New Yorkers for Parks, and DC37 are holding a rally on May 14th before the City Council Parks Committee Executive Budget hearing and reiterating our call for an additional $100 million in the City budget for better parks maintenance. We hope you can join us – RSVP here.