Sharon’s story shows what’s possible when neighbors come together to care for their streets. Help us support more community leaders like her by donating to our Trees Please Fall Fundraiser! Help us raise $23,000 by October 11 to help NYC residents and neighborhoods.
For the past two years, Big Reuse has been lucky to partner with Sharon Pinsker, a local therapist in Kensington, along with students from NYU, to bring neighbors together around tree care and composting. Sharon’s dedication is a reminder that small acts of care can spark something much bigger, helping New York City’s streets become greener, cooler, and more connected.
When Sharon first moved into her Kensington’s office, she noticed an elder named Joe who lovingly looked after the tree beds on her block. She notes, “For a while, I thought the buildings had gotten together to pay him for his work; but I later learned that he was doing it as a volunteer because it made him feel good. I am not sure if Joe passed or was just unable to continue, but his absence was immediately noted in the condition of the tree beds.” Without Joe, Sharon saw how quickly the tree beds began to decline. Wanting to honor his example, she decided to step in and find a way to help. “I began making some calls,” she remembers, “and the kind folks at Council Member Rita Joseph’s office put me in touch with Big Reuse. I had known about the Big Reuse Center as a place to donate and shop and was so impressed by their other environmental work.” That new connection clicked right away. Seeing that Big Reuse was already helping to protect and rescue NYC’s street trees made Sharon even more eager to get involved.
Since then, Sharon has been a key partner in our street tree events. She shares:
“Big Reuse epitomizes the best of community. Everyone I’ve met has been so kind, thoughtful, and competent. They infuse this energy into their projects and help to bring diverse groups of people together to work on improving the health of the city, and us. Recently some students from New York University joined us in our efforts. It was delightful to see our young folks leaving their phones in an office and chatting and working with each other and elders from the community. It was actually pretty inspiring.”
For Sharon, the experience has been truly enlightening. She explains:
“Big Reuse staff have helped us understand that street trees do more than just look nice. They taught us about the urban heat island effect and how trees can help us all stay cooler. A number of us were pretty shocked to hear that trees sweat!”
Sharon’s work with Big Reuse has given her a whole new perspective on the value of street trees. She’s learned that they do much more than make a block beautiful; they help keep the city healthy and resilient. One lesson that stood out was the urban heat island effect and how trees keep neighborhoods cooler. Just as important, Sharon and her neighbors came to see “how trees can help prevent our sewers from backing up and prevent the flooding that is becoming more common in our city,” Sharon explains.
We are grateful to have Sharon as part of our community and look forward to continuing this important work together, one tree bed at a time.
If you’d like to come out and volunteer with us, check out our list of upcoming street care events here! Want to care for your own street trees? You can watch our tree care workshop and download our tree care guide in English or Spanish to get started. All of these resources are available on the Street Tree Care page on our website.
Blog Post written by NYSERDA Fellow Tatiana Guerra