Taking Liberty

Anandi A. Premlall

I was born in Georgetown,

Guyana and spent my first formative years exploring

this tropical paradise.

The imported produce found in

local shops and grocery stores

cannot match the accessibility, flavor

and freshness of fruits ripe off the trees and street

markets in Guyana.

My family immigrated to Queens, New

York when I was five years old.

Visible changes have occurred

during these last 30 years

of living in Southern Queens.

SustyQ (Sustainable Queens) focuses on inspiring

AWE (Art, Wellness and Ecology) as a way of creating community and

establishing self-sufficient and nurturing spaces.

Welcome to my community!

Looking South on Lefferts Boulevard and Liberty Avenue.

Overflowing garbage bins

can be witnessed on

any given day along

Liberty Avenue

Residents are not surprised by the

excess trash.

Unfortunately, these sightings

have become the norm.

Even in the absence of waste bins,

community trash has found a clever

way to gather around

light posts.

Richmond HIll is not only rich in culture and a

diverse community, it is

rich in bothorganic and inorganic

waste.

Even tree beds are not safe from

trash accumulation.

Weeds sprouting up around street

trees have become the keepers of

debris.

The sight of sunflowers and

fatty bees thriving

around the way give us hope

for greener community.

What is missing in my community and

on Liberty Avenue?

Why Trees?

A walk in the woods reduces the level of stress chemicals in the body and increases natural killer cells in the immune system,

which fight tumors and viruses.

Why Trees?

More trees in urban neighborhoods correlate with a lower incidence of asthma.

What else is missing?

Why Flowers and Plants?

Studies in inner cities show that anxiety, depression and even crime are lower in a

landscaped environment.

What else could my community benefit from?

Why Seats?

Street seating give elders, busy parents, and commuters a chance to sit down, relax, eat,

and meet their neighbors.

SustyQ is Taking Liberty byGuerrilla Gardening on Liberty Avenue!

SustyQ is armed and ready to get dirty!

Our Susty Queens enjoy getting

down and dirty!

All it takes to make a

difference in our

community is a few tools,

two hands, and a big

Before

Cement

After

Daffodils + DIRT!!!

Nothing is more beautiful

and magical

than the first signs of life -- tiny shoots of green popping

out of the ground!

Our daffodils survived Sandy and the winter!

Despite constant efforts to Keep it Clean, our

bins overfloweth.

Residents are ashamed to bring family

and friends to the

neighborhood.

Our immigrant communities are crying out for a

solution.

These two tree beds in

front of TD Bank

are going to be filled with pops

of gorgeous, bright yellow daffodils very

soon!

Perhaps the presence of

sunny daffodils will prevent bike riders

from parking their bikes in

the tree bed in front of

Mc Donalds.

It's evident that the containers from fast

food and take-out restaurants, delis,

as well as household and business waste,

will still keep growing until

recycling education and bins are

provided for our community.

Community Board 10's efforts

to install new trash bins are necessary and appreciated.

Still, more needs to be done to

address the waste problem on

Liberty Avenue.

We have a vision for what's coming next on Liberty Avenue and Southern

Queens!

The dream of a tree-lined Liberty Avenue may come true after Million Trees NYC surveys

the area this spring!

Native plants, herbs and colorful wildflowers will populate patches of dirt and dress up naked streets.

Doesn't this look welcoming and refreshing?

Bioswales and native plants help with flooding, pollution, and attracting pollinators.

Repurposing waste into lush planters to bring some greenery to the hood.

We're working with the local carpentry union to repurpose planks into benches and tree guards.

We are also exploring

creative and alternative

solutions for seating options

around the community.

Growing and installing beds of flowers with our interactive community initiative: Project Marigold

Why does SustyQ care?

Why do we continue to do what we do?

There are 50% less crimes committed in and around streets

surrounded by

trees and flowers.

Boost for local economy:

People go out of their way to visit "forested" urban shopping districts—and

pay more for goods and services.

Public green spaces naturally clean the environment.

The urban forest canopy can save municipal government more than $1 million a year in pollution mitigation.

Most importantly, green spaces are beautiful.

Much Thanks to Our Funders!

Much Thanks to Our Partners!

We Are Grateful for Our Friends!