Spence School Library: Upper School: Service Learning: Environmental & Animal Issues

NYC Research Orgs.

These are research organizations studying the issues in NYC. Use these resources to learn more about the magnitude of the issue, the underlying causes, and possible solutions.

Urban Open Spaces

New York Times: Focusing on Lesser-Known Open Spaces in New York
Published in 2014. Includes links to local parks and open spaces organizations.
NYC Parks
Parks Department annual reports and press releases.
New York Restoration Project
"NYRP is dedicated to transforming open space in under-resourced communities to create a greener, more sustainable New York City."
Central Park Conservancy
"Central Park Conservancy raises 75% of Central Park's annual Parkwide expense budget and is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and operations of the Park."
New Yorkers for Parks
"New Yorkers for Parks conducts research and develops tangible policy recommendations around our findings related to park development, management and sustainability."

Animals

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
"Our organization provides local and national leadership."
Animal Care Centers of New York City
Includes information about laws.
Committee on Animals and the Law
Information from the New York State Bar Association
Human Society of New York City
"Caring for animals in need when illness, injury or homelessness strikes."
Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals
Progress reports.

NYC Service Orgs.

This is a small list of organizations working in NYC. Be sure to use the service organization directories on the main page to locate more NYC organizations.

Environmental

Central Park Conservancy
"Central Park Conservancy raises 75% of Central Park's annual Parkwide expense budget and is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and operations of the Park."
Friends of Governors Island
"The Friends of Governors Island is an independent nonprofit that works to ensure the Island’s continued growth and accessibility as a vibrant public resource."
Grow NYC
"GrowNYC is a hands-on non-profit which improves New York City's quality of life through environmental programs that transform communities block by block and empower all New Yorkers to secure a clean and healthy environment for future generations."
Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance
"The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is an alliance of over 800 organizations with ties to our regional waterways. Together we are working to transform the waters of New York and New Jersey Harbor into clean and accessible places to learn, work and play."
Million Trees NYC
"MillionTreesNYC, one of the 132 PlaNYC initiatives, is a citywide, public-private program with an ambitious goal: to plant and care for one million new trees across the City's five boroughs over the next decade."
MoreGardens!
"The More Gardens! Coalition is a group of community people, community gardeners, and environmental and social justice activists, rooted in arts, promoting the development and preservation of community gardens as well as the cultivation of fallow land in New York City."
New York Restoration Project
"NYRP is dedicated to transforming open space in under-resourced communities to create a greener, more sustainable New York City."
New Yorkers for Parks
"New Yorkers for Parks conducts research and develops tangible policy recommendations around our findings related to park development, management and sustainability."
Randall’s Island Park Alliance, Inc. (RIPA)
"The Randall’s Island Park Alliance, Inc. (RIPA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works with the City of New York and local communities to provide an innovative and exciting destination through a wide range of sports venues, cultural events and environmental exploration."
The River Project
"Hudson River Park’s River Project conducts research and offers hands-on environmental education and scientific programming with the purpose of communicating the ecological importance of the Park’s 400-acre Estuarine Sanctuary."
Riverside Park Conservancy
"The mission of the Riverside Park Conservancy is to restore, maintain, and improve Riverside Park in partnership with the City of New York for the enjoyment and benefit of all New Yorkers."
Project Eats
"To achieve its mission of a fair society, Project EATS is a neighborhood-based project that uses art, urban agriculture, partnerships, and social enterprise to sustainable produce and equitable distribute essential resources within and between our communities. Especially those where people live on working class and low-incomes."
WE ACT for Environmental Justice
t is well-documented that some of the most polluted environments in America are where people of color live, work, play, and pray. WE ACT was started in 1988 when three fearless community leaders saw that environmental racism was rampant in their West Harlem neighborhood, and they demanded community-driven, political change.

Animal Care

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
"ASPCA was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world."
Animal Care & Control of New York City (AC&C)
"The largest pet rescue organization in the North East, with an estimated number of 30,000 animals rescued each year."
Animal Haven
"Animal Haven is a nonprofit organization that finds homes for abandoned cats and dogs throughout the Tri-State area, and provides behavior intervention when needed to improve chances of adoption."
Best Friends New York
"Best Friends–New York works together with you to save the lives of pets in shelters in New York City and the surrounding tri-state area."
Bideawee
"For more than 100 years, Bideawee has been the leading pet welfare organization serving metropolitan New York and Long Island."
Mighty Mutts & Ollie's Place
"All-volunteer no-kill organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating the strays of New York City."
Social Tees Animal Rescue (S.T.A.R.)
"Social Tees Animal Rescue (S.T.A.R.) is a not-for-profit, strictly no-kill 501c3 organization that takes abandoned animals from kill shelters and provides them with a safe haven and veterinary care until they are placed in proper homes."
WCS Central Park Zoo Volunteer Program
"The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), founded in 1895, has the clear mission to save wildlife and wild places across the globe."

Upper School: Service Learning: Environmental & Animal Issues

NYC Resources: Environmental & Animal Issues

Urban Open Spaces

Animals

Environmental

Animal Care