ENVIRONMENT

Promoting Climate Justice and Sustainability Solutions

El Puente researches, implements, and advocates for environmental justice and sustainability solutions to mitigate climate risk and confront the historically disproportionate impact of environmental harm on BIPOC, immigrant, and working-class communities. Our approach integrates environmental, housing, transit, health, and economic justice to build resilient, thriving neighborhoods rooted in equity and self-determination.

THE GREEN LIGHT DISTRICT

INITIATIVES

EL PUENTE PUERTO RICO

BQE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COALITION

COMMUNITY TECH LAB

The Green Light District

At the heart of our environmental work is El Puente’s Green Light District (GLD), a pioneering model for community-led sustainability and development. First envisioned by our founder, Luis Garden Acosta, GLD is a long-term placekeeping strategy designed to reverse the displacement and disempowerment caused by gentrification. Rather than responding to extractive, profit-driven development, the GLD centers the needs, culture, and leadership of long-standing residents of South Williamsburg (Los Sures).

The Green Light District is not just a program—it is a living blueprint for what sustainable, just, and rooted development can look like. The initiative brings together community members, youth, artists, educators, and organizers to co-create a neighborhood that nurtures both people and planet. It operates on the belief that environmental justice cannot be siloed—it must move in tandem with education, cultural expression, health, housing, and civic power.


Through GLD and our broader environmental work, we focus on:

  • Air Quality and Public Health: Supporting citizen science and youth-led research that advocates for cleaner air and accountability in city infrastructure

  • Urban Greening and Food Sovereignty: Expanding access to green spaces, revitalizing community gardens, and providing environmental education programs across our leadership centers

  • Climate Justice Education: Facilitating bilingual workshops, school partnerships, and youth campaigns on climate resilience and emergency preparedness

  • Sustainable Infrastructure Advocacy: Partnering with residents to push for just transit, equitable green building, and climate-safe housing solutions

Our environmental initiatives are designed to not only improve material conditions, but to strengthen belonging, interdependence, and community ownership in the face of environmental and economic transformation.

Whether through planting trees, creating murals that speak to climate displacement, advocating for just energy policy, or organizing for local composting, El Puente’s environmental justice work reaffirms that the future must be shaped by those who live it.

BQE Environmental Justice Coalition

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) is more than just a highway. It is a living symbol of environmental racism, destructive urban planning, and generational harm to Black, Brown, and immigrant communities across Brooklyn and Queens. El Puente is proud to be a founding member and leading voice within the BQE Environmental Justice Coalition (BQE EJC), a growing alliance of more than 20 grassroots, cultural, advocacy, and environmental organizations dedicated to transforming this corridor into a place of healing, reconnection, and justice.

The BQE EJC formed in December 2023 with a shared vision: to dismantle the status quo of harmful infrastructure and demand a bold, community-led, environmentally just future for the BQE corridor. Since its launch with a joint letter to city and state agencies, the coalition has become a powerful force pushing for accountability, transparency, and transformative change.


We are united by the belief that our communities deserve clean air, safe streets, public green space, cultural preservation, and a say in the decisions that shape our neighborhoods. We work across neighborhoods and boroughs to ensure that no community is left behind in conversations about transit, land use, and development.

Coalition Members

Current members include:

  • El Puente

  • UPROSE

  • NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA)

  • Riders Alliance

  • Red Hook Initiative (RHI)

  • Cobble Hill Association (CHA)

  • Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA)

  • 350Brooklyn

  • St. Nicks Alliance

  • Open Plans

  • Woodside on the Move

  • Make Justice Normal

  • North Brooklyn Neighbors

  • Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC)

  • DUMBO Neighborhood Alliance

  • And growing...

We don’t just want to mitigate harm—we want to reclaim our land, our air, and our right to shape the future. Our coalition is working toward a People’s Plan for the BQE that includes:

  • Reconnecting communities split by the highway

  • Investing in air and noise pollution remediation

  • Stopping highway expansion and last-mile freight hubs

  • Centering land justice, reparations, and anti-displacement strategies

  • Transforming the BQE into community-centered infrastructure

Community Tech Lab

We have partnered together with CTNY in an effort to resolve the issue of digital inequality present in our communities.

We are working towards this goal through the use of education. It is our belief that the best way to fight digital inequality is through education. That way we empower our community members to take things into their own hands and apply important skills in their daily lives.

Some of our programming at the Community Tech Lab includes:

Community Workshops

At El Puente, we believe in the power of community education. Our Community Workshops provide a space for individuals to come together and learn valuable skills that can be applied in their daily lives. From digital literacy to wireless networking, our workshops cover a wide range of topics designed to empower our community members.

Digital Stewardship Program

As technology continues to shape our world, it’s important to stay up-to-date and confident in our digital skills. At El Puente, we’re proud to offer the Digital Stewardship Program, a unique opportunity to become an active user of the internet and technology. Through our program, you’ll gain the knowledge and tools to navigate the digital landscape with ease. Join us and unlock endless possibilities in the digital realm. Let’s bridge the gap together.

Discotechs

Are you looking to elevate your tech skills in a fun and engaging way? Look no further than Discotechs at El Puente! Join us for a unique blend of education and entertainment, where you’ll learn valuable digital skills while grooving to the beat. Our expert instructors will guide you through hands-on workshops, covering everything from coding to graphic design. Get ready to shine on the dance floor and in the digital realm. Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind experience. Sign up today!