Trust For Governors Island And The New York Climate Exchange Announce Climate Week Programming

The Trust for Governors Island and The New York Climate Exchange announced today a schedule of more than 35 Climate Week activities taking place on Governors Island (just an hour from Harlem).

Featured climate-focused programs include guided sustainability tours, film screenings, tech showcases, writing and storytelling workshops, and more. Events announced today highlight Governors Island’s transformation as a growing resource for research and innovation in equitable climate solutions for New York City and the world.

“Our administration is setting the pace in the fight against climate change, activating $725 million in public investments to support the Harbor Climate Collaborative, building out our workforce to host 400,000 green jobs by 2040, and launching the Climate Exchange on Governors Island in the middle of New York Harbor,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “I am excited to see this robust week of programming from the Trust for Governors Island and the New York Climate Exchange to preview the innovative resources, events, and curriculum that will be brought to the island through this once-in-a-generation partnership.”

“Each year, Climate Week NYC offers a remarkable opportunity to witness firsthand how New York City is leading the fight against climate change and building a stronger, more equitable, and more resilient city,” said Clare Newman, President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. “Our calendar of events—Governors Island’s biggest Climate Week offering to date—highlights programming from the Trust, the Exchange, and the vibrant community of climate-focused tenants and partners here on the Island, shining a light on this extraordinary space’s evolution as a hub for urban climate solutions.” 

“Climate Week NYC attracts a global audience, and I’m excited that this year we’re creating a new “go-to” location and climate week experience,” said Stephen Hammer, CEO of The New York Climate Exchange. “Visitors can participate in discussions about the latest climate policy and finance discussions, meet dozens of climate tech entrepreneurs, and learn how innovators are trying to engage the public on climate issues through an arts and culture lens. Our programming will offer a sense of what we’ll do on a much bigger scale once our full Governors Island campus is operational in 2028.” 

In April 2023, Mayor Eric Adams and the Trust announced The Exchange as the anchor research and educational partner for Governors Island’s climate initiatives. The Exchange, a new nonprofit initiative established by Stony Brook University and a consortium of universities, businesses, and nonprofit organizations, will create a state-of-the-art, $700-million campus on Governors Island. This facility will be dedicated to educational programming, research, climate tech incubation, and policy work aimed at advancing climate action in New York City and elsewhere around the world.  The full campus is scheduled to open to the public in 2028, but Exchange programming has already launched on Governors Island and around the city.

Climate Week NYC 2024 events on Governors Island are organized by the Trust, the Island’s community of partners and tenants, and The Exchange and its core partners. Events will take place across Governors Island, including at a new community convening space inside the former Our Lady Star of the Sea—a deconsecrated former military chapel located in the Island’s Historic District that features Church, Shantell Martin’s popular public artwork commissioned through Governors Island Arts, on its façade. This historic building has recently undergone upgrades to create an accessible indoor space for community events on Governors Island.

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A full schedule of events and presenting organizations can be found below and online at www.govisland.org/climate-week, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. 

Climate Week NYC on Governors Island Schedule:

ONGOING: Other of Pearl, Jenny Kendler Governors Island Arts and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) Open Wednesday-Sunday through October 31 in Fort Jay

Public art installation that tells the story of the extractive histories that form the origin stories of the climate and environmental crisis, while considering the oyster and whale as central players in an ecological entanglement between human and nonhuman beings, waterways, and flows of capital. Through seven delicate works, the artist confronts contemporary environmental issues—climate change, ocean noise, chemical pollution, biodiversity loss, and sea level rise—while pointing towards the cultural structures that have allowed these catastrophes to occur.

ONGOING: Sari Carel: A More Perfect Circle, KODA Open Friday-Sunday through October 31 in Colonels Row Building 407B

Artist and activist Sari Carel presents a series of ceramic sculptures inspired by the single-use coffee cup, uncovering a sense of powerlessness and conflict about a choice at the center of a daily routine. This public art installation explores what happens to this item when tossed into the trash can, and why we take it for granted.

ONGOING: [SUN] Flower Waves, Harvestworks Open Friday-Sunday through October 31 in Nolan Park Building 10A

This digital media installation by Victoria Vesna in collaboration with Walter Gekelman explores the harmonious interaction between sunflowers and Alfvén waves, demonstrating how art and science converge to reveal deeper understandings.

September 21, 1-4PM: Play is Power: Design Your Own Climate Game, Climate Imaginarium Colonels Row Building 406A

In this series of consecutive, hour-long workshops, participants will be guided step-by-step through the process of designing their very own Climate Game: a tabletop, role-playing, or outdoor game that explores a climate issue of their choosing. 

September 21, 10AM-12PM & 2-4PM: Melting Metropolis & Community Sponsor Lab Walk, Wellcome Trust & The New York Climate Exchange

September 22, 1-3PM: Earth, Wind, and Water demonstration, Earth Matter NY Urban Farm

Discover the role organic matter plays in water retention, erosion control, and carbon sequestration.

September 22, 1-4PM: Day of Action / Engagement, NYU & New York Climate Exchange 

September 22, 2-2:30PM: Climate Week Seed Collecting, The Bee Conservancy Urban Farm

Collect seeds with the Bee Conservancy at their Bee Sanctuary on Governors Island’s Urban Farm—participants will get seed collecting tips, learn about seed stratification and germination, and hear how climate and its changes impact the bee and plant species on Governors Island and beyond.

September 22-25, 5-7PM: Climate Week Walking Tours, Billion Oyster Project Nolan Park Building 16

Join a Climate Week walking tour to explore Billion Oyster Project’s vibrant efforts in restoring New York Harbor’s oyster reefs and their impact on combating climate change.

September 23, 9-11AM: New Recommendations for Climate Actions in Cities from ARC3.3, Urban Climate Change Research Network & New York Climate Exchange (by invitation only)

September 23, 12-3PM: Extreme Heat Survival Through a Public Health Lens: Introducing Project HEATWAVE (Part1), NYU & The New York Climate Exchange (by invitation only)

September 23, 3-4:30PM: Ready Set Act! An Ethical Framework for a Rapidly Changing Climate Community, American Geophysical Union & New York Climate Exchange (by invitation only)

September 23, 5-7PM: Urban@UW’s Research to Action Collaboratory, University of Washington & The New York Climate Exchange (by invitation only)

September 24, 10AM-1PM: Solutions to the Energy Transition Challenges in the NYC Region, Stony Brook University & New York Climate Exchange (by invitation only)

September 24, 10AM-2PM: Adaptation(s) 2.0 Guided Tours, Pratt Institute Center for Climate Adaptation Nolan Park Building 14

Guided tour of exhibitions that spotlight different perspectives on climate adaptation and strategies in archipelagos—communities at the greatest risk and in need of finding livable solutions for future climate change. 

September 24, 3-5:30PM: Charging Ahead: Global Strategies for Bus Electrification, Crux Alliance & The New York Climate Exchange 

September 24, 4-6PM: IA Island(ing) Adaptations Discussion, Pratt Institute Center for Climate Adaptation Admiral’s House

Panel discussion bringing together representation from high level government officials, innovative designers, financial leaders, and policy makers. Participants will share their perspectives and engage one another and the audience in discussion through a moderated discussion and a Q&A.

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September 24, 4-6PM: Adaptation(s) 2.0, Pratt Institute Center for Climate Adaptation & New York Climate Exchange (by invitation only)

Join for a guided exhibition tour and panel discussion.

September 25, 9AM-6PM: NYCE Climate Tech Showcase, The New York Climate Exchange 

September 26, 10-11:30 AM: Imagining Climate Resilient and Thriving Communities through Youth Education Programs, Georgia Tech & New York Climate Exchange 

September 26, Living Buildings are Resilient Buildings: Climate Mitigation AND Adaptation, Georgia Tech & New York Climate Exchange (by invitation only)

September 26, 6:30-8:30PM: Film Screening and Panel: “Getting Outside the Climate Bubble,” Wellcome Trust & The New York Climate Exchange 

September 27, 1-3PM: Healthy Choices, Healthy Planet: Climate Awareness in Health Education, Pace University & New York Climate Exchange (by invitation only)

September 27, 11AM-1PM: Sustainable Storytelling: On and Off Camera, Climate Imaginarium and the “Micro-Plastination” film crew Colonels Row Building 406A

Learn what makes an impactful story that inspires change both on and off camera. This panel will include a mixer with other media-makers and a preview of an upcoming short film: “Micro-Plastination.”

September 27, 1-4PM: Sustainable Stories: Climate, Food, and Culture through Diverse Voices, Climate Imaginarium and The Uproot Project Colonels Row Building 406A

A keynote on the intersection of diversity, culture, and food as climate solutions, followed by a panel discussion and workshop offering storytelling techniques for environmental journalism and insights into highlighting these crucial intersections.

September 28, 10AM-5PM: Imaginary Acoustic Visions of Castle Williams, Harvestworks & New York Climate Exchange 

September 28 & 29, 11AM-1PM: Climate Fiction Workshop with Author Susan Kaye Quinn, Climate Imaginarium and the NYC Climate Writers Collective Colonels Row Building 406A

Write a story to build a better world! This event, organized by the NYC Climate Writers Collective, will spark creativity in everyone—no matter their previous writing experience.

September 28, 11AM-5PM: Flower Plasma by Victoria Vesna in collaboration with plasma physicist Walter Gekelman and biomedical engineer Haley Marks, Harvestworks Nolan Park Building 10A

Special installation featuring sound and images from UCLA’s Large Plasma Device, solar wind data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, and natural recordings—offering an immersive meditation on solar energy and the cycle of creation and destruction.

September 28, 1-3PM: Climate Cafe at the Climate Imaginarium, Climate Imaginarium Colonels Row Building 406A

An uplifting afternoon of refreshments, meditation, and a meaningful conversation on climate emotions. Participants can enjoy coffee and snacks with others in the climate community as they share their feelings and get to know others in the movement.

September 28, 2-2:30PM: Gardening for Climate Change, GrowNYC Urban Farm 

This guided tour will focus on how climate change will impact gardening, what GrowNYC’s Teaching Garden on Governors Island does to mitigate its impact on climate change, and how gardens can adapt to a changing climate.

September 28, 2-3:30PM: Climate Week Pollinator Walk, The Bee Conservancy Urban Farm

Learn about New York City’s pollinators (and the habitats that support them) and explore nature through a pollinator’s lens with an experienced guide from the Bee Conservancy. 

September 28, 2-3:30PM: Governors Island Bird Tour, NYC Bird Alliance and the Trust for Governors Island Colonels Row Building 405B

Whether you’re an expert birder or a beginner, this guided tour—led by an NYC Bird Alliance educator along with the Trust for Governors Island’s arborist—will help you discover all of the birdlife the Island has to offer, and how the Island’s trees provide vital habitat. 

September 28, 2:30-3PM: Imagined Futures: Grief & Seeds, Climate Imaginarium and Holes in the Wall Collective Colonels Row Building 406A

Visit the Climate Imaginarium for three embodied activities to learn about alternative time scales—bearing witness to our fear and our collective responsibility to where we go from here. 

September 28, 3-5PM: The Chase (EP) Release Party: A Climate Week Jam, Climate Imaginarium and Credle Entertainment Colonels Row Building 406A

Celebrate the close of Climate Week with the release of CREDLE’s 5th studio project, The Chase (EP), an Afropop, R&B, and House genre-focused music project.

September 29, 3-5PM: Grief & Seeds: Honoring the Past, Creating the Future, Climate Imaginarium, Holes in the Wall Collective, American Indian Community House Colonels Row Building 406A

Close out Climate Week with intention at this gathering to honor place and possibility. Featuring elder and activist Jk Canepa, youth organizer Anna Tsomo with youth from 6^th St. Community Climate Action group, a popup seed gathering with Next Epoch Seed Library, and a closing ritual led by Noelle Ghoussaini of Sacred Space. 

September 28, 3-6PM: Remember Ida: A 3^rd Anniversary Podcast Listening Session and Reflection Circle, Queens Memory Project & New York Climate Exchange 

On View Daily: Governors Island Arts Public Artworks

Governors Island Arts, the arts and cultural program presented by the Trust, boasts a diverse collection of public art pieces, several of which engage directly with issues of climate and the environment: 

• Sam Van Aken’s The Open Orchard, located in The Hills within the Island’s award-winning park, takes the form of a vast public orchard of hybrid fruit trees, each containing multiple heirloom varieties that were once found in abundance in the New York City area but have largely disappeared due to climate change and the industrialization of agriculture.
• Mark Dion’s The Field Station of the Melancholy Marine Biologist, located inside Building 105 across from Fort Jay, transforms a historic former arsenal building into an abandoned research outpost that invites visitors to peer inside and imagine the life of a solitary researcher faced with the realities of a future marred by climate change.
• Duke Riley’s Not for Nutten, located in the Battery Maritime Building ferry terminal at 10 South Street in Manhattan, is a large-scale mural depicting vignettes from the Island’s history contained within modern-day single-use plastic containers found floating in oceans worldwide in a play on the traditional “ship in a bottle.”

Organized by the Climate Group, Climate Week NYC runs September 22-29, 2024, and is the largest annual climate event of its kind. With a unique waterfront campus environment, an award-winning park engineered for climate change; a diverse and engaged audience of nearly one million visitors every year; climate piloting and education opportunities; a collection of public art commissions engaging directly with climate issues; and a growing community of educational, nonprofit, and commercial tenants—including Billion Oyster Project, the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, Beam Center, Wind Support NYC, the soon-to-open Buttermilk Labs, and The New York Climate Exchange—Governors Island is at the forefront of researching and demonstrating climate solutions built for cities. 

The Trust’s Governors Island Climate programs are made possible with the generous support of Amazon, Con Edison, Deutsche Bank, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, LISC, and the New York Community Trust.

Governors Island is open daily year-round and is accessible by ferry from Manhattan and Brooklyn. For current ferry schedules, operating hours, and other visitor information, visit www.govisland.org/plan-your-visit.

The Trust for Governors Island

The Trust for Governors Island is the nonprofit corporation created by the City of New York that is responsible for the redevelopment and operation of 150 acres of Governors Island. The Trust’s mission is to realize the full potential of Governors Island for the inspiration and enjoyment of all New Yorkers, demonstrating a bold vision for public space. For more information, visit www.govisland.org. 

The New York Climate Exchange

The New York Climate Exchange (The Exchange) is a new not-for-profit climate solutions center designed to build community, foster collaboration, advance climate knowledge, and empower marginalized communities through cross-disciplinary networking, impactful programming, and cutting-edge facilities. While The Exchange will have a physical presence on Governors Island, its spirit and influence will extend beyond the Island into New York City and across the country and world. Our diverse coalition of partners—committed and prepared to collectively disrupt the status quo—incorporates local and global perspectives on climate change from academia, the private sector, and community-level organizations. As the first of its kind, The Exchange will unlock integrated and scalable approaches to sustainability, ultimately serving as a global model for sustainable positive change. 

Photo credit: Outlook Hill on Governors Island_photo by Sean Jamar.