Ajamu Brown believes that the more than 140,000 residents of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, would benefit tremendously from open space and greening programs to help them restore their physical, spiritual, and emotional health.
Bed-Stuy – as it is commonly known – covers 1,894 acres of land within a three-mile radius. The area is being gentrified and continues to be developed without regard for the importance of green spaces. Hundreds of vacant, rubble-strewn lots, which could be put into a land trust and converted into community gardens, are instead being turned into luxury apartments unaffordable for most current residents.
Ajamu believes he can help create a more sustainable Brooklyn.
For his TogetherGreen Fellowship, Ajamu will work with local youth to develop community toolkits to educate residents, businesses, and decision makers about the locations of sustainable living activities in Bed Stuy. The major focus of the project will be to create a locally–led Green Map Project using Green Map Systems (www.greenmap.org). Green Maps are effective tools for community advocacy that highlight social, cultural, and service resources of a particular geographical area. Ajamu’s Green Map will highlight Bed Stuy’s “green” assets, including environmentally responsible businesses such as restaurants that use local foods and Farmers Markets.
Success for Ajamu will be an increased awareness among his fellow Bed Stuy residents of local community resources that will help keep Bed Stuy green and healthy.