Greenpoint has a particularly storied environmental relationship, so in recognition of both that fact and Earth Day, WNYC will be broadcasting a live, special edition of All Things Considered from (where else?) WNYC Transmitter Park (if you didn’t know that’s the official park name, now you do*) on April 21 at 4 PM.
The live show will explore Greenpoint’s industrial history and the steps the city is taking to remediate pollution amid a large-scale rezoning effort and a population boom while discussing the delicate balance of public health, local stewardship, corporate responsibility, and residential development.
Despite formerly being a hotbed for industrial production (and, therefore, industrial pollution), residential development has been on a meteoric rise in the neighborhood, though it’s not without it’s obvious drawbacks as neighbors are feeling the effects of multiple Superfund sites, at least one of which is potentially leaking concerning contaminants directly into the air of people’s homes in the case of the Meeker Avenue Plume.
WNYC’s Sean Carlson will host the broadcast and will interview former New York City Councilmember Stephen Levin, environmental activist and Greenpoint Library’s environmental justice coordinator Acacia Thompson, and self-described “eco-rapper” Hila Perry. WNYC reporters will also take a boat ride on Newtown Creek to understand water quality concerns, which will definitely be illuminating if only due to the almost-guaranteed odors. Local residents will also weigh in with their opinions on Greenpoint’s environment.
You can listen to WNYC at 93.9 FM, AM 820, or via livestream at https://www.wnyc.org/.
*The park was once the working home of the WNYC radio transmission towers.