Since 1970 we have dedicated ourselves to improving quality of life in New York City, and our impact can be felt throughout the five boroughs. See How.

1970

Mayor John Lindsay taps Marian Heiskell to establish the Mayor’s Council on the Environment, now independent nonprofit, GrowNYC.

TODAY we serve more than 3 million New Yorkers every year. Our programs encourage all citizens to lead mindful lives by eating seasonally and locally, conserving resources, preserving green spaces, and taking better care of our planet.

1976

GrowNYC’s first Greenmarket opens on 59th St and 2nd Ave. Farmers remember wondering if there was a food shortage in the city, as crowds rushed their tables for the fresh corn and tomatoes.

TODAY GrowNYC operates the largest network of open-air farmers markets in the U.S. with 50 Greenmarkets featuring more than 250 producers across the five boroughs.

1979

GrowNYC builds its first community garden, All People’s Garden on East 3rd Street on the lower east side.

TODAY we have built 125 (and counting) community gardens in all five boroughs, creating nearly ONE MILLION square feet of green space.

1981

We launch the Farm Survival Study to research why the New York region is losing farms and what can be done to prevent it.

TODAY we train 20 aspiring farmers each year from systematically marginalized communities to start their own farm businesses, while also providing legal and marketing services to 50 established farmers to help them maintain profitable, secure businesses.

1988

GrowNYC successfully advocates to infuse environmental education into the NYC Department of Education syllabus.

TODAY our hands-on environmental education programs reach 70,000 youth annually.

1989

We launch the Waste Prevention Recycling Service, designing recycling programs for companies like HBO and IBM.

TODAY we partner with the NYC Department of Sanitation to increase recycling and composting throughout the five boroughs, reaching hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, in schools, apartment buildings, and households.

2006

GrowNYC doubles the number of Greenmarkets accepting SNAP from 3 to 6 using brand new wireless technology ensuring in perpetuity our commitment to food access and affordability.

TODAY GrowNYC’s SNAP redemption program is a national model, last year redeeming more than $1.4 million in SNAP and Health Bucks at GrowNYC food access sites.

2009

Young people begin operating the first GrowNYC Youthmarket on the corner of Lewis and Decatur in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, making tomatoes, corn, greens and other fresh, healthy foods available to their community members.

TODAY we provide training and meaningful employment to 60 teens who operate 15 Farmstands and increase food access in their communities.

2010

GrowNYC launches a citywide school gardens program, working to promote and facilitate the creation of sustainable gardens in every NYC school.

TODAY we have helped establish gardens in 800+ schools. That’s more than half of all New York City public and charter schools.

2011

GrowNYC starts a food scrap collection pilot at 6 Greenmarkets.

TODAY our successful food scrap drop- off pilot has grown to 60+ collection points and supported public participation in NYC’s curbside organics collection. Our drop-off sites have diverted an astounding 15 million pounds of food scraps from the landfill.

2020

In 2010 we stocked bodegas and supermarkets in Brownsville, Brooklyn with tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplant to be sold on consignment — our first foray into wholesale distribution of locally- grown foods to NYC wholesale buyers.

TODAY we will break ground on the NYS Greenmarket Regional Food Hub in the South Bronx. A pioneering, mission- driven local food distribution center that will quadruple our ability to benefit local communities and farms alike.