By Michael V. Cusenza
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. on Friday announced he will hold his second annual Queens Climate Expo on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the New York Hall of Science in Corona.
One of many climate-related events hosted across the city during Climate Week NYC, the expo will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and feature a number of interactive family-friendly activities, such as a home hydroponics workshop, while representatives from numerous environmental advocacy organizations will be on hand to connect directly with attendees about the resources they offer.
At the expo, NYSCI will also unveil its new hydroponics systems and interactive displays detailing what hydroponic labs are and the benefits of building your own at home, established in partnership with New York Sun Works and the Queens Borough President’s Office. This partnership fosters scientific inquiry, promotes sustainable practices and aims to inspire a new generation of agricultural innovators.
The event will feature remarks from Borough President Richards, as well as the leadership of NYSCI and New York Sun Works. Additionally, admission to NYSCI will be free on Saturday, Sept. 28 after 4 p.m.
The expo serves as the culmination of NYSCI’s weeklong Stemocracy Festival and represents the continuation of Borough President Richards’ staunch commitment to both correcting longstanding environmental inequities and ensuring Queens is a global leader in the fight against climate change.
The Borough President hosted his inaugural Queens Climate Expo in September 2023, just five months after Operation Urban Sustainability — his working group of local environmental justice leaders and resiliency advocates that he established the prior year — released its inaugural climate report, a 25-page blueprint to guide the Borough President Richards’ sustainability and resiliency efforts.
For example, the report indicated that, of the 59 community boards in NYC, CB 10 had the third-most traffic fatalities and are among the districts with the least amount of air pollution. Community Board 9 had the fewest traffic injuries while being among the most flooded districts in the city.
The group released its second report in April 2024, detailing the work ahead in areas such as urban agriculture, composting, energy-efficient development, environmental justice, education, nature preservation, flood prevention and transportation.
Borough President Richards has also allocated more than $5 million across 24 different schools for the creation of hydroponics labs — including more than $2.7 million across nearly a dozen schools in Fiscal Year 2025 alone — and $100,000 in Fiscal Year 2024 to fund the planting of dozens of trees across neighborhoods that historically suffered from severe heat-zone effects.
“Queens has made an incredible amount of progress in recent years when it comes to clean energy and climate resiliency, thanks to the work of so many leaders in our community,” Richards said. “Join us at our annual Queens Climate Expo as we highlight that work and commit ourselves to the efforts ahead in order to position our borough as a true global leader in the fight against climate change.”
Members of the public who wish to attend the annual Queens Climate Expo are asked to RSVP at queensbp.nyc.gov/rsvp.
