Brooklyn Green Team

By Roxanne L. Scott

It’s the small things that count. That’s what Brooklyn Green Team wants you to believe when it comes to saving the Earth. For the past two years, the group has been thinking of ways for people to contribute to sustainable living. I sat down with Amanda Gentile, co-founder of the Brooklyn Green Team, to understand the philosophy of the group.

Photo courtesty of Brooklyn Green Team

Where It All Began

Take it back to a night in August 2007 at a viewing of “11th Hour,” the Leonardo DiCaprio documentary about the alarming state of the environment. Feeling enlightened by the film, Amanda along with some friends and family members decided they wanted to contribute make the planet a more eco-friendly place to live. The group came up with the name Brooklyn Green Team. The six members of the Brooklyn Green Team’s backgrounds are varied including an environmentalist, three educators, a stay-at-home mom, and a jewelry maker.

Do You Accept This Challenge, Earthling?

Every three months, the group focuses on a new green “challenge” that anyone can do. Their most recent was the “ No Take-Out Challenge,” where followers were dared to not order take-out food for three months. Not exactly a small feat in New York. But, Brooklyn Green Team wanted their members to realize was how much waste is generated in the U.S. – and that a staggering 1/3 of waste is from discarded packaging. By taking on these small challenges, the group hopes people will begin to consider how their actions effect the Earth on a grander scale. “We try to find ones [challenges] where people don’t feel totally inept to even wanting to try,” Amanda says. Past challenges by Brooklyn Green Team have included the “No Plastic Bag Challenge”, “The Five-Minute Shower Challenge,” “The Bring Your Own Mug Challenge,” and the “No New Clothing Challenge.”

Brooklyn-centric? Not At All…

Don’t let the name fool you. Though the group has its roots in the borough, Brooklyn Green Team wants their reach to expand citywide. “We’re totally New York City-broad, so probably our name hurts us a bit,” Amanda says with a smile. Read through their blog and it’s easy to see that the challenges aren’t specific to Brooklyn. The group simply got their name because all the founding members happened to live in Brooklyn. Plus, they wanted to start small, so the name Brooklyn Green Team seemed to just fit. They welcome challenge participants from across the city.

The Future Looks Bright

Possible ideas for the future include having satellite teams across the city to spread the message. But for now, they’re pretty content with the work they do and hope others are able to participate in their challenges. Amanda says of the Brooklyn Green Team, “At the end of the day it’s only about getting people to think about their actions and make small changes.”

About the Author
Roxanne L. Scott is a writer and educator living in Queens, NY.

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