The fascinating history of the island that gave rise to New York City and was sold for $1 (and is now an ecological haven)

There’s a moment when you’re boarding the ferry from South Street in Manhattan to Governors Island, when the horizon fades away, absorbing all your attention.

Towering skyscrapers of glass, steel and concrete rise above the slate-colored harbor. Then, just eight minutes later, you arrive at your destination: a 70-acre island just 730 meters from the largest metropolis in the US, and the city slips out of your mind.

A 19th-century fortress and stylish open-air oyster bar welcome you to Governors Island, a nod to its past as a military stronghold and its current incarnation as an urban playground.

The island, once home to the Lenape Indians, it was called Paggank, or “Island of Nuts”, due to the abundance of chestnut, walnut and oak trees.

When the Dutch arrived, they established the first settlement of their colony of New Amsterdam here, making this now uninhabited harbor island the birthplace of New York City.

Today, Governors Island (which is technically part of Manhattan) is arguably New York City’s best-kept secret.

The leafy oasis is home to 7 miles of bike paths; a half-acre urban farm; expansive lawns and gardens; slides three stories high; an ice rink in winter; and all kinds of picnic areas, playgrounds and art installations.

The island is now a pioneer in it an inspiring zero waste concept that could show other cities how to become more sustainable.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the island would now become the site of a $700 million “living laboratory” dedicated to finding solutions to address the climate crisis.

“The design and concept of the park really focus [en] sustainability and resilience”said Clare Newman, president and CEO of the Governors Island Trust, which manages the island in conjunction with the National Park Service.

Although the island was originally 29 acres, an additional 100 acres were added in the early 1900s using excavated soil when the city expanded Manhattan’s Lexington Avenue subway station, doubling its size to the south.

In 2007, this largely undeveloped southern part of the island was redesigned as more than just leisure space, and the Trust saw it as an opportunity “to show the whole city and hopefully the world how we can develop urban environments in a much more sustainable way .” and adaptable way”.

This environmental initiative is the latest chapter in Governors Island’s fascinating history.

The English arrived in New York in 1664, when they captured the island from the Dutch. Eleven years after British troops withdrew at the end of the American Revolution in 1783, the New York government began to fortify the harbor by building three forts on the island: Fort Jay, Castle Williams, and South Battery, which helped build a British Invasion in the War of 1812.

Under the control of the US government, the island became a military base, a quarantine station for religious refugees, a prison for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War, an army headquarters during World War II, and finally a Coast Guard base until 1996.

Then it was island largely abandoned for nearly a decade while the federal government debated what to do with the land.

The island also witnessed many historical moments. In 1919, Wilbur Wright took off from an airstrip in the southern part of the island in the first American flight over water.

Composer Burt Bacharach performed regularly at The Officer’s Club on the island in the early 1950s. President Ronald Regan hosted Mikhail Gorbachev at the 19th-century Admiral’s House in 1988.

In 2001, the island was designated a National Monument and two years later it was sold to the City and State of New York for $1. Finally, in 2005, it was opened to the public.

The rural open space, so close to the dense city, has turned Governors Island into a cultural and recreational destination.

Liggett Terrace, just south of what was once the country’s largest military building, is now home to food truckwith everything from East Asian fried chicken to vegan food and pizza.

In 2018, the Governors Island Collective set up 36 private tents overlooking the Statue of Liberty. Last year he opened the Spa QC NY, where guests can relax in an infrared bed, in a sauna or steam room, or in the outdoor whirlpool with a view of helicopters descending on the district finances and the ferries crossing the harbor.

Each of these companies commits to the Zero Waste Island initiative upon opening by signing an agreement that, among other things, defines which materials are allowed and which are not.

Anyone who sells food must use biodegradable kitchen utensils, which, according to Newman, “makes a huge difference” for the island in achieving its goal of zero waste.

The non-profit organization Earth Matter NY is the Trust’s partner on Zero Waste Island and collects all organic waste, including biodegradable utensils and food scraps, along with garden supplies from handymen, and converts it into fertilizer for the island’s gardens.

Paper, glass, plastic, aluminum and ordinary waste are placed in other containers and processed separately.

“We came to the island with the idea of ​​recycling and creating this closed loop,” explains Earth Matter NY co-founder and CEO Marisa DeDominicis. “What really matters is the Zero Waste Island.”

Last year, Earth Matter NY collected more than 250,000 pounds of organic waste, a 28% year-over-year increase from 2021.

“Sometimes when we’re figuring things out, it’s detective work,” said Andrea Lieske, manager of Zero Waste Island at Earth Matter NY.

For example, if they find too many cups that are not biodegradable, they will check which bag they came in and trace which part of the island the bag was picked up from, until Find the source of the glasses.

While some visitors inevitably bring glasses, most are from the island and should therefore be biodegradable.

In addition to requiring food vendors and other tenants to use biodegradable materials, the Trust has banned plastic bags, plastic straws and the sale of plastic water bottles on the island.

When not hanging out in Hammock Grove, sunbathing or exploring the art installations, island visitors can see this zero-waste initiative in action.

On the southern part of the island, Earth Matter shares space with a learning garden and a bee sanctuary. It is there that staff and volunteers (along with the house’s chickens) sort the organic materials and create mounds of steaming compost, some up to two meters high and 30 meters long, which reach a temperature of 66°C when burned. .

After about 12 to 15 months, the compost is ready to be distributed to gardens and parks throughout the island, as well as community gardens in New York City parks.

While Governors Island shines as an example of waste policy, the challenges remain.

“The amount of organic matter will continue to increase as the island develops,” DeDominicis said.

Last year, the island was open all year round for the first time and attracted 939,000 visitors, much more than the 600,000 in 2021.

The recently announced 37,000-square-foot campus, which will focus on climate solutions research and be dubbed the “New York Climate Exchange,” is expected to bring thousands of jobs to the island when it opens in 2028.

To meet these future needs, the Trust will work with a waste consultant and focus on closely tracking and controlling what goes from the island to the landfill.

“Our goal is to keep that percentage as low as possible and eventually going to zero,” Newman said.

While the Center for Climate Solutions will increase pedestrian traffic and potentially make waste management more difficult, the ultimate benefits are clear.

As Newman said, “This is all part of the vision: to deliver a world-renowned mini-city example here on the island of how to make resilient neighborhoods much more sustainable and flexible.”

This article was published on BBC Travel. Click here if you want to read the original version (in English).