Two Trees Management Debuts Climate Change-Themed Mini-Golf Course Putting Green in Partnership with SYNLawn®
Opened to the public on July 12th, 2021, PUTTING GREEN educates its visitors on the many sustainability issues that we currently face. It explores the problems and solutions for some of the most critical climate change priorities in an exciting, educationally driven manner. Located at River Street and North 1st Street in North Williamsburg, PUTTING GREEN is open to the public 7 days a week. The course offers discounted ticket prices to make it accessible to all community members. Any profits made will be donated to local organizations focused on addressing climate change all across New York City including the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Newtown Creek Alliance.
Putting Green
Consists of 18 holes created by partners and organizations – including artists and designers, community and school groups, environmental advocacy organizations, and public agencies across NYC – that are committed to the sustainability of our environment and the prevention of climate change. Each hole is designed to tackle a different relevant climate issue that we face daily. PUTTING GREEN is a catalyst for starting much-needed conversations on how to protect the environment, and more specifically the Williamsburg waterfront.
SYNPro 80
“We are thrilled to welcome the public to PUTTING GREEN at the River Ring site in Williamsburg. This mini-golf course is an opportunity to start a conversation with players of all ages about climate change and its impacts,” said David Lombino, Managing Director with Two Trees. “By repurposing this construction space, we were able to partner with local organizations and environmental groups to collectively create a space that the entire community can enjoy, similar to what Two Trees did with Domino Park’s North Brooklyn Farms and the skate park. We’re confident that PUTTING GREEN will help facilitate much-needed conversations about how to protect the environment and, even more specifically, the Williamsburg waterfront while still providing a beautiful open space for everyone.”
EnviroLoc™
SYNLawn® was chosen for this project to do just that. To showcase our commitment to economic sustainability. Our turf is USDA certified for using over 70% of bio-based contents in our products making it the safest, cleanest, and ‘greenest’ turf manufacturer in the industry. SYNLawn® artificial putting green turf is created locally with the help of US soybean farmers. We use soybean oil and sugar cane to substantially reduce the use of petroleum-based polymers. Additionally, all of our materials are recyclable and save thousands of gallons of water year after year. SYNLawn® is the leader in manufacturing putting green turf and with the help of golf professional golfer Dave Pelz, SYNLawn® manufactures PGA-caliber putting greens.
SYNLawn® putting greens offer unique features such as:
- Realistic putt with true ball roll and natural slow-down characteristics
- 100% nylon fibers provide year-round weather resistance, long-lasting durability, and vibrance
- Fairway, fringe, and rough surfaces
- UV protection to prevent color fading
- Custom designs for all skill levels, budgets, and indoor/outdoor spaces
- Portable putting green options
- No maintenance costs
- Obstacles such as chipping surfaces, sand traps, bunker slopes, and more
PUTTING GREEN partners include artists and collectives:
Dear Climate, SiTE:LAB, Juanli Carrion, Mel Chin, Blane De St Croix, Kim Holleman, Katie Shima, and Mark Tribe; designers and engineers Julie Ember, Institute for Aesthletics, OBJ, MAS, and WSP Global; climate advocates and organizations Billion Oyster Project, Building Energy Exchange, DSNY Sanitation Foundation, NYC Climate Action Alliance, and Alison Simko; and community groups Lower East Side Girls Club, Greenpoint YMCA, and the Williamsburg High School of Architecture and Design.
For a complete list of the 18 holes, please see below:
Hole 1: DOWN THE DRAIN
Kim Hollerman (Brooklyn-Based Artist)
Litter and debris accumulate on city streets and get carried into storm drains by rainwater. This hole focuses on litter-free streets.
Hole 2: WHALE FALL FEAST
Dear Climate (Art Collective) and Black Globe (Architect)
Ocean pollution affects the naturally occurring ecosystem that is created when whales pass away. Their bodies nourish thousands of organisms. Ocean pollution disrupts this process impacting the many species that inhabit the ocean.
Hole 3: CAPITALOCENE’S MELT
Juanli Carrion (Brooklyn-Based Artist)
Due to the warming of the planet, polar bears have lost an alarming portion of their habitats. With the change of their habitats, they must travel further to hunt for food.
Hole 4: HIGHER GROUND
Mike Tribe (Brooklyn-Based Artist)
Manhattan island’s shifting shoreline creates a backdrop for the impacts of sea-level rise by 2100.
Hole 5: STAYING AFLOAT
YMCA of Greater New York, Greenpoint (Nonprofit Organization)
With rising sea levels, cities will have to create adaptation solutions such as coastal management, elevated public transportation, and renewable energy.
Hole 6: CHOICES
OBJ (Design Collective)
Global displacement caused by extreme weather events alters habitable environments. The Paris Climate Agreement helps protect communities and reverse the climate change refugee crisis.
Hole 7: TWO PATHS
Lower East Side Girls Club
Today’s environmental activists are pushing for a regenerative future that puts nature first, protects biodiversity, creates equal opportunities, and ends the need for fossil fuels.
Hole 8: SURGE GARDEN
Williamsburg High School for Architecture & Design (Public High School)
New York City has 520 miles of waterfront. Implementing strategies for coastal strength such as coastal plantings, riprap shorelines, and living breakwaters can help protect our shoreline from sea level rise and storm surges.
Hole 9: ICE MELT
Blane De St Croix (Brooklyn-Based Artist), Paul Amenta (Artist), and Ted Loft (Architect)
One of the most apparent examples of climate change is the consistent retreat of glaciers on all continents. The decline in ice and snow affects oceanic and atmospheric temperatures and weather patterns around the globe.
Hole 10: FOREST FIRES
Blane De St Croix (Brooklyn-Based Artist), Paul Amenta (Artist), and Ted Loft (Architect)
Although occasional wildfires play a role in the life cycle of forests, dry conditions cause by climate change have significantly increased how often they occur, leading to loss of life, poor air quality, and the reduction of crops.
Hole 11: HUMANS ARE THE KEY
Mel Chin (Artist)
Although pollinators, insects, and birds support wildfires, indigenous plants nurture underground ecosystems. They encourage symbiotic relationships amidst organisms to keep soil healthy and protected against erosion.
Hole 12: ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS.
NYC Climate Action Alliance (Climate-Focused Nonprofit)
Although 70% of NYC greenhouse gasses come from NYC’s pre-war buildings, building owners can reduce emissions, buy updating lighting, plug-load, and HVAC strategies.
Hole 13: COMPOST FORE NYC
DSNY Sanitation Foundation (Nonprofit Organization)
Organic matter makes up a third of New York City’s waste stream. Landfills emit methane gas when organics deteriorate inside them. By turning scrap into compost, we reduce emissions and give the nutrients back to the earth’s soil.
Hole 14: METHANE MADNESS
Institue for Aesthlectice & Tom Russotti (Brooklyn-Based Artist)
As cows digest, microbes in their stomachs break it down and produce 220 lbs of methane every year. However, sustainable farming practices address agricultural methane production as the demand for beef continues to rise in an effort to prevent these emissions.
Hole 15: THE BIG OYSTER
Billion Oyster Project (Citizen Science Project) and Chris Edmonds & Nat Quinn (Designers)
Due to overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss, oysters have almost completely disappeared from New York harbor. Restoring oysters is critical to healthy waterways, because of the toxin filtering they provide when filtering water through their gills.
Hole 16: FORE-WARD THINKING
WSP (Engineering & Design Firm)
With its 472 emission-free stations, NYC’s subway systems are a climate-conscious solution to reducing emissions from excessive public transportation.
Hole 17: GREEN IT, NYC!
Julie Ember (Public Space Designer) and Katie Shima (Artist and Architect)
Trees, parks, and wetlands make up 40% of NYC’s land cover and make our city stronger. They isolate carbon, lessen the urban heat island effect, provide habitats to wildlife, and reconnects New York with nature.
Hole 18: SHOOT THE BREEZE: BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH WIND ENERGY
Alison Simko (Journalist) and Kate Mulhauser (Designer)
400 years ago, settlers of New Amsterdam used windmills to supply power. NY state is now developing offshore wind farms, to meet renewable power goals.
Contact Us Today!
For more information about the PUTTING GREEN, please visit www.puttinggreenbk.org