Green-Wood Marks Climate Week With Diverse Programs This September

The Green-Wood Cemetery is presenting a series of engaging programs in recognition of Climate Week 2024, designed to foster reflection, creativity, and community in the face of the ongoing climate crisis.

Beginning on September 14th and continuing through Climate Week (September 22-29), Green-Wood will host four free workshops, panel discussions, and interactive gatherings. Each will provide participants the opportunity to engage with themes of mourning environmental losses, grappling with the emotional toll of the climate crisis, and transforming these feelings into collective action. As a historic and natural landmark, The Green-Wood Cemetery is distinctly positioned to inspire conversations about our relationship with nature and the impacts of climate change.

“Green-Wood's Climate Week programming is a vital part of our commitment to addressing the pressing issue of climate change,” said Gabrielle R. Gatto, Green-Wood Death Educator. “We believe that as a cemetery, Green-Wood has a role to play in fostering dialogue around ecological grief and sustainability. Our beautiful grounds offer a space for reflection, and our events encourage participants to process their feelings, collaborate on solutions, and ultimately leave empowered to take meaningful action for our planet.”

Calendar of Climate Week Events

Mourning for Nature

https://www.green-wood.com/event/mourning-for-nature/

September 14th, 2:00pm–3:30pm

In a world increasingly defined by the climate crisis, the profound effects on our environment can stir deep feelings of fear, grief, and uncertainty. How do we address these emotions and honor our connection to the natural world? Join Green-Wood for an interactive workshop set in the serene and reflective space of the Cemetery. Come together with others to explore and express the complex emotions associated with the changing environment. Through group activities like writing letters to extinct species, we will foster a deeper connection to nature and transform these feelings into meaningful action. The workshop will take place outside and is facilitated by Death Literacy advocates, Your Morbid Friends.

Grieving & Weaving

https://www.green-wood.com/event/grieving-weaving-climate-week-edition/

September 23rd, 6:30pm–8:30pm

Join Green-Wood for an evening of creativity, contemplation, and crafting. At this special Climate Week edition of Grieving & Weaving, Green-Wood is focusing on how crafting can play a role in sustainability. Repurposing materials, crafting durable handmade items, and mending damaged garments are all ways we can minimize our environmental footprint. As we create, we welcome discussions on climate anxiety and how we can work together toward a more sustainable future. Attendees can bring their own yarn, needles, and hooks; some materials will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The evening will be led by Green-Wood Death Educator Gabrielle R. Gatto and renowned yarn craftsperson Mary Pat Klein.

Memorializing Ecological Loss

https://www.green-wood.com/event/memorializing-ecological-loss/

September 24th, 6:00pm–8:00pm

As our landscapes and ecosystems face unprecedented changes due to the climate crisis, it’s crucial to find ways to mourn and memorialize these losses. Cemeteries, often steeped in history, tradition and symbolism, offer a unique opportunity to reflect on how we might memorialize these transformations.

Join Green-Wood for a panel discussion in the Modern Chapel on how cemeteries, as spaces for public rituals and collective memory, can provide a platform for us to process our grief and loss surrounding the environmental crisis. The evening concludes with an interactive group activity, where attendees will collaborate to envision creative and meaningful ecological memorials. Expert panelists include Ari Simon of Grief at Work, Johanna Lovecchio from Columbia University’s Climate School and Partners in Public Design, and Dr. Maya Livio of American University, who will be joined by Sara Evans, Green-Wood’s director of living collections and curator. This panel is presented in partnership with Madhura Studios.

Death Cafe: Climate Week Edition

https://www.green-wood.com/event/death-cafe-climate-week-edition/

September 25th, 6:15pm–7:45pm

The Death Cafe is a simple concept. Bring strangers together to discuss one of the great universal truths: death. With thousands of chapters in over 26 countries around the world, Death Cafes are informal gatherings that aim to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their lives.” For this meeting, Green-Wood will focus our discussions on ecological grief and climate anxiety. Living amid the loss and destruction of the escalating climate crisis can trigger feelings of uncertainty, hopelessness, and deep sadness. Green-Wood invites attendees to share their thoughts, anxieties, and feelings; it’s an opportunity for safe and open exchanges—along with tea and pastries!

All of the events are free but registration is required. Please consider a $10 donation to the Green-Wood Historic Fund so that Green-Wood can continue to offer free and low-cost programs throughout the year. For a full list of programming at Green-Wood, visit https://www.green-wood.com/calendar

Established in 1838, The Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark, is recognized as one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries. As the permanent residence of over 570,000 individuals, Green-Wood’s magnificent grounds, grand architecture, and world-class statuary have made it a destination for half a million visitors annually, including national and international tourists, New Yorkers, and Brooklynites. At the same time, Green-Wood is also an outdoor museum, an arboretum, and a repository of history. Throughout the year, it offers innovative programs in arts and culture, nature and the environment, education, workforce development, restoration, and research, as well as bold initiatives in climate resiliency and sustainability. For more information, please visit www.green-wood.com.