10 Days of Giving Back: Resilient Red Hook
Nov 25, 2024 brooklyn,charity,giving,giving tuesday,new york,red hook
As part of our celebration of the holidays — and as a thank you to the larger community that supports us all year long — Realty Collective is proud to feature the work of key non-profit organizations making the borough (and beyond) better every day. We’ve selected 10 non-profits to highlight and we encourage everyone to learn a bit about their respective missions and, if possible, to join us in making a small monetary donation to further their work. We thank them for everything they do and thank you for supporting a small, woman-owned Brooklyn business for nearly 20 years.
On the homepage of Resilient Red Hook (RRH), a hyper-local sustainability non-profit, is this quote from the poet and environmental activist and educator Wendell Berry: “A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other’s lives.” And those of us who are lucky enough to live or work in Red Hook know that it truly is a community, not just a neighborhood.
The organization took its inspiration from the wellspring of mutual aid and support that carried many of us through Superstorm Sandy and its aftermath. RRH aims to “strengthen Red Hook by minimizing differences and maximizing cooperation among all who live, work, and play here” but this is not feel-good work. The climate realities of living in Red Hook are very real and very urgent; flood mitigation, critical infrastructure work, and emergency preparedness are all identified as key elements of its agenda. But so too are those issues that aren’t always centered among sustainability-minded initiatives – including affordable housing and economic development. RRH seems to recognize that any approach will need to be holistic to be effective.
Among the initiatives with which they’ve been involved include the development of a Community Emergency Readiness Plan, a plan to develop a robust but low-carbon emitting community microgrid (given the vulnerability of our neighborhood’s above-grade power lines, it makes sense), and even workforce training to fight unemployment and train workers in resilient infrastructure jobs.
Resilient Red Hook dreams big and fights hard. And the best part is that it’s made up of Red Hook neighbors and stakeholders. Meaning you – yes you – can get involved or join us in making a contribution to their continued, righteous work. You can read more about their efforts here.
Keep funding this work by supporting Resilient Red Hook:
https://bkgives.brooklyn.org/organizations/resilient-red-hook