Brooklyn Botanic Garden connects people to the wonder and power of plants, sparking delight and curiosity about science, culture, and our environment to help create a greener, more sustainable city and world.

Goals: Outreach & Education

Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) engages children, families, school groups, community gardeners, and other urban greeners in compost education, from what compost is and how to make it, to how to use it to strengthen soils and support plants, to compost’s important role in mitigating climate change.

The work includes:

• Permanent compost exhibition sites with associated programming for visitors of all ages

• Drop-in learning opportunities in BBG’s Discovery Garden

• Hands-on compost instruction in workshops for visiting school groups and teachers

• Introduction to compost concepts in Children’s Garden classes and more focused learning for teens in BBG’s Garden Apprentice Program

• Compost-related Continuing Education courses, including a soil deep-dive as part of BBG’s Horticulture Certificate program

• Free compost education and street tree care classes (including ASL classes), workshops, and support as part of the Garden’s Community Greening programs including the annual Making Brooklyn Bloom conference, Greenest Block in Brooklyn gardening contest, and Community Garden Alliance