On Friday, April 20, 2018, a team of Port Department volunteers commemorated Earth Day by cleaning up debris and planting flowers in the public spaces of the Brooklyn-Port Authority Marine Terminal (BPAMT), Port Newark, and Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal (EPAMT). Safeguarding the environment of communities in which The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates is an ongoing agency tenet. Earth Day however, is an especially significant time when the agency joins with other organizations around the world to spotlight the seriousness of environmental concerns and the potential solutions that can be implemented to alleviate them.

More than 40 volunteers participated in the Port Department’s Earth Day event. Clean-up sites included Port Street between Marlin Street and Doremus Avenue, as well as Berth 3.  At the EPAMT, the planting of flora and the removal of debris occurred at North Avenue and the Polaris Street jug handle. At BPAMT, clean-up activities were performed at the front entrance of the Port Authority’s Administration’s Building, an area along Columbia Street adjacent to the City of New York’s bike path, and along the fence lines at Piers 10 and 11. Joining the Port Department were also volunteers from Seaman’s Church Institute.

The team effort resulted in the collection of 137 bags of waste which totaled 4,110 pounds. In addition, numerous pieces of oversized garbage were collected and comprised of truck tires, mud flaps, metal, wood, railroad ties, and other items.

Earth Day’s official date of recognition this year is April 22, 2018. It was first celebrated in 1970 and is now annually coordinated by the Earth Day Network in more than 193 countries.

It is our shared responsibility as tenants, customers and partners to help keep the Port of New York & New Jersey clean.