Dozens of volunteers from the Community Offshore Wind team organized a cleanup event on June 10 at Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach.
Alongside members of the American Littoral Society and the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, the group collected 900 pounds of garbage and debris, according to Community Offshore Wind President and Project Director Doug Perkins.
“Community Offshore Wind represents a commitment to the communities in the Northeast,” Perkins said. “Through our offshore wind development, we will bring clean energy and tangible benefits to those who live and work there.”
Community Offshore Wind is a joint venture between RWE, a German multinational energy company that is among the world’s leading companies in offshore wind, and National Grid, which will develop the New York Bight project bringing clean energy to potentially 1.1 million New York and New Jersey homes by the end of the decade. The joint venture is dedicated to bringing clean energy jobs, upskilling the future offshore wind workforce, working with minority-owned businesses to build a diverse, local supply chain and providing opportunities for education.
“Cleaning up Howard Beach was just one way we can make a difference today,” Perkins said. “Removing plastic debris beautifies the beaches in the Northeast and protects the marine environment. We are just getting started and will be out in the communities in New York and New Jersey regularly to make an impact.”
The joint venture between RWE and National Grid was awarded one of the six offshore leases by the federal government in February with a bid of $1.1 billion for joint project development. They began a community outreach initiative right away.
“National Grid is deeply committed to the communities where we live and work,” said Will Hazelip, vice president of National Grid Ventures. “This name for our offshore wind joint venture with RWE reflects that focus, and it reminds us each day that we’re here to responsibly develop projects that account for the needs of all our stakeholder communities.”
On Earth Day, Community Offshore Winds organized a cleanup on Lido Beach in Nassau County, followed by the beach cleanup along the Jamaica Bay shoreline. One day later, members of the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy were back at it marking World Ocean Day by removing 650 pounds of trash from the shoreline, beaches and boardwalk at Beach 26th Street and Beach 109th Street in Rockaway Beach while volunteers from the American Littoral Society were working to restore the salt marshes along the Broad Channel shoreline.
“The American Littoral Society and Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy helped us identify where we could make an immediate impact,” Perkins said. “We collected 900 pounds of debris from Spring Creek at Howard Beach under their guidance. Working alongside like-minded partners helps us identify where there is a community need and what we can do to help.”
