New Yorkers feel the impact of the urban heat island effect, where cities experience higher air temperatures than surrounding regions. The combination of heat-retaining surfaces like asphalt and concrete with limited tree coverage can drive temperatures up to 7℉ during the day and 22℉ at night. In a vicious cycle, communities straining to keep cool consume more energy and deepen the heat island effect.
But communities are not standing still. Reimagining our relationship with the environment, iDig2Learn has found a way to absorb carbon emissions and cool New York City down.
Founded in 2012 by award-winning media producer Christina Delfico, iDig2Learn invites the public to connect with nature. At an intersection of environmental adaptation, public health, and community altruism, the organization offers opportunities for New Yorkers to restore native ecosystems, grow food, and step onto the soil beneath their soles.
Carried from heart to hand, Delfico and iDig2Learn brought together over 400 volunteers to plant New York City’s very first Miyawaki-method pocket forest on Roosevelt Island with support from CitizensNYC and other funders. The Miyawaki Method, an innovative afforestation technique, relies on dense planting to cultivate native forests within remarkably short timeframes. By enriching the soil and planting a rich diversity of indigenous species, this method stimulates rapid growth and ecological resilience. Delfico explains, “When you plant regional plants, they’re family. The birds, bees, and butterflies know them.”
A full day’s work and 1,500 trees later, the Manhattan Healing Forest was born. Particularly suited to urban landscapes, these pocket forests reduce heat, restore biodiversity, and anchor cities in long-term climate resilience. With forests serving as long-term carbon sinks, their trees absorb greenhouse gases, provide necessary shade, and cool the surrounding air through transpiration.
And their impact extends beyond environmental metrics.
CitizensNYC and iDig2Learn have witnessed something deeper taking root. Time spent in nature lowers blood pressure and reduces cortisol levels while boosting our immune function and cognitive focus. As we plant, tend, and care for the Earth, environmental interventions emerge as investments into the community, continuity, and collective responsibility.
As Delfico mentions, “People want to plant something that will live longer than them,” and CitizensNYC wants to ensure that those roots take hold in our own neighborhoods.
