East Flatbush block named this year’s Greenest Block in Brooklyn

East 25th Street, between Clarendon Road and Avenue D, in East Flatbush has been named 2016’s “Greenest Block in Brooklyn.”

Presented by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, in cooperation with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the 22-year-old Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest sparks a sense of community by bringing neighbors of all generations together to beautify their blocks and promote urban greening.

Scot Medbury, Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s president, remarked that through the contest, “We get to see the best of Brooklyn—enthusiasm, talent, hard work and neighborly cooperation. We also, each year, get to see new blocks entering, and blocks from new neighborhoods getting involved. We’re so proud to have so many areas of our diverse borough represented in the contest entries—from Brooklyn Heights to Canarsie and from Bay Ridge to Bed Stuy.”

The winning Flatbush block — which was announced on Tuesday, August 9 — has been a prominent competitor for the last 20 years, consistently placing in the top three. Blocks are evaluated by a panel of nearly 20 judges based on visual effect, citizen participation, variety and sustainability of plants, soil condition and overall most efficient horticultural practices. East 25th Street  took home a $300 check with its first-place residential win, while other finalists received cash prizes ranging from $100 to $200.

Grace Henry, president of the 300 East 25th Block Association, proudly described her block as “a phenomenal block—it’s a community block. And we garden for pleasure, for fun, because we love it. When you do something with love, it always comes out beautiful. The purpose of this, the essence, is to really build community, one garden at a time.”

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