Green Acres Mall marked Earth Month by highlighting its financial contributions and volunteer efforts that support local environmental stewardship and community beautification initiatives.
For the second consecutive year, Green Acres provided funding to the Valley Stream Community Garden, continuing support for the project. The center contributed an additional $3,000 this year, following its help in launching the garden last year. According to village leadership, the initiative has helped residents “connect, learn and literally grow through gardening.”
The Village of Valley Stream is in the process of forming an official nonprofit organization for the Valley Stream Community Gardens. Planned improvements to the garden include additional donation beds, a spiral herb garden, an art-designed walkway created by members and volunteers, and a gazebo intended to provide shade and a gathering space.
As part of its Earth Month activities, Green Acres management staff participated in a community cleanup day at the garden on April 24.
Green Acres also provided funding to the Mill Brook Civic Association, its closest neighboring community. The association supports neighborhood pride and ongoing beautification efforts.
“Earth Month is an opportunity for us to invest in the communities that surround us and support initiatives that bring people together in meaningful ways,” Jill Bromberg, marketing and community relations manager at Green Acres, said. “We are proud to support organizations like the Valley Stream Community Garden and the Mill Brook Civic Association, whose efforts help create greener, more connected communities.”
The initiatives are part of Green Acres’ broader sustainability efforts, which include redevelopment plans to add new greenery and landscaped areas within its parking lot.
The shopping center also operates as a “Green Center” with onsite energy generation systems, including a solar array and a fuel cell. Last year, the fuel cell generated approximately 4.1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, while the solar system produced about 803,000 kilowatt-hours, for a total of nearly 5 million kilowatt-hours of onsite generation. That amount of energy is enough to power roughly 450 homes for a year or drive an electric vehicle around the Earth about 700 times.
Green Acres is owned and operated by Macerich, which has been ranked Number one in the United States retail sector by the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark for nine consecutive years and has been named among America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek.
