Keeping our Greenway Lawns Healthy and Happy
Written by Keelin Caldwell, Director of Programming and Community Engagement As this hot and humid summer winds down, we wanted to share a bit more about how our #GreenwayHort staff cares for our lawns during this challenging growing season! Turf plants have some amazing adaptations that allow them to be grown and managed as […]
Not all waffles are created equal
The Greenway Mobile Eats program is now in its 9th and largest season yet, with the 2018 season including 35 trucks and trailers across 7 locations! We take pride in knowing our vendors and supporting their businesses. Mayor Walsh said it best when he described how the Greenway Mobile Eats Program, “not only offers residents and […]
Zone Gardening on The Greenway
Written by Karla Noboa, Volunteer and Programs Coordinator The Greenway’s ribbon of parks was conceptualized and installed by a range of landscape designers, resulting in distinct plant palettes, design elements and care needs in each major park area. We at the Conservancy often think of these major areas as the North End, the Wharf District, […]
Meet our 2018 Greenway Interns!
Part II: Our Pollinator Ribbon on The Greenway
Written by Tori Hiney, Plant Health Care Horticulturist How do we maintain our Pollinator population? If you missed Part One of this blog or you are unfamiliar with The Greenway, we are an organic park that sits atop the I-93 tunnel. Given our close proximity to the Boston Inner Harbor, we are dedicated to promoting and maintaining […]
Exploring Historic Chinatown
The 1.5-mile Greenway runs from the North End through the Wharf and Financial districts, past the Leather District to Chinatown. This winter/spring, our staff sought to learn more about Chinatown’s history and culture with three different educational sessions. We invited Tunney Lee to present on the history of Boston’s Chinatown from the mid-1800s into […]
A Welcoming Public Park
Written by Executive Director Jesse Brackenbury At the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, the non-profit that operates the public park, we believe strongly in being free, open, and welcoming. Public parks are among the most democratic of spaces, and we’re proud to bring together people from all backgrounds. There are 400 FREE events on The […]
Part I: Our Pollinator Ribbon on The Greenway
Written by Tori Hiney, Plant Health Care Horticulturist Settle in, this blog post is all about the birds and the bees… the real ones! Perhaps you’ve heard a bumble about the importance of pollinators recently? It’s quickly becoming quite the buzz-worthy topic, and you know what, we are game! This is why, new to The Greenway’s […]
Coming soon! The Carolyn Lynch Garden on The Greenway
The Lynch Foundation has generously supported the renovation of our boxwood garden bed in the North End, and endowed its care. The project is in honor of Carolyn Lynch, an avid gardener, who passed away in 2015. A continuation of our Northern Boxwood Bed Renovations in 2015, this new space will feature a unique combination […]
Staff Spotlight: Karla Noboa
Interview with Karla, Volunteer and Programs Coordinator How did you come to The Greenway? Serendipity! In my previous job, I discovered the strong bond a volunteer can form with a mission. I found that energy very exciting, and it really encouraged me to pursue volunteer coordination as a career after my AmeriCorps service ended. The […]
Smoking Cessation in Mary Soo Hoo Park
Written By Keelin Caldwell, Associate Director of Programs According to Tufts Medical Center, smoking is prevalent in foreign-born Asian American men and is a major health issue in Boston’s Asian population. In order to help address this challenging problem, Tufts Medical Center’s Asian Health Initiative (AHI) focused its 2017-2019 funding on programs that target smoking […]
Our 2017 Year in Review!
2017 was another banner year on The Greenway, as we hosted over 400 free events, turned heads with surreal Public Art installations, and continued to be the city’s hub of innovation, bringing 21st-century ideas to Boston and the Commonwealth. All of this is done through the work of the non-profit Greenway Conservancy. As we wind down another […]
Another season of innovation on The Greenway
Written By: Jesse Brackenbury, Executive Director What unites The Greenway’s contemporary art, Trillium beer garden, new zipline, food trucks, and organic gardens? They are the products of the Greenway Conservancy’s vision for innovation in public space. We want to bring 21st Century ideas to Boston and the Commonwealth. The non-profit Conservancy has long sought […]
Remembering Rose Kennedy
Today we remember our namesake, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, who would have been celebrating her 127th birthday. The Greenway parks were named after Rose, who was born and raised in Boston, as a way to honor the many accomplishments of her life. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on July 22, 1890 in the North End. She […]
Setting the Stage for Success in Boston
2017 Greenway Gala Co-Chair Mike Carragher, VHB, Reflects on the Road to The Greenway I was in college studying engineering at the University of Delaware in 1982 when planning for the Central Artery/Tunnel project (commonly known as the Big Dig) in Boston began with preparation of environmental impact documents. I had no knowledge of the […]
Keeping our Rings Fountain running
Two months after a temporary security fence was installed around the Rings Fountain, the Rose Kennedy Greenway Maintenance staff is getting close to completing repairs and cleaning of the fountain in preparation of starting it for the 2017 fountain season. This fountain is approaching its 10th year in operation and many of the components are […]
Greenway earned income continued to grow in 2016!
Greenway earned income hit a record $956,687 in 2016, continuing the strong growth of the last several years. (You can find this figure on page 3 of our independently audited financial statements, posted online last week after Board approval.) The non-profit Conservancy earns income from four major sources: location fees from our Mobile Eats vendors, […]
Learn more about the Greenway Conservancy’s annual audit process
Today we posted the 2016 audited financial statements of the non-profit Greenway Conservancy following their approval by our volunteer Board of Directors. Every year independent auditors review our books, and they again offered a “clean opinion.” We talked with our Director of Finance and Administration, Renee Wood, about the audit. Q: What is an audit? A: Most […]
A Year in Maintaining The Greenway
On any given day while walking through our parks, you are likely to encounter a member of our Maintenance team lending their expertise towards maintaining The Greenway. Our Maintenance team cares for seven water features, acres of specialty paving, complex lighting systems, and more. The Conservancy’s maintenance staff, under the leadership of Superintendent Bob Stigberg, handles repairs, fountain […]
Safety on The Greenway
In 2014, we launched the Greenway Park Rangers Program. Greenway Rangers compassionately ensure a safe and welcoming park experience for all visitors. The need for the Greenway Rangers Program was first identified by Horticulture and Maintenance staff members faced with discarded drug paraphernalia, homeless people sleeping in the plant beds, aggressive skateboarders, and public safety […]
Learn More About the Greenway Conservancy’s Operations & Decision-Making Processes
By Jesse Brackenbury, Greenway Conservancy Executive Director Since our non-profit maintains, programs, and improves The Greenway with a different model than other parks in Boston, we’re committed to making sure the public has insight into our operations and decision-making. You can meet our staff, attend a public meeting, or engage with us online. The most […]
Remembering Rose
Today we remember our namesake, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, who would have been celebrating her 126th birthday today! The Greenway Parks were named after Rose, who was born and raised in Boston, as a way to honor the many accomplishments of her life. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on July 22, 1890 in the North […]
Staff Spotlight: Kait Levesque
New staff member, Kait Levesque, joined The Greenway team in March. She is the park’s first ever Play Coordinator and she works to plan and implement programming furthering the Conservancy’s play initiatives and education goals. Get to know Kait and Play on The Greenway! How did your story with The Greenway begin? After graduate school, I had […]
The Greenway as Case Study for Supporting Arts & Culture in Boston
By: Greenway Conservancy Executive Director Jesse Brackenbury The Greenway Conservancy’s reliance on donations and grants to support our award-winning public productions—from the Janet Echelman sculpture to the murals on the Greenway Wall to dance performances—has become a successful model for funding the arts in Boston. A major discussion is underway about how Boston and the […]
A Fiscal Year End Update on The Greenway and Greenway Conservancy
With the recent completion of our FY15 audit and the publication of our Annual Report, we wanted to update two overview blog posts we wrote last year. The first of those blog posts outlined the public-private model that governs The Greenway. We discussed the Conservancy’s history, how the private sector has shouldered a greater funding […]
