On Battle for Brooklyn day, Markowitz, Nets, allies plant tree in Fort Greene Park to promote donations

(Photo by Norman Oder, in partial echo of this; click on photos to enlarge.)

Yesterday, as the film Battle for Brooklyn opened commercially to widespread positive reviews, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and the city of New York were doing their best to promote the Nets, the Barclays Center, and the salubrious effect of the team's move in 2012.

The event: a tree donation, and a photo op, with associated advertising for the team, the arena, and a lawn care company. (There was no mention of how Forest City Ratner tried to evade paying for street trees it demolished.)

The media event drew coverage from the New York Post's Brooklyn blog and NY 1.

The Markowitz press release:

On Friday, June 17, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey, former NETS center Darryl Dawkins and Lawns by Yorkshire CEO Steven Jomides gathered at Fort Greene Park to celebrate nearly 300 trees being donated to Brooklyn parks by Yorkshire.

“Brooklyn and the NETS already make a great team,” said BP Markowitz. “The NETS made 459 three pointers and Brooklyn gets hundreds of trees to help clean the air, conserve water, reduce flooding and enhance our parks—an unbeatable combination. We can’t wait until 2012 when the NETS are not only planting their trees in Brooklyn but making their ‘threes’ here as well.”

(Photo by Kathryn Kirk)

In photo (left to right): Bonnie Lincoln, NETS dancer; Tim Capstraw, NETS radio broadcaster; Kevin Jeffrey, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner; Petra Pope; NETS senior VP of Event Marketing; BP Markowitz; Steven Jomides, CEO, Lawns by Yorkshire; Darryl Dawkins, former NETS center; Samuel Pierre, Brooklyn director, Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit; Sly, NETS Mascot; Jessica Goldstone, NETS dancer

A couple of videos I shot





Press release from NETS

Contact: Barry Baum, NETS Basketball, 917-847-1737

June 17, 2011

A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, AND THEN SOME

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Former NETS Center Darryl Dawkins Participate in Tree Donation Ceremony in Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn Today

BROOKLYN, NY – Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey, former NETS center Darryl Dawkins, and Lawns by Yorkshire CEO Steven Jomides today attended a ceremony at Fort Greene Park to celebrate nearly 300 trees being donated to Brooklyn parks by Lawns by Yorkshire.

NETS Senior Vice President of Event Marketing Petra Pope, the NETS Dancers, and team mascot Sly also attended the ceremony. NETS radio broadcaster Tim Capstraw hosted the event.

During the 2010-11 NBA season, NETS Basketball and Lawns by Yorkshire collaborated on a green initiative entitled ‘Threes for Trees,’ in which Lawns by Yorkshire committed to donating a tree for every three-point field goal made by the NETS during the season. The NETS made 459 three-pointers, which equates to 459 maple trees that will be planted in the fall in Brooklyn parks and in Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ.

The newly planted trees will serve several environmental purposes, including improving air quality, conserving water, reducing storm water runoff and flooding, in addition to the natural beauty they will create within the parks.

“On behalf of all New Yorkers, I commend Lawns by Yorkshire and the Nets for their outstanding commitment to helping us create a greener, greater, New York,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City.

"Brooklyn and the Nets already make a great team,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. “The Nets made 459 three pointers and Brooklyn gets hundreds of trees to help clean the air, conserve water, reduce flooding and enhance our parks – an unbeatable combination. We can’t wait until 2012 when the Nets are not only planting their trees in Brooklyn but making their threes here as well.”

“The planting of these trees not only beautifies our wonderful and historic parks in this great borough, but it will also go a long way in helping to reduce pollution in our environment,” Congressman Edolphus Towns said. “This signifies yet another important step in our commitment to being good stewards of the land, and securing our precious natural resources for generations to come.”

“The ‘Trees for Threes’ Program is a fun and innovative program that educates and promotes environmental stewardship, and we are pleased to collaborate with the NETS and help grow trees in Brooklyn,” Steven Jomides said. “Our cultures and GREEN goals are perfectly aligned. We’re very proud that through our concerted efforts we are creating and growing GREEN and sustainable communities.”

“We are thrilled to be part of such a winning program with Lawns by Yorkshire that will further enhance Brooklyn’s wondrous parks,” said Petra Pope, the NETS Senior Vice President of Event Marketing.

Lawns by Yorkshire (www.lawnsbyyorkshire.com) is a commercial landscape management firm that provides green and sustainable landscape and snow services throughout New Jersey and New York. Lawns by Yorkshire is the Official Landscaping and Snow Removal Service of NETS Basketball.