Community News
PLANT SWAP
TF Cornerstone and Berlin Rosen
Environmental scientist and TF Cornerstone collaborate
to host first-ever event in Long Island City
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
In the garden underneath Long Island City’s
staple Pepsi Cola sign, environmental scientist
Summer Rayne Oakes and luxury apartment
company TF Cornerstone joined forces to host
the community’s first-ever plant swap event
on Sept. 28.
The outdoor event brought together about 50
“plant parents,” who also received some tips about
how to care for their plants from Oakes, founder of
Homestead Brooklyn and author of “How to Make a
Plant Love You.”
Some of those tips include understanding “light
in your home by determining the intensity and which
direction it’s coming from” and deciding whether you
want to be a more hands-on or hands-off kind of
plant parent.
“Plant swaps are such a great way to bring a com-munity
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of plant lovers together and help raise funds
and awareness for good local causes,” Oakes told QNS.
Oakes also mentioned how the plant swap raised
funds from their ticket sales for Newtown Creek
Alliance, a nonprofit working to restore, repair and
revitalize the Long Island City waterfront.
“This was our first time bringing the swap to the
area — and the first one outdoors — so I was thrilled
that TF Cornerstone graciously opened up the garden
in the back of 4610 Center Blvd. underneath the iconic
Pepsi sign to host the event,” Oakes added. “Local
residents got to mix and mingle with fellow plant lovers,
and the weather couldn’t have been more cooperative.”
According to a TF Cornerstone spokesperson, this
won’t be the last plant swap the organization hosts.
“TF Cornerstone believes in active, fun community
events that benefit local organizations — similarly to
how this plant swap benefited Newtown Creek Alli-ance,”
TF Cornerstone said. “We hope this catalyzes the
larger Queens community to create more plant swap
events as they encourage the sustainable practice
of trading plants.”
They added, “Rather than tossing unwanted plants
out, you can find your plants a new home and find new
plants to take home, all while meeting new people in
your community.”
For those who’d like to find or submit local plant
swaps in their area, Oakes invites them to visit her
website for more details.
Summer Rayne Oakes (left) and
TF Cornerstone hosted the first
plant swap event in Long Island
City on Sept. 28.
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