36 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 10, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
First-ever plant swap event held in Long Island City
BY ANGELICA 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 fi rst-ever plant
swap event on Sept. 28.
Th e 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 community of
plant lovers together and help
raise funds and awareness for
good local causes,” Oakes said in
a statement to QNS.
Oakes also mentioned how the
plant swap raised funds from
their ticket sales for Newtown
Creek Alliance, a nonprofi t working
to restore, repair and revitalize
the Long Island City waterfront.
“Th is was our fi rst time bringing
the swap to the area — and
the fi rst 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 benefi t local organizations
— similarly to how this plant
swap benefi ted Newtown Creek
Alliance,” 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.”
Th ey added, “Rather than tossing
unwanted plants out, you can
fi nd your plants a new home and
fi nd new plants to take home, all
while meeting new people in your
community.”
For those who’d like to fi nd or
submit local plant swaps in their
area, Oakes invites them to visit
her website for more details.
Photos courtesy of TF Cornerstone
Summer Rayne Oakes (left) and TF Cornerstone hosted the fi rst plant swap event in Long Island City on Sept. 28.
/WWW.QNS.COM
