Earth Day at Long Island Jewish Hospital, and Cohen Children’s Medical Center
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Earth Day is a very important day in our calendar that should inspire everyone to work together to improve our environment. It marks a day of environmental awareness across the nation and people come together to reduce, reuse and recycle. When spring is in the air and the weather is warm, people get eager to get outside and start cleaning up, not just for themselves but for everyone else in their local community. Goldberg and Rodler is no exception, and this year for Earth Day, we collaborated with Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Cohen Children’s Medical Center to plant and dedicate two trees in the name of healing.
North-Shore LIJ has developed a new Green Initiative to bring the North-Shore medical system up to Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) standards by reducing water use in buildings, increased recycling and clean up programs, and improving the landscape. Together, the LIJ’s Green Initiative team and Goldberg and Rodler hosted a ceremonious event to dedicate two trees to the environmental improvements at the hospital.
President Tom Rodler plants a new tree, with the help of Cohen Children’s Medical Center patientsThe event kicked off at 11:00am just outside Cohen Children’s Medical Center. Goldberg and Rodler donated a double flowering Kwanzan Cherry tree centrally located within view from the hospital entrance, parking lot and street. Two children, who were patients at Cohen’s Children Medical Center, came out and helped Goldberg and Rodler plant the new tree, which resulted in an emotional and extremely rewarding experience for everybody. Together, with the help of the children, we mixed compost and fertilizer into the soil. Everyone had a hand in filling the tree pit with rich organic soil. Then it was time to add the earthworms. This was a highlight for a lot of people there, because it was also a learning experience on the proper way to treat soil for a newly planted tree. The act of touching and working with soil and plants is proven to be very therapeutic and served as a healing experience for everyone involved. The last step was to add mulch and water thoroughly. LIJ has acquired a new truck with an attached hose and water compressor, to optimize watering throughout the hospital campus. Last it was time to name the tree, and the children were given the honor to name their very own tree. Today on April 24th, “Pinky” the Cherry Tree was brought into our lives, and Goldberg & Rodler couldn’t be happier.
After a quick photo op, we moved to another location by the Emergency Room to plant our second tree, a Japanese Zelkova. We utilized the same procedures to properly plant the tree to ensure its survival. Goldberg & Rodler decided upon a Zelkova for this area because it will provide shade and an interesting vase shaped canopy over time. Groups of administrators and doctors arrived at our second location to witness the final planting. Everyone was excited to be a part of the process, get their hands a little dirty, and break up the monotony of their demanding jobs. The group named this tree “The Healing Tree” in honor of the Green Initiative mission of healing the environment and the community at LIJ.
The Green Team at Cohen Children’s Medical Center and all of the helpers around their new tree “Pinky”Earth Day at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Cohen Children’s Medical Center was an extremely successful and inspiring event for Goldberg & Rodler. We are honored to donate to such a beneficial and healing cause for patients, employees and the environment. Goldberg and Rodler promotes sustainability and community involved design, and looks forward to continuing to serve our community by volunteering in the future.
Written by Nick Onesto