The Street Works Earth festival returns to 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights on September 21 for its second annual event, merging art, climate action, and community engagement during New York Climate Week. Organized by Street Works in partnership with Make Justice Normal, the day-long festival features over 100 artists, climate experts, and community groups collaborating through co-creation practices. This year introduces Future@Work, a career fair co-designed by multiple organizations including ALIGN, El Puente, Frontline Resource Institute, KALEIDOSPACE, Make Justice Normal, Street Works, The Veggie Nuggets, Waterfront Alliance, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice to help people of all ages explore climate-related career paths.
The career fair, running primarily from 12:00-2:00 pm, offers practical support for those seeking employment in the growing green economy. The festival directly addresses New York's lagging compliance with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), using art and community engagement to push for rapid climate action. Additional thematic programs include Thread Lightly, which explores the cultural and political power of fashion, and Kindred Roots, celebrating practices of care and mental wellness. These initiatives demonstrate how climate solutions can integrate with daily life and community needs, moving beyond policy to lived experience.
Jenille Scott, Climate Director at ALIGN, emphasized the interconnected nature of the event's goals, stating that Future@Work shows climate action and good jobs are inseparable. A just transition means creating opportunities where frontline communities and working people can thrive with dignity, creativity, and purpose. The event builds on last year's success, which attracted over 3,000 attendees and 75 participating artists and community groups, indicating growing public engagement with climate justice through cultural expression.
Street Works co-founder Anjali Deshmukh highlighted the strategy of combining practical support with joy and creativity to build community resilience. Practical support like good jobs must be paired with joy, creativity, and collaboration to build resilience, experience shared power, and find ways to face the future collectively. The free, family-friendly festival runs from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm ET, serving as both a cultural event and a platform for community organizing around climate justice. As detailed by organizers, the event represents a living experiment in normalizing justice-centered organizing that demonstrates equitable, care-driven solutions co-created with the community, aligning with broader goals for environmental and economic justice in New York.
