Finally, a press release from the former staff at the Center for the Urban Environment which closed suddenly last week. They're not the only ones who are shocked. What went wrong and why didn't anyone try to save the place? As Aisha Glover says in the statement below: "Corporations file for bankruptcy and maintain operations all the time. It’s
such a shame to have abruptly ceased our programs to tens of thousands
of school children, teachers, businesses, residents, and tourists
alike." Beyond the following statement, staff members don't seem to want to talk about what really happened over there at this time. They do, however, want to focus on the fact that now over 40 people
(mostly Brooklynites) are jobless. "40 people with exceptional skills,
talent and expertise in education, the environment, community
relations, and sustainability issues," writes one former CUE employee.
April 6, 2009-
The staff of the Center for the Urban Environment is saddened and
shocked by the recent events surrounding CUE’s closing this passed week. The
30-year old nonprofit, based in Brooklyn, was one of New York City’s
leading providers of environmental education and was always at the cusp
of innovative programs and tours, along with its recently launched
Sustainable Business Network.
“We
understand it was a difficult decision that was made by the Board of
Directors. We had all hoped that a restructuring of the organization
would’ve addressed some of the immediate financial concerns—where
options of merging or retiring some of our programs could have
sustained the organization's life. Corporations file for bankruptcy and maintain operations all the time. It’s
such a shame to have abruptly ceased our programs to tens of thousands
of school children, teachers, businesses, residents, and tourists
alike,” said Aisha Glover, former Director of Public Affairs at the
Center for the Urban Environment.
“CUE’s
best assets have always been its staff and the knowledge and expertise
they maintain. Ideally, we’d find a home for this expertise and our
programs would be able to live on. We
are educators, urban planners, tour guides, community liaisons, and
artists with knowledge about an array of topics on the sustainability
spectrum. From concepts as complex as energy efficiency
and green building design for high school students or adults to
activities that use puppetry and hand-crafted board games to teach
pre-schoolers about recycling and conservation. There’s
really an enormous amount of talent that existed at CUE and still
exists through its staff,” says Michelle Piano, former Manager of Early
Childhood Programs.
The
Center for the Urban Environment provided hands-on educational programs
and tours throughout New York City, making a concerted effort to
address the great disparity between communities that need this
information and communities that actually access it through programs
such as its Family Literacy Initiative. CUE used its 30 year history
of educating New Yorkers from all walks of life about how to live,
create, and promote a more sustainable future. Through urban tours,
school programs, a sustainable business network, and events and
workshops for the public, CUE served nearly 100,000 New Yorkers each
year.
