Jibreel Cooper

How are you using education to build more sustainable and equitable communities? Tell us about your EE work and impact.

Whether I’m speaking with members of a block association that wants to start gardening, leading a tree care demonstration for youth at BK ROT, or facilitating a workshop alongside my colleagues at Brooklyn Botanic Garden; the approach remains the same: We all have knowledge and expertise that we can bring to a topic.

Education is looked at as an opportunity to learn from the experiences of the room in my work. One of my biggest takeaways from being an educator is that I won’t have all the answers for all the questions I get from students, but other students often do! My favorite parts of workshops are when attendees begin answering each other, sharing gardening tips, and building connections with new people from all over the borough. Therein lies the sustainability of my work–while I may teach about environmental sustainability itself, there’s a very intentional element of educational and communal sustainability as well. The energy that is held in a room doesn’t start and end with the workshop. It continues through the bonds that are built between attendees that excitedly talk and exchange information about how they can get involved in each other’s gardens and communities once class is over.

Tell us about your journey to where you are today. What inspired you? What has your path been like?

My path with Environmental Education started with urban farming! In early 2020, I began working with VINES, a food justice organization in Binghamton, NY. I was initially motivated to get into food justice because I wanted to give back to the Binghamton community in some form. At VINES, I learned about the importance of urban agriculture, community gardens, food access, and having a relationship with the land.

After leaving VINES, I began working at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and have been blessed with the opportunity to learn from so many colleagues and community members doing astounding environmental stewardship here in NYC. It’s an honor to witness the impact of large projects I manage, like Greenest Block in Brooklyn and Making Brooklyn Bloom that provide a way for thousands of people to connect with their neighbors and build stronger communities. I’m also buoyed by the mission of organizations like BK ROT (where I serve on the Board of Directors) that bring environmental/composting education and training to local youth, primarily from black and brown communities that stand to be most impacted by environmental policies and legislation.

How can people learn more about or support your work?

We’re planning some really awesome programming for 2026 at BBG, so I encourage folks to check in on BBG’s website over the next several months as info rolls out and, in the meantime, get familiar with the programming we offer at the botanic garden!

If you’re interested in supporting fossil-fuel-free, bike-powered, youth-centered, community-supported composting initiatives, head over to BK ROT’s webpage! We offer food scrap pick-up and drop-off services, consultations, workshops, volunteer days, and a really awesome youth program that takes place every summer!

Lastly, do what you can to build community where you are. There are countless organizers in NYC and across the world who have been doing community-focused work long before I came around. I encourage you to work with your neighbors, your local gardens, your schools, your farms, your churches, your businesses, your tenants associations, your colleagues– we are so much better off together, than apart.

A Little More About Me

What’s something that can always make you laugh?
My sisters can definitely always make me laugh.

What song or artist has uplifted you lately?
"Blame Fire" by Petite Noir.

What’s your favorite food to celebrate with?
I really like ramen!

If a genie granted you one wish, what would it be?
I'd absolutely be that person that wishes for more wishes (you at least have to try and see if it works, shoot your shot!).