Lavender Field at Governors Island

There’s something comforting and relaxing about being among flowers. They provide numerous benefits to our health and well-being and to wildlife as well.

Businesses like Earth Matter in New York City incorporate ornamental plants partially as a way of drawing people into the work they’re doing. Having people come to enjoy the beauty opens the door for a larger conversation. Earth Matter is a non-profit organization that encourages the responsible disposal of organic waste through composting and they’ve started using plants as part of their mission. 

To illustrate the benefits of organic compost, Earth Matter launched The Lavender Field on Governors Island in 2017. It’s a place for visitors to come and experience all the benefits of these beautiful plants. 

As the Co-founder and Executive Director of Earth Matter, Marisa DeDominicis has gotten a great deal of positive feedback from people checking out their space.

“When people came, I would get a lot of compliments on how serene the area looked and it just gave me a lot of joy to see beautiful flowers growing.”

Besides being a place of peaceful reflection and healing, and providing ample sustenance for pollinators, The Lavender Field is a physical reminder of what composting can accomplish.

For Marisa, seeing how connected the natural world is has been an encouraging aspect of her work with Earth Matter. 

“I love everything about plants. I love the interrelationship with the birds, the bugs, and the bees…they’re all connected.”

Visit the Earth Matter website for more information. Follow Earth Matter on Instagram.

This episode was filmed & edited by Robert Capria.