The winners of the 2012 Greenest Block in Brooklyn Contest were announced yesterday at a press conference on the champion residential block, Lincoln Road between Bedford and Rogers Avenues in the neighborhood of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens.
Tying for second place: Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Macon/MacDonough/Stuyvesant/Lewis Block Association (for MacDonough Street between Stuyvesant and Lewis Avenues) and Park Slope’s 8th Street Block Association (for 8th Street between 8th Avenue and Prospect Park West).
Third place: Bainbridge Street Homeowners and Tenants Block Association for Bainbridge Street between Malcolm X Blvd. and Stuyvesant Ave.,Bedford-Stuyvesant
Fourth place: B&W Sterling Street Block Association for Sterling Street between Washington and Bedford Avenues, Crown Heights.
Blocks were judged on a variety of criteria, including color and total visual effect, citizen participation, variety and suitability of plants, soil condition and use of mulch, street tree and tree bed care, and all-around best horticultural practices. A panel of more than 20 judges, including journalists and professional horticulturists from Brooklyn Botanic Garden, visits each contestant’s block from mid-June throughout July.
The 2012 residential winner, Lincoln Road between Bedford and Rogers Avenues, distinguished itself with beautiful and meticulously maintained curbside gardens, a communal Children’s Garden, excellent horticultural maintenance, and its conscientious efforts to reach maximum participation from block residents.
Other residential winners include:
Best Street Tree Beds
First place: Bainbridge Street between Malcolm X Blvd and Stuyvesant Ave, Bedford-Stuyvesant
Second place: Sterling Place between Flatbush and 7th Avenues, Park Slope
Third place: Greene Ave. between Franklin and Bedford Ave., Bedford-Stuyvesant

Best Community Garden Streetscape
First place: St. Marks Avenue Prospect Heights Community Garden, St. Marks Avenue btw. Vanderbilt and Carlton Aves.
Second place: Bridge Plaza Community Garden, Sterling Place/nr. Flatbush Ave.

Best Window Box
First-place tie: Barbara and David Arky, 487 10th Street, and Diane Kosup, 716 Macon Street, Bedford-Stuyvesant Second place: Janet Clarke, 115 Bainbridge
Third place: Lorraine Wilson, 99 Sterling
Said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, “All of Brooklyn wins when thousands of residents and businesses spend hours every day tending to their flowers, trees and shrubs and organizing cleanup and beautification projects to spruce up their blocks.”
New York City Councilman Mathieu Eugene, State Senator Eric Adams, state Assemblyman Karim Camara  and a representative from Congresswoman Yvette Clarke’s office were also on hand to applaud the efforts of the block participants.
Since its inception in 1994, the Greenest Block in Brooklyn Contest has encouraged greening activities on more than 1,600 Brooklyn blocks.. It is estimated that more than 600,000 Brooklynites have participated in this borough-wide beautification and greening effort over the past 18 years.

For more information, visit bbg.org/greenbridge.