Environmental justice & climate
250+
Soil samples tested
Community-led research revealed widespread soil contamination — turning data into action on soil safety and climate resilience.
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01/ Who we are
Brooklyn Level Up (BKLVLUP) is a community power-building organization rooted in The Flats.
9 Weeks
10 Operators
4 Tracks
1 Neighborhood
We're building East Flatbush's first Community Resilience Hub — a place-based ecosystem of programs, land, and people infrastructure anchored in environmental justice and civic power.
BKLVLUP was born in East Flatbush and grew from a grassroots idea into a powerhouse for community development and environmental tech — bridging civic engagement, digital equity, culture, and design to build futures that start right here, at home.
EcoPower is part of that. So are the 10 people you're about to meet.
The work that got us here
What started as a hyperlocal effort to reclaim community power has grown into a city-wide approach to environmental justice, youth leadership, and community-rooted innovation.
Today we build community infrastructure — across land, climate, culture, youth, and wealth — rooted in place and built for the long term.
Our core initiatives
The Collective, The Flats CLT, and Cultivate are the core initiatives through which all of BKLVLUP's work flows — building power and opportunity across East Flatbush, Flatbush, and Flatlands. Together they support entrepreneurs, preserve community land for public good, and train the next generation of citizen scientists.
What's next: projects like Rain Activated and Map the Culture, turning neighborhood stories into collective action.
Impact in numbers
Youth power & green pathways
50+
Youth trained
Young people paid, trained, and mentored through the EcoPower Internship in environmental justice, soil testing, climate storytelling, design thinking, and digital equity.
Land, housing & anti-displacement
1,200+
Property owners supported
Outreach, education, and direct assistance paired with Community Land Trust organizing to help residents avoid displacement.
Small business & community wealth
100+
Entrepreneurs supported
Wellness and accountability-based incubator programs strengthening local businesses and community-rooted economic power.
Culture & community knowledge
200+
Community stories collected
Resident stories, recipes, interviews, and histories gathered to ground planning and land stewardship in lived experience.
Investment & sustainability
$500K+
Secured in grants
Investments from New York Women's Foundation, New York Community Trust, North Star Fund, Brooklyn Org, and Rainproof NYC to scale local solutions.
The Holding Structure
BKLVLUP HQ
└──Community Resilience HubEast Flatbush's first
└──CultivateEnvironmental programs arm
★ this program
└──EcoPower '26
Housed inside EcoPower
└──Rain Activated
└──Powering the Block
└──Community Soil Testing
└──Steel Pan Eco Initiative
└──The CollectiveCivic + economic power arm
└──Map the CultureA tool
└──Infrastructure Walking TourCommunity events
└──BEJP Community Investment Fund
└──The Flats CLTCommunity land trust
└──IBX Coalition
└──ADU Innovation
CEC People's Money is a partner program, not a BKLVLUP program.
Programs glossary
Community Resilience Hub
East Flatbush's first. A place-based hub of programs, land, and people infrastructure anchored in environmental justice and civic power.
Cultivate
The Hub's environmental programs arm — where EcoPower lives.
EcoPower
A paid summer internship for Brooklyn high schoolers doing environmental justice work. Real projects, real pay, rooted in The Flats.
Rain Activated
Stormwater management and environmental resilience work. EcoPower Operators presented at the Rainproof NYC press conference this summer.
Powering the Block
Energy access and efficiency for Flats residents. Operators ran an energy clinic at Bethany Houses on August 29.
Community Soil Testing
Lead and soil contamination research in The Flats — testing the ground under our feet.
Steel Pan Eco Initiative
Steel pan is one of the only instruments on earth made from recycled materials. The Steel Pan Eco Initiative tests whether its sound frequencies can help plants and food grow — real gardens, real data, proving steel pan belongs in the world's climate economy.
The Collective
The Hub's civic and economic power arm — BKLVLUP's programming and convening engine.
Map the Culture
A living map of culture, history, and place in The Flats.
Infrastructure Walking Tour
Community walking tours that teach the neighborhood's infrastructure — civic education on foot.
BEJP Community Investment Fund
A community investment fund under The Collective — putting resources directly into Brooklyn environmental justice work.
The Flats CLT
A community land trust working to keep land in community hands in The Flats. Not a nonprofit. Not a program.
IBX Coalition
Organizing around the Interborough Express transit corridor and what it means for The Flats.
ADU Innovation
Accessory dwelling unit research, surveying, and advocacy. Operators ran interviews and focus groups with East Flatbush homeowners.