In 1995, Bette Midler founded the New York Restoration Project (NYRP) after seeing how much neglect had taken over New York City's parks and green spaces.She started by bringing together friends and family to clean up parks in Northern Manhattan. Three decades later, NYRP had planted more than 200,000 trees and built or renovated more than 300 green spaces across New York City.Why Bette Midler started NYRPNYRP's story began in Northern Manhattan.According to the organization, Midler returned to New York in 1995 and found many streets, neighborhoods and parks covered in litter and affected by years of neglect. She recruited friends and family to help remove garbage from Fort Tryon Park and Fort Washington Park.On July 7, 1995, Midler joined friends and more than 100 volunteers at Fort Washington Park to clear refuse from the area. The park had suffered from neglect and disrepair, with parts of it overrun by trash and invasive plants.You Might Also Like:Fort Tryon Park was also one of the first New York City parks where Midler began cleanup and restoration work that year.From park cleanups to work across New York CityNYRP's work eventually expanded beyond those early cleanups in Northern Manhattan.Today, the nonprofit works with residents across all five boroughs to renovate community gardens, restore parks, plant trees and promote urban agriculture. It owns and operates more than 50 community gardens and stewards more than 80 acres of parkland in Northern Manhattan.The organization has also worked with city agencies and community groups on projects aimed at improving access to green space.You Might Also Like:New York City park restoration (Photo: AI/ChatGPT)NYRP and MillionTreesNYCOne of the organization's major projects was its partnership with the New York City Parks Department on MillionTreesNYC.The initiative, which began in 2007, aimed to plant one million trees across New York City. NYRP co-led the campaign with NYC Parks and was responsible for planting 250,000 trees.The initiative was completed in 2015, two years ahead of its original schedule.More than 200,000 trees plantedBy its 30th anniversary, NYRP reported that it had planted more than 200,000 trees since its founding.You Might Also Like:Its 2025 annual report also said the organization had removed more than 6.1 million pounds of trash and built or renovated more than 300 green spaces across the city.NYRP's 30-year figures also include 312 acres of restored parkland and more than 146,300 volunteers engaged in its work.What started with Midler and volunteers clearing trash from neglected parks in Northern Manhattan had grown into a nonprofit working across New York City's five boroughs.Thirty years after its founding, NYRP was still focused on the same broad goal of improving access to parks, gardens and other green spaces in communities across the city.By 2025, its work had included more than 200,000 trees planted, more than 300 green spaces built or renovated and more than 6.1 million pounds of trash removed.