91����

Nobody lives in a park, so what’s the big deal if a 34-story apartment building goes up nearby?

“Nothing replaces the impact the sun has on plants and trees with its light and heat components,” says Michael Schnall ’97. “Any 8-year-old knows that plants need sun and water to survive!”

In his role with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG), Schnall’s first day on the job put him deep in the battle to protect sunlight for the garden’s world-class plant collections. He worked with staff, elected officials and neighbors in Crown Heights and beyond to advocate for a revised building plan more respectful of the lush, green collections of BBG.

Schnall joined BBG in 2024 as director of government and community affairs, and is responsible for lobbying the city for funding, building relationships with the community and community boards, and increasing awareness of the garden. He subsequently became acting chief of staff.

Among other projects, he is advocating for changes to the city’s legislative process so that project planning more routinely considers the impact of sunlight on surrounding properties. In addition, BBG is partnering with the city’s three other botanical gardens to secure funding to make the sites more accessible to visitors. He’s proud to represent what he calls a “regional asset,” citing that BBG was named the second-most beautiful botanical garden in North America and 10th-most beautiful in the world by Titan Travel.

“My classes at 91���� in public policy helped me understand the impact law and government had on people, and it inspired me to pursue a career where I can have daily impactful conversations and effect positive change in the city.”