VERDANT: What led you from Entertainment to the Environment?

MIDLER: I think it’s part of what I was used to. I grew up in nature in Hawaii. I wasn’t very adventurous but had an I had an eye for beauty and I was happy, I always felt better in natural surroundings. Being outside with the elements, under a tree, healed me and made me feel serene and added so much to my life.

I was 19 when I came to the mainland and saw real cities for the first time. I was shocked that they weren’t as beautiful as I thought they’d would be. I had a hard time adjusting to places where nobody really cared. It had a big impact on me.

Then, when I moved to LA, I was relieved to be in the green again. Out there, you can have a yard and trees. We came back to New York after the earthquake. I'd take my daughter to school past Riverside Park. I thought ‘What is this?!!’ This park and the nearby streets were filthy. Down in Tribeca, I saw an enormous lot on the waterfront full of garbage.

I’m a garbage picking fool. I always used to be the one who’d pick up coffee cups. I’ve seen people walk over things and not even bother. I have no idea why. I can’t figure it why someone tosses something—as of it’s not their job to pick it up, I did a voice over on the Simpsons. In the cartoon, when someone throws something out, I run over and crush their car. It seems to me the civic minded thing to do is pick up one piece of trash a day. I thought wouldn’t it be GREAT if we could get people doing that.

V: How did you get the Restoration Project off the ground?

M: There was a wonderful guy I knew in LA, Scott Faris; he did restoration or something like that. A wonderful guy. I used to make contributions to him; pay him to clean the canyon where I lived. So, I thought—I have some money I'm going to do this. We went up to Fort Tryon Park in New York City. The Cloisters is there but outside the door there were all these terrible activities—drugs, prostitution. There was a chop shop up there—they were taking cars apart—right in the park!!!. People with kids were scared to go in. We cleaned it up, -- and then we never looked back. Our group transformed itself from picking up garbage to a group that teaches and renews.

Now we've built a park boathouse. Kids learn how to row—ome are going to college on rowing scholarships. We bought 16 vacant lots and put gardens on them so people know where their food comes from. Some people come and dig themselves. It’s really nuts and bolts—not just sending your money in. We fll a need and it was an emotional need, too. We have a three-star rating as an organization. We're www.nyrp.org.

This big thing has sort of taken over my life. Working with the environment, you see the way the earth works, and it’s so brilliantly designed, such a wonderful creation. I have a big garden on my roof. I have trees everywhere. In the city, the more concrete and stone that holds the heat, the hotter you are. Trees cool the air.

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Bette has encouraged show business acquaintances and friends to become more aware of the environment and to assist in supporting her projects in and around New York City.

Bette and members of her New York Restoration Project share a few moments share a few moments of relaxation with friends who came to watch a restored park come to life. They’ve reclaimed over 400 acres of park land.

Whether it’s boating or planting in gardens they've created, the public is learning the benefits of getting closer to the land. Thanks to the group's efforts, inner city children have actually obtained rowing scholarships to colleges. Says the Divine Miss M, “trees cool the air, making things more pleasant for apartment dwellers who face oppressive heat in the summer.”