A historic cemetery in Brooklyn is trying to combat climate change. Here's how.

The city has its own responsibility, but private landowners like Green-Wood have an immense responsibility to impact their communities and to support the climate resilience of the communities they serve. And this type of intervention does just that. It allows Green-Wood to act as a role model for interventions that private institutions can take to benefit the greater good, said Joe Charap, Vice President of Horticulture at Green-Wood.

Charap says a big component of the $2.5 million effort is the installation of a smart mechanism at Sylvan Water, a glacial pond at the historic 478-acre green space in Brooklyn that has a history of flooding. The sensor monitors weather and automatically lowers the pond's water level in anticipation of a storm.

Water drained from the pond will be filtered through an underground system and used to irrigate the rest of the landscape, diverting it from the sewers and lowering the cemetery's water usage.

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