Land access advocates in NYC heard back from a whole bunch of city agencies this week! The Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden had their GreenThumb license approved, the lock at 61 Franklin was cut by HPD, and 199 York Street got approval to start a Garden for Healthy Communities, a program with special funding form the Mayor's Office! We keep on adding pink dots to our New York organizing map!

GREEN WARRIORS UNITED

NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES
 
Red Hook, Brooklyn - The folks organizing around this lot have been waiting on paperwork from HPD for nine months! Please email the CB6 and HPD to ask for action now. Mr Hammer @ HPD: hammerj@hpd.nyc.gov, CB6: Info@BrooklynCB6.org.

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn - Interested in starting a project near Myrtle Village Green? The NYC Department of Sanitation has a lot two times the size of the MVG that's just waiting, a few blocks away in Northern Bed Stuy.

Greenpoint, Brooklyn - 61 Franklin Community Garden to-be (the lot in the picture above) is having its first clean up day this Saturday, starting at 9:30am. Wear garden gloves. And experience that awesome moment a first community occupation of our common land!

Flatbush, Brooklyn - There will be a cleanup in and around the lot at 69 East 18th Street on Saturday June 1st at 9am. The Church Ave. Business Improvement District is collaborating with the MTA to access the lot for cleaning purposes - a great first step in gaining access! Meet outside the Downtown Natural Market at the corner of Church and E.17th. A BBQ will follow the cleanup at 2pm.

Lower East Side, Manhattan - Siempre Verde Garden is having their next meeting today, Thursday May 16th, from 7-9pm, in the garden at 181 Stanton Street. They are also having regular workdays at the garden on the second and third Sunday of every month from 1-5pm!

462 Halsey has a ton more events coming this month still, check out their events page. Saturday, May 18th - Rainwater Harvesting! RSVP is required. To register, contact Wilfredo at wflorentino@citizensnyc.org, 212 822 9568. Space is limited!

Harlem, Manhattan - Saint Nick's Miracle Garden's next workday will be this Sunday, May 19th, from 11am to 5pm to build planters. 

Crown Heights, Brooklyn - ExcessNYC is looking for volunteers to help them run a unique, community compost site in Prospect Heights/Crown Heights area of Brooklyn. Volunteers will help pick up coffee grounds from our participating cafe, monitor the active compost heaps and help turn the piles. In exchange, compost your food scraps with ExcessNYC, learn the art & science of urban composting, and take home some "made in Brooklyn" black gold. For more information or to sign up, email info@excessnyc.org.

If your lot is on the list of lots identified for the Gardens for Healthy Communities program, and you've applied for funding but haven't heard anything, please reply to this email to let us know!

 

The NYC Community Garden Coalition is hosting a press conference today (about the time when this newsletter goes out!) in support of The Children's Magical Garden de Carmen Rubio. A private developer sliced this space in half with a fence. If you have NYC connections, make a call to save this anchor garden on the Lower East Side at the corner of Norfolk and Stanton. For more information contact Dave at 917 701 4824. The NYCCGC's general meeting tonight will focus on this subject, come check it out in the Bronx and Manhattan. 

Feedback Farms is seeking more folks for their working Community Supported Agriculture share. Get your hands dirty for a share of super local produce! You can apply here. They are also hiring a farm manager. Apply here!

Build It Green!NYC has revamped, revitalized and reinstated reuse-themed classes by launching BIG!Workshops: low cost do-it-yourself classes focused on learning how to create with reusable materials. They are looking for more amazing teachers to help spread up-cycling, reuse and eco-skills borough wide! If you have a skill and a desire to share it, you are exactly who we are looking for! Please let us know more about your class idea by filling out this short survey. 

The Gowanus Studio Space Printmaking Residency Program offers three artists six months of unlimited access to the GSS printmaking studio. The studio is equipped with intaglio, lithography, relief and silkscreen facilities, including all related photo-based processes and large format digital printing. Apply here! And check out their fundraiser coming up on May 18th! - ROBOTSPRINGOWANUS!! 

We LOVE LOVE LOVE your signs. Make a new sign - hang it on a fence! 

yours, 

596 Acres will soon be working on LA Open Acres!
We are all about land access advocates. The great thing is - this work can be done in any city. All across the US, city governments hold onto vacant lots for all sorts of reasons. We love helping people figure out successful strategies and developing city based tools to get access to this land. So that's why we are grateful to all of you who clicked for us - because of your support, our team was selected to be one of the recipients of funding for the L.A. 2050 campaign. The real work will start later this year but we'll keep you posted. The great part is, we can bring YOUR expertise  - NYC's knowledge of successful organizing for land access - to another city with a lot of vacant public land. 

-->> LA - we're going to help you find the lot in your life! <<-- 

GREEN WARRIORS UNITED

Reminders + Upcoming
PRIVATE LOT ORGANIZERS: Are you working for access to a privately owned vacant lot? We hear from many folks out there about this process. We are putting together a network for you to join and share your stories and strategies. We would like to host a meeting soon for you to collaborate. Please contact richard@596acres.org to link up. 


NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES

If your lot is on the list of lots identified for the Mayor's Obesity Task Force - the application is due May 16th! Contact us if you need help with this application. Check your lots page to see if it's on the list or check out Greenthumb's info about it. See below for an update from an organizer about this!

Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn - Neighbors near this lot are meeting to put together an application for funding from the Mayor's Obesity Task Force. They are meeting next Monday, May 13th, at 7:30pm, location TBD. Keep watching the lot for updates!

East New York, Brooklyn - The NYC EDC's vacant lot temporary activation program has Request for Proposals out for this lot, this lot, and this lot. If you have a creative idea for industrial/commercial use for this space then you should apply! 

Flatbush, Brooklyn - The folks organizing around this lot at 69 East 18th Street are having a general meeting this Saturday, May 11th, at noon. They will meet in the backyard of 336 Westminster Road (near the corner of Cortelyou), to enjoy some food and sunshine and to prepare for their upcoming presentation to the District 14 Community Board's Environmental Committee on May 23rd.

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn - 462 Halsey has a ton more events coming this month still, check out their events page. Sunday May 12th - Storytelling for young people! Saturday May 18th - Rainwater Harvesting!

Lower East Side, Manhattan - Siempre Verde Garden will have regular workdays at the garden on the second and third Sunday of every month from 1-5pm. May 19th is their next meeting! Check their website, and maybe take a gander at their new sign at the bottom of this message!

 

If you're interested in submitting an application by May 16th to Greenthumb for support or funding for one of the lots on the Mayor's Obesity Task Force list, check out what one organizer wrote about the application he is working on: "I had a very brief conversation with Carolin Mees at Greenthumb today. I wanted to speak with her before I submit the new application just to make sure that we are clear on the application and submission process and what to expect over the next couple of weeks or months. The application deadline is May 16 and she told me their committee will begin the review process on the 17th. She also said that the selection process was very similar to the regular process to start a community garden and we should get a response favorable or not within a few weeks. I also spoke with the Parent Coordinator Ms. Ayers at MS 305 the school behind the lot in an effort to connect with them and garner their support. I will be emailing her a copy of the proposal which she will review with the Principal. I will be contacting several other neighborhood schools, churches and 2 local nursing homes tomorrow.We need to connect with as many community organizations/ institutions (i.e. Schools, Nursing/Senior care homes, religious institutions and community based non profit etc.)as possible being that preference will be given to applications with 2 or more organizations. I want to submit our application and proposal in person Next Wednesday May 15, so that gives us 7 days to get all of our ducks in a row. Green Warriors Unite, The Time Is Now."

--->>> If you have any questions about this new program, please respond to this email and we'll get you the answer or put you in touch with somebody who can!

 

GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN

This section of our newsletter highlights grant opportunities that may apply to your group's project. See a money opportunity you wanna share? Email it to Drew Tucker (drew@596acres.org). Check out our updated Green For Your Green page - it lists the grants below, plus others with longer deadlines, and sources for free materials.  We're super happy to hear that Siempre Verde Garden, 100 Quincy Community Garden, Myrtle Village Green, St. Nicholas Miracle Garden and Prospect Farm all got grants from the Manhattan Borough President's office and Citizens' Committee to support their composting programs. Go team! We'd love to hear what else is working well for you guys, too!

Ok vacant lots - you can't hide behind that fence anymore! 
This past weekend we turned on the engines and made more than 150 signs for four boroughs. Keep your eyes tuned to the fences for WAY more labreled lots in your neighborhood than ever before. Check 596acres.org to see if there SHOULD be a sign on public land near you and let us know. It really is spring!

~~~~ There's land if you want it! ~~~

GREEN WARRIORS UNITED

FIRST SATURDAY AT THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM: We are tabling at the Brooklyn Museum for First Saturday in celebration of John Singer Sargent's watercolors and gardens. Come say hello! We are tabling between 8pm-10pm, Saturday May 4th! May the fourth be with you!

LOT LABELING: Contact our borough organizers if you've got ideas/questions/feelings about lot labeling - 
Manhattan - Kaitlin@596acres.org, Bronx - Kimberly@596acres.org, Brooklyn - Rose@596acres.org. Staten Island and Queens - organizers@596acres.org

GARDEN FORUM: The New York City Community Gardens Coalition (NYCCGC) hosted a Mayoral Forum on Saturday, April 27th. Here's a report back from WBAI about the event, and here's a Daily News article about it. Thanks all for coming! It's so great to make community use of public space an issue for this mayoral election. Let's keep that conversation going.

Reminders + Upcoming

PRIVATE LOT ORGANIZERS: Are you working for access to a privately owned vacant lot? We hear from many folks out there about this process. We are putting together a network for you to join and share your stories and strategies. We would like to host a meeting soon for you to collaborate. Please contact richard@596acres.org to link up. 


NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES


Harlem, Manhattan - The Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden, at 330 Saint Nicholas Avenue, has submitted their application to Greenthumb and is just a step away from official their license and official access - they are on the agenda for May 10th at the Community Board 10 meeting. And here's another article about them, this time in the Columbia Spectator. They also got the lot transferred to Dept. of Parks already, and have a 4 year renewable lease pending all the pieces clicking together. 

Wallabout, Brooklyn - Feedback Farms at Myrtle Village Green has another farm raising work day May 5th, from 12pm to 4pm. Aaaand here's the application form for their workshare CSA. 

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - 462 Halsey has already this year composted 3,150 pounds of food this year. They also have a LOT of events in May. 

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - 463 Tompkins presented to the Community Board 3 last night! Check out this lot's page if you want to get involved! 

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - The organizers at 340 Tompkins are going to be working on the Greenthumb process created for the Mayor's Obesity Taskforce access plan. 

BAM Cultural District, Brooklyn - We heard from folks at Community Board 2 that BAM has a proposal moving forward for this space that includes an art wall. It might have room for more community ideas, too! Call BAM (718.636.4100) and find out who's in charge. 

Greenpoint, Brooklyn - The new garden at 61 Franklin is having a fundraiser on Thursday, May 8th. They also have signed their contract with HPD and are awaiting a response and their official access date - stay tuned!

Bushwick, Brooklyn - Evergreen Lots are preparing for a great event: Saturday, May 11th - A workshop for kids and moms. In partnership with Bushwick City Farms.

Elmhurst, Queens - Last Saturday's Beautification Event was a success!! We had over 100 volunteers come out to build raised planting beds and benches, plant flowers and trees, pull weeds, and repair the fence.  But there is still more work to do.  We will be having an Organizing and Planning Meeting this Saturday May 4th at 11 AM in the garden to discuss membership dues, rules, and organizational structure.  ContactElmhurstCommunityGarden@gmail.com for more info.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn - The Nothing Yet Community Garden planted some trees at 99 S 5th Street. Contact them at NothingYetCommunityGarden@gmail.com to get involved. 

Lower East Side, Manhattan - Siempre Verde Garden will have regular workdays at the garden on the second and third Sunday of every month from 1-5pm. 

Important news from Greenthumb - The Mayor’s Obesity Task Force was convened in January 2012 to combat the obesity epidemic, which is a leading cause of preventable deaths in NYC second only to tobacco. In May of 2012, the Mayor’s Obesity Task Force report was issued, identifying 26 initiatives to address obesity. Initiative #15 is to create new community garden sites via the Parks Department’s GreenThumb program. Community gardening is a way to improve access to healthy and fresh food, enhance residents’ health and quality of life and connect people to where their food comes from. Check out the list and more information here.
--->>> Please respond to this email with any specific questions about this new program, we'll get you the answer or put you in touch with somebody who can!

 

GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN

This section of our newsletter highlights grant opportunities that may apply to your group's project. See a money opportunity you wanna share? Email it to Drew Tucker (drew@596acres.org). Check out our updated Green For Your Green page - it lists the grants below, plus others with longer deadlines, and sources for free materials.  We're super happy to hear that Siempre Verde Garden, 100 Quincy Community Garden, Myrtle Village Green, St. Nicholas Miracle Garden and Prospect Farm all got grants from the Manhattan Borough President's office and Citizens' Committee to support their composting programs. Go team! We'd love to hear what else is working well for you guys, too!

Manhattan Borough President's Office (MBPO) Community Grants: Each year the Manhattan Borough President’s Office (MBPO) partners with City agencies to provide programmatic funding to organizations that sustain, foster, and enhance the quality of life for Manhattan’s residents, neighborhoods, and communities. Apply by Friday, May 3rd!

The Newest Lot with Access: A coalition of groups worked for access to this lot in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn. The groups include: The Mott Hall IV Middle School, the Eagle Academy for Young Men, the Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger, and the Brooklyn Food Coalition. All four groups brought people out for their ground breaking ceremony (and the Borough President Marty Markowitz joined in the fun) on Wednesday. We can't wait to see how it grows! Special thanks to Murray Cox for sharing photos of the groundbreaking. 

vacant lots ======>>> COMMUNITY RESOURCES!

GREEN WARRIORS UNITED

LOT LABELING: It's that time of year again! We are prepping for a massive sign making operation on Sunday, April 28th at Build It Green in Gowanus! It will be all hands on deck, between 9:30am - 4:30pm. Please join us to chat and WORK - any amount of time you can spend with us is great. Contact Stephan@596acres.org for questions.
---> The signs we hang on vacant lots are a crucial piece of our project and we are setting big goals of labeling more lots in more boroughs than ever this spring! <----

GARDEN FORUM SATURDAY: The New York City Community Gardens Coalition (NYCCGC) is hosting a Mayoral Forum on Saturday, April 27th, from 9:30-4pm. The Forum will take place at The Great Hall of Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street, in Manhattan, and is themed "Stand for Our Land." Candidates will be asked questions about green space issues in the city, and Pete Seger will be the honored guest! 

BROOKLYN SKILLSHARE: Please join us after the Mayoral Forum from 5pm to 7pm at the Gowanus Ballroom to hear about the skills we've developed in the process of reclaiming vacant public land. And plenty of other skills to boot! Suggested $10 donation.Here's the FB invite too.

Reminders + Upcoming

PRIVATE LOT ORGANIZERS: Are you working for access to a privately owned vacant lot? We hear from many folks out there about this process. We are putting together a network for you to join and share your stories and strategies. We would like to host a meeting soon for you to collaborate. Please contact richard@596acres.org to link up. 

NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES

Important news from Greenthumb - The Mayor’s Obesity Task Force was convened in January 2012 to combat the obesity epidemic, which is a leading cause of preventable deaths in NYC second only to tobacco. In May of 2012, the Mayor’s Obesity Task Force report was issued, identifying 26 initiatives to address obesity. Initiative #15 is to create new community garden sites via the Parks Department’s GreenThumb program. Community gardening is a way to improve access to healthy and fresh food, enhance residents’ health and quality of life and connect people to where their food comes from.Check out the list and more information here.

Harlem, Manhattan - The Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden, at 330 Saint Nicholas Avenue, has a new website, a new FB page, and a new youtube video! AND they received a composting grant from the Manhattan Borough President's office. 

Wallabout, Brooklyn - Feedback Farms at Myrtle Village Green Sunday, April 28th - Farm Raising from 10am to 5 Films commence at 7:30 continuing our build out of the MVG site. Come anytime between 10am and 5pm Sunday to lend a hand. We made great progress last week but have plenty more to do. Come, you'll learn about sub-irrigated containers and mixing potting mix from scratch. ALSO - Feedback Farms is going to provide a working farm share: if you can give 3 days a month for a June through September share of produce (including honey !) + you learn all we know about farming - send them an email at: info@feedbackfarms.com with the subject: 'working share'. 

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - 100 Quincy Community Garden is moving right along: getting a soil delivery on Sunday, April 28th; & getting two (2)! grants from Citizens Committee of New York City to develop a rainwater harvesting system and a three bin composting shed! 100Quincy@gmail.com to get involved.

South Brooklyn, Brooklyn - The South Brooklyn Children's Garden - Worm festival was a big success! Take a look at their photos here.

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - Patchen Community Square has a meeting Saturday, April 27th at 4pm in the lot as a follow up planning meeting, and weekly workdays on Sundays, from 9am-3pm! Here are their meeting notes from last time.

Elmhurst, Queens - Great things are happening in Elmhurst! We are creating the first community garden in Elmhurst. On Saturday April 27th from 10 AM to 3 PM, we'll be building raised planting beds, planting trees, and putting in a fence. Come check it out!

Williamsburg, Brooklyn - The Nothing Yet Community Garden at 99 S 5th Street, waswritten about in the new York City Atlas. Contact them at NothingYetCommunityGarden@gmail.com to get involved. 

Lower East Side, Manhattan - Siempre Verde Garden will have regular workdays at the garden on the second and third Sunday of every month from 1-5pm. 

Greenpoint, Brooklyn - The new garden at 61 Franklin is having afundraiser on Thursday, May 8th. They also have signed their contract with HPD and are awaiting a response and their official access date - stay tuned!

Bushwick, Brooklyn - Evergreen Lots are preparing for a great event: Saturday, May 11th - A workshop for kids and moms. In partnership with Bushwick City Farms. 

 

GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN

This section of our newsletter highlights grant opportunities that may apply to your group's project. See a money opportunity you wanna share? Email it to Drew Tucker (drew@596acres.org). Check out our updated Green For Your Green page - it lists the grants below, plus others with longer deadlines, and sources for free materials.  We're super happy to hear that Siempre Verde Garden, 100 Quincy Community Garden, Myrtle Village Green, St. Nicholas Miracle Garden and Prospect Farm all got grants from the Manhattan Borough President's office and Citizens' Committee to support their composting programs. Go team! We'd love to hear what else is working well for you guys, too!

Green in Action Awards will be granting, to inspiring schools, classrooms, or youth groups awards for demonstration of commitment, creativity, or passion for sustainability. Apply by Tuesday, April 30th!

Manhattan Borough President's Office (MBPO) Community Grants: Each year the Manhattan Borough President’s Office (MBPO) partners with City agencies to provide programmatic funding to organizations that sustain, foster, and enhance the quality of life for Manhattan’s residents, neighborhoods, and communities. Apply by Friday, May 3rd!

GREEN WARRIORS UNITED

ORGANIZING FELLOWS: We are pleased to welcome our three summer organizing fellows to support your work in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. 

The Bronx: Kimberly Beazer - kimberly@596acres.org
Brooklyn: Rosemarie Miner - rose@596acres.org
Manhattan: Kaitlin Dougherty - kaitlin@596acres.org

If you are working on gaining access to a vacant lot in one of these boroughs, shoot over an email and say hello! We hope that with these dedicated organizers we will be able to label many more public vacant lots in these three boroughs, and connect with your communities about your ongoing efforts for access.

~~There's land if you want it, and our organizing fellows can help you find the lot in your life.~~

Check out this great article about 596 Acres, "How One Nonprofit Scales the Fences of Hundreds of Acres of Publicly Owned Vacant Land," recently posted in GOOD! 

PRIVATE LOT ORGANIZERS: Are you working for access to a privately owned vacant lot? We hear from many folks out there about this process. We are putting together a network for you to join and share your stories and strategies. We would like to host a meeting soon for you to collaborate. Please contact richard@596acres.org to link up. 

Reminders

NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES


Harlem, Manhattan - The Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden, at 330 Saint Nicholas Avenue, will be hosting work days at the garden on Saturday, April 20th, and Sunday, April 21st. Email them at stnickgarden@gmail.com for more information and to confirm your participation! And check out their write up in the NY Daily News! And this amazing PDF version of the 1958 NY Times article about the same lot is pretty neat. From vacant lot to garden, to vacant lot, to GARDEN!

Wallabout, Brooklyn - Myrtle Village Green is hosting a film screening on Sunday, April 21st at 6pm. MVG is hosting a screening of 350.org's "Do the Math" a film about "the rising movement to change the terrifying math of the climate crisis and fight the fossil fuel industry." The film will be projected on the wall of the building next door. 

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - 100 Quincy Community Garden has an Upcoming Clean Up Day, Membership Drive, and Soil Caravan coming up this Saturday and Sunday, April 20th and April 21st. Do you have a car or can you spare an hour to help us get clean soil to the garden? Let them know at 100Quincy@gmail.com!

South Brooklyn, Brooklyn - The South Brooklyn Children's Garden on Saturday, April 20th from 10am to 2pm will host a WORM FESTIVAL! What's a Worm Festival you say? Why it's a day to celebrate worms and composting and open our community garden to the neighborhood. Bring your family, check out our new garden, and drop off your compost too! 

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - Patchen Community Square has weekly workdays on Sundays, from 9am-3pm!

Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Gothamist gave some attention to this lot at 99 S 5th Street, which organizers are calling Nothing Yet Community Garden.

Lower East Side, Manhattan - Siempre Verde Garden will have regular workdays at the garden on the second and third Sunday of every month from 1-5pm. Join themthis April on April 21st!

Bushwick, Brooklyn - Evergreen Lots has *lots* going on. Here's a story about the lot at544 Bushwick in the Brooklyn Paper. And Evergreen Lots are also preparing for a great event: Saturday, May 11th - A workshop for kids and moms. In partnership with Bushwick City Farms. 

Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Java Street Community Garden is having a potluck BBQ fundraiser on Sunday, April 21st, from 3-6pm. Learn about plans for the garden, find out how you can get involved, and have fun! Everyone is welcome!

Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Check out this article to find out how to become involved with the new garden at 61 Franklin!

 

GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN

This section of our newsletter highlights grant opportunities that may apply to your group's project. See a money opportunity you wanna share? Email it to Drew Tucker (drew@596acres.org). Check out our updated Green For Your Green page - it lists the grants below, plus others with longer deadlines, and sources for free materials.  

Farm to School Grant Program assists eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.  $5 million is awarded annually (by the USDA) in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs.  Apply by Wednesday, April 24!

Green in Action Awards will be granting, to inspiring schools, classrooms, or youth groups awards for demonstration of commitment, creativity, or passion for sustainability. Apply by Tuesday, April 30th!

Manhattan Borough President's Office (MBPO) Community Grants: Each year the Manhattan Borough President’s Office (MBPO) partners with City agencies to provide programmatic funding to organizations that sustain, foster, and enhance the quality of life for Manhattan’s residents, neighborhoods, and communities. Apply by Friday, May 3rd!

GREEN WARRIORS UNITED

We need your clicks (and those of your friends who live in LA)! 596 Acres is partnering with Community Health Councils in LA to develop a similar tool to our NYC map, custom tailored to LA for the LA2050 campaign. The GOOD Maker project can potentially award this effort $100,000. Please vote for the LA Open Acres Project by nextWednesday, April 17th!

ATTENTION MANHATTAN: Join us at our Manhattan General Meeting this SUNDAY, April 14th, from 3-5pm. Get help and support for your projects, meet other folks who are organizing to gain access to land, and pick up some seeds! Give us an RSVP so we can plan for snacks: organizers@596acres.org,

The New York City Community Gardens Coalition (NYCCGC) is hosting a Mayoral Forum on Saturday, April 27th, from 9:30-4pm. The Forum will take place at The Great Hall of Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street, in Manhattan, and is themed "Stand for Our Land." Candidates will be asked questions about green space issues in the city, andPete Seger will be the honored guest!

New York Restoration Project and Pratt Area Community Council are hosting a tree giveaway, this Saturday, April 13th, from 11am-1pm, at 686 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn. 200 free native trees will be available, get one for your community garden!

FELLOWS: We've hired three fantastic organizing fellows for Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx! We'll be putting you in touch with them next week! 

PRIVATE LOT ORGANIZERS: We hear from many folks out there about working for access to privately owned lots. We are putting together a network for you to join and share your stories. We would like to host a meeting soon for you to collaborate around successful strategies. Please contact richard@596acres.org to be added to this list. 

Reminders

NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES

Elmhurst, Queens - Elmhurst Community Garden, located at the corner of Manila st & Kneeland Ave, is having a workday this Saturday, April 13th, from 1-4pm. Bring along your shovels, rakes, hoes, contractor bags, gloves, or any other gardening tools you have!

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - Along with their weekly Sunday work days in the garden, Patchen Community Square is having work day extravaganzas from this Saturday, April 13th and Sunday, April 14th, from 9am-3pm!

Williamsburg, Brooklyn - Folks who want working for access to this lot at 99 S 5th Street are hosting a workday, this Sunday, April 14th, at 2pm. Help them clean up the soil, build raised beds, paint murals, and get ready for spring! 

Lower East Side, Manhattan - Siempre Verde Garden will have regular workdays at the garden on the second and third Sunday of every month from 1-5pm. Join themthis April 14th and/or on April 21st!

Harlem, Manhattan - The Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden, at 330 Saint Nicholas Avenue, launched a successful fundraising campaign on ioby to build a compost center and vertical garden! They will be hosting work days at the garden on Saturday, April 20th, and Sunday, April 21st. Email them at stnickgarden@gmail.com for more information and to confirm your participation! 

Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Java Street Community Garden is having a potluck BBQ fundraiser on Sunday, April 21st, from 3-6pm. Learn about plans for the garden, find out how you can get involved, and have fun! Everyone is welcome!

Greenpoint, Brooklyn - Check out this article to find out how to become involved with the new garden at 61 Franklin!

 

GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN

This section of our newsletter highlights grant opportunities that may apply to your group's project. See a money opportunity you wanna share? Email it to Drew Tucker (drew@596acres.org). Check out our updated Green For Your Green page - it lists the grants below, plus others with longer deadlines, and sources for free materials.  

Farm to School Grant Program assists eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.  $5 million is awarded annually (by the USDA) in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs.  Apply by Wednesday, April 24!

Green in Action Awards will be granting, to inspiring schools, classrooms, or youth groups awards for demonstration of commitment, creativity, or passion for sustainability. Apply by Tuesday, April 30th!

Manhattan Borough President's Office (MBPO) Community Grants: Each year the Manhattan Borough President’s Office (MBPO) partners with City agencies to provide programmatic funding to organizations that sustain, foster, and enhance the quality of life for Manhattan’s residents, neighborhoods, and communities. Apply by Friday, May 3rd!

GREEN WARRIORS UNITED

Come to the Far Rockaway Library on this Saturday, April 6th, at 2pm for a 596 Acres organizing meeting and a screening of the documentary Soul Food Junkies. Learn how to work to support community-based recovery in the Rockaways, how to find the lot in your life and gain access to public vacant land, meet other gardeners and organizers, and find out about projects happening in your community! Here's the Facebook invite.

Free MapPLUTO! Check out this article in New York World, and this blog post by Steven Romalewski, Director of CUNY Mapping Service, about MapPLUTO - a city data tool that the Department of Planning keeps hostage. Contact us if you want to help release it from bondage!  

Reminders


NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES

Bushwick, Brooklyn - A reporter from the Brooklyn Paper is writing an article about this lot at 544 Bushwick Ave, and how neighbors are organizing to turn it into a garden. He's going to take a photo of those who want to involved in this transformation - If you would like to be in it, go to the lot tonight, Thursday, April 4th, at 7pm!

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - 100 Quincy Community Garden is having a workdaythis Saturday, April 6th, from 11am to 2pm. Please bring shovels, rakes, hoes, contractor bags, gloves, or whatever else you have!

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - There will be BBQ workday at 716 Lafayette Ave, this Sunday, April 7th, at 11:30am. Help the organizers there put some dreams into action!

Harlem, Manhattan - The next organizing meeting for 330 Saint Nicholas Avenue is happening at the lot, this Sunday, April 7th, at 2pm. If you'd like to be involved, and want to share ideas about plants for the garden, you can fill out this survey. 

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - Along with their weekly Sunday work days in the garden, Patchen Community Square is having work day extravaganzas from 9am-3pm on Saturday, April 13th and Sunday, April 14th!

Lower East Side, Manhattan - Siempre Verde Garden will have regular workdays at the garden on the second and third Sunday of every month from 1-5pm. Join them on April 14th and/or April 21st!

 

GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN

This section of our newsletter highlights grant opportunities that may apply to your group's project. See a money opportunity you wanna share? Email it to Drew Tucker (drew@596acres.org). Check out our updated Green For Your Green page - it lists the grants below, plus others with longer deadlines, and sources for free materials.  

Department of Environmental Conservation:  DEC is offering two types of grants in 2013.  DEC's Community Impact Grants award  $10,000 to $50,000 to fund projects that address exposure of the communities served by the applicant organizations to multiple environmental harms and risks.  DEC also offers Green Gems Grants which award $2,500 to $10,000 for smaller scale projects that involve education, stewardship, or monitoring activities related to parks, open space, community gardens or green infrastructure.  The projects must include a research and educational component that will be used to expand the knowledge or understanding of the affected community.Apply by this Friday, April 5th!

Farm to School Grant Program assists eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.  $5 million is awarded annually (by the USDA) in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs.  Apply by Wednesday, April 24!

Green in Action Awards will be granting, to inspiring schools, classrooms, or youth groups awards for demonstration of commitment, creativity, or passion for sustainability. Apply by Tuesday, April 30th!

Manhattan Borough President's Office (MBPO) Community Grants: Each year the Manhattan Borough President’s Office (MBPO) partners with City agencies to provide programmatic funding to organizations that sustain, foster, and enhance the quality of life for Manhattan’s residents, neighborhoods, and communities. Apply by Friday, May 3rd!

GREEN WARRIORS UNITED

The deadline to apply for our summer fellow opportunity is this Sunday, March 31st! Please apply and spread the word!

596 Acres is seeking an intern who can work with us 10 hours per week for 10 weeksstarting April 24, 2013. Your tasks will include writing our news, talking with organizers, putting up signs, talking to neighbors, distributing materials, working on wonky data projects, organizational development and generally helping us improve the work that we do. This is an unpaid internship. You will be working out of our downtown Manhattan studio in the financial district at least one day per week (preferably Thursday) plus some hours of field work or research. Please send a resume, a letter of interest and a photograph of the place in your neighborhood that you are most curious about. Application due by 11:59p.m. on Saturday, April 13, 2013 to organizers@596acres.org with the subject 'Spring 2013 Intern Application.'

Want to spend a Saturday celebrating worms and composting with your kids? On April 21st, from 10am-2pm, GreenThumb is hosting Worm Fest at the South Brooklyn Children's Garden. 

Reminders


NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES

Gowanus, Brooklyn - A Small Green Patch needs help hauling woodchips today, March 28th! If you can spare an hour, call 917-676-7819.

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - 100 Quincy Community Garden is having two upcoming workdays - Saturdays, March 30th and April 6th, from 11am to 2pm. Please bring shovels, rakes, hoes, contractor bags, gloves, or whatever else you have!

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - There will be a clean-up day for the new garden at 716 Lafayette this Sunday, March 31st, at 11:30am!

Harlem, Manhattan - The next organizing meeting for the lot at 330 Saint Nicholas Avenue is happening on Sunday, April 7th, location TBD. If you'd like to be involved, and want to share ideas about plants for the garden, you can fill out this survey. 

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - Along with their weekly Sunday work days in the garden,Patchen Community Square is having a work day extravaganza from 9am-3pm on Saturday, April 13th and Sunday, April 14th!

Lower East Side, Manhattan - Planting season is here, and to keep things rolling Siempre Verde Garden will host meetings in the garden on the second and third Sunday of every month from 1-5pm. Join them on April 14th and/or April 21st!

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn - On the page for this lot at 1623 Avenue P, Mariya wrote: "I would very much like to start a community vegetable garden. There is no CSA or community garden in the area and a lot of apartment building dwellers, such as myself. If you are interested in working on this together, let's organize!"

Bushwick, Brooklyn - The folks organizing around the lot at 1278 Myrtle Avenue have put up a banner that reads "help us make this a garden," and it's generating a lot of buzz! Get involved by emailing Sandy at sandra.marie.nurse@gmail.com. 

 

GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN

This section of our newsletter highlights grant opportunities that may apply to your group's project. See a money opportunity you wanna share? Email it to Drew Tucker (drew@596acres.org). Check out our updated Green For Your Green page - it lists the grants below, plus others with longer deadlines, and sources for free materials.  

City Garden Club Scholarship Program offers each year a limited number of scholarships for activity-oriented, science-related sumer workshops to New York City public school teachers. Apply by Sunday, March 31st!

Katie's Krops mission is to start and maintain vegetable gardens of all sizes and to donate the harvest to help feed people in need, as well as to assist and inspire others to do the same.  The winner will be awarded a gift card to a garden center in their area for $400, support form Katie's Krops, and a digital camera to document the garden and the harvest. Apply by Sunday, March 31st!

Department of Environmental Conservation:  DEC is offering two types of grants in 2013.  DEC's Community Impact Grants award  $10,000 to $50,000 to fund projects that address exposure of the communities served by the applicant organizations to multiple environmental harms and risks.  DEC also offers Green Gems Grants which award $2,500 to $10,000 for smaller scale projects that involve education, stewardship, or monitoring activities related to parks, open space, community gardens or green infrastructure.  The projects must include a research and educational component that will be used to expand the knowledge or understanding of the affected community.Apply by Friday, April 5th!

Farm to School Grant Program assists eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.  $5 million is awarded annually (by the USDA) in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs.  Apply by Wednesday, April 24!

Green in Action Awards will be granting, to inspiring schools, classrooms, or youth groups awards for demonstration of commitment, creativity, or passion for sustainability. Apply by Tuesday, April 30th!

Manhattan Borough President's Office (MBPO) Community Grants: Each year the Manhattan Borough President’s Office (MBPO) partners with City agencies to provide programmatic funding to organizations that sustain, foster, and enhance the quality of life for Manhattan’s residents, neighborhoods, and communities. Apply by Friday, May 3rd!

GREEN WARRIORS UNITED

Today at noon we released our Bronx data and interactive map! Read the press release here. In the coming weeks we will begin distribution of bilingual print maps and signs for labeling lots throughout the borough. Pick some up at this weekend's Grow Together Conference. Also, our Spanish language website is now LIVE! 

We just entered the Knight Foundation News Challenge. If you have a moment, please applaud us! 

Thanks to the America The Beautiful Fund, we have so many seeds for you. Come byTODAY, this afternoon, to come pick some up, or drop us a line at organizers@596acres.org to arrange a pick up. We'll also have a bunch at theManhattan General meeting on Sunday, April 14.

Reminders


We're having a 596 Acres Garden/Dance Party Fundraiser at the Silent Barn, on Sunday, June 2nd! Admission is $10-50 (pay what you wish), and we'll provide snacks and tunes (from DJ Stachemaster).

Does your project want the assistance of a Master Composter this Spring? Email organizers@596acres.org to get your garden on a list that will be shared with students at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden who are looking for project sites!

You can now get our handmade book, I'm So Lucky You Found Me at Bergen Street Comics in Brooklyn. Ask for it by name!

596 Acres is hiring three Organizing Fellows for Spring 2013, one each for the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan! Applications are due March 31st by midnight. 


NEWS FROM THE ORGANIZING ACRES

Lower East Side, Manhattan - Siempre Verde Garden is having a community meetingtonight, Thursday, March 21st, at 7:00pm, at ABC No Rio. The Garden Design, Fundraising, Activities, and "Sexy Admin" committees will present their ideas and share news about the progress they've been making. 

Rego Park, Queens - The folks organizing around this lot in Queens are in negotiations with the MTA about gaining access. Take a look at this article about the lot, and if you'd like to get involved, email jeteperman@gmail.com. 

Flatbush, Brooklyn - Neighbors by this lot on Farragut Road have met with their block association to discus a potential garden. Help them organize!

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - This stretch of lots has been pre-approved by GreenThumb, and now has a community group 12-strong putting a proposal together for it! Join them!

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - 463 Tompkins Ave has also gotten approval from GreenThumb and HPD! Get involved while they wait for the go-ahead from the Community Board. 

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn - 100 Quincy Community Garden is having two upcoming workdays - Saturdays, March 30th and April 6th, from 11am to 2pm. Please bring shovels, rakes, hoes, contractor bags, gloves, or whatever else you have!

GREEN FOR YOUR GREEN

This section of our newsletter highlights grant opportunities that may apply to your group's project. See a money opportunity you wanna share? Email it to Drew Tucker (drew@596acres.org). Check out our updated Green For Your Green page - it lists the grants below, plus others with longer deadlines, and sources for free materials.  

Citizens' Committee Composting Grant - Grants of up to $750 will be awarded to community groups working on neighborhood composting programs. Groups eligible for funding include community associations, community gardens, friends of park groups, housing development groups, nonprofits, schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, and private businesses. Grants can be used to purchase materials to start or expand upon a composting program. Due tomorrow, March 22! 

City Garden Club Scholarship Program offers each year a limited number of scholarships for activity-oriented, science-related sumer workshops to New York City public school teachers. Apply by Sunday, March 31st!

Katie's Krops mission is to start and maintain vegetable gardens of all sizes and to donate the harvest to help feed people in need, as well as to assist and inspire others to do the same.  The winner will be awarded a gift card to a garden center in their area for $400, support form Katie's Krops, and a digital camera to document the garden and the harvest. Apply by Sunday, March 31st!

Department of Environmental Conservation:  DEC is offering two types of grants in 2013.  DEC's Community Impact Grants award  $10,000 to $50,000 to fund projects that address exposure of the communities served by the applicant organizations to multiple environmental harms and risks.  DEC also offers Green Gems Grants which award $2,500 to $10,000 for smaller scale projects that involve education, stewardship, or monitoring activities related to parks, open space, community gardens or green infrastructure.  The projects must include a research and educational component that will be used to expand the knowledge or understanding of the affected community.Apply by Friday, April 5th!

Farm to School Grant Program assists eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.  $5 million is awarded annually (by the USDA) in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs.  Apply by Wednesday, April 24!

Green in Action Awards will be granting, to inspiring schools, classrooms, or youth groups awards for demonstration of commitment, creativity, or passion for sustainability. Apply by Tuesday, April 30th!

Manhattan Borough President's Office (MBPO) Community Grants: Each year the Manhattan Borough President’s Office (MBPO) partners with City agencies to provide programmatic funding to organizations that sustain, foster, and enhance the quality of life for Manhattan’s residents, neighborhoods, and communities. Apply by Friday, May 3rd!