Hello land-lovers!
There is still an abundance of vacant public land in Brooklyn — and in the other boroughs.
596 Acres has put up signs on some of it, telling neighbors that the lots are owned by the city agencies and giving out contact information. The signs really work — people get in touch with us, with each other, and even with their city government! How cool. Here’s some good news:
— 596 Acres is now on facebook! “Like” us here: https://www.facebook.com/596Acres. You might get to meet your neighbors this way, too!
— As a direct consequence of a 596 Acres map & placard posted at 59 Java Street in Greenpoint, there is a new Java Street Community Garden Coalition. Green Thumb and the Community Board are in the process of approving them for a license to start gardening this fall! Contact Stella Goodall <stella.goodall@gmail.com> to join your neighbors in this great project.
— The Myrtle Village Green got a promise from DEP to open up at least one-third of the 2-acre site this fall for a community garden and to support an inclusive planning process for the entire site for determining long term use. Lots of information is here: http://www.myrtlepark.org/ or on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myrtle.village.green. MVG made the papers, too — http://www.myrtlepark.org/category/announcements/press/ — a great example of the power of organized neighbors. The next MVG meeting is coming up on July 28. Info here: http://www.myrtlepark.org/category/announcements/events/. You’re invited!
— 596 Acres will be having a two-part visioning session to to think about next steps and how 596 Acres can best work to sustain itself (and me!) and support the awesome work that you are all doing towards an equitable, democratic, beautiful, food sovereign New York. I know that lots of you are visionaries on this list — let me know if you can make it by RSVPing to 596acres@gmail.com!
THURSDAYS, AUGUST 11 & SEPTEMBER 8 7-9PM, Gowanus Studio Space, 166 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
We will hopefully get some donated dinner. And I will have archival quality posters printed as gift for you.
— Neighbors are organizing around the following lots as a result of 596 Acres’ signage:
*****3 lots in a row on Myrtle Avenue between Marcy and Nostrand!
*****4th Avenue and Sackett
*****Bedford and Division
Reply to this email if you want to get involved and I’ll introduce you!
— An interactive online map of Brooklyn’s vacant public land & community gardens is coming! Mapping vacant public land will help people identify resources, connect with each other, build neighborhood coalitions and reach the government owners most efficiently. Mapping the gardens — which now appear as “vacant” land on official land use maps — will let us see where we are succeeding and bring us a step closer to accurate use-coding of urban agriculture land and a new zoning classification. We are nearly done and would love some feedback if you have time to test it out. Let me know if you do and I’ll send you the link to the super-secret site.
— 596 Acres was visited by the film crew of http://www.growingcitiesmovie.com/ and was included in the show Detroit: A Brooklyn Case Study. What honors!
— and coming up this fall — nature tours!
