→ United Nations Brooklyn Farm Tour
It looks like another community garden is having an event this weekend. I recently received this from the Hattie Carthan Community Garden:
For two weeks in May, delegates from across the world will be visiting NYC as part of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. This is the first year of a two-year cycle in in which the United Nations sets its policies on sustainable development. Agriculture is one of the major themes before the Commission.
New york City is a model for innovative urban food systems and agriculture projects, and the City Farms Tour will highlight several sites in Brooklyn, including sights in [Bed-Stuy]. We invite you to come out and be part of this exciting moment, when community-based food projects in your district are receiving international attention.
FARM TOUR SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY, MAY 10TH
10:30 – 11:30 am Hollenback Community Garden
460 Washington Avenue
Tour of garden, rainwater harvest system
and composting toilet
Contact: Cara Perkins
917.701.2875
hollenbackcommunitygarden@yahoo.com11:45 am – 1:45 pm Hattie Carthan Community Garden
654 Lafayette Avenue
Tour of garden, cooking demo facilitated by
community food educator, Yonette Fleming,
and global lunch made from local food
Contact: Yonnette Fleming
718.638.3566
hattiecarthangarden@yahoo.comThe Hattie Carthan Community Garden invites you to attend a “Wake Up! It’s Spring!” seasonal cooking demonstration facilitated by Yonnette Fleming, City Farms Trainer/Community Food Educator and author of A Time for Healing. Herbal beverages and seasonal foods will be available. This cooking demonstration is sponsored by the Independence Community Foundation and Green Guerrillas as part of the garden’s 2008 food security workshop series “Healthy and Wise.”
2:00 – 3:30 pm Bed-Stuy Farm, Brooklyn Rescue Mission
225 Bainbridge Street
Walking tour of the community, farm, food
pantry and farmers’ market site.
Contact: Rev. DeVanie Jackson
718.363.3085
brooklynrescue@msn.com3:45 – 5:15 pm East New York Farms
613 New Lots Avenue
Tour of farm highlighting youth program,
vermicomposting and urban beekeeping.
Contact info: David Vigil
718.649.7979 ext 12
david@eastnewyorkfarms.org
→ Added Value
Added Value is a non-profit organization promoting the sustainable development of Red Hook by nurturing a new generation of young leaders. We work towards this goal by creating opportunities for the youth of South Brooklyn to expand their knowledge base, develop new skills and positively engage with their community through the operation of a socially responsible urban farming enterprise.
→ Paper or plastic? Either bag would cost you 20 cents extra
“The answer to the question ‘Paper or plastic?’ should be ‘Neither,’ ” [Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels] said at a news conference Wednesday morning. “Both harm the environment. Every piece of plastic ever made is still with us in the environment, and the best way to handle waste is not to create it in the first place.”
- on the Mayor’s proposal to charge customers a 20-cent “green fee” per bag used at the checkout line. If approved by the City Council, the fee would take effect January 1, 2009
Develop Don't Destroy - UNITY Plan on Atlantic
The proposal for one of the community-based alternatives to the Atlantic Yards associated with DDB, UNITY Plan, appeared in a storefront window across the street from the office recently (just noticed it today).
The MTA Vanderbilt Rail Yard is 8 acres of separating Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Park Slope and Boerum Hill. The Brooklyn Academy of Music, only two blocks away, attracts performers and visitors from around the world. Property values in all of the surrounding neighborhoods are skyrocketing.
Instead of closing streets, we propose extending South Eliot, South Oxford, Cumberland, Adelphi, and Clermont into the Yards. The new streets create pedestrian connections and more lot frontages. They also create smaller sites that could be developed either simultaneously or gradually.
Instead of creating privately held courtyards, we have proposed a network of public spaces that would stretch the length of the site and connect to surrounding streets. This robust network of streets and open spaces will finally stitch the neighborhoods together.
-From UNITY Plan / Strategy
