Spring is getting closer! We can feel it in the air. Lots of upcoming meetings and events to take your garden to the next level this year.
MEETINGS
Forum Planning Meeting
Tuesday, February 19, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
GrowNYC Office
49 Chambers Street, Room 214
New York, NY 10007
Help us plan this year's forum, called Stand for our Land. Stand for our Land will highlight the overlaps between community gardens and other health, environmental, and social justice issues including hunger, democratic use of public land, food sovereignty, and food justice. All mayoral candidates will be invited to give statements on their support of community gardens.
General Meeting
Thursday, February 21, 6:30-8:30pm
Neighborhood Preservation Center
232 East 11th Street
New York, NY 10003
Join a committee, learn about our organizing and legislative work, and share with fellow gardeners about what's going on in your garden.
WE'RE HIRING
After over 15 years of working as an entirely volunteer organization, the coalition is seeking to hire its first-ever executive director to manage its fundraising and community organizing efforts. Find out more on our hiring page.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
GreenThumb GrowTogether
Saturday, March 23, 8:30am to 4:00pm
Hostos Community College 500 Grand Concourse - Bronx, NY 10451
You are invited on March 23 to join thousands of community gardeners and greening professionals from all over New York City for a day of learning, sharing, networking and greening inspiration at the 29th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether! Please pass this information out to the rest of your garden group and anyone else who might be interested. More information here.
Just Food Conference 2013
This two-day event will offer opportunities for the general public, food professionals, entrepreneurs, job seekers, CSA members, community organizers and farmers to come together for two days of workshops and skill- building sessions. The conference will provide attendees with opportunities to learn about national farm and food issues, CSA trends, and cooking and food preservation techniques, as well as ways to mobilize communities in order to increase access to farm-fresh, locally grown food. More information here.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Five Borough Farm is recruiting gardeners to help with their research. Below is an excerpt from their outreach letter:
Five Borough Farm is an ongoing initiative helping gardeners, farmers, City officials, and other stakeholders understand the benefits of urban agriculture. The project is currently working to help farmers and gardeners measure the benefits that come out of their gardens, allowing them to tell meaningful stories about the value of their work. Throughout the 2013 growing season, we will work with a small team of top-notch gardeners to accomplish three basic goals:
- Creating a set of easy-to-use and inexpensive garden data collection tools;
- Collecting basic data about garden productivity and participation for one season; and
- Sharing the results of our work together with other gardeners and farmers.
We have a small stipend of $200 to support the time and effort you put into participating in Five Borough Farm this year. We also hope you’ll use the data you collect to tell funders, policymakers, and the general public about the good work you do, helping you access more support for your farm or garden in the years ahead. For more information about this project and how to get involved, read their letter.
