Concern over new GreenThumb regulations for community gardens

Several community groups and gardens are holding a town hall meeting tomorrow to learn more about and discuss the new GreenThumb licensing agreement. Here's more info via the EVG inbox...

Our community gardens are under threat again. This time not from bulldozers, but from new rules under a GreenThumb licensing agreement that if the gardeners sign, will change the focus of community gardens forever.

LUNGS, the community garden coalition, MORUS and Time's Up! are holding a citywide town hall to discuss the license agreement.

This new license contains many regulations, restrictions and new obligations that will change how we operate. GreenThumb appears to be taking on the role of an enforcement agency rather than garden-friendly enablers. This is very disconcerting to gardeners who volunteer their time and spend their own money to maintain city property.

It took the City more then four months to put this license together. Gardeners should be allowed more than one month to evaluate a document we are being asked to sign.

The LUNGS website has a copy of the new agreement, with the changes highlighted here. Some garden members worry that sections of the new license might discourage gardens from hosting events and even planting trees or installing rainwater capture systems.

The meeting takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue at 10th Street.

Spring comes alive on Avenue C

On Sunday afternoon, Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) hosted its sixth Spring Awakening in honor of the neighborhood's community gardens.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy took these photos along Avenue C, where there were activities for kids (pony rides!) as well as live music, puppet shows and other garden-related events...

Reminders: Spring awakening is today!

As previously noted, Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) is hosting its sixth Spring Awakening today in honor of the neighborhood's community gardens.

The day of garden-related activities begins at 11:30 a.m. at El Sol Brilliante on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. Follow the map...



Per the LUNGS website: "Join us as we are close down Avenue C for FREE Pony rides, music, a pop up community garden, free raffle prizes, a wellness circle, puppet show, Easter egg dyeing and much more."

Spring comes alive in East Village community gardens this Sunday

Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) is hosting its sixth Spring Awakening on Sunday in honor of the neighborhood's community gardens.

The day of garden-related activities begins at 11:30 a.m. at El Sol Brilliante on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

You can follow the parade route below with the help of the twisty green arrow... the parade wraps up on Avenue C and Ninth Street at La Plaza Cultural and the Ninth Street Community Garden ...



Find more details at the LUNGS website.

Prepping for the Spring Awakening in the neighborhood's community gardens

On April 14, Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) is once again hosting a Spring Awakening in honor of the neighborhood's community gardens.

Per the LUNGS website:

This is LUNGS 6th Spring Awakening. It is a neighborhood celebration of the season and the opening of the community gardens. It is all FREE. There will music, a greening theme, kids’ activities, art as well as community-based programs and environmental and educational workshops. Please come and enjoy!

Ahead of that, there's a costume and poster-making workshop this Saturday at the Green Oasis Garden, 368 E. Eighth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D. The activities take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Per the flyer: "We've got the supplies, bring your imagination."

Where on earth? Here are details on the 2019 Ecological City

[Photo by William Bourassa Jr.]

Planning is underway for the 2019 version of Ecological City, described as "a climate action, ecological urban pilgrimage and performance art event."

Here's more on it via the EVG inbox...

ECOLOGICAL CITY: A Cultural & Climate Solutions Action Project engages the Lower East Side community through creative strategies, co-creating a theatrical pageant, to celebrate and bring together climate resiliency and ecological sustainability solutions throughout the gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront, and their contribution to city and global climate challenges.

Ecological Arts Workshops run March 2 – May 8, every Wednesday 6-9 p.m. and Saturday 12-4 p.m., creating spectacular giant puppets, costumes, and performances exploring local sustainability sites and climate solution initiatives. Groups and organizations are invited to develop group arts projects.

Visual arts and performance projects created through the workshops are presented in the culminating Ecological City: Procession for Climate Solutions on Saturday, May 11, with 20 site performances celebrating ecological sustainability initiatives throughout the community gardens, neighborhood, and East River Park waterfront on the Lower East Side.

Help us cultivate an ecologically sustainable future through joyous affirmation and creative collective action!

This year's procession through neighborhood community gardens will include "a creative community response" to the city's recent abrupt changes to storm-proofing East River Park. As previously reported, the city plans to "lift" East River Park by up to 10 feet when work starts in March 2020. However, to do this, the city will need to close East River Park for up to three and a half years, bulldozing all the current amenities.

For interested parties, the first 2019 planning meeting is tomorrow (Feb. 6) at 6:30 p.m. at the Loisaida Inc. Center – 710 E. Ninth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D. Find all the details at this link. You can find photos from last year's procession at this EVG post.

Make a lantern and join a parade tomorrow at the Green Oasis Community Garden

The Green Oasis Garden's annual Lantern Festival happens tomorrow (Sunday) from 1 to 4 p.m. A parade follows at 5 p.m. Per the invite: "S'mores & cider, fun for all ages, make a lantern and join the parade!"

The Green Oasis Community Garden is on Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Time for the 6th and B Garden Harvest Festival

Here are a few details about today's Harvest Festival at the 6th Street and Avenue B Community Garden via the Facebook Events page:

Once again we have our annual neighborhood harvest festival with our legendary free to the public, delicious chicken and corn bar-b-cue and great entertainment on our stage. Plus our famous neighborhood raffle with dozens of great prizes from local businesses. Drop by, have some food, listen to the entertainment, buy a raffle ticket or two or three or more. All proceeds go to the upkeep of the garden.

BRAZILIAN DANCE MUSIC with David Acker and Dale Kleps will be performing Brazilian Sambas, Choros, Bayonnes and more at 4:30 p.m.!

The festivities take place from 2 to 7 p.m. (The rain date is tomorrow same time.)

LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival brings 100-plus activities to community gardens this weekend

The 7th Annual LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival is coming to a community garden near you this weekend.

More than 100 free events are scheduled on Saturday and Sunday in 50-plus gardens in the East Village and on the Lower East Side.

There are too many performances, concerts, screenings, beekeeping demos and other related events to list individually.

So you can find the full lineup here for Saturday and here for Sunday.

Related reading:
How the East Village grew to have the most community gardens in the country (6sqft)

Tonight!: Read and share stories in the Green Oasis Garden gazebo on 8th Street

[Image via Facebook]

Via the EVG inbox...

Join the Green Oasis Garden’s Little Library book & story share on the full moon

• Share what you are reading and/or tell a story

• Donate or swap a gently used book* for the little library (optional)

7-9 p.m. at the Green Oasis Garden gazebo, Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Monday, Aug. 27 (a day late, we know...)

Tuesday, Sept. 25

Wednesday, Oct. 24

All ages - 12 and under with an adult please

*Children’s, teen, eclectic, Arabic, Chinese, French, or Spanish books appreciated

... and the info in flyer form...

Full moon rising: Read and share stories in the Green Oasis Garden gazebo

[Image via Facebook]

Via the EVG inbox...

Join the Green Oasis Garden’s Little Library book & story share on the full moon

• Share what you are reading and/or tell a story

• Donate or swap a gently used book* for the little library (optional)

7-9 pm at the Green Oasis Garden gazebo, Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Thursday, July 26 (rain date Friday, July 27)

Monday, Aug. 27 (a day late, we know...)

Tuesday, Sept. 25

Wednesday, Oct. 24

All ages - 12 and under with an adult please

*Children’s, teen, eclectic, Arabic, Chinese, French, or Spanish books appreciated

... and the info in flyer form...

Celebrate Open Garden Day NYC (by going to a community garden tomorrow)

[6th Street & Avenue B Garden]

GreenThumb is celebrating its 40th year tomorrow with an Open Garden Day NYC from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in community gardens in the five boroughs.

Per the EVG inbox...

On July 14, dozens of community gardens will be opening their doors to the public on the same day. Enjoy a day of free activities and share in our gardens. Activities will include arts and music, greening and composting, food and environmental justice events, garden workdays, and much more.

The open gardens represent some of the more than 550 community gardens overseen by GreenThumb, the largest community gardening program in the country. Gardens range from small community spaces meant for relaxation to large plazas and urban farms. More than 20,000 community gardeners volunteer their time to manage these vital open spaces.

Here are the local gardens taking part (find the full list here):

• 11th Street Community Garden
422 E. 11th St.

Things to do:
Listen to live music.

• 6th Street & Avenue B Garden
78-92 Avenue B

Things to do:
Scavenger hunt tour, Weeding ID and library, Sugar Shock Math, and bead crafts for kids.

• Campos Community Garden
640-644 E. 12th St.

Things to do:
Visit the garden for food, herbal teas, fragrant natural body products, cooking demonstrations, and much more made with garden fresh ingredients.

• Creative Little Garden
530 E. Sixth St.

Things to do:
Tour the garden and enjoy a Bastille Day-themed celebration with music performed by French musician and a garden member, Mathieu Eveillard.

• Dias Y Flores
520-522 E. 13th St.

Things to do:
Tour the garden.

• Hope Garden
193 E. Second St.

Things to do:
Listen to live music.

• Le Petit Versailles Garden
247 E. Second St.

Things to do:
Check out exhibitions and video screenings.

• Orchard Alley
350-54 E. Fourth St.

Things to do:
Attend a free yoga class.

• Sage's Garden
281 E. Fourth St.

Things to do:
View the art exhibits.

Celebrate the Summer Solstice with free concerts at these 2 East Village community gardens

[Albert's Garden]

To celebrate the summer solstice tomorrow (Thursday!), several community gardens across the city are hosting free concerts as part of Make Music New York.

Two East Village gardens are part of the official list (via the EVG inbox):

• Albert’s Garden, 16 E. Second St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery

This year we welcome back Just (Jazz) Friends, a New York City-based ensemble playing vocal and instrumental jazz standards focused on the American Songbook, with occasional forays into Pop/R&B classics from the 1960s and 1970s.

Albert’s Garden, started in 1971, is one of the oldest community gardens in Manhattan ... it features a goldfish pond and a striking wall mural by the Belgian street artist Roa.

Time: 6-8:30 p.m.

• Le Petit Versailles Garden, 346 E. Houston St. near Avenue C

Listen to live, improvised music played in conversation with “Lost Notes From Home” — a superimposed video and 16mm filmed vignettes produced by Mark Street, whose work has appeared in the Tribeca and Sundance Film Festivals.

NYOBS is playing from 4:15 to 5:30. NYOBS is Michael Cacciatore, Peter Cramer, John Michael Swartz and Jack Waters. An alternative experimental free association "kitchen" band born at Punk Island 2014.

Time: 4-9 p.m.

This link has the full list, including some gardens on the LES.

3 things to do today

Via the EVG inbox...

• Learn how to brew Kombucha (black tea and sugar) and Jun (green tea and honey), La Plaza Cultural, Ninth Street and Avenue C, 3-5 p.m. Details here.

• Eric Paulin Jazz in the Garden, Green Oasis Community Garden & Gilbert's Sculpture Garden, Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D, 2-5 p.m. Details here. [UPDATED: The concert has been cancelled due to the threat of rain]

• Costume Making for the Mermaid Parade, Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street, 1-4 p.m. Details here.

Green day

EVG reader Daniel Root shared these photos of the "Ecological City 2018 – Procession for Climate Solutions" in progress on Avenue C and Seventh Street... here's the schedule for the rest of the afternoon.









"Ecological City" is described as "a climate action, ecological urban pilgrimage and performance art event."

Happening today: 'Ecological City 2018 – Procession for Climate Solutions'

"Ecological City 2018 – Procession for Climate Solutions" takes place today in community gardens in the East Village as well as along
the East River.

Here's how the Times described the event:

Ecological City employs mobile sculpture, giant puppets and costumed performers to celebrate conservation, sustainability and solutions to climate change ... the procession will spend the day offering theater, poetry, music and dance at various sites, ending with a river-cleansing ceremony at the waterfront in East River Park.

The procession starts at 11 a.m. (regardless of rain) at the Loisaida Center at 710 E. 9th Street between Avenue C and Avenue D. You can find the full schedule here.

An Earth Day Spring Awakening to celebrate the neighborhood's community gardens

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) is once again hosting a Spring Awakening in celebration of the neighborhood's many community gardens.

Here are details via the LUNGS website:

Please join us on EARTH DAY, Sunday, April 22 as we parade and party to welcome the Spring and celebrate the opening of our community gardens!

Spring Awakening is a touch of Mardi Gras, a taste of charivari, we will be making music, making soap, making mudballs, swapping seeds and dancing around the Maypole. A joyous Let’s celebrate the season and honoring Mother Earth.

Beginning at 11:30 am we will parade from garden to garden around the neighborhood, visiting 27 gardens.

We will arrive at El Jardin del Paraiso, on E.4th St at Sunday, April 22 at 2 pm. There we will have music, dance refreshments, games, workshops and fun.

Garden expression

[Photo by Steven]

There's a message — Garden Here — on the eastern wall facing the empty lots where 119-123 Second Ave. used to stand at Seventh Street.

Likely wishful thinking. Late this past spring, Shaky Cohen's Nexus Building Development Group paid $9.15 million for 119 and 121 Second Ave. at Seventh Street. To date, there haven't been any new building permits filed with the city.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner

Dedicating Moises Locón Way and Nicholas Figueroa Way on 2nd Avenue at 7th Street

[Updated] Honk if you like...

The 2017 HONK NYC Festival wraps up tomorrow afternoon at multiple East Village/LES locations, starting at the Children's Magical Garden on Stanton Street and ending at La Plaza Cultural on Ninth Street and Avenue C, with a parade along Avenue C in between [Updated: The parade on C is no longer happening] ... it's part of the HONK for MORE Gardens! Procession.

Here's the lineup via Facebook:

Everyone is welcome to join the day's events starting at Children's Magical Garden at 129 Stanton St. near Essex at noon, where we'll have craft & prop-making time accompanied by music from Damas de Ferro of Rio de Janeiro.

• At 2 pm our procession steps off on Stanton to Pitt Street, and we march/dance up Avenue C, ending at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden at approximately 2:45 pm. This is a permitted street parade.
• At 3 pm Liberation Drum Circles will lead a one-hour workshop, free to all, at La Plaza.
• At 4:15 pm Batala New York returns for a performance of Northern Brazilian samba reggae drum rhythms, at La Plaza.
• At 5 pm all welcome to join the procession from La Plaza to DROM on Ave A, for the HONK NYC Closing Party.

Find more details here.

Peep the 2017 collection of dioramas at the Ninth Street Community Garden & Park

Peephole Season — late September into October — is here again at the Ninth Street Community Garden & Park on the northeast corner of Avenue C... as East Village artist J. Kathleen White has unveiled her 2017 collection of dioramas...



Here's a look at three of the four dioramas ...







These arrived this past week ... and will be up on the fence along Avenue C for six weeks.

White started creating and sharing the dioramas in 2005. Here's her work from 2016 ... 2015 ... 2014 ... 2013 ... 2012 ... and 2011....