City Council listens to US

On Wednesday, January 23 the City Council chambers were overwhelmed with LES people who turned out to oppose the City’s plans for East River Park.

Originally the joint hearing by the Parks Committee and the Environmental Committee had been scheduled in a small hearing room off City Council chambers but the over-flow crowd forced a change in rooms.

The City’s presentation and the questions by Council member revealed a plan not fully funded or fully developed. The Gothamist coverage is worth a READ.

City Council Hearing on East River Park this Wednesday

A joint hearing on East River Park is being held by the City Council on Wednesday, January 23, at 1pm at City Hall. A Press Conference is being held at Noon on the Steps of City Hall on the East River Park Plan. We need gardeners to turn out in garden colors, with signs and numbers to show our strength and unity of our community.

We are in the middle of a struggle to preserve East River Park. We are fighting the proposed plan and its implementation. The City intends to close the entire park for at least 3 1/2 years beginning next Spring.

LUNGs has been actively involved with a new community group, The East River Alliance, to resist this new plan. Our major concern is lack of community input, the environmental impact, concerns not addressed in the proposed plan and closing the entire Park for such an extended period of time.
The East River Alliance and LUNGS are preparing testimony for the hearing. Other groups are welcome to testify and anyone who wishes to is encouraged to a prepare personal testimony. You don’t need to testify but you need to be there, please save the time and the date, be at City Hall at 11:30 am on Wednesday, Jan 32 for the Press Conference.

The community is getting its first chance to speak out publicly: to officially raise hell about their concerns with the new plan. The City Council hearing on the East Side Coastal Resiliency(ESCR) project will be Wednesday, January 23rd at 1:00 PM at City Hall. Press Conference at NOON. Councilwoman Carlina Rivera will be there advocating on our behalf, and she has asked us to rally as many folks as possible to attend. We are asking each garden to send at least two gardeners to this hearing, we need your support; this is going to effect all of us.

LUNGS is hosting a sign, banner , costume making party, Tuesday evening Jan 22, 6-9pm at 428 E.10th St. We have supplies, please come by and let’s have some fun!

East River Park Meeting Tomorrow

The planned destruction of East River Park is going to have a direct impact on our gardens. LUNGS is holding a public meeting tomorrow, Thursday, January 17, at 7pm at 428 E10th St.(C&D) to discuss the situation. Please send a garden rep to be part of the discussion.

We are in the middle of a struggle to preserve East River Park. We are fighting the proposed plan and its implementation. The City intends to close the entire park for at least 3 1/2 years beginning next Spring.

Whatever is going to happen, the gardens need to be prepared. We will be called on to open our garden gates and welcome a community more needy than ever before. Our green spaces will take on an even important role for the neighborhood then today. We need to understand this and plan accordingly.

We also must plan for the joint hearing on East River Park at the City Council’s on Wednesday, January 23, at 1pm at City Hall. We must turn out in garden colors, with signs and numbers to show our strength and unity of our community.

Community Gardener Survey

Recently a survey was sent out by GreenThumb asking Community Gardens questions ahead of receiving new licenses. We thought it would be informative to hear from you in another series of questions. As gardeners you have a unique perspective on the rewards and problems in maintaining public green space in the City. In December the City will be issuing new 4-year licenses for our gardens. We believe these agreements should have input from the gardeners. We are all volunteers working for free as stewards of city property. As such we deserve to be part of the discussion in any agreement we are being asked to sign. PLEASE fill out this SURVEY

NYC URBAN AGRICULTURE POLICY Meeting And Survey

PUBLIC MEETING Saturday, April 28, 1pm at Green Oasis, E.8t between Aves C & D.

New York City is in the process of developing an Urban Agriculture Policy. This will affect all of us. Urban Agriculture can be anything from beekeeping to fishing in the East River to growing peppers in your plot.

Your ideas and input are vital to developing a coherent policy that helps us all. We need access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. The City must support our needs.

A listening session to discus a potential Urban Agriculture policy is scheduled in Brooklyn for May 8 with representatives of stakeholders and City officials. It is NOT a public meeting.

But you can be part of the process, please come to our meeting this Saturday, April 28, 1pm at Green Oasis, E.8St. and fill out this survey.

Most broadly, urban agriculture refers to growing and raising food crops and animals in an urban setting for the purpose of feeding local populations. Cities choose to narrow and focus this definition in various ways, often categorizing urban agriculture as one or more of the following: community gardens, commercial gardens, community supported agriculture, farmers’ markets, personal gardens, and urban farms.

New York City has a long, rich history in urban agriculture. From backyards to community gardens to urban farms, across the five boroughs concerned community members have been growing food as well as greening communal spaces in our neighborhoods for decades. For-profit growing businesses have also entered the NYC urban agriculture landscape.

That is why it is important to hear from you, please fill this out: SURVEY LINK

Type your Story HERE!

 LUNGS FEST storytime

TODAY– Sunday, September 24, 12:00 Noon-3:30pm, I will be setting up Typewriters at the 6th and B Garden, East Village NYC. Type your LES/East Village/Community Garden stories on old-school Typewriters. Selected stories will be published in a new Zine(Spring 2018). The Zine from 2016, published Spring 2017 will be on sale for $5.00 per copy. Special thanks to Anna Adler!!! who started all of this around 3 or 4 years ago, but will not be able to be at the garden this Sunday. Brought to you by the beautiful Sally Young!!
Come and type-it’s fun!