The new GreenThumb license has caused an uproar

LUNGS, the New York City Community Garden Coalition and MORUS are holding a city-wide Town Hall to discuss the license agreement.
Please send a garden rep.

The Town Hall is this Saturday, May 18 from 11am-1pm at St Mark’s Church, 131 E.10th St at Second Ave.

Our gardens are being told to sign this is a four-year agreement. Separate garden meetings across the City have been raised many concerns about this new license

We urge your garden NOT to sign this license at this time.

We are asking community gardeners to come together for this Town Hall. We want to discuss the issues, formulate a united response and a develop a strategy.

The new license and the changes from the old one be found on the LUNGS website HERE.http://www.lungsnyc.org/?page_id=1431

This new license contains many new regulations, restrictions and obligations that are being forced upon gardeners. GreenThumb appears to be taking on the role of an enforcement agency rather than garden-friendly enablers.

This very is disconcerting to gardeners who volunteer their time and spend their own money to maintain city property.

GreenThumb requires that the garden reps make all gardeners aware of the contents of the new license agreement.

Gardens are being asked to sign this license as soon as tomorrow, May 13. Again, we urge you not to sign the license.

We have not had enough time to study this agreement and request that GreenThumb slow up this entire process.

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.

We have asked gardens to discuss the new GreenThumb license with your membership. We are compiling gardens’ responses.
Please send your garden’s licensing questions/issues to info@lungsnyc.org

GreenThumb Garden License Agreement Online & Meeting

GreenThumb’s new licenses for our community gardens were send out last week.

The paperwork only went to garden reps, one copy per garden. Everyone should take a look at the license so we posted it on ABOVEhttp://www.lungsnyc.org/?page_id=1431 on the LUNGS website.

Take a gander and give it some thought. We are meeting to discuss the license agreement this Saturday, April 27 at High NOON at Green Oasis, 370 e. 8th St between Avenues C & D.

This is an important meeting. We need your input to figure out how we should proceed. Please try and send at least one person from your garden, this license affects all of us.

MONDAY, April 22, Let’s Celebrate Earth Day in East River Park

MONDAY IS EARTH DAY-let’s celebrate in East River Park

Monday, April 22, is Earth Day.
Let’s show our love for Mother Nature and East River Park.
The Park is under threat. Mother Nature’s on the run.

It’s time for hugs and kisses all around!

Let’s all meet at the Ecology Center and the Seals from Noon til 5pm.

School’s out for the weekBring your kids and have fun

Calling all musiciansacoustic only— a day-long jam, bring your instruments and sing to the Seals.
Dare I say Bunny hop?

Go fly a kite–we have kites, grab one, decorate it  and take off!

Art projects– paint a flower, a bird, a fishy thing, we supply paints & brushes, you bring your talent.

Make a poster or a banner decorate the Park with your LOVE.

Testify— we want to record an interview YOU on camera. Tell us your Park story, your nature connection. We want to hear what YOU have to say.

We are thinking games–Lots of room in the Park, what’s a good game?

Eggs
Dyeing-bring your hard boiled eggs, we will have the dye.
Egg Hunt–somewhere in the park there are hidden treasures–can you find them?
Egg Roll–an old school game in East River Park.  It’s going to be a beautiful day, but only if you show up.
GET OUT OF THE HOUSE– EARTH DAY IN EAST RIVER PARK.

Spring Awakening April 14

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!

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!