Rally to save Gardens !! Tomorrow at City Hall !

Dear Gardeners,
Join us tomorrow on the steps of City Hall! Please arrive early – it will take time to get everyone through security

Tuesday, 2/10, 9AM
New York City Hall
4,5,6 to Brooklyn Bridge City Hall
J, Z to Chambers St.
N, R to City Hall
2, 3 to Park Place
A, C to Chambers St.
(map)

On Tuesday, February 10th, at 9 A.M. the NYCCGC, community members, partnering housing organizations, and various elected representatives will be rallying on the steps of city hall to protest the lack of transparency and community involvement in issuing an RFQ to developers to build affordable housing on “vacant” lots throughout the 5 boroughs.

A large number of sites listed in the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s most recent RFQ for the New Infill Home Ownership Opportunities Program (NIHOP) and Neighborhood Construction Program (NCP) are disproportionally thriving, active community gardens.

Make no mistake, we are all in favor of affordable housing. Many of us would have a direct benefit from this proposal. Affordable housing and community gardens are compatible. We advocate for more gardens and more housing. We do not understand how the selection process came about and why 17 active community gardens were selected as lots to be developed.

These community gardens were a direct result of sweat equity that neighbors used to improve their neighborhoods. And it seems undeniably wrong to destroy the very asset that makes neighborhoods livable and a place where developers subsequently seek to build.

We ask Mayor de Blasio to give all community members a place at the table to make NYC livable. In a speech this past January, he said: “We have a duty to protect and preserve the culture and character of our neighborhoods, and we will do so.”

We ask the Mayor to honor his sentiment and words.

Click here for our full press release.SAVE-OUR-GARDENS-RALLY-(color)

Support the Community Gardens District in CB3

TONIGHT we go before Community Board 3 with a proposal to establish a Community Garden District on the Lower East Side. We have 46 community gardens within a square mile, they are run strictly by volunteers. The status of the gardens are fragile given the immense pressures for development. We need your support, numbers matter. Please take a moment and sign this online petition below to support our proposal.
https://www.change.org/p/city-of-new-york-establish-a-community-gardens-district-that-includes-all-community-gardens-within-community-board-3-and-map-and-designate-these-gardens-as-parklands

Support for the Community Gardens District

By now you should all know that there is a proposal afoot to create a Community Gardens District in our neighborhood. This week the Parks Committee of Community Board 3 will be voting on the proposal.

This is the first very important step in a long process which we hope will ultimately insure permanence for all 46 of our gardens.
If the committee approves the proposal, it will then go before the entire Community Board by the end of this month. If CB3 votes in favor, Rosie Mendez will introduce a bill of similar intent in the City Council.

Right now we need to stand together to make sure this passes in CB3. This opportunity that we can’t afford to squander.

Support and momentum have been building for a Community Gardens District. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer has said she would support the proposal if CB3 votes in favor.

This may be the only chance we get to have the City to formally protect our gardens and to recognize the significance they play in our unique community.
Please show your support by coming to the BRC Senior Services Center – 30 Delancey Street (btwn Chrystie & Forsyth Sts) this Thursday, January 15 at 6:30pm.

Many gardens have written letters of support for creating the Community Gardens District. If your garden hasn’t written a letter yet there is still time. Send your letters to Ayo Harrington at ayoharrington@aol.com.

BELOW IS THE PROPOSAL BEING INTRODUCED ON THURSDAY–We NEED People to Come out in support of this effort . THINK GREEN–STAND TALL

Coalition to Establish a Community Gardens District

Proposal: We seek to establish a Community Gardens District to include all community gardens located within the boundaries of Community Board 3 (CB3), in Manhattan. These gardens would be mapped and designated as parks land, named a special district and continue to be managed by community based volunteers.

Background: CB3 is the birthplace of community gardens in New York City and New York State. The very first one was established in CB3, in 1973, by local resident and artist, Liz Christy. Working to reverse years of decline and neglect by public and private property owners, Christy began seed bombing (mud balls filled with seeds) abandoned, rubble strewn lots in an effort to improve her own environment and create public green spaces. Not satisfied with just seed bombing, Christy gathered friends and fellow artists to reclaim and clear one such lot on East Houston Street – between Bowery and Second Avenue – to turn into a community garden. Originally named “Bowery-Houston Farm and Community Garden”, after her death in 1985 it was renamed in her honor as the “Liz Christy Bowery-Houston Garden”.

Christy and her fellow activists founded the urban gardening group, Green Guerillas, and Christy went on to become the first Director of the Council on the Environment of New York City’s Open Space Greening Program which is named now and branded as Grow NYC. Today, the Green Guerillas remain the City’s oldest gardening organization and continues to “cultivate partnerships between people who care about the earth and believe in the power of community gardening to transform neighborhoods.”

At one time, there were fifty seven registered community gardens in CB3 and dozens more operating on their own. However, as the neighborhood evolved, gardeners were forced to fight for the very land they spent incalculable hours and resources developing as real estate speculators were handed lots for practically nothing. Sadly, gardens were bulldozed, one by one.

Status: There are still forty-six community gardens located in CB3 giving CB3 the distinction of having the highest density and concentration of community gardens in New York City, New York State and perhaps the country. The City-owned community gardens are mostly housed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Recreation giving the illusion that they are permanent. They are not. Whether housed under Parks, Sanitation or HPD, as some are, no CB3, City-owned community garden is mapped as parks land or otherwise designated as being permanent. Even with the storied history and widely acknowledged benefits of community gardens, all City-owned community gardens are still documented in City records as vacant lots and are subject to revocation at any time.

Conclusion: Community Board 3 has been strengthened by the history of its community gardens which hold the distinction of having a forty one year old, deep rooted history solidly ingrained in the fabric of our community. Today, the Liz Christy Bowery-Houston Garden and its history are studied and known worldwide. It and other CB3 community gardens have become New York City destinations. Year after year the soil is worked, flowers are planted, food is grown, events are planned, meetings take place, neighbors interact, memories are made, and our community is strengthened.

Given the significance of the gardening movement history that is particular to CB3, along the uniqueness of highly concentrated gardens, these community gardens should be mapped and designated as parks land, named a special district and continue to be managed by community based volunteers.

Viva Siempre Verde!

LAST night, October 14, the Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee of Community Board 3 voted to reject a plan to build a 16 unit apartment building on the garden site which had been proposed by the developer, William Gottlieb and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

The Committee’s resolution will now go before the entire Community Board. The Committee voted to rescind a CB3 vote that took place two and a half years ago that supported the project. In October 2012, Siempre Verde Garden was founded and has become an integral and beloved part of the neighborhood.

The development proposal hinged on New York City giving the developer the two city owned lots, which are now make up Siempre Verde Garden. In exchange for the city property the developer agreed to include three affordable apartment units in the building. Many gardeners came out in support of Siempre Verde at this meeting. A discussion followed questioning if this proposal was the best use of this property given the dearth of green spaces in CB 3 south of Houston Street and whether just three affordable housing units was a good deal for the neighborhood. The Committee was very sympathetic to community concerns and voted accordingly. Great News!

Today, October 15, New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver came out today in support of Siempre Verde!
Speaker Silver said: “The Siempre Verde Garden is a vital green space that is enjoyed by so many of our neighbors. Here on the Lower East Side, public parks and gardens are at a premium and we cannot afford to lose this important community treasure. I urge the city to transfer this land to Parks Department so that it can be made a permanent community garden now and into the future.”
Right now the city property that Siempre Verde Garden rests on is under the jurisdiction of HPD, by transferring it to the Parks Department, this community garden will receive another level of protection.
Congratulations to all the Siempre Verde people who worked so hard to put together a very effective presentation last night at the CB3 Committee meeting and also set up a support petition drive for the garden that got over 900 signatures. Also Bill LoSasso, a community gardener, who sits on the committee was instrumental in drafting a proposal to move the garden into the Parks Department. Fantastic!

Here’s how it was reported:
Bowery Boogie
The Low Down
The Real Deal
The Villager

LUNGS Climate Convergence Schedule

Children’s Garden | 11th St. Btwn Aves B & C
4:00-5:30 pm
People’s Climate Elders Meet-up

Tompkins Square Park Gaia Tree (near southern entrance)
4:00-5:30 pm
People’s Climate Bike Bloc and Fracking Meet-ups

La Plaza Cultural | Ave C & 9th St
10:45 am-2:00 pm
New York City Urban Farming: Growing a Just Food System | Barbara Sibley, Onika Abraham, Anandi Premlall, Mark Dunlea | LUNGS (Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens)

12:30-2:00 pm
Reimagining Science and Engineering for 21st Century Struggles | Darshan Karwat | American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow

2:15-3:45 pm
Overcoming Climate Change Denial and Silence | George Marshall | Climate Outreach Information Network

El Jardin del Paraiso | 4th St Btwn Ave C & D
10:45 am-12:15 pm
Decolonizing Climate Justice | Free University

4:00-5:30 pm
Bread and Puppet Theater

Orchard Alley | 4th St Btwn Aves C & D
4:00-5:30 pm
People’s Climate Tar Sands Meet-up

Peach Tree Garden 2nd St Btwn B & C
4:00-5:30 pm
People’s Climate Indigenous Peoples Meetup

Albert’s Garden | 2nd St btwn Bowery & 2nd Ave
4:00-5:30 pm
People’s Climate Public Health Meet-up

Elizabeth St Garden | Elizabeth St. Btwn Prince and Spring Sts.
12:30-2:00 pm
The Climate Ribbon: A Creative Ritual for Climate Justice (workshop) | Rae Abileah, Andrew Boyd, Gan Golan | Beautiful Trouble

2:15-3:45 pm
The Climate Ribbon: A Creative Ritual for Climate Justice (volunteer orientation)| Rae Abileah, Andrew Boyd, Gan Golan | Beautiful Trouble

4:00-5:30 pm
People’s Climate Vegan and Yoga and Spirituality Meet-ups

Firemen’s Memorial Garden | 8th St Btwn Ave C & D
10:45 am-12:15 pm
Non-violent Direct Action Training | #FloodWallStreet, BeyondTheMarch.org

4:00-5:30 pm
People’s Climate Impacted Shorefront Communities Meet-up

Miracle Garden | 3rd St Aves A & B
4:00-5:30 pm
People’s Climate Boston Meet-up

Kenkeleba House Garden | 2nd St Btwn Aves B & C
4:00-5:30 pm
People’s Climate California Meet-up

M’Funga Kalinda Community Garden | Rivington St Btwn Christie and Forsyth
10:45 am-12:15 pm
People’s Movement Assemblies and the U.S. Social Forum as Tools for Transformation | Angela Vogel, Walda Katz-Fishman, Alfredo Lopez, Rob Robinson| US Social Forum

12:30-2:00 pm
Climate Justice in the Workplace | Mathew Plummer | 99 Pickets

4:00-5:30 pm
People’s Climate White-Anti-Racist Activist and Great March for Climate Action Meetups

Children’s Magical Garden | 129 Stanton St
10:45 am-12:15 pm
Mobilizing Families and Children for Climate Action | Dave Finnigan | Climate Change is Elementary

St. Marks Church | 131 E 10th St
9:00-10:30 am
Convergence Roundtable | Tim DeChristopher, Richard Monje, Maureen Taylor, Cathy Sampson-Kruse, Tarik Kauff | Global Climate Convergence

10:45 am-12:15 pm
Building a Unified Movement for People, Planet, Peace over Profit | Jill Stein, Cheri Honkala, Lauren Regan, Margaret Flowers, Jacqui Patterson, Nancy Romer, George Martin| Global Climate Convergence

12:30-2:00 pm
Green and Red: Nature Bats Last | Ben Manski, Cheri Honkala, Art Shegonee, Howie Hawkins, Gloria Mattera | Liberty Tree Foundation

2:15-3:45 pm
A Global Climate Strike: What will it take? | Kevin Zeese, Ben Manski, Alnoor Ladha, Leland Pan, Jill Stein, Victor Wallis, Cheri Honkala | Liberty Tree Foundation

Graffiti Church | 205 E 7th St | 1st Fl
9:00-10:30 am
A Green Political Alternative to the Two Parties of Capital | Howie Hawkins, Brian Jones, Kshama Sawant | New York State Green Party, International Socialist Organization, Socialist Alternative

10:45 am-12:15 pm
She Who Watches – Tsagaglalal (suh-GOGla-lal) | Cathy Sampson-Kruse, Mariah Morning Rose Sampson | Walla Walla Tribe of the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla – Oregon,

12:30-2:00 pm
You Are Here: Mapping the Fracking Boom in New York State | Patrick Robbins, Asha Canalos, Maura Stephens, Anne Marie Garti, Zephyr Teachout | Sane Energy Project

2:15-3:45 pm
Apocalypse How? Climate Change, the Political-Economy of Energy, and Reigniting the Radical Imagination | Arun Gupta, Eddie Yuen, Doug Henwood, Frances Fox Piven

4:00-5:30 pm
Labor and the Fight for a Just Transition to an Ecologically Sustainable Society | Jeremy Brecher, Bruce Hamilton, Carole Ramsden, Sean Petty | System Change Not Climate Change

Graffiti Church | 205 E 7th St | 2nd Fl
9:00-10:30 am
The Front-lines: Perspectives from the Global South Isso Nihmei (Pacific Islands) Martin Mullally (Argentina) Juan Pedro Chang (Peru) Fatimata Niang Diop (Senegal) | 350.org

10:45 am-12:15 pm
Climate Justice: Perspectives from Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia | Omer Madra (Turkey) Mithika Mwenda (Kenya) Desmond D’sa (South Africa) Vaishali Patil (India) Efleda Bautista (Philippines) |
350.org

12:30-2:00 pm
Latin American Social Movements, Climate Justice, and Indigenous Rights | Martin Mullally (Argentina) Martin Vilela (Bolivia) Juan Pedro Chang (Peru) Jim Shultz (Bolivia) | 350.org

2:15-3:45 pm
What Now for Climate Justice? Proposing Radical Climate Justice for the 2015 Global Climate Treaty | John Foran, Richard Widick, Lidy Nacpil, Michael Dorsey, Patrick Bond | International Institute of Climate
Action and Theory, System Change Not Climate Change

4:00-5:30 pm
Now that the U.S. Supports “Climate-Smart Agriculture” Is Reform of Our Climate-Dumb Food System Possible? | Ronnie Cummins, Adam Sacks, Tara Ritter, Elizabeth Kucinich | Organic Consumers Association’s Cook Organic, Not the Planet Campaign

Sixth Street Community Center | 638 E 6th St #4
9:00-10:30 am
The Climate Crisis is a Democracy Crisis: Why We Need a Democratic Revolution in the U.S. | Adam Porton, Leland Pan, Suren Moodliar, Virginia Rasmussen, George Martin | Liberty Tree Foundation

10:45 am-12:15 pm
Politics of Renewable Energy | Brian Tokar, Rachel Smolker, Anya Schoolman | Institute for Social Ecology

12:30-2:00 pm
Native American Voices from the Front Lines of the Climate Justice Movement | Brian Ward, Vanessa Braided Hair, Jihan Gearon | System Change Not Climate Change, ISO

2:15-3:45 pm
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States | Ragina Johnson, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz | System Change Not Climate Change

4:00-5:30 pm
Native American Resistance in the 21st Century: Idle No More and the Climate Justice Movement | Ragina Johnson, Erica Violet Lee, Brian Ward | ISO, Idle No More

Museum of Reclaimed Urban Spaces (MoRUS) Video Room | 155 Avenue C | www.morusnyc.org
10:45 am-12:15 pm
Visual Realities of Climate Change: Food, Communities, and Landscapes | Mia MacDonald, Hazel Zhang, Carolyn Monastra, Wanqing Zhou | Brighter Green

12:30-2:00 pm
Performing the Climate Movement; Strategies For Sting Narrative in Climate Performance | Elizabeth Doud | Fund Art Inc

2:15-3:45 pm
How To Build System Change Not Climate Change | Zach Rosenblatt, Laura Bartkowiak, Claire Arkin, Brad Hornick | System Change Not Climate Change

Museum of Reclaimed Urban Spaces (MoRUS) Main Space | 155 Avenue C | www.morusnyc.org
10:45 am-12:15 pm
Stories of Resistance: Confronting Extreme Energy & the Infrastructure of Climate Change | Maura Stephens, Steve Horn, Valerie Jean, Patrick Robbins, Karen Feridun | System Change Not Climate Change

12:30-2:00 pm
Wangari Maathai: The Green Belt Movement’s Environmental Legacy and Future | Lauren Berger, Mia MacDonald, Lisa Merton, Wanjira Mathai | The Green Belt Movement

2:15-3:45 pm
Sharing Your Story to Move the Movement! | Cherri Foytlin, Bryan Parras, Karen Savage | Life Support Project/ Bridge the Gulf Project

4:00-5:30 pm
Water Wars: Cochabamba, Gaza, Detroit | Oscar Olivera, Valerie Blakely, Yasmine Kamel | System Change Not Climate Change

LUNGS Third Annual Harvest Arts Festival Sponsors

Co-sponsors:
Citizens Committee for New York City
New York Restoration Project (NYRP)
New York City Community Garden Coalition (NYCCGC)
Fourth Arts Block (FAB)
Art Loisaida Foundation
Mic-Club

We would like to thank these fine businesses
for their generous support (listed alphabetically):

A & C Kitchen – 136 Avenue C
ABC Beer Co. – 96 Avenue C
Alphabet City Wine Co. – 100 Avenue C
Associated Supermarket – 123 Avenue C
Au Za’atar – 188 Avenue A
Bluehaven Sports Bar – 108 W Houston Street
Ciao for Now – 523 E 12th St
C-Town Supermarket – 188 Avenue C
Donnybrook – 35 Clinton Street
East Village Dance Project – 55 Avenue C
East Village Tavern – 158 Avenue C
Eddie Oysters – Long Island Oyster Company
El Maguey y La Tuna – 321 E Houston St
Eleven B – 174 Avenue B
Esperanto NYC – 145 Avenue C
Gruppo – 98 Avenue B
Lucky Jack’s Bar & Lounge – 129 Orchard Street
Lume’ – 127 Avenue C
Maiden Lane – 162 Avenue B
Mercadito – 179 Avenue B
Oda House – 76 Avenue B
Pushcart Coffee – 362 2nd Ave
Seven Stories Press-140 Watts St
Sigmund’s – 29 Avenue B
The Source Unltd Print and Copy Shop – 331 E 9th St
The Summit Bar – 133 Avenue C
The Wayland – 700 E 9th St
Whole Foods Market – 95 E Houston

LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival Programs by Discipline

MUSIC

DeColores Community Garden and Cultural Yard, 8th St, B & C
Saturday, September 20
12:00-6pm
3rd Annual Jack Hardy Songwriter’s Exchange

Ben Cauley
Avon Faire
Jon Nabarezny
Michael Glick
Ben Rabb
Meg Braun
Mya Byrne
Norman Salant
Joseph Munley
Wool and Grant
Honor Finnegan
Vinny Ciambriello
Chris Fuller
Ina May Wool
Richard Chanel
John Hodel
Carolann Solebello
Frank Mazzetti
David Massengill
Diana Jones

Kenkeleba House Garden 2nd St Btwn Aves B & C
Saturday, September 20
12-4pm – Arthur Juini Booth, jazz bass

Green Oasis and Gilbert’s Sculpture Garden, 8th St C & D
Saturday, September 20
MUSIC: Musical Journey curated by Beverly Love
2:00 – Tatyana Kalko
3:00 – Mbira NYC (Music of Zimbabwe)
4:00 – Damien Jason
5:00 – Just Pete and Francie
6:00 – Deanna
7:00 – Felice

Children’s Magical Garden A-P, Norfolk & Stanton Sts
Saturday, September 20
Jazz Afternoon Climate Change/ Climate Action
2pm Ras Moshe / John Pietaro / Emma Alabaster
3pm Avram Fefer Group
4pm Juan Pablo Carletti / Tony Malaby / Chris Hoffman

11BC Garden, 11th St Btwn Aves B & C
Saturday, September 20
Jazz 2:30-5pm
Jon Davis Trio: Jon Davis, piano, Gianluca Renzi on bass and Ben Perowsky on drums.
Jon Davis has been performing and touring with many of the finest jazz musicians around world for more than twenty five years. He has appeared on over 50 recordings, and has contributed compositions to many of them. Jon has shown a rare versatility ranging from solo, to Big Band, and everything between.

Elizabeth St Garden A Elizabeth St Btwn Prince and Spring Sts.
Saturday, September 20
4pm Scottish Octopus
5pm Tracy Thorne
6pm Rashad Brown

Orchard Alley, 4th St Btwn Aves C & D
Saturday, September 20
6pm Jazz Steven Moses Quartet

Campos Gardens, E.12th St, Aves B & C
Saturday, September 20
6:00-7:00– Dawoud Kringle, plays Sitar & Dilruba
Dawoud Kringle is a multi instrumentalist, composer, improviser, and band leader of the ensemble Renegade Sufi. His work on the sitar and dilruba is unique. His experiments with applying jazz technique and electronics to the traditional approach are in many ways unprecedented.

7:00-8:00 OPEN MIC with Robert Galinsky
Campos Community Garden member Robert Galinsky offers an open mic for local musicians, comedians, dancers, singers, and climate activists.

6B Garden Ave B & 6th St
Saturday, September 20
7:00 to 10:00pm. SOUNDS IN THE GARDEN An eclectic mix of music with songwriters and performers from acoustic blues to ambient electronica. Come see a fabulous line-up.

La Plaza Cultural, Ave C & 9th St
Saturday, September 20
6:30pm Walking Different– Fusion
 With Anthony Thomaz, 
Pierre Monney & many guests.


Dias y Flores, E.13th St Btwn Aves A & B
SUNDAY, September 21
3pm Shelly Wade –country music

VISUAL ARTS

Campos Gardens, E.12th St, Aves B & C
Saturday, September 20
ALL DAY SPIRAL, by Jose Landoni site specific sculpture,
sponsored by Art Loisaida Foundation and Campos Garden as part of ALF’s Artist Residency Program funded by NYC Councilperson Rosie Mendez through DCA

La Plaza Cultural, Ave C & 9th St
Saturday, September 20
ALL DAY – 3 Visual Artists (painters); one of whom will provide live painting demos

Firemen’s Memorial Garden East 8th St, C & D
Saturday, September 20
Painting Party in the Garden- paint or be painted”
Artist Pairoj Pichetmetkul. Come paint anything you’d like, or have yourself painted! Join us in painting landscapes, florals, portraits, OR, sit as a model and have your portrait painted. Become the artwork! Pairoj Pichetmetkul has been painting a long running portrait series of people in public spaces around New York. He will be live painting guests who come to this event and would like to be a model, painting on large paper for about 5 hours. We invite people to come and paint or be painted, and also participate in a photo shoot. We will provide equipment and some art supplies but please feel free to bring your own.

Secret Garden Ave C & 4th St
Saturday, September 20
1-5pm ART RUMBLE—live painting by LES Artists
Jennifer Primrosch, Roman Primiativo Abear, Marus Chae, Heike Krebs, Sally Young, Carolyn Ratcliffe, Ellen Horan, Warren Riznychok and more

Suffolk Street Community Garden, Suffolk St btwn Houston & Stanton Sts.
1pm The Con-Artist Collective a probably photography-related art project, a photo booth and shadow tracing and other interactive projects,

THEATER

El Jardin del Paraiso, A-P 4th St Btwn Aves C & D
Saturday, September 20
4pm Bread and Puppet Theater The Anti Tar Sands Manifesto Pageant:
We and the caribou, dwarves of the giant corporate system that runs our life and devastation, are here to rise up. Columbus, who imports the New World Order, drums in the billionaire-superheroes who dominate our economy, which destroys the herds that roam the earth, and we all end up in the same boat, with no idea where we are going.

Children’s Magical Garden A-P, Norfolk & Stanton Sts
Saturday, September 20

1pm Theater–“The Decision” a staged reading of a new 20 min. play, A story for our time for audiences of all ages based on Native American wisdom tales.
The Mayor of the Humans decides to destroy the animals’ homes inside a beloved community garden. Meanwhile, a huge storm is coming. Should the animals warn the greedy humans?
Written by the More Gardens! Summer Campers and staff, directed by Kate Temple-West with masks made by campers and art direction by Aresh Javadi.

DANCE

Orchard Alley, 4th St Btwn Aves C & D
Saturday, September 20
2 pm to 3:45DANCE Program
1. Rastro
2. NYC Dance Arts Professional Dance Company
3. Dirt
4. East Village Dance Project Teen Company
5. Easy Knife Dance Choreography and Performance
6. Monteleone Dance Collective
7. Gwen Rakotovao Company
8. Grazia
and more

SPOKEN WORD

9C Garden, Ave C & 9th St
Saturday, September 20
2-5pm Poet’s Corner at 9C Garden on the Northeast corner of Avenue C & 9th St
Be as formal or informal as you want it to be. It’s open to all–bring your people, your crew, your own bad selves. Call up your words and make them utter Declaim, Exclaim, Reclaim

La Plaza Cultural, Ave C & 9th St
Saturday, September 20
3:00 Poetry, Jemy Francillon, Mark Ohan, MikeKetigian
3:15 Alphamama
4:15 Poetry- Jemy Francillon, Mark Ohan, Mike Ketigian

COMEDY

La Plaza Cultural, Ave C & 9th St
Saturday, September 20
4:30 Matthew Silver — lovechild immaculate
5:30 “Jackson, Kayne & Ratliff – Improv Comedy”, credits including performances with Upright Citizens Brigade house team “The Stepfathers” and UCB show “What I Did for Love.”

FILMS & PROJECTIONS

DeColores Community Garden and Cultural Yard, 8th St, B & C
Saturday, September 20

7:30 pm Freedom or Death: 3 Days That Changed Ukraine
Documentary Film by Damian Kolodiy

9C Garden, Ave C & 9th St
Saturday, September 20
7pm Night Projections on wall by Laurie Olinder

Le Petit Versailles, 2nd St Btwn Aves B & C
Saturday September 20 & Sunday September 21,
Turning into Night — Two days of performance/screenings/artist talks called, curated by Coral Short, Troy La Biche Davis, and Yvette Choy.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER
8pm ARTIST TALK

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20
6pm Potluck
8pm FILMS

ARTISTS
Aja Rose Bond
Beth Frey
Cupid Ojala
Jade Yumang
Jamie Ross
Piera Yerkes
Tif Robinette
The Cave Collective
THE NYX PROJECT

FILMMAKERS
Cory Kram
Vivek Shraya
Barbara Roland
Pippi Zornoza
Sarah Pupo
SoJin Chun
Sophie Seita
JuanCarlos Zaldivar
Mihee-Nathalie Lemoine
Zuzu Knew
Joshua Vettivelu

6B Garden Ave B & 6th St
SUNDAY, September 21
7:00 to 10:00pm FILMS OF MM SERRA. MM Serra is an experimental filmmaker, curator, author and the Executive Director of the Film-Makers’ Cooperative. Titillating, sumptuous and always subversive, Serra’s films focus on alternative cultures and intimate moments. They are simultaneously eye-opening and awe-inducing.

Workshops, Hubs, and a Walking Tour

Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) — 155 Avenue C
Saturday, September 20
12 pm
Free Lower East Side Sustainable Community & Garden Tour

Come learn how sustainable grassroots community projects have ignited social change and policy change in NYC. Hear about different sustainable subjects, like how community bicycle activism changed the whole city to a more safe and sustainable design with bike-lanes, auto-free plazas and greenways. Come walk through the beautiful community gardens of the East Village started by activists, like the Green Guerrillas whom threw seed bombs into abandoned lots that then flourished into lush community gardens. Learn about recycling, composting, and bicycle activism and how the city adapted to the sustainable concepts that started in the Lower East Side.

HUBBA– HUB sites allowed organizers to coordinate outreach, projects and actions related to the march and beyond with whoever they wanted – whether they shared a home city, a skill set, a common identity, or an issue they cared about most. The goal was to connect people to each other and together bring in more like themselves! Each hub has tools that help organizers communicate and build together – before the march and after.

El Sol Brillante, on south side of E.12th St, Aves A & B
Saturday, September 20
11am to 1pm- Bokashi composting workshops
With Shig Matsukawa and Susan Greenfield

Children’s Garden, E.12th St & Ave B
Saturday, September 20
2-4pm Bokashi composting workshops
with Susan Greenfield and Shig Matsukawa

Campos Gardens, E.12th St, Aves B & C
Saturday, September 20
1-3 pm GrowNYC cooking demonstrations and recipes
by Kathleen Crosby and NYC’s Office of Recycling Outreach and Education demonstrating composting techniques.

2:30-3:30pm GARDENING IN SMALL URBAN SPACES
Carolyn Zezima, This workshop addresses various techniques of gardening in small spaces including raised beds and straw bale gardening, using Campos’ Children’s Garden as an onsite example.

4:30-5:30 DIALOGUES WITH LOCAL FOOD GROWERS
Aziz Dehkan, Executive Director of NYCCGC, moderates a conversation with East Village gardeners who grow food for their own table. This panel will include discussion about growing food by ordinary people in NYC of diverse ethnic and social backgrounds & its effect on a wide range of topics, gardening techniques, grassroots awareness of the climate, and community building. Members of Campos Community Garden will provide tastings of dishes prepared from ingredients grown at the host garden.

Toyota Children’s Garden, 11th St Btwn Aves B & C
Saturday, September 20
4pm HUB Elders Our mission is to organize and empower elders to take action on climate change on behalf of our grandchildren and their children. We plan to encourage and support local elders’ climate change action groups, as well as make our voice heard at the national level.

La Plaza Cultural, Ave C & 9th St
Saturday, September 20
10:45-12:15pm New York City Urban Farming: Growing a Just Food System, Barbara Sibley, Onika Abraham, Anandi Premlall, Mark Dunlea, LUNGS

12:30-2pm Reimagining Science and Engineering for 21st Century Struggles Darshan Karwat, American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow

Firemen’s Memorial Garden, East 8th St, C & D
Saturday, September 20
10:45 am Nonviolence Civil Disobedience Training
New York City Community Garden Coalition Brunch and Workshops
Noon Green Thumb
1pm NYCCGC Past, Present and Future
3pm 596 Acres
NYCCGC brunch/workshops morning
4pm HUB Climate impacted Shorefront Communities
Bring together people across communities affected by climate disasters. Having lived through a climate change disaster, we demand our leaders take bold action to ensure our communities are safer and more resilient. Together we can show our communities will continue to work together to make sure the recovery addresses the underlying issues, not just a return to the status quo.

Green Oasis and Gilbert’s Sculpture Garden, 8th St C & D
Saturday, September 20
11 am – noon Workshop-Green Mapmaking for Climate Health Wendy Brawer–Solutionary projects and places are all around us. You can make it easy to find sustainable, ecological and social resources for climate-smart living by creating a Green Map – it’s a great way to help your community members and visitors get involved and take action everyday. This workshop will introduce the award-winning adaptable tools and icons now used by youth and adults in 65 countries to collaboratively make printed, mural and interactive Green Maps. We’ll give you maps take home and if you have a smartphone or tablet, bring it.

6B Garden, Ave B & 6th St
Saturday, September 20
10 am to 12pm Typewritten Tales brought to you by FABnyc!
Share a story about LES history, environmental and otherwise, through a unique typewritten note, memory, or letter. Hang your note on a clothesline for others to see and enjoy! (All ages)

1:00 to 3:00pm BEAD JEWELRY WORKSHOP
with Christine Cameron, Jewelry-making workshop where you learn to make a beautiful piece you can take home or give away.

4pm -The HEMP HUB–Going to Pot Or The Next Environmental Solution?
Brooke Demos will host a gathering to learn about the MANY uses of hemp, it’s history and why it is illegal to grow in the USA. AND, sign up to advocate for the re-legalization of industrial hemp. She is a current member of the Hemp Industries Association and an avid hemp enthusiast! As an artist focusing on the environmental blight of the plastic shopping bag, she weaves used plastic shopping bags into beautifully functional and decorative art works.

Sunday, SEPTEMBER 21
1:00 to 4:00 pm DRAWING IN THE GARDEN WITH A MODEL This event has become so beloved that we’ve decided to supply basic art materials (but best to bring your own)! Artists of all skills and interests get a rare chance

6BC Botanical Garden, 6th St Btwn Aves B & C
Friday, September 19
6pm till 8pm Rebecca Singer will lead a free meditation workshop in the 6BC Garden. Slow down, breathe, feel the rhythms of the earth!!!

El Jardin del Paraiso, 4th St Btwn Aves C & D
Saturday, September 20
10:30-3:30pm Decolonizing Climate Justice
Free University–Decolonize Climate Justice is a call to transform our ideas, practices, and organizing to protect the earth and its inhabitants from ecological, economic, and political devastation.

Orchard Alley, 4th St Btwn Aves C & D
Saturday, September 20
10:45-12:15pm Know Your Rights For Climate Justice
Activists, Lauren Regan, Civil Liberties Defense Center

12:30-2pm Organizing a Week of Resistance to Fossil
Fuel Infrastructure Lee Stewart, John Abbe,
Great March for Climate Action

4pm HUB Tar Sands Bloc
Tar sands exploitation has been called “game over for the climate” by NASA climatologist James Hansen, and it is devastating communities. But everywhere, communities are fighting back, from the Indigenous resistance in the extraction sacrifice zones to the communities along pipelines routes and next to refineries and export terminals– and we’re are going to keep fighting until it’s stopped at the source. This space is for people who support a future free from tar sands oil. The Tar Sands Bloc supports the Indigenous People’s Bloc and front line communities leading the fight against tar sands.

Miracle Garden, 3rd St Aves A & B
Saturday, September 20
4pm HUB Boston
We want to connect folks who came from Boston so we can keep working together after the march!

Peach Tree Garden, 2nd St Btwn Aves B & C
Saturday, September 20
4pm HUB Indigenous Peoples Indigenous Peoples’ traditional teachings have long warned that if human beings failed to protect and care for Mother Earth and the natural world, the survival of humanity would be threatened. Today, increasingly severe impacts of climate change threaten ecosystems and food production around the world and Indigenous Peoples are on the frontlines of climate change impacts. Indigenous Peoples are participating in the People’s Climate March to bring attention to the devastating impacts of climate change and to share our hopes and teachings for living in harmony with Mother Earth.

Kenkeleba House Garden, 2nd St Btwn Aves B & C
Saturday, September 20
4pm HUB California
We want to connect folks who came from California so we can keep working together after the march!

Children’s Magical Garden, 129 Stanton St at Norfolk St
Saturday, September 20
10:45-12:15pm Mobilizing Families and Children for Climate
Action, Dave Finnigan, Climate Change is Elementary

M’Funga Kalinda Community Garden, Rivington St Btwn Christie & Forsyth
Saturday, September 20
10:45-12:15pm People’s Movement Assemblies and the
U.S. Social Forum as Tools for Transformation
Angela Vogel, Walda Katz-Fishman, Alfredo Lopez, Rob Robinson| US Social Forum

12:30-2pm Climate Justice in the Workplace
Mathew Plummer, 99 Pickets

4pm HUBs
HUB: White Anti-Racist (Climate) Activists
The current climate movement is racially-segregated. Most large climate and environmental organizations are primarily white and get most of the funding. The environmental justice movement is primarily people of color and gets little funding. However,the effects of climate change will primarily fall on communities of color. All of this is morally unacceptable and politically ineffective. Race is always used to divide social movements. A racially-segregated movement simply will not win. Besides, the people most effected by a problem should have the largest voice in solving it. To succeed, many of us believe our movement should follow the lead of communities of color. This Hub is a space for us white anti-racist activists to network, share our lessons and support one another in doing this work. Please help us demonstrate and enlarge the community of white anti-racist activists to eliminating racism in the climate/sustainability movement.

HUB: Great March for Climate Action: a community of people walking across the country, from Los Angeles to Washington D.C., to raise awareness and inspire action on the climate crisis. As we walk across the nation we collaborate with frontline communities, activist organizations, and individuals from all walks of life to address local environmental and climate concerns. Every day on the march we learn lessons from the earth and from the people we meet, many of whom are directly impacted by climate change and have already begun implementing solutions. Our hope is to amplify their voices to evoke systematic change.

Liz Christy Garden Houston, btwn Bowery & Stanton Sts
Saturday, September 20
1pm Picturesque Landscape Design and the Use of Evergreens
with Penny Jones

3pm Shade Plants and Foliage Color with Penny Jones

Albert’s Garden, A 2nd St btwn Bowery & Second Ave.
Saturday, September 20
4pm HUB: Public Health The threats from climate change are not only damaging to our earth’s health, but also our human health. These threats are multiple and increasingly becoming more severe. We are a group of public health, mental health, and other health professionals as well as health advocates and activists dedicated to educating the public on the public health, mental health and medical effects of climate change and for advocating for strong action on climate change.

LaGuardia Corner Gardens, LaGuardia Pl btwn Bleecker & Houston
Saturday, September 20
1 pm –Beekeeping Workshop with Barbara Cahn

4pm HUB: Beekeepers Climate Change is a major factor in the crisis of bee colony collapse – making bees off-sync with flowering plants, subjecting them to unfavorable flight conditions, vulnerable to temperature extremes, and besieged by aggressive hive-killing mites. If the bees go — we go! Together with Rev. Billy of The Church of Stop Shopping, we will mobilize beekeepers in the quad-state area to draw attention to the realities of Climate Change they are witnessing first hand.

Elizabeth St Garden, Elizabeth St Btwn Prince and Spring Sts
Saturday, September 20
2:15-3:45pm The Climate Ribbon: A Creative Ritual for Climate Justice, Rae Abileah, Andrew Boyd, Gan Golan | Beautiful Trouble

4pm HUBs Yoga and Spirituality & Vegans
HUB: Yoga For thousands of years, yogis and spiritual seekers have studied and followed this ethical principle. As present-day yoga and spiritual practitioners, we continue to study and shape our lives based on ahimsa. Because we understand that the material and spiritual worlds, mind and matter, are connected, we seek non-violence not only in our actions, but also in our words and thoughts. We seek to live in harmonious alignment with one another and Nature. As such, we cannot ignore the great harms being inflicted upon the Earth and our fellow sentient beings (whether they are personally known to us or not) as a result of man-made climate change. Such harms include the loss of human, animal, and marine lives, as well as damage to property, due to extreme weather patterns, super storms, drought, floods, fires, receding glaciers, and the rising levels and acidification of the oceans.
HUB: Vegans One of the most powerful personal tools to fight climate change is one’s fork. Spreading the power of choosing vegan for those who care (about the planet, about life) is an essential component of anything that claims to be about healing the environment.

St. Marks Church, 131 E 10th St
Saturday, September 20
9-10:30 Convergence Roundtable | Richard Monje,
Maureen Taylor, Cathy Sampson-Kruse,
Tarik Kauff | Global Climate Convergence

10:45-12:15pm Building a Unified Movement for People,
Planet, Peace over Profit, Jill Stein, Cheri Honkala, Lauren Regan, Margaret Flowers, Jacqui Patterson, Nancy Romer, George
Martin| Global Climate Convergence

12:30-2pm
Green and Red: Nature Bats Last,
Ben Manski, Cheri Honkala, Art Shegonee,
Howie Hawkins, Gloria Mattera | Liberty Tree Foundation

2:15-3:45pm A Global Climate Strike: What will it take?
Leland Pan, Jill Stein, Victor Wallis, Cheri Honkala
Liberty Tree Foundation

Graffiti Church, 205 E7th St 1st Floor
Saturday, September 20
9-10:30 A Green Political Alternative to the Two Parties of Capital, Howie Hawkins, Brian Jones, Kshama Sawant, New York State Green Party, International Socialist Organization

10:45-12:15pm She Who Watches
Tsagaglalal (suh-GOGla-lal) | Cathy Sampson-Kruse, Mariah Morning Rose Sampson | Walla Walla Tribe of the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla -Oregon,

12:30-2pm You Are Here: Mapping the Fracking Boom
in New York State, Patrick Robbins, Asha Canalos, Maura Stephens, Anne Marie Garti, Sane Energy Project

2:15-3:45pm Apocalypse How? Climate Change, the Political-Economy of Energy, and Reigniting the Radical Imagination | Arun Gupta, Eddie Yuen, Doug Henwood, Frances Fox Piven

4-5:305pm Labor and the Fight for a Just Transition to an Ecologically Sustainable Society, Jeremy Brecher, Bruce Hamilton, Carole Ramsden, Sean Petty, Trade Unions for Energy Democracy Decolonizing Climate Justice, Free University

Graffiti Church, 205 E7th St 2nd Fl
Saturday, September 20
9-10:30 Latin American Social Movements, Climate Justice, and Indigenous Rights, JuanCarlos Soriano, Martin Vilela, Catty Quispe
Rivera (Peru) Lorena del Carpio Suarez (Peru)

10:45-12:15pm The Front-lines: Perspectives from the Global South, Isso Nihmei (Pacific Islands), Martin Mullally (Argentina), Juan Pedro Chang (Peru), Fatimata Niang Diop (Senegal) 350

12:30-2pm Climate Justice: Perspectives from Africa and Southeast Asia, Omer Madra, Mithika Mwenda, Kranti LC, Des D’sa (South Africa), Vaishali Patil (India), 350

2:15-3:45pm What Now for Climate Justice? Proposing
Radical Climate Justice for the 2015 Global Climate Treaty
John Foran, Richard Widick, Lidy Nacpil, Michael Dorsey, Patrick Bond, International Institute of Climate Action and Theory, System Change Not Climate Change

Sixth Street Community Center, 638 E 6th St # 4,
Saturday, September 20
9-10:30 The Climate Crisis is a Democracy Crisis: Why We Need a Democratic Revolution in the U.S.
Adam Portman, Leland Pan, Suren Moodliar, Virginia Rasmussen,
George Martin, Liberty Tree Foundation

10:45-12:15pm Politics of Renewable Energy, Brian Tokar,
Rachel Smolker, Anya Schoolman, Institute for Social Ecology

12:30-2pm Native American Voices from the Front Lines of the Climate Justice Movement, Brian Ward, Vanessa Braided Hair, Jihan Gearon, System Change Not Climate Change, ISO

2:15-3:45pm An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States Ragina Johnson, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, System Change Not Climate Change

4-5:30pm Native American Resistance in the 21st Century: Idle No More and the Climate Justice Movement Ragina Johnson, EricaViolet Lee, Brian Ward, ISO, Idle No More

Museum of Reclaimed Urban Spaces (MoRUS)
Video Room, 155 Avenue C
Saturday, September 20
10:45-12:15pm Visual Realities of Climate Change: Food,
Communities, and Landscapes, Mia MacDonald, Hazel Zhang, Carolyn Monastra, Wanqing Zhou, Brighter Green

12:30-2pm Performing the Climate Movement; Strategies For Sting Narrative in Climate Performance, Elizabeth Doud, Fund Art

2:15-3:45pm How To Build System Change Not Climate Change Zack Rosenblatt, Laura Bartkowiak, Claire Arkin, System Change Not Climate Change

Museum of Reclaimed Urban Spaces (MoRUS)
Main Space, 155 Avenue C,
Saturday, September 20
10:45-12:15pm Stories of Resistance: Confronting Extreme
Energy & the Infrastructure of Climate Change, Maura Stephens, Steve Horn, Valerie Jean, Patrick Robbins, Karen Feridun
System Change Not Climate Change

12:30-2pm Wangari Maathai: The Green Belt Movement’s Environmental Legacy and Future, Lauren Berger, Mia MacDonald,Lisa Merton, Wanjira Mathai | The Green Belt Movement

2:15-3:45pm Sharing Your Story to Move the Movement!
Cherri Foytlin, Bryan Parras, Karen Savage, Life Support Project/ Bridge the Gulf Project

4-5:30pm Water Wars: Cochabamba, Gaza, Detroit
Oscar Olivera, Valerie Blakely, Yasmine Kamel
System Change Not Climate Change

6:15 pm History of Grassroots Environmental Activism in NYC
Learn how sustainable grassroots community projects have ignited social change and policy change in NYC. Hear about different sustainable subjects, like how community bicycle activism changed the whole city to a more safe and sustainable design with bike-lanes, auto-free plazas and greenways. Learn the history of the Green Guerrillas throwing seed bombs into abandoned lots that then flourished into lush community gardens. There are many examples of how community-based activism became a part of sustainable NYC, from recycling to composting to urban design. Hosted by the MORUS with conversation and video screening by Wendy Brawer of Green Maps and Bill DiPaola of Time’s Up Environmental Organization.

=-=-=-=-=

Schedule Subject to change
For updates: http://globalclimateconvergence.org

Welcome to the LUNGS Third Annual Harvest Arts Festival

Up Against the Wall, Mother Nature!

Welcome to the LUNGS Third Annual Harvest Arts Festival.

This year things are a bit different, we’re going on a little walkabout with 100,000 of our best friends in the world.

The LUNGS Festival usually consists of two days of arts and workshops in the gardens. This year most of that is happening on Saturday.

This year’ the Festival coincides with the largest environmental demonstration in history, the People’s Climate March.

So we have joined hands in solidarity with the March folks and on Sunday this Festival is officially on its Feet as we walk the streets of New York for Mother Earth.

We know climate change first hand on the Lower East Side. Close your eyes and remember Sandy.

A full moon night, the East River ran down Avenue C, three feet deep. A cop car floated down the street. A flash of light — an explosion and the Con Ed plant on 14th St. BLEW up. Con Ed blew UP!

The East River took sweet revenge after all those years of that plant belching pollution into the sky and spewing discharge into the river. How’s your asthma today Johnnie?

What was in the water? Wet, toxic mange. Crap everywhere. Homes and businesses flooded. No electricity for a week, folks had no running water. The elderly were trapped in their apartments, no food, no water. The elevators couldn’t run. They couldn’t flush their toilets.

Gardens were destroyed, Trees came down. Today willow trees are still dying. Sandy cost New York City $19 Billion. The mayor was a billionaire, but he couldn’t even save Halloween.

This year rising sea levels forced the Carteret people to evacuate their island in Papua New Guinea, forever.

So on Sunday we March with people from all over the world, to represent.

We know community gardens are one solution to Climate Change—green space, open space, community, that’s what we need. We have to secure the gardens that we have, so they will not disappear to development and make more green space available to people. This is one small, simple solution that New York City can do address a global problem.
We have to the March on Sunday.

At 12:58 the entire March will go absolutely silent for two minutes,
At One PM we will joyously make NOISE!

At end of the March on 11th Avenue there will be music, food, art, talking and a jubilation celebration of earthly delights.

This year’s Festival features many climate change workshops and meetups of activists in gardens and our good neighbors.
We have amazing talent this year performing, singing, dancing, painting– We are so happy to have Bread and Puppet Theater present The Anti Tar Sands Manifesto Pageant.

Please enjoy yourself on Saturday; and come and March with us on Sunday! We are too close to March in our own city and too close to this issue not to participate. This is going to be the largest Climate Change March in history, it’s going to be a massive demonstration righteous family love for Mother Earth. You’ve got to be there.

Charles Krezell