New York City is threatening to throw gardeners out of community gardens!

Since 1978, community gardeners and GreenThumb have enjoyed a very fruitful relationship. Gardeners have voluntarily given their time, labor, and money to be stewards of the City’s property so that the entire community can benefit from these much-needed green spaces.

In April, community gardeners were given a new four-year license agreement that substantially changes that relationship.

Under the new license, GreenThumb becomes an enforcement agency rather than a garden-friendly helpmate. This new license imposes new regulations, restrictions, and obligations on garden groups.

It was written by lawyers with no sense of the historical and cultural significance of the gardens and their communities. Now we are being told that we are being allowed to garden on city property and if we don’t like the new license we don’t have to garden.

Gardeners have voiced great concerns. At a Town Hall in May, gardeners voted unanimously to not sign the license. In the past 40 years there has never been widespread opposition to garden licenses.

We have tried to negotiate changes to the license; we want to continue to work toward a better license. But the City is threatening garden groups with a lockout. We have grave concerns about these items in the new license:

• There are three sets of regulations that gardens are required to follow, these regulations are inconsistent, contradictory, and confusing.
• Liability issues remain unresolved. The term “Licensee” in the agreement is not defined, what does it mean for the person signing the license on behalf of their community garden?
• Gardens are required to hold two free public events a year but must obtain written permission far in advance from GreenThumb to hold these events.
• Many of the new rules will be impossible to effectively enforce given the size of GreenThumb’s staff. This can only lead to arbitrary, discriminatory enforcement. Gardens will be lost because of developers’ greed not garden infractions.

They are kicking us out of their own gardens?  I DON’T THINK SO!!

Join us Monday, August 19 at 10am on the City Hall steps.

Wear your flowers in your hair! Vegetables welcome!

Contact info@lungsnyc.org or go to www.lungsnyc.org

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

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 week—Bring your kids and have fun

Calling all musicians—acoustic 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.