New York City Community Garden Coalition is a non-profit organization incorporated in 1998. Our mission is to promote the preservation, creation, and empowerment of community gardens through education, advocacy, and grassroots organizing.

Monthly Meetings In our monthly meetings we discuss ways to strengthen the Coalition, meet challenges, and network with fellow NYC community gardeners, gardening groups, and greening organizations.
We invite you to join us!

Sign Up! For our email list/Yahoo group and stay informed about NYCCGC activities!

New York City Community Garden Coalition 232 East 11th St, New York, NY 10003
Telephone + Fax: (888) 311-3993 • Email: nyccgcinfo@yahoo.com

DON'T MISS IT!

Saturday February 6, 2010

The New School 66 West 12th St NYC • 9:00am - 4:30pm

9:00-11:30am, Wollman Hall: Keynote Speaker Livia Marqués (Director, USDA People's Garden Initiative); Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. SOLD OUT!

12:30-4:30pm, New School Auditorium: Panel Discussion about the future of our city's gardens with key players from local and state agencies including Christina Grace (NYS Office of Community Gardens), Edie Stone (Director, GreenThumb), Melissa Mark-Viverito (City Council Committee on Parks & Recreation), Aresh Javadi (More Gardens!, NYCCGC), followed by breakout sessions/ACGA Workshop, and a wrap-up session at 4:00pm. Wine & cheese reception to follow.


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Sunday February 7, 2010

12:00-5:00pm, Wollman Hall: Join Amanda Maria Edmonds (executive Director, Growing Hope) and ACGA President Bobby Wilson for a taste of ACGA's outstanding "Growing Communities" workshop series. Seating is limited! [flyer].

2010 NYCCGC Forum Program now online!
Read up about the current community garden movement and ways we are looking at to make our gardens permanent!

CLICK TO VIEW/DOWLOAD PDF VERSION
to print, post & share

Links for Further Reading:
"The Agreement" This is the Memorandum of Agreement between NYS Attorney General and New York City currently protecting many of our gardens from development and set to expire in September 2010.

Profile of Keynote Speaker Livia Marqués from USDA Publications; Peoples Garden Initiative project homepage.

Well-written history of NYC's community gardens on the NOSC (Neighborhood Open Space Coalition) website.

NEXT MONTHLY NYCCGC MEETING:

Thursday February 18, 2010

6:30pm - 8:30pm at
Neighborhood Preservation Center
232 East 11th Street, New York, NY 10003 [map]

On the Agenda:
2010 Forum Recap
Nominations Committee chairperson needed
Neighborhood Reports - what's going on in your garden?
CGC Committee Reports

For more travel help use the Google Maps links provided
or try
HopStop or (if biking) RideTheCity

NYCCGC's Nine Recommendations for Legislation
to Protect Our Community Gardens:

1. Strengthening language from the State Attorney General's agreement to protect the rights of community gardens.
2. All remaining Housing Preservation Department which can be developed as community gardens or housing to become permanent GreenThumb Parks Department gardens.
3. All GreenThumb Parks Department gardens become mapped as State Parks and/or made fully protected in perpetuity.
4. Any vacant properties (in neighborhoods with less than the 2.5 acres of open space per 1000 persons standard) available or becoming available through city agencies must first be offered to the community as permanent community gardens.
5. Funds to be made available to purchase lots especially in neighborhoods with less than the 2.5 acres of open space per 1000 persons to create new community gardens – this may be a city budget set aside from 1% of building and development taxes.
6. Community gardeners would have lead participation and the final decision on new plans for their site across all city agencies.
7. Any community garden that becomes abandoned or receives multiple violations be reported to NYCCGC or a similar advisory group. In time, if no group is identified to care for the garden, it must be offered for other open space uses before other options are explored.
8. More Parks Department land be made available to community garden groups.
9. Any new development site with substantial city funding or land originally owned by city agencies will include community gardens as a mandated public open space.
 


New York City Community Garden Coalition
232 East 11th Street New York NY 10003
Tel + Fax 888.311.3993