So far this year our Compost Project has diverted over 1,000 pounds of organic waste from the landfill! We collect kitchen scraps at our Community Compost Dropoffs every Saturday from 11am – 1pm. Want to learn how to turn trash into nature’s best soil amendment? Join our Compost Team! No experience necessary, we’ll teach you everything you need to know. Contact Kady Ferguson - kady(at)sustainableflatbush(dot)org – to learn more.

WHAT: Gardening and Composting
WHEN: Saturdays 9:30 – 12:30 (garden open hours), 11am – 1pm (compost open hours)
WHERE: Flatbush Reformed Church Complex, East 21st Street at Kenmore Terrace [map]

See you at the garden!

Photos by Sheryll Durrant

Interested in native plants and gardening, growing organic food, or do you simply enjoy getting your hands dirty? Then join us on Tuesday, April 24th from 6:30–8pm as we launch our garden season with a Meetup at the Grey House, located on the grounds of the Flatbush Reformed Church.

This is an exciting opportunity to come meet fellow garden enthusiasts and become part of our newly re-formed Garden Team. Learn about Sustainable Flatbush’s Urban Farm and Garden program, and be a part of the planning for this season’s projects. All levels of experience and interest are welcome!

We look forward to seeing you at the kickoff Meetup!

Delicious organic vegan refreshments will be served.

WHEN:
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
6:30-8pm

WHERE:
Flatbush Reformed Church
890 Flatbush Avenue
The Meetup will be held at the Grey House, located on East 21st Street and Kenmore Terrace side of the property. [map]

Please let us know you’re coming! RSVP here!

photo by Laura Kiev - Laura (at) makedocreative (dot) com

~ We never take for granted those who most deserve our gratitude: our volunteers! ~

This year’s Greening Flatbush was one of our biggest undertakings to date. We found ourselves adding more twists like the sustainable art component, live music, and a tasty community meal, but faced being short-staffed for this adventure. Since our non-profit organization is run by local volunteers, we relied on the help of other community volunteers and groups like New York Cares and TimeBanksNYC to produce a successful event.

photo by Sheryll Durrant

~ How beautiful a day can be when kind hearts touch it! ~

Although the weather wasn’t on our side, the positive feedback we received from those who attended and participated was awesome. Everyone had a fabulous time at the event, we all networked with great people and organizations, and the donations we received helped cover the cost of Greening Flatbush.

The success of this event is due in large part to our wonderful volunteers and their efforts. For all the volunteers listed below, we couldn’t have done it without you!

Adam Weber

Allison Braham

Athena Bernkopf

A. Victoria Hunter (TimeBanksNYC)

Brian Batka

Carole Silverman (TimeBanksNYC)

Cori Carl (New York Cares Team Leader) and 10 New York Cares Volunteers (Shift 1)

Dolores Henry (TimeBanksNYC)

Elena Tenchikova (TimeBanksNYC)

Ellen Lehman (TimeBanksNYC)

Emmelyne Louis

Engin Karabagli

Ilana Yamin

Jamey Ellis

Jean Baptiste Joseph (TimeBanksNYC)

Jimmy Ng (TimeBanksNYC)

Karana White

Kevin Butrick (TimeBanksNYC)

Laura Vladimirova

Madeline Schwarz

Metsha Renois (New York Cares Team Leader) and 12 New York Cares Volunteers (Shift 2)

Mona Kidd (TimeBanksNYC)

Natalia Sucre

Phil Shipman

Rosalia Lucero

Sonaz Safari

Stephen Anh

Tamara Leighton

Tracey Sharpe

Tricia Ang

Veena Muthusamy

Veena’s Mom and Aunt

Vivian Vivas

And a special thank you goes out to the talented Community Meal Specialists:

David Cohen
718 Collective – Berlin Reed, Jesse Gold, Cresta White
Barry Schwartz
Margaret Dunn-Carver and Jeff Campoli

~ We (heart) our volunteers ~

SF Team

Listen to a preview of Gaitambó here!

4:45 to 5:30 pm: Live music and appetizers! Enjoy Afro-Colombian rhythms and songs of the musical ensemble Gaitambó. According to their bio — they seek to maintain and perpetuate the oral and acoustic folklore of a music which was born through the fusion of African, Colombian, Indigenous and European ancestry.

5:30 to 7 pm:  Join your neighbors for a delicious healthy vegetarian meal lovingly prepared by local community chef David Cohen, Barry Schwartz (of Barry’s Tempeh), 718 Collective, Margaret Dunn-Carver and Jeff Campoli, and our group of volunteers. Continue the lively discussions and interactions that resulted from your participation in the day’s events. Meet new neighbors and say hello to old ones. And share, learn, and build relationships around sustainable living in our communities.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s on the menu (subject to change without notice):

Main Course:

Ginger Rice
South Indian Dahl
Roasted Herb Mushrooms
Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Barbecue Tempeh

Salads:
Massaged Kale Salad with Grated Carrot and Sesame Seeds
Red Cabbage Slaw

Dessert:
Homemade ice cream
Fig and Date Bars

Drink:  Cool Ginger Mint Herbal Tea

WHEN: Sunday, March 25 at the Flatbush Reformed Church!

See you there!

For the first time, at Greening Flatbush 2012  Sustainable Flatbush will honor an organization that we believe embodies the theme of the event — Garden Where You Are. The 300 East 25th Street Block Association, aka The Greenest Block in Brooklyn, will be the recipients of this year’s Greening Flatbush award.

One of 300 East 25th Street's three Greenest Block awards

The Greenest Block in Brooklyn is an annual contest of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s (BBG) GreenBridge, promoting streetscape gardening, tree stewardship, and community development in Brooklyn. Flatbush’s East 25th Street (between Avenue D and Clarendon Road) was named the greenest residential block in the borough for the 3rd time in 2011, having previously won this award in 2004 and 2006.

This block, and the group of neighbors who garden there, is an inspiration to the Flatbush neighborhood and to all Brooklynites. They successfully demonstrate how to use gardening to create a beautiful urban environment and to bring neighbors together to build a close-knit community.

In addition, the group will conduct a workshop at this year’s event, titled “How to Create a Thriving Block Association Through Gardening”. Like their previous workshop presentations at Making Brooklyn Bloom, this will be engaging, inspiring and should not to be missed.

Look forward to seeing you all on Sunday, March 25 at the Flatbush Reformed Church!

Over 30 groups/organizations (more than half of them from our own Flatbush neighborhood!) will be present with hands-on activities/demos to talk about their projects or simply share a skill with you! (See a partial list below.)

We’re also super-excited to be honoring the 300 East 25th Street Block Association, aka The Greenest Block in Brooklyn!

300 E25th Street aka The Greenest Block in Brooklyn!

Sustainable Flatbush will give workshops on Gardening with Native Plants, Urban Composting, and Solar for Community Gardens and Backyards. Come and learn something new with us!

Here are just a few of the amazing folks who are coming, and what they’ll be presenting:

BK Farmyards – Urban Chickens Guessing Game
596 Acres- Your Vacant Land
Freegan Gardening – Waste Not, Want Not: free and almost free ways to improve your diet
Compost for Brooklyn – Composting with Worms
Newkirk Cares Collaborative – DIY Tree Guards
Tsuh Yang Chen – The Houseplant Doctor is IN!
Flatbush Food Coop – Special Diet Foods and Sustainable Household Products
718 Collective – preview of “Salt & Vinegar: A Food Preservation Series”
The POOP Project – Turning Waste to Resource: Brown is the New Green
Crown Heights Farmshare – Fast Food vs. Healthy Food
Flatbush Farm Share CSA – Spend Your Money Wisely
Office of NYC Councilmember Jumaane Williams – Participatory Budgeting in the 45th District

We’ll finish the day with live music from Gaitambo and a delicious vegan Community Meal cooked by local chefs!

Don’t miss this one! We’ll see you there!

Greening Flatbush is free, with a suggested donation of $10 for the event and the community meal.

WHEN:

Sunday, March 25, 2012
2pm–7pm (Community Meal starts at 5)

WHERE:
Flatbush Reformed Church
890 Flatbush Avenue [map]
(corner of Church and Flatbush Avenues)

Let us know you’re coming! Please RSVP!

Greening Flatbush is back, Sunday March 25th. Get involved!

Sustainable Flatbush will host our 4th annual Greening Flatbush: Garden Where You Are, on Sunday, March 25th at 2pm.

The event will be held at the historic Flatbush Reformed Church, host of our compost and gardening initiatives, located on Flatbush and Church Avenues.

This year, Greening Flatbush promises to be better than ever — an event the entire family can participate in and enjoy. Our annual extravaganza celebrating community gardening, neighborhood greening, and urban agriculture will feature, from 2 – 5pm, hands-on workshops, interactive demos, DIY projects, creative arts, and live entertainment, presented by Sustainable Flatbush and a curated roster of community-based groups. The day will culminate in a delicious Community Meal from 5 until 7pm.

What’s New at Greening Flatbush 2012

In addition to interactive displays from a wide variety of community organizations (check out info and photos from last year’s event!), Sustainable Flatbush will offer workshops on Gardening with Native Plants, Composting, Community Engagement, and Solar for Community Gardens.

There will be live entertainment and a delicious meal prepared for the whole community. Like our first Community Meal on January 28, which attracted over 120 people, this is an opportunity for neighbors to meet neighbors and to share, learn, and build relationships around sustainable living in our communities.

Why We Do It

Greening Flatbush: Garden Where You Are engages and empowers people from all over Brooklyn and beyond to participate in creating sustainable urban neighborhoods. Our goal is for YOU to discover (or create!) a project within walking distance of your home where you can get involved in making your community greener — whether it’s by learning to compost, joining a CSA or community garden, adopting a tree, or growing flowers on your windowsill!

While bringing more visibility and participants to sustainable neighborhood-based projects, Greening Flatbush will also be a great opportunity for all of us to get acquainted with like-minded organizations and people, form partnerships, and strengthen the growing network of environmental stewardship in Brooklyn.

You can be part of this event!
Click here for information on how to get involved as a volunteer or sponsor.

Greening Flatbush is free, with a suggested donation of $10 for the event and the community meal.

Details

WHAT:
Greening Flatbush: Garden Where You Are
WHEN:
Sunday, March 25, 2 – 7 pm
WHERE:
Flatbush Reformed Church
890 Flatbush Avenue (corner of Church and Flatbush Avenues) [map]

Let us know you’re coming! Please RSVP here.

Partner with us – Become a Sponsor

We offer a range of sponsorship opportunities that helps your business or organization gain enhanced visibility, brand awareness, and access to potential customers from all over Brooklyn.

Join the Party – Be a Volunteer

Volunteers are the heartbeat of what we do and we all have fun together. Join us for a rewarding experience and amazing networking opportunity.

In 2008, due to budget cuts, the NYC Department of Sanitation discontinued its program to collect fall leaves for composting, instead taking them to landfills as garbage. A group of community gardeners felt that this was both an outrage and an opportunity, as anyone who composts knows that leaves are a valuable resource and shouldn’t be wasted! Residential leaves represent both a major addition (20,000 TONS) to the city’s waste management burden and a missed opportunity to create free, high-quality gardening fertilizer for NYC residents and community gardens.

In 2009 a citywide coalition called NYC Leaves was formed to keep fall leaves out of the waste stream by composting them at local community gardens through a program called Project LeafDrop. Locations to “recycle” leaves can be found all over the city. So don’t put your leaves on the curb where they’ll become trash; bring them to the nearest Project LeafDrop site, where the gardeners will thank you for your gift!

Sustainable Flatbush joined the NYC Leaves coalition in 2009, and since then we’ve diverted many tons of leaves from the landfill. Join us for Project LeafDrop 2011 at our new community garden project, the Church Avenue Communal Garden, located at the historic Flatbush Reformed Church! Our Community Composting program at the garden is growing, so we need your leaves!

Fun with leaves at the Church Avenue Communal Garden

We’ll accept leaves brought by neighbors and collect leaves from the church property, run as many as possible through a shredder, and store these carbon-rich “browns” for our winter compost collections.

WHAT: Project LeafDrop at the Church Avenue Communal Garden
WHERE: East 21st Street at Kenmore Terrace, Brooklyn (map)
WHEN: Saturday November 19th from 11am until 2pm

We welcome volunteers for this project!

Project LeafDrop is a great opportunity to get your hands dirty at the garden and learn more about compost, gardening, and urban soil remediation. If you’d like to volunteer, contact us at volunteer@sustainableflatbush.org or 718-208-0575.

Here are some additional Project LeafDrop sites in Kensington, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and Windsor Terrace:

Compost for Brooklyn
Newkirk Avenue at East 8th Street
Sunday November 20th
2-5pm

East 4th Street Community Garden
East 4th Street between Caton Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway
every Saturday and Sunday through November 20th
10am-12pm

High School for Public Service Youth Farm
600 Kingston between Rutland Road and Winthrop Street
Saturday November 19th
11am-4pm

Prospect Farm
Prospect Avenue below the Seeley Street Bridge
Saturdays through December 3rd
11am-1pm