Sustainable Flatbush Healing Herb Garden

Join us on Saturday June 15th at 10:30am for a FREE herbal workshop presented by apprentices from Sacred Vibes Apothecary.

WHAT:  FREE Herbal Workshop: Herbs from Menstruation to Menopause
WHERE:  Sustainable Flatbush Healing Herb Garden
2103 Kenmore Terrace on the Flatbush Reformed Church property [map]
WHEN:  Saturday, June 15th, 10:30am-12 noon

** Herbs from Menstruation to Menopause **

A workshop for all ages on health from the beginning of menstruation to menopause.

The first half of the class will cover menstrual health and how to chart your cycle and notice the cues your body may give you if your natural balance begins to shift off center. We will discuss medicinal plants that support uterine nourishment and pelvic muscular and skeletal alignment.

The second half will explore plants which are hormonally balancing and Qi strengthening. This part of the class will be helpful to those who have or are experiencing PMS, absent or irregular periods, menopause, infertility or breastfeeding.

At the end of the workshop, we will be making our very own herbal oil. Bring a 2 oz. jar with you so you can take some home! We suggest purchasing a cheap jar of baby food and cleaning it out. They are the perfect size!

Sacred Vibes Apothecary, Brooklyn NY

All of this season’s herbal workshops are brought to you in partnership with Sacred Vibes Apothecary, a Brooklyn-based community herbal apothecary owned by Master Herbalist, Karen Rose. Sacred Vibes guides and supports people in creating a lifestyle that reconnects them to their unique and authentic divine self. Their mission is to enlighten all to live transcendent lives through natural healing, beauty, and education. All workshops will be facilitated by the apprentices of Sacred Vibes Apothecary.

Learn more about the Sustainable Flatbush 3rd Saturday Open House series here.

See you in the garden!!!

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Visiting students from Erasmus High School filling garden beds with soil

“A Day in the Garden” is more than just a BIG volunteer work day. It’s more than just an opportunity to hear about our gardening and composting projects.

You’ll spend the day with us, touring and learning about healing herbs, native plants, pollinators, and why rotting food is good for your garden. You can sit in on one of our workshops — where topics can vary from essential kitchen medicinals, to when a weed is not a weed, to how to compost under the kitchen table in your apartment. You’ll be learning from Flatbush neighbors who also happen to be experts in gardening, composting, herbalism, and more. Check our calendar for each month’s special programming!

Our Open House is family-friendly, with fun activities for kids to participate in and healthy yummy snacks to savor. Each month when you visit, there will always be something new to see as our garden and compost projects develop.

And for those of you who just want to get your hands dirty, join our team of volunteers during garden and compost open hours happening at the same time. We have lots of tools — just wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes.

The post “A Day in the Garden” Open House appeared first on Sustainable Flatbush.

By making a contribution to our ioby campaign between now and April 30, you will be helping us build our garden infrastructure — tiered raised beds, planters, a hoop house and more. This will enable us to launch our plans to cultivate 30 varieties of herbs, provide environmental education to our community, and host a series of free summer workshops on the use and benefits of herbs as both food and medicine. And that’s just the beginning…

Click here to donate… and read all the details about our exciting new project as well. You can also check back for updates on our construction progress.

We need you! Help us reach our goal by April 30!

The post We Need You! Donate To Our ioby Campaign and Help Us Build Our Healing Herb Garden! appeared first on Sustainable Flatbush.

Fun with compost!

We’re having an Earth Day Open House and you’re invited! This will be a great opportunity to learn more about our gardening and composting projects on the property of the historic Flatbush Reformed Church. On Saturday, April 20th from 9:30am to 1:30pm, join us for all, or any, of the days planned activities:

COMMUNITY COMPOST PROJECT
Our Community Compost Project, now in its third year, offers neighbors a local option for recycling their kitchen scraps. We take your “garbage” and turn it into fertilizer and soil amendment for our gardens, while keeping tons (literally) of  organic waste out of landfills! Not sure what to compost? Check the guide here. Want to learn how it’s done? Zero Waste Program Director Kady Ferguson will tell you about the 8-week Community Composter Certificate program she’s leading this summer!

HEALING HERB GARDEN
We’re converting our vegetable garden into a culinary and medicinal herb garden! Urban Farm & Garden Program Director Sheryll Durrant is heading up this project, and there are plenty of tasks for everyone. Handy with tools? Then you might want to help our carpentry team as we finish our project of building raised beds, planters, a hoop house and more. Or if you’re just into gardening for the day, we’ll also be planting seeds in seed trays. Learn more about the Healing Herb Garden project here.

NATIVE PLANTS
Take a tour of the Native Plant Garden we created two years ago on the church grounds. Resident expert Chris Kreussling (aka Flatbush Gardener) will share his knowledge about native plants and their role in the urban ecosystem; how to create wildlife habitat by asking questions such as, “What do butterflies really want?”;  and tips for dealing with weeds and invasives.

Wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes. We’ll provide the tools and refreshments. Bring family, friends, and kids too!!!

For more information, or to volunteer for this event, email: sheryll [at] sustainableflatbush [dot] org

The post Save the date for our Earth Day Open House! appeared first on Sustainable Flatbush.

Plant Swap at the Flatbush Food Coop!

Start the season off right by swapping plants and gardening tips with your neighbors!

• * Free garden plants!
• * Save money and recycle!
• * Trade perennial and other plants!
• * Swap gardening tips!

You don’t have to bring something to take something (but we do reserve the right to limit quantities taken). Here are the details:

WHAT:
Spring Plant Swap, co-sponsored by Flatbush Food Co-op and Sustainable Flatbush
WHERE:
Flatbush Food Co-op
1415 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn
WHEN:
Sunday, April 21st from 12 noon until 3pm (rain date Saturday April 27th)

See you there!

The post The Plant Swap is Back! appeared first on Sustainable Flatbush.

This partership between Sustainable Flatbush,
Solar One, and Sustainable Kensington/Windsor Terrace
is a grass-roots program designed to bring cost-effective solar power
to Brooklyn homeowners on a large scale.

Sign up to join the email list and stay connected to the
Solarize Brooklyn: Kensington-Windsor Terrace & Flatbush program.

Join us at one of our upcoming Community Meetings to learn more!

(Community Meetings will be held in April, May, and June. Dates and locations TBA)

The post Solarize Brooklyn! appeared first on Sustainable Flatbush.

That’s right… thanks to a delivery of cocoa hulls from Brooklyn’s own Mast Brothers Chocolate, our compost smells delicious!

That’s especially good news because we’ll be reopening our Community Compost Project on Saturday April 20th at 10am, just in time for Earth Day!

Come by and say hello, drop off your kitchen scraps, and take a tour of our Edible Garden, which is being redesigned to grow medicinal and culinary herbs!

Save the date, and stay tuned for details!

The post Our Compost Smells Like Chocolate! appeared first on Sustainable Flatbush.

Sustainable Flatbush brings a fun and delicious twist to being green at the Cortelyou Greenmarket on Sunday, December 16 from 11am to 2 pm, with a demonstration of our Bike Blender and Solar Oven! Everyone is welcome to join in the fun — using human-powered energy to pedal-puree fresh seasonal ingredients from market vendors for a delicious soup, which we’ll pair with fresh bread, baked using energy from the sun.

The Bike Blender offers a perfect way to encourage sustainability — get a little exercise while saving electricity, to make a warm healthy treat that’s just right for a winter day.

As the perfect compliment to our delicious soup, enjoy scrumptious sun-baked bread from our very own Solar Oven. This oven uses the sun as its only energy source and bakes just like a regular oven… except it’s powered by clean renewable energy — no fossil fuels.

Thanks to our sponsor ConEd for making the Bike Blender and Solar Oven Demo possible. And thanks to GrowNYC and their market manager/chef Samantha Blatteis for providing all the materials, utensils and ingredients for the days demonstrations.

See you at the Greenmarket!

WHAT: Sustainable Flatbush Bike Blender and Solar Oven Demos!
WHEN: Sunday, December 16, 11am to 2pm
WHERE: Cortelyou Greenmarket Cortelyou Road (between Argyle & Rugby Rds), Brooklyn NY [map]

The post Pedal Power & Solar Cooking at Cortelyou Greenmarket on December 16! appeared first on Sustainable Flatbush.

Buy Nothing Day offers an alternative to the consumerist excess of Black Friday: a chance to unshop, unspend, and unwind. At Sustainable Flatbush we celebrate this special day by keeping it local and hosting a potluck where neighbors can get to know each other by sharing food and conversation.

In keeping with Buy Nothing Day’s theme of rethinking consumption, we will watch The Story of Stuff and let the ideas flow:

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

As our city and region recover from Hurricane Sandy, the importance of building resilient communities where neighbors support each other and share resources has become more clear than ever. Buy Nothing Day is an opportunity to re-think our priorities and focus on creating a society that is more equitable and sustainable:

Join millions of others on November 23/24 and see what it feels like to stop consuming for 24 hours. Go cold turkey from consumer culture completely! Like those who have accepted this magical invitation before you, you may be rewarded with a life-changing shift of perspective – a glimpse into how to consume less and live more on this precarious Planet of ours …

Thanks to All Souls Bethlehem Church for once again providing a welcoming space for this event (it’s a church in a house! so cute!).

Stop by for any or every portion of the evening: The Story of Stuff film/discussion from 6 until 7, potluck meal starting at 7, and from 8:30 on we’ll be treated to live music from local musicians!

Bring friends and family plus food and/or drinks to share! See you on the 23rd!

WHAT:
Sustainable Flatbush 2nd annual Buy Nothing Day potluck!

WHEN:
Friday November 23rd from 6 until 9pm
6-7pm – The Story of Stuff film/discussion
7-8:30pm – potluck meal
8:30pm -> live music from local musicians

WHERE:
All Souls Bethlehem Church (it really is a church in a house, not the big church on the corner!)
566 East 7th Street (between Cortelyou Road and Ditmas Avenue)
Brooklyn, NY
(map)

Potluck Feast! (photo by Keka Marzagao)

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• November 17
• December 1
• December 15
• January 5
• January 19
• February 2

These Saturdays coincide with the Flatbush Farm Share CSA‘s winter share distribution. Check our calendar for last-minute updates before coming out in the cold!

WHAT
Winter Compost Hours 2012-2013

WHEN
Every other Saturday (see list above for exact dates, check our calendar for any updates)
10am – 12noon

WHERE
Flatbush Reformed Church property [map]

TIP Carrying food scraps in a reusable (and rinsable) container means no yucky plastic bag to get rid of at the garden!

NOT SURE WHAT YOU CAN COMPOST? See the list of What To Compost  to get started.

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