Just wanted to give you an update on the status of our garden project at the Flatbush Reformed Church. We’ve had a little bit of a rocky start, with soil high in lead and other toxic materials, as well as addressing the concerns of local residents.

Church Garden visioning meeting (photo by Alexandra Corazza)

That being said, we are persevering and have  some recent developments that we’re very excited about!

SO, here’s what we’re looking at for the garden right now:

We’ve recently partnered with Brooklyn Botanical Garden’s Brooklyn Urban Gardeners (BUG) program; BUG is providing us with five students to collaborate on community outreach, garden design, and resource assessments this fall/winter. We welcome the participation of community members in these projects; if you are interested in helping out at this exciting stage in the development of the garden, please email me at emily@sustainableflatbush.org.

We will also be partnering with the Flatbush Farm Share CSA and Brooklyn Food Coalition‘s Flatbush neighborhood group to provide interested community members with workshops and events at the future garden site and other locations. Save the date on October 10th for the  first of these collaborations: a Garden Cleanup and Potluck! This event will be part of 350.org’s Global Work Party, an international campaign of local actions to support climate change solutions. More info on this in my next blog post!

All of this activity, of course, is in preparation for planting this spring. We’re all excited to get our hands dirty!

Tomorrow night, Saturday March 28th from 8:30 to 9:30 pm, is Earth Hour. Participants in this international demonstration will turn off their lights for one hour as an environmental statement.

I’m in, anyone want to join me? Wouldn’t it be nice to see the stars in Brooklyn for an hour?

From the Earth Hour website:

VOTE EARTH: YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTE
This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.

We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.

Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

Dear Anne,

Your New York State Senator is one of 18 legislators who showed exceptional leadership when it came to protecting the health of the environment this year by supporting all four of the environmental community’s priority Super Bills.

The Super Bills include:

*The Wetlands Protection Act

*The Bigger Better Bottle Bill

*The Global Warming Pollution Cap/Greenhouse Gas Pollution Control Act

*Net Metering Reforms

Please thank your New York State Senators for supporting these critical measures. Without his or her leadership, these bills may never have gotten as far as they did in the Senate. By taking the time to recognize your Senator’s support of the Super Bills, you’re telling our lawmakers that the environment is an important issue to you and to thousands of New Yorkers across the state. Click here to thank your Senator.

I believe I will! It is important to note that only one of these four Super Bills actually became law (the Net Metering Reforms) so we have a long way to go. More details on the bills, including their Assembly supporters, are available here.

If you are onboard with Al Gore’s challenge, let Obama, McCain, and your elected officials know by signing the MoveOn petition here. Let’s do this!!

…our dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuels is at the core of all three of these challenges — the economic, environmental and national security crises,” Mr. Gore said. “We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that has to change.”

He also points out that the more oil we use the higher the price goes, while the more solar we use the lower the price goes. The goal of our neighborhood solar forums is to inform homeowners interested in solar about the new tax credits and higher net metering limits just passed in New York, and encourage networking so they can share best practices and potentially approach installers as a group to negotiate costs. Stay tuned, we will definitely be doing more of this neighborhood-oriented energy education.