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

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.

Please bring:

• fruit and vegetable scraps
• coffee grounds and tea bags
• egg shells (with no egg residue)
• bread and grains
• fresh leaves, flowers, green plants and garden trimmings
• shredded newspaper or brown paper
• manure and bedding from horse, hamster, rabbits or guinea pig
• food soiled paper towels / napkins

Please DO NOT bring:

• meat or fish scraps
• fats, grease or oil
• cheese or dairy products
• non-compostable materials such as Plastic, Metals or Glass
• pesticide-treated plants, grass clippings, deceased or pest-infested plants
• dog and cat waste

TIPS:

* You can save your food scraps in the refrigerator or freezer to bring to the garden; freezing will kill any food flies and bugs often found on the skin or shell of most fruits and vegetables, and the added moisture helps in the compost decomposition process.

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

* Please shred or chop materials into small pieces (no bigger than your pinkie finger). The smaller the materials, the easier and quicker they will decompose.

* If you are unable to chop your scraps beforehand, tools will be on-site to chop the materials before we put them in the compost bin.

Winter Compost open hours will be hosted at the Flatbush Reformed Church on the following dates:

Saturdays January 7th and 21st, and February 4th, from 11am until 1pm
Please check our calendar to confirm Saturday composting schedule.

* Please DO NOT leave compost around the bins or by the gate. Compost will only be accepted during open hours!

See you at the compost site!

Serviceberry bush on Church Avenue

Brooklyn Native Plants Tour May 15th, Spring Planting at the Garden May 21st, and Celebration with Flatbush Farm Share CSA June 8th!

Thanks to all who came out for our first spring planting at the garden on April 30th! We were able to score some beautiful native plants from the 12th Annual Wildflower and Native Plant Sale at Westchester Community College for the first installation of the Church Avenue streetscape, including a beautiful Serviceberry (Amelanchier) bush. The edible garden also looks great, and we’ve now planted okra, cauliflower, collards, cherry peppers, green beans, and more in sub-irrigated planters created from reclaimed materials!

There are several exciting events in the works for the garden over the next month, please save the dates! Events will take place at the backyard space of the Flatbush Reformed Church, at Kenmore Terrace and East 21st Street, unless otherwise noted.

Sunday, May 15th, 12-3pm

special off-site event: Native Plant Garden Tour

As part of NYC Wildflower Week, our own Chris Kreussling (aka Flatbush Gardener), Director of Sustainable Flatbush’s Urban Gardens and Farms Initiative, will partner with Compost for Brooklyn to provide a tour of two native plant gardens in the neighborhood. The self-guided tour begins at Compost for Brooklyn, Newkirk Avenue and East 8th street, and continues to Chris’s home garden.
Register here for this free event (and for directions).

Planting the Church Avenue streetscape

Saturday, May 21st, 11am-4pm

Spring Planting and Potluck: Native Plants Edition!!!

Join us for a special spring planting day and potluck meal!

This is our second installation of spring planting days at the the Church Avenue Communal Garden. We’ll focus on beautifying the Church Avenue streetscape and preserving our urban ecosystem with plants that are native to the New York City region.

Enjoy a beautiful day outdoors at the historic Flatbush Reformed Church! A composting demonstration and workshop will be held from 11-12. Bring food or drinks to share with your fellow gardeners.

Wednesday, June 8th, 4-8pm

Spring Planting Celebration and Potluck with the Flatbush FarmShare CSA!
Join us for a potluck social at the Church Avenue Communal Garden to celebrate our spring plantings and the first day of the season for the Flatbush Farm Share CSA! We’ll have info tables, wine tastings, live music, and more. Bring finger food and/or drinks to share.

See you at the garden!

(photos courtesy of Alexandra Corrazza)

The Church Avenue Communal Garden is a new community garden located on the grounds of the historic Flatbush Reformed Church property at Church and Flatbush Avenues. The project is a partnership between Sustainable Flatbush and the Flatbush Reformed Church, and will include a rain garden and community space, an edible garden, and a native plant streetscape along Church Avenue. As we begin our first planting season this spring, the garden will become a community space for Flatbush residents to participate in workshops and events around nutrition, composting, container gardening, native plants, and local food, including special activities for youth. For more information email emily@sustainableflatbush.org or call 718.208.0575. Come get your hands dirty with us!

Choosing Seeds (photo by Alexandra Corrazza)

Join us on June 8th for a Spring Festival and Potluck Social at the Church Avenue Communal Garden to celebrate our new spring plantings and compost system, and the Flatbush Farm Share CSA‘s first produce distribution of the season!

After just a few months our newly-established community garden project at the Flatbush Reformed Church has a lot of accomplishments to celebrate: planning meetings and workdays that have engaged dozens of community and church members; an after-school gardening program for youth; the beginnings of a native plant streetscape on Church Avenue; a vegetable garden growing in containers made from recycled materials; and a 3-bin compost system we’ll use to create our own soil amendments as well as for community composting education.

Now that the school year is ending and the CSA season is beginning, we wanted to create an opportunity for youth (as well as other neighbors) to learn about the CSA and CSA members to learn about the garden; so we’re co-hosting a Spring Festival and Potluck with lots of fun activities. We’ll have ice-breakers and nametags to help mingling, and Sustainable Flatbush and CSA core-volunteers will be there to host.

Everyone is welcome to this family-friendly community event, come celebrate with us!

WHERE:
Flatbush Reformed Church backyard
East 21st Street at Kenmore Terrace
Brooklyn, NY  11226

WHEN:
Wednesday, June 8th (not June 1st as originally announced!)
4 – 8pm

ACTIVITIES:
–Info tables and workshop topics will include community gardening, composting, recycled art, CSA volunteering and more!
–Wine tasting provided by CSA wine supplier T.B. Ackerson Wine Merchants
–Live music (to be announced)

WHAT TO BRING:
–Please bring some finger food and/or drinks to share. Any cups, plates, utensils, or napkins as needed would be welcome.
–A picnic blanket might be helpful to set up your goodies.
–If you choose to make something, you might like to include a recipe card and info on whether the food is vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free etc.
–CSA members, don’t forget your grocery bags and egg cartons, since you’ll be picking up your veggies/extra shares too.

Come for a tour of the garden, check out the CSA (it’s not too late to join!), and make new friends!

Back in November we collected over a ton of autumn leaves from the community during Project Leafdrop at the Flatbush Reformed Church. Not only did we divert over a TON of organic matter from landfills, we will turn what would have been garbage into a valuable rich compost and mulch for our community garden project.

Now we need money to build a 3-bin compost system and buy a shredder to create leaf mulch. We posted a fundraiser on ioby, a fantastic micro-inancing website for grassroots NYC environmental projects, and have raised about one third of our goal.

What does this have to do with Valentine’s Day? TODAY ONLY, donations to our compost bin project at the Church Avenue Communal Garden will be DOUBLED! Your $5 donation becomes $10! Your $50 donation becomes $100!

So be our Valentine and show our compost bin project some LOVE!

Planting Experimental Tree Plots in Marine Park

My name is Lou Wright, and I’m incredibly excited to be working with Sustainable Flatbush on their projects at the Church Street Communal Garden. As a gardener, a composter, an urban forester, and a Flatbush resident, I hope that I can bring skill and enthusiasm to the work we’ll be doing in the upcoming months. I suppose, then, that this is where I should say a little bit about myself.

I am a Junior in the Environmental Studies and Sustainable Design program at The New School, where my work focuses on urban ecology and architectural design as well as the fields of wetland restoration and urban forestry. I have worked in the Union Square Native Plants garden and am a certified Citizen Pruner thanks to Trees New York. I  also helped run and maintain a very large community garden when I was interning at a conservation lobby in Anchorage, Alaska. I’m an active cyclist, and I love hiking, fishing, heavy metal and trees.

So that’s about the score. I look forward to meeting everybody and helping my community out by doing something I love – getting my hands dirty and growin’ stuff.

On top of getting so many leaves for composting, we planted a lot of daffodil bulbs around the grounds of the Flatbush Reformed Church. Come spring, there will be a lovely display of daffodils lining the church grounds, and enough compost for the community garden!

Brooklyn College Community Partnership Leaf Stompers! (photo by Elisabeth Deogracias)