GreenThumb’s monthly newsletter of workshops and events not to miss in December!
Access all workshop info and more in: GreenThumb’s Winter Program Guide
Gardeners learning about espalier fruit tree pruning from Outreach Coordinator Eric Thomann at Know Waste Lands Community Garden in Brooklyn. Photo by Mara Gittleman, GreenThumb
GreenThumb GrowTogether 2019
Our 35th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether conference will be Saturday, March 30, 2019, at the CUNY Graduate Center – 365 5th Ave. in Manhattan. We’re looking forward to putting together another powerful and invigorating conference with you to kick off the 2019 growing season!
2019 T-Shirt Contest
Submit your artwork to the GrowTogether t-shirt contest for our 35th annual conference!
The theme is: Roots, Shoots, and Fruits: Celebrating Generations of Gardening
The winning design will appear on the 2019 GrowTogether t-shirts, worn by hundreds of gardeners all over the city. The winners will receive: a t-shirt with their design, framed certificate, and Parks swag (reusable bag, hat, and more!). All are welcome to enter! Applicants may submit up to three entries.
The theme is: Roots, Shoots, and Fruits: Celebrating Generations of Gardening
The winning design will appear on the 2019 GrowTogether t-shirts, worn by hundreds of gardeners all over the city. The winners will receive: a t-shirt with their design, framed certificate, and Parks swag (reusable bag, hat, and more!). All are welcome to enter! Applicants may submit up to three entries.
For submission details and how to apply, visit: 2019 T-shirt Contest
Application Deadline: Friday, December 7th
Application Deadline: Friday, December 7th
Interested in facilitating a workshop at the 2019 GreenThumb GrowTogether Conference?
Apply with your ideas at GreenThumb GrowTogether Workshops 2019 by Monday, January 7, 2019. We’re looking for a wide variety of workshops on topics related to gardening, composting, food and racial justice, medicinal plants, group development, community organizing, and more.
Apply for Uprooting Racism Training
Facilitated by Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm, Uprooting Racism will be a practical training for community garden leaders to address racism in our communities. We will delve into the history of our community gardens and look at our personal and collective roles as stewards of the land. We will spend time developing tangible action plans for uprooting these dynamics within our own gardens. All levels of experience welcome to apply.
To apply, please fill out the Uprooting Racism Application by December 16, 2018, at 11:59 p.m..
Community Board Applications are now available for the 2019-2021 Term
As hand-on volunteers with deep community ties, GreenThumb gardeners are great candidates to serve on boards, which play an important advisory role on neighborhood issues including land use, city budgets, local service provision, and other community issues. Community boards are consulted when new gardens are begun, and they identify funding priorities in neighborhoods every year during the City budget process.
For Community Board Membership Applications and Deadlines, please visit links below:
Brooklyn / Bronx / Manhattan / Queens / Staten Island
Brooklyn / Bronx / Manhattan / Queens / Staten Island
Snow and Ice Removal Responsibilities
As the weather becomes colder and the winter season approaches, a friendly reminder that the removal of snow and ice from sidewalks following a winter weather event is the responsibility of GreenThumb gardeners. Garden groups must have a group plan for keeping sidewalks safe after a snowfall.
Please visit our website for tips and to download the Snow Removal Guide from the New York City Department of Sanitation.
Did You Know?
You may request translation services for any GreenThumb workshop for any language at least three weeks in advance at greenthumbinfo@parks.nyc.gov.
More News & Stories
- The NYC Urban Institute is holding their 3rd Annual Urban Soils Symposium at NYIT Auditorium on Broadway on Thursday, December 6 and Friday, December 7. For details and to register, please visit their website.
- 2018-2019 Youth Leadership Council Application is Now Open!
The GreenThumb Youth Leadership Council (YLC) is an opportunity for high school youth 12-21 years old and college students to volunteer at a community garden in New York City. Participants will learn firsthand from community gardeners how to maintain and grow a healthy garden. To apply, please fill out the 2018-2019 YLC Youth Application. - Volunteer to Help a Garden Grow with the GreenThumb Group Volunteer Program! It is a great way to involve yourself and your colleagues in community service and gardening, while learning new skills and improving your community’s green spaces. To sign up to volunteer, visit: GT Volunteers.
- 2019 Bylaw Re-licensing Requirements Due
Grants & Opportunities
- Through Neighborhood Grants, Citizens Committee awards micro-grants of up to $3,000 to resident-led groups to work on community and school projects throughout the city. For more information and to apply, visit their website.
Application Deadline is January 21, 2019, at 11:59 p.m.. - Borough President Capital Grants provide support for various important capital projects throughout the city, including capital projects at community gardens such as water installation, new fencing, and more. If you are interested in advocating for a grant for your garden, please visit the links below and contact the office of your Borough President for more details on the application process. Brooklyn / Bronx / Manhattan / Queens / Staten Island
- New York City Council Members can also offer capital grants for capital projects in community gardens. Contact your local Council Member to ask about the process to apply for capital project support in FY 2020.
- Gardens that are part of Brooklyn Queens Land Trust or would like to register with the Cooperative Economic Alliance of New York City (CEANYC), Mini-Grant Opportunities are available for various capacity-building projects. Visit their website for more information.
- NYC Service Neighborhood Volunteer Collaborative – Learn about the free tools and resources that are available to support volunteer engagement while connecting with other community groups. Contact Marcus Johnson (mjohnson1@cityhall.nyc.gov) if you have any questions and to see how you can become involved.
- New Yorkers have an opportunity to propose projects for inclusion in the participatory budgeting process by visiting the New York City Council Participatory Budgeting website. Add an idea about how things could work better for your community to the map and after your idea is submitted, it will be given to community volunteers, called Budget Delegates. These proposals will be up for community-wide vote in the spring
Workshops & Events
ALL of our workshops are free and open to the public.
Highlight of the Month:
Make it Rain: Grants for your Green Space
Hear from Citizens Committee for NYC and Partnerships for Parks, who provide funding for community green space projects. Learn about the financial resources they offer and tips to secure funding for your 2019 community garden projects.
Tuesday, December 4, Bronx: RSVP on Eventbrite
6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
St. Mary’s Recreation Center
* Este taller se ofrecerá con traducción al español.
Tuesday, December 11, Brooklyn: RSVP on Eventbrite
6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
Brownsville Recreation Center
6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
St. Mary’s Recreation Center
* Este taller se ofrecerá con traducción al español.
Tuesday, December 11, Brooklyn: RSVP on Eventbrite
6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
Brownsville Recreation Center
December 8, Bronx: Herbal Soap Making
December 13, Manhattan: Organizing for Garden Success: Group Structure (Part 1 of 2)
Soil and lumber request forms are available at ALL GreenThumb-led workshops for GreenThumb Community Gardeners.
Grow to Learn NYC
Grow to Learn is the citywide school gardens initiative and managed through a partnership between GrowNYC, NYC Parks GreenThumb, and the Department of Education’s Office of School Food. Grow to Learn provides ongoing resources, technical assistance, and training to support gardens in NYC schools.
Join the Grow to Learn Network and become eligible to apply for a Grow to Learn Mini-Grant, request soil and lumber deliveries to your school, and more, by registering your school garden!
December 4, Manhattan: Food Justice 101: A Workshop for Kids and Teens
December 6, Queens: Bug Hotels
Follow GreenThumb on Social Media!
If you or your Community Garden are on social media, follow @greenthumbgrows on Instagram and Twitter, and @GreenThumbNYC on Facebook, to find out about the latest workshops, events, and news at GreenThumb.
