Change By Us NYC

First-Ever Large-Scale Urban Farm on NYCHA Property

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:45:14 -0400

Today the Red Hook Urban Farm was launched which is a 1-acre agriculture installation and the first-ever large-scale community farm on NYCHA property. The farm will serve as a source of fresh produce for the community while providing a center for education, job training and community engagement for residents. Produce will be sold at farmers’ markets or donated to families in need and revenue from sales will fund stipends for members who will maintain the project.

Based on this model, NYCHA is looking for providers for urban farms at 5 additional developments. The Red Hook farm was installed by participants in the Center for Economic Opportunity work progress program, part of the Young Men’s Initiative.

The Red Hook Urban Farm has 2 missions: the growth and distribution of healthy foods and the education of local residents about healthy diets as well as a green job training program for NYCHA youth who are out of school and unemployed.

For more on the program, visit nyc.gov

Photos from this past Saturday’s screening of Who Controls...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:56:00 -0400

Photos from this past Saturday’s screening of Who Controls Your Food? Stories from Venezuela to Brooklyn, hosted by 2013 Change by Us NYC grant recipient Crown Heights-Prospect Heights Food Allies. Through the documentary and following discussion, residents learned about food justice and how to take more ownership of their food supply by participating in community gardens, joining local farm shares, or growing food at home.

(Photo credit: Ben Cherner)

Turtles take a moment to say “hello” at M’Finda Kalunga...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:14:00 -0400

Turtles take a moment to say “hello” at M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden in Manhattan’s Sara Roosevelt Park neighborhood. (Source: www.mkgarden.org/discussion)

This past Sunday was such a gorgeous spring day in NYC that the turtles at M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden came out to socialize with visitors!

From the garden’s website:

Two very handsome red eared slider turtles are the latest “critters” to have joined the garden. If you sit quietly on the bench near the pond, and you are very lucky, you might see their heads poking out for just a moment. Red-eared sliders get their name from the red line around their ears. The “slider” part of their name comes from their ability to slide off rocks into the water quickly.

For more information on the turtle gang, open hours for visiting the garden, and how to become a member, be sure to check out the M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden website or stop by their Change by Us page.

Community Nutrition Projects Through Change by Us NYC

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:04:34 -0400

nycgov:

The Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit announced that Change by Us NYC, an online platform for residents to develop volunteer-driven initiatives in their neighborhoods, has awarded grants to 17 community groups to pursue projects that will improve their surrounding communities. The awardees are selected in partnership with the Office of Food Policy, Citizen Committee for NYC and the Department of Education’s Office of School Wellness Program and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The grant projects include improving healthy food access and awareness, promoting food security and improving food system sustainability and infrastructure.

For a full list of groups and projects receiving Change by Us grants, visit nyc.gov.

Food Allies: Who Controls Your Food?

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:55:18 -0400

Food Allies: Who Controls Your Food? :

foodallies:

“Who Controls Your Food? Stories from Venezuela to Brooklyn”

Saturday, June 15th, 3:30pm - 6pm. LaunchPad, 721 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Welcome to the Brooklyn food movement: we shop locally, grow vegetables, raise chickens, and pickle everything. As we strive to take control of our…

Sprout Farms used their 2011 Change by Us grant to build a...

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:12:00 -0400

Sprout Farms used their 2011 Change by Us grant to build a compost system at The Green School. Check out their cool time-lapse video of the build day:

Source: Sprout Farms

Want to make your child’s school food options more...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:20:30 -0400

Want to make your child’s school food options more nutritious? ”School Food Starts with You” provides detailed, step-by-step information showing parents how to work with their school so that school meals become a nurturing and satisfying part of every school day.

The handbook was created through collaboration between Brooklyn Food Coalition, City Harvest, Food Bank for New York City, NYC Health, NYC Hunger Free Communities Consortium and other organizations.

Big thanks to Bronx Health REACH for sharing this!

NY Daily News Story: Room for growth

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:34:00 -0400

NY Daily News Story: Room for growth:

It’s one of the city’s many vacant lots, but a group of Harlem residents hopes to transform a St. Nicholas Ave. space into a sparkling garden where vegetables will grow, flowers will bloom and residents will become educated in some of the finer points of health living.

A Change by Us project in the news! To learn more about St. Nicholas Miracle Garden’s efforts or to help out, you can visit their project page. You can donate here.

Forget Mr. Softee in the South Bronx, meet Ms. Veggie (PIX11...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:23:00 -0400

Forget Mr. Softee in the South Bronx, meet Ms. Veggie (PIX11 News Story)

Awesome project by Tanya Fields, executive director of the BLK Projek, who aims to bring healthy, local produce to the South Bronx by taking the farmers market concept mobile.

The full story also features a brief interview with an organizer from Brook Park chicken coop, a Change by Us project. We sense an opportunity for collaboration here!

We had a blast at Grow Our Grassroots last Saturday at Brooklyn...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:18:00 -0400

Beautiful Tree Bed Gardening workshop with Brooklyn Botanic Garden. (Credit: Lia Vega via https://www.facebook.com/GIVE.Inc?fref=ts)

NYC Parks Commissioner Veronica M. White and GreeNYC's Birdie greet morning attendees. (Credit: Change by Us NYC)

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz receives gift from MillionTreesNYC and Birdie. (Credit: Lia Vega via https://www.facebook.com/GIVE.Inc?fref=ts)

Candy Tree Beds at Kids Corner. (Credit: MillionTreesNYC)

Attendees connect with each other and learn about official City resources at morning tabling. (Credit: Lia Vega via https://www.facebook.com/GIVE.Inc?fref=ts)

Gowanus Conservancy afternoon table. (Credit: Gowanus Conservancy)

Build It Green! NYC speaks with attendees. (Credit: Change by Us NYC)

NYC Parks' Planting and Pruning Our Urban Forest presentation took place in Brooklyn Borough Hall's beautiful courtroom. (Credit: Change by Us NYC)

Community Organizing with Citizens Committee for New York City. (Credit: Change by Us NYC)

We had a blast at Grow Our Grassroots last Saturday at Brooklyn Borough Hall! Check out some of our favorite photos from the day (Birdie NYC may or may not appear more than once).

Making Social Media Work For You This past Saturday at Grow Our...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:27:25 -0400

Making Social Media Work For You

This past Saturday at Grow Our Grassroots, Change by Us spoke to attendees about “Making Social Media Work For You.” Using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr in an effective way can help your neighborhood initiative increase participation, gain visibility, raise funds, build community, and a whole lot more!

To view our presentation, click here.

We Want Turtles! Change by Us at SxSW

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:27:29 -0400

We Want Turtles! Change by Us at SxSW:

This Tuesday, Jake Barton of Local Projects talked to South by Southwest Interactive attendees about Change by Us NYC and the empowerment it gives local residents to change their communities. From the San Antonio Express-News “SA Tech” blog:

And the projects are many: composting in Brooklyn, a rooftop greenhouse, community gardens. There are 385 projects which were created using the Change by Us website.

“When you multiply all of those different projects together, that’s where it really starts to make an impact,” Barton said.

New grants from Change by Us NYC are now available for projects...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:39:04 -0400

New grants from Change by Us NYC are now available for projects that support NYC Food goals around food access, awareness and sustainability.

Apply by April 30th and you could receive a grant of up to $2500 to start or expand a community garden, Adopt-a-Bodega, or any idea you have to make your neighborhood a healthier, happier place!

Click here to apply today.

Farming Concrete’s 2012 Harvest Report is now available!...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:49:00 -0400

Farming Concrete’s 2012 Harvest Report is now available! From the report:

Through gathering this data [from among the more than 500 community gardens and 300 school gardens that exist in NYC], we confirmed something that we already knew - New York City community gardeners are growing a lot of food. Research shows that food grown in community gardens contributes to the food security of those who grow it, as well as to the lucky neighbors, friends, family, and passers by who receive it.

Grow Our Grassroots is two weeks from tomorrow! Register on the...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:03:15 -0500

Grow Our Grassroots is two weeks from tomorrow! Register on the website and remember to follow the hashtag #GrowOurGrassroots on Twitter.

TEDxManhattan 2013 Photos Now Available

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:43:10 -0500

TEDxManhattan 2013 Photos Now Available:

From TEDxManhattan.org:

Photos from TEDxManhattan 2013, which took place on Feb. 16, can now be seen on Flickr. The collection also includes photos from the Feb. 15 pre-event at the Museum of Natural History.

ourglobalkitchen: By 2050, there will likely be two billion...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:44:49 -0500

ourglobalkitchen:

By 2050, there will likely be two billion more people on the planet. Feeding the world’s growing urban populace the way we do now would require immense amounts of agricultural land we don’t have. So why not grow food directly in cities?

Save the date!

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:55:35 -0500

Save the date!

Apply for a UnityNYC Grant

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:05:10 -0500

Apply for a UnityNYC Grant:

nycimmigrants:

Citizens Committee for New York City awards grants up to $3,000 to neighborhood-based or faith-based immigrant and non-immigrant groups to collaborate on community projects that improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

Partner with one or many groups and come up with an idea. Resident-led groups throughout NYC are encouraged to apply. Submit your application by January 31, 2013!

Applications are accepted from volunteer-led groups based primarily in low-income
neighborhoods in all five boroughs of New York City. Groups may be long-standing,
newly established or in the process of forming, and are not required to have non-profit or 501(c)(3) status. Groups without this status will need a fiscal conduit or a bank account if a grant is awarded.

Neighborhoods and schools can apply for hurricane relief grants...

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:09:28 -0500

Neighborhoods and schools can apply for hurricane relief grants up to $5,000 from Citizens Committee for NYC.