A million thanks from East New York Farms! for signing the Petition to Bring Back Composting to NYC.
Because of your support, City Council Members Arroyo, Yassky, and Felder have expressed interest in holding a public hearing on Fall Leaf Collection this autumn. Let's keep the energy going and make this hearing happen!
Here's how to stay involved:
1. Sign our petition
If you haven't signed yet, it's not too late, and your voice is more important than ever:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/bring-back-composting-to-nyc.html
2. Compost to Council Shout-Outs!
In order for a public hearing to take place, we, as constituents, need to contact our Council Members for support.
One phone call from each of us will literally make all the difference for our gardens and communities.
While unfamiliar for most of us, calling your representative is truly easy, empowering, and effective.
And it takes only 3 minutes: One to find your Council Member, one to read the script below, and one to make the call.
Find your Council Member: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml
Feel free to use the following sample script:
· Hello, my name is ______________ and I am a constituent.
· I live at/in ___________ (give street address or neighborhood so they know you are a constituent).
· I'm calling to urge Council Member _______ to support a public hearing on Fall Leaf Collection
and Compost Givebacks, which have been major assets to the communities and green spaces of New York
City. Why Plant a Million Trees and trash those leaves, when we can harness this local resource and divert organic matter from out-of-state landfills? We have the means to do better, so please don't leave this issue on the curb.
If you’re calling after hours you can leave a message (and yes, that counts too) to state the above,
but also include your phone number.
3. Visit a Compost to Council Shout-Out Booth!
We're hitting the streets with Compost to Council Shout Outs! beginning this Thursday at the Green Brooklyn Green City symposium at Borough Hall! There will be call-in booths at various community events throughout the city in the next few months. If you know of an event or space that could use a Compost to Council Shout-Out, or if you'd like to volunteer, please email Beth, our compost intern, at compost@eastnewyorkfarms.org.
With love and leaves from a million trees,
The Compost Crew
East New York Farms!
718-649-7979
Dear Community Gardeners and Friends,
Composting in NYC as we know it is no more! Leaf collection and Give Back Days have been canceled and the whole NYC Compost Project has taken a huge budgetary hit (they have basically been asked to stretch their already reduced 2009 budget through the 2010 fiscal year with no guarantee of renewed funding!!). However, we are resolved to demonstrate that compost is no small thing in a city chock full of community gardens and green spaces. Let’s tell City Council and the Department of Sanitation that it is essential for keeping our gardens healthy and productive, and our communities beautiful! And let’s do it now before the NYC Compost Project is lost for good.
How?
We need thousands of signatures of concerned gardeners, friends and residents, so the city can see, without question, how important compost is to our gardens and communities. We believe with a modest effort on the part of many, we will be able to encourage the City to fund composting in NYC again.
Want more info?
Check out the attachment for the “Compost in NYC Fact Sheet”
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
o Sign the Online Petition
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/bring-back-composting-to-nyc.html
o Spread the Word: Email family and friends the link to the online petition and encourage them to sign; place the link on your personal blog or on your community garden’s blog or website.
o Collect Names: Collect signatures of fellow gardeners; if you have an upcoming garden event or market have interested attendees sign; bring a petition along to other upcoming spring gardening events! (Please email Tina at the address at the bottom to receive an attachment of the petition.)
o Write Letters Right to the Source: Write a letter as a garden, an individual or a group of individuals to send to Council and the Department of Sanitation.
And most importantly…
o Keep Composting!!
East New York Farms! thanks you all for your continued commitment to the proliferation of green spaces and to the collective effort of getting compost back onto the city’s agenda.
With appreciation,
The Team at East New York Farms!
East New York Farms!
United Community Center
613 New Lots Ave.,
Brooklyn, NY 11207
(718) 649-7979
www.eastnewyorkfarms.org
Questions, suggestions or concerns? Please contact Tina von Roedern, ENYF Compost Intern at freedumpeanuts@yahoo.com
