Join us for our upcoming Neighborhood Gardening Institute Workshops! Space is limited for each workshop so be sure to register in advance. To register, please contact NYRP Community Outreach Coordinator Charlie Reynoso at creynoso@nyrp.org or call 212-333-2552. There will be a modest material fee for each session.

Check the Calendar of Events for more workshops, events, and information: http://www.nyrp.org/Calendar_Programs/Calendar.

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Connect to your inner nature!

Act natural with NYRP during the week of March 29th -- April 2nd as NYRP presents 5 days of NYC children connecting with nature. Draw inspiration from our city's great outdoors, learn how plants grow, how to care for trees, how and when a tide happens and how you can celebrate nature 365 days a year! This event is FREE to the public! All students interested in participating in Naturmania must register by March 26th. Sessions run from 10 am to 3 pm every day and include educational prizes. For more information, call 212.304.0929.

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Join New York Restoration Project (NYRP) and New York City community gardeners, educators and families to celebrate our neighborhood gardens and green spaces and explore the many ways they can help us lead happy, HEALTHY lives.

This event is FREE and open to NYRP garden members and those interested in getting involved with an NYRP community garden or park.

The Gardeners Gathering will feature:

• Keynote Speaker - Ethne Clark, Editor-in-Chief, Organic Gardening magazine

• Interactive exhibits

• Workshops

• Series of short films

• Exciting giveaways including seeds, NYRP's 2010 Gardeners Gathering T-shirt and much, much more!

• Complimentary lunch

Pre-registration for NYRP's Gardeners Gathering is REQUIRED. To register, contact Charlie Reynoso, NYRP outreach coordinator, at creynoso@nyrp.org or call 212.333.2552. Workshop registration begins at 9:00 am and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information on the workshops being offered, click here to download the Gardeners Gathering flyer availble in both Spanish and English.

 
It's always refreshing when a thoughtful donation turns into a true educational experience for NYRP's students. Recently, Target donated flowers to our Riley-Levin Children's Garden in Swindler Cove Park, located in Northern Manhattan.

Next week, the students will fold the donated flowers into the composting bins in Riley-Levin. Our students, locals from Harlem, are working on growing their own local food. The compost will be used to enrich the soil, which enhances the nutrients, and will also be used as an educational resource to teach the children how they can use left-over material to reduce waste in our city.

To find out how you can get involved in NYRP's environmental education program or donate to help support our programming city-wide, click here.

On March 5 and 6, MillionTreesNYC’s second research symposium – titled MillionTreesNYC, Green Infrastructure and Urban Ecology – brought the brightest green minds together in an effort to enhance urban forestry projects nation-wide. Held at The New School, the conference provided a forum where more than 200 scientists, professors and students had the opportunity to discuss the latest developments on the socio-ecology of urban landscapes, green infrastructure and public health.

Co-produced by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, New York Restoration Project (NYRP) and the United States Forest Service, this year’s MillionTreesNYC research symposium expanded on knowledge gathered from the spring 2009 workshop – MillionTreesNYC, Green Infrastructure and Urban Ecology: Building a Research Agenda, which was the first step in a broader process of integration among disciplines, researchers and practitioners working to understand and improve New York City’s environment and green infrastructure.

Presenting Keynote Speaker, Thomas Elmqvist, professor for the department of systems ecology at Stockholm University, began the event by discussing the complexities of urban socio-ecological systems, focusing on the dynamics of land use change, natural disturbances and the growing effect that human nature has on climate change.

Following Elmqvist’s opening lecture, the U.S. Forestry Service gave an informative presentation on improved remote sensing methods for accessing urban tree canopy, including radar technology. Additional event highlights included a lecture from the NYC Parks Department in which they provided recent studies on street tree mortality rates. This research was particularly relevant to MillionTreesNYC as it provided concrete evidence that tree care and stewardship significantly extends the lifespan and improves the health of our city’s trees.

MillionTreesNYC owes much of its success to the hard work put forth by these researchers, as well as researchers world-wide, who have dedicated much of their professional careers to measuring and examining the parameters of our country’s urban forest. As the initiative progresses into its third year, this symposium is proof that if MillionTreesNYC hopes to achieve its goals it needs to not only be a leader in urban forestry, but it also needs to remain at the forefront of international ecological studies.

Beginning this spring, NYRP is launching a new pilot program – The Washington Heights/Inwood Composting Project – with Yeshiva University to expand our composting capabilities in Northern Manhattan’s Swindler Cove Park. In an area where there is a high demand for composting and little to no sites to support this need, this partnership will not only enhance the maintenance of NYRP’s sites, but will also establish a user-friendly destination for community members looking to recycle their compostable waste.

In March, NYRP staff will begin combining leftover food scraps from Yeshiva’s dining hall with leaves, weeds, grass clippings and brush – helping to improve the recycled nutrients used to beautify and green NYRP’s parks and community gardens, while also cutting down on the university’s overall waste content.

For community members looking to use Swindler Cove Park’s compost drop-off, new bins – designed by Ross French, a student at the Lower East Side Ecology Center – will be donated to NYRP and installed on April 1st.

As NYRP looks to further develop our composting capabilities, we are also tapping internal resources, such as our New Leaf Restaurant & Bar, where beginning this week we will be collecting all food waste daily. NYRP’s Education Department will take the waste accumulated from the New Leaf and Yeshiva and use it to create compost with local youth, as part of our environmental education programming offered at our Riley-Levin Children’s Garden. All of these improvements will help NYRP enhance our sustainable management practices, cut costs spent on fertilizer and increase participation in the park.

To learn more about NYRP’s composting programs, please contact NYRP’s Sherman Creek Campus Manager, Jason Smith, at jsmith@nyrp.org or call 212.333.2552.

On Wednesday, March 10th, New York Restoration Project (NYRP) held its second Farm to Table lecture at the New Leaf Restaurant & Bar. Guest speaker Annie Novak, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm co-founder, discussed best practices for rooftop farming and her successful career creating and managing a 6,000-square-foot rooftop farm, located on top of a warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Lecture highlights included the benefits of rooftop farming within an urban environment, the economical and structural issues currently facing urban farming projects and how to implement proper rooftop agricultural practices with limited resources.

The enthusiastic crowd sipped eco-inspired cocktails, while digesting the wealth of information Novak presented regarding which types of rooftop soil to use, irrigation techniques and how to naturally introduce insects to a rooftop farm ecosystem.

Jeff Moyer, farm manager for Rodale Institute of Kutztown, Pennsylvania, was the opening speaker for NYRP’s Farm to Table Lecture Series, held on Wednesday, March 3rd. An expert in organic crop production, Moyer shared photos of his acclaimed work as Farm Manager and engaged the crowd in conversations about organic planting and cultivation, harvesting and nationwide food production methods.

Topics in Moyer’s discussion included the difference between growing produce in dead soil versus live soil and chemical-based farming compared to organic and sustainable practices. Moyer’s presentation sparked an open forum conversation about the true meaning of “locally grown” goods and organic at-home gardening methods. Several inspired attendees even made plans to take Moyer up on his open invitation to visit Rodale and get a first-hand look at the amazing organic practices they use each day!

The next Farm to Table Lecture event will occur on Wednesday, March 17th when Filmmaker, Ian Cheney, discusses his work producing eco-inspired documentaries and short films. Additional lectures will be held every Wednesday in March. To learn more about the event and who will be speaking, please visit www.nyrp.org.

On February 13th, NYRP and The North Face brought the spirit of the winter Olympics to Northern Manhattan residents as part of our Winter Warm-up event. The day proved to be a huge hit as more than 300 schoolchildren and community members embraced the season through a series of outdoor programs created to encourage youth to remain active throughout the colder winter months. Local “Olympians” of all ages put their athleticism to the test by snowshoeing through snow-capped Highbridge Park and competing in a life-size, bouncy obstacle course.

Participants combated the day’s bitter chill by taste testing some of this season’s hottest and savory soups. Favorites included Hale and Hearty’s all-natural three bean chili and homemade chicken noodle.

For those who wanted to take their athletic knowledge one step further, tent-building and ice fishing demonstrations were provided. Other fun-filled activities included ice bowling along the Harlem River and a winter walk with award-winning children’s author, Jane Kirkland. To cap off the event, The North Face provided a variety of free giveaways, such as family camping tents, book bags, jackets, scarves, gloves, hats and mugs.

Didn’t get the chance to participate in this season’s hottest winter event? Don't worry, NYRP has plenty community events scheduled for the spring! Check our calendar and community page for more information on our family-friendly events.

New York Restoration Project (NYRP) is a proud partner of this year’s Go Green Expo in NYC! Join us on March 19th – 21st at Pier 92. This event will be held in conjunction with the Architectural Digest Home Design Show and is sponsored by CBS Television & The Home Depot. Keynote presentations will be provided by eco-celebrities, leaders and authors, including Ed Begley Jr., Mariel Hemingway and Matthew Modine. Enjoy and purchase the latest green products and services for your home, business, pets, fashion, food and beverage, automobiles, and much more! Attendees can also participate in informative speaker panels that will cover a variety of topics, ranging from "Green Jobs and the Future of the Green Economy" to "Success Stories of Eco-Entrepreneurs" to "Creating an Eco-Logical Home."

NYRP members are being offered a special, online discounted ticket price of $10 per person instead of $25 at the door. Use promo-code NYRPGGE at www.GoGreenExpo.com to get your discount.

NYRP is partnering with the Lower East Side Ecology Center (LESEC) for a composting workshop at our 103rd Street Garden.

This workshop will cover the science behind composting and how to set up and maintain a compost bin in your very own backyard or community garden. Different bin setup options will be illustrated, including a two-bin system, compost tumbler and metal can bin. Discounted backyard compost bins will be available for purchase.

Registrations is required. A minimal workshop fee of $5 per person is required; cash only. To register, click here.

Location: East 103rd St Community Garden, East 103rd Street between Park and Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029

Date: March 28, 2010

Time: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

For more information, contact info@lescologycenter.org.