Last month the Fort Greene Assocaition [FGA] brought you a Free Tree Give Away as a warm-up to what we’re calling “Earth Month.”
This month the FGA will feature articles bursting with information about being Green in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. We’ll turn Earth Day into Earth Month. Doesn’t Mother Earth deserve it?
Fort Greene Greenmarket: One-Stop Shop for Sustainability
By Amanda Gentile
At the Fort Greene Greenmarket shoppers have their pick of fresh, healthy, seasonal and flavorful food produced by local growers. Food dollars spent on fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy here directly support family farms and sustainable growing practices.
Residents can return weekly with fruit and vegetable scraps, which can be dropped off at the Greenmarket compost stand between 8am-3pm. Material collected will be transported to a compost facility where it will be turned into a fertile soil amendment. Previously managed by volunteers the Fort Green Compost Project, GrowNYC has taken over the collection to expand the hours and offer drop-off points at 6 additional markets. Food comprises about 17% of NYC’s waste stream, but when diverted from landfills through composting, becomes a useful product that adds nutrients and improves the quality of soil for street trees, gardens and more.
In addition to greening your kitchen, this Greenmarket will take care of your closet too. A shocking 6% of NYC trash is comprised of clothing and textiles, but this material need not go to waste. GrowNYC’s weekly textile collection, operated in partnership with Wearable Collections, accepts shirts, shoes, towels, sheets and more that will be sorted for reuse or get recycled into other items such as rags and non-toxic insulation. To-date, GrowNYC has diverted nearly 1,000,000 pounds of textiles from the landfill.
Call this trifecta a “sustainability center,” set in a bustling community that thrives with farmers, neighbors, free recipes, cooking demonstrations, and more.
For more information, or get involved visit www.grownyc.org
