After ten years of persistent hard work, by Groundwork Hudson Valley and local and state partners, to get the Saw Mill River daylighted, the river finally flows through dowtown Yonkers, NY. Check out Groundwork Hudson Valley’s website for more information.
Check out a YouTube video of the Denver Green Team’s visit to Sand Creek Massacre this summer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44jNM5NoD-4
Below is GW Elizabeth’s Press Release:
Elizabeth, N.J., Wednesday, October 26th, 2011–For generations, residents and stakeholders in Elizabeth and throughout UnionCounty have envisioned a trail along the banks of the ElizabethRiver. First proposed by the Olmsted Architectural Firm in the 1920’s, constant flooding by the waterway prevented actual construction. In the 1970’s the Army Corps of Engineers remedied the flooding problem by channelizing the river in theElizabeth downtown, and through dirt berms along County Parks, theElizabeth River Parkway andMattanoPark systems. This flood solution became the first step in a process that now will result in an Elizabeth River Trail System.
On Wednesday, October 26th, the Mayor of Elizabeth, Chris Bollwage, joined by members of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, representatives from the US Senate and House of Representatives, delegates from the National Park Service Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance Program, the NJ DOT, NJ DEP, and Groundwork Elizabeth, will gather at the St. John’s Parsonage, at 11 a.m. at 633 Pearl Street in Elizabeth in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Elizabeth River Trail.
Mayor Chris Bollwage, a lifelong resident ofElizabethand in his role as civic leader, has been a longtime proponent of the project and of Groundwork Elizabeth’s role as orchestrator of the many partnerships that were forged to address the trail. “We seek to consistently upgrade the livability of the City”, said Mayor Bollwage, “Our goals are consistent with Groundwork Elizabeth and they have been eager allies in our shared mission to makeElizabetha better place to work, to live and to visit”.
Groundwork’s President Bob Varady is thrilled with the groundbreaking, “We are pleased to have been able to participate in a project of such prominence here in the City. Groundwork has been successful in building partnerships as we “change places and change lives”, and we thank everyone for their dedication and participation in their work on the River Trail”. Funding for the project was first secured through the Federal Transportation Act of 2006, leveraged by an apportionment through the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, supplemented by funds through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
TheElizabethRivertrail is due to be built in phases. The groundbreaking signifies the first phase, built fromSouth Broad StreettoBridge Street. Subsequent phases will extend the trail under the new Rt. 1 & 9 overpass, through theElizabeth River ParkwayandMattanoPark, and eventually connect to another trail at the Arthur Kill. The 2 ¼ mile trail will allow pedestrians, cyclists, joggers, and others unimpeded motor-free access to the City, and will also eventually connect with a larger project, the East Coast Greenway, through a Midtown Development Project. Artwork is featured along the first Phase, funded by a grant from the National Recreational Trails program, and there are plans for kayak launches, educational outposts, lighting, and other design elements that resulted from a design charette organized to include ideas from the community. This phase of the trail should be completed by Spring 2012.
The Groundwork Program was brought to the City in 2002, a result of a search by the National Park Service RTCA, which continues to oversee Groundwork USA’s expansion into cities which have environmental urban challenges such as Brownfields. Groundwork’s newest program is called “Come Grow With Us”, an urban community gardening program. For more information, log onto www.groundworkelizabeth.com, or call 289-0262. For more information on the City of Elizabeth, logo onto the City of Elizabeth website at www.elizabethnj.org.
Children on Buffalo’s East Side have a wonderful place to learn about gardening and nutrition, thanks to the teenagers on the Green Team, an environmental job training program for high school students run by Groundwork Buffalo. Click here for the whole story.
On Saturday October 15th, Groundwork Dallas brought in 42 students from nearby charter school, Williams Prep High School, to clean out tires from the Trinity Forest and its watershed. Four of GW Dallas’ Board Members and other many other adult volunteers joined the youth and Peter Payton, Executive Director of GW Dallas, in the clean-up. They loaded a rented pick up~truck 27 times with trash and tires! Peter says, “We have a lot more work to do, but we made a very large dent in what was there.” check out www.groundworkdallas.org for more about GW Dallas’ programs.
One of Groundwork Elizaeth’s 2011 Community Gardens, built in the backyard of Sonic Restaurant. Jonathan Phillips, Executive Director of GW Elizabeth notes, ”Each time we work there hundreds of vehicles come by, admire the healthy, locally grown produce, and share their own stories of their own gardens as we all work to build healthier communities!” Check out http://www.groundworkelizabeth.com/ for more about GW Elizabeth’s programs.
|
Participating artists receive 2 Glow Tickets and 50% of sale price. For more info, you can also visit GW Lawrence at: www.groundworklawrence.org. Event details: Date: Thursday, November 17, 2011 Time: 6:00 – 10:00 PM Location: Chester’s, 60 Island Street in downtown Lawrence Hosts: The Sidell and Yepez Families
|
|
What is eco-art?
Eco-art can include: lanterns, home furnishings and house-wares, photography, sculpture, paintings, or mixed media pieces. However, it must incorporate at least 1 of the “4 R’s” and at least 1 other item listed above. Submission Deadline: Monday, November 7, 2011, 5:00 PM (no exceptions) Pick-up/drop off location: Groundwork Lawrence, 60 Island Street, Lawrence, MA Artwork will be juried: Nov. 8 – 9; items not selected should be picked up Nov. 10-11 Auction proceeds are split 50/50 between Groundwork Lawrence and the artist. All submissions must include the Eco-Art Registration Form and include a write-up (see form). A minimum sale price for your submission may be set. Items submitted in the past include: artwork made from shredded catalogues, lamps made from “rescued roadside treasures,” paintings on used/discarded furniture, and lanterns made from reclaimed wood. For examples of previous eco-art check out our Flickr Glow collection. We encourage you to use your imagination to help promote Groundwork Lawrence’s environmental mission! How much should I expect my piece to sell for? Items have sold for between $10 and $300. We have included items with a minimum sale price up to $5,000. We encourage pieces with minimum sale prices of $20 – $500. |
|
Not able to submit an Eco-Art piece this year? You can buy your Glow tickets online now. Thank you for your support!
|
Inner City Outings Expands its Reach in Our Nation’s Capital through Partnership.
http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/2011/09/inner-city-outings-washington-dc.html
Check out Dennis Chestnut, GWARDC Executive Director, taking FOX 5 on a site visit to show them how trash is now being collected from a stream that flows directly into the Anacostia River. For the whole story and for how the DC ‘bag tax’ is working, click here: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/dc/dc-bag-tax-raises-over-2-million-in-revenue-since-implementation-071511#.TiL1yWHN-6k.facebook?CMP=201107_emailshare#ixzz1ST6baeOb
Members of GW Providence’s paid hands-on training program ‘GroundCorp’ joined community volunteers and officials from the EPA to install a free rain garden for the Providence Housing Authority.
GroundCorp provides hands-on training and transitional employment to graduates of GW Providence’s Sustainable Landscaping and Stormwater Management adult job training program. GroundCorp is supported by the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the City of Providence and many other generous donors.
For more about GW Providence, click here.
