Bed Stuy Meadow Open Thread: Volunteer Stories

Hey Volunteers! When you get a chance, hit the comment button and tell a story about how seeding went on Saturday!

Comments

[Stephanie]

Nice! Such a great experience.

I have recently been reading about the hands across america action in 1986, and blown away (literally, my mind is having trouble organizing thoughts to make sense of it) by the idea of small actions by many people, happening simultaneously, to create something HUGE. (do you think they saw us from space?)

we talked to a lot of Bed Stuy residents yesterday - they wanted to know what we were up to, they were concerned, and interested. we threw seed bombs together. some thought i was crazy and snickered at me. one mom said it was a good idea.

i couldn't help but think - how can we mobilize people as we plant? AND did we mobilize them? to see a bunch of crazy people out on a rainy day, scattering seeds on the HOPE that they will grow - i think it sends a message that there are so many people that care about our neighborhood. that it is something that can transform at the hands of only a relative few.

[Liz]

Despite my brief 1-hour seeding attempt, I loved being part of the experience.

I wrote a little blurb on my own blog about it (though the post has a hint of melancholy, I feel like it was such a positive event!)

http://superecolog.blogspot.com/2009/04/soggy-bed-stuy-meadow.html

Thank you, Deborah for organizing such a wonderful event. I hope it inspires others to get out in their communities and perform similar acts of kindness!

BTW, I'm the one in the Times article squatting down on the right (and the "sustainable living consultant from Prospect Heights" that went unnamed in the article :) )

[Marc]

We had a great time!

Got a couple of questions from people in the neighborhood about what we were doing, and all reacted positively and appreciated the effort. Might be good in the future to have a little card or pamphlet we could handout if they wanted to get more info or even see some FAQs.

Can't wait to see them bloom.

[Mark Leger]

Hi,

I'm a long-time community and guerilla gardener in NYC, and I just have to say that I find this project very conceptually problematic. It's a quick, shallow gesture. It doesn't address the social causes behind the environmental degradation that you're pointing at. And it doesn't incorporate the care and nurturing that both living plants as well as communities and neighborhoods require.

[KK]

I posted a few pictures of Zone 1A being bombed on my photo blog, http://eyelasssh.blogspot.com/

[Marian Isel Barragán]

I've been a Bed-Stuy resident for 7 years and I enjoyed taking part in beautifying my community. The energy at the after party was great; this event was a springboard for many wonderful, progressive ideas and future events. Deborah, thanks for organizing an amazing group of people and don't let the haters get you down, girl. Shout out to Lynne, Andrew, Yo and Grace!

[Grace Wu]

This was a great opportunity to do something small for something big. Even though I don't even live in Bed-Stuy, it was still great to be a part of this event. It gives people a chance to just start somewhere!

It was great to meet some new people (Lynne, Andrew, Kate, and Marian) but I'm sad I didn't get to stay very long. Hopefully there will be more opportunities like this in the future and I can't wait to be a part of it!

[jennifer]

Thank you for organizing this Deb. I had a great time. I think flowers are like food, everyone appreciates them. Most importantly I think that participating really made people feel like they could do something good for the community that we all share. I was very inspired.

I hope that some of the Meadow critics take that energy and organize their own projects done in the way they deem fit.

I think it's important for us to be good neighbors to each other and offer constructive criticism. Like the man in the White House says, Live the Change

[Sam P.]

I had fun and met some cool people.

I have to admit, I looked out my window in the morning and was dreading the idea of walking around in the gloomy, chilly, and wet weather conditions. I grabbed an umbrella, scooped up a hot coffee and a bagel and hopped on the train. Surprisingly, I found it a lot easier to give up on the umbrella and just accept the spring soaking, despite the fact that my jacket was the opposite of waterproof (and it took about a full day to dry out).

I don't live in Bed-Stuy, nor have I really spent any amount of considerable time in the neighborhood, so this was a great opportunity for me to meet some locals, walk the streets, and support a worthy cause.

I've lived in the Williamsburg/Greenpoint area for the better part of the past 3 years so I'm all about bombing the darkside of Greenpoint next weekend!