Bed Stuy Meadow

UPDATE: There are flowers! Follow the progress by visiting 21st Century Plowshare, where you can find a Meadow Identification Guide, Pictures of the Results and a link to the official Bed Stuy Meadow Flickrpool.

Project Description

We'll be planting wildflower seeds on every single patch of abandoned soil on every single street of the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bed Stuy this April.

By early summer, there should be so many wildflowers growing in the untended treepits, vacant lots, half-built developments and other tiny scraps of neglected soil in Bed Stuy that the whole neighborhood effectively turns into a meadow. The profusion of wildflowers will probably be relentless and visually unifying, and this relentless unity of wildflowers will probably make anyone walking down the street feel really good.

I want there to be so many wildflowers on the streets that the summer of 2009 is remembered very fondly every single resident of the neighborhood. I want the continuity of the Meadow to be so strong that Google Earth is compelled to re-photograph Bed Stuy. I want people who don't even live within the five boroughs to visit Bed Stuy for the first time so that they can see the Meadow with their own eyes, and I want people who will never even come to be so inspired by the Bed Stuy Meadow that they make their own amazing neighborhood project and share it on 21st Century Plowshare.

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Bed Stuy

Bed Stuy is a neighborhood of contradictions. There is a lot of crime here, but it's also by far the friendliest neighborhood I have ever lived in. It's got a litter problem and the landscape is dotted with empty lots and condemned houses. But this is also a neighborhood of seriously tended front yards with a rich history of community gardening. The Meadow is not a beautification campaign--we are working with Bed Stuy's nature instead of seeking to change it. Bed Stuy's low-slung, long-blocked character and the expansiveness of its territory are not like an urban jungle or forest as much as an urban prairie. The effort of the Meadow is a gesture of respect toward Hattie Carthan's proud legacy. Wildflowers are beautiful in the way that the architecture here is beautiful, the way the people who go out of their way to say good morning on the streets here are beautiful. And wildflowers are tough enough to grow wherever the seeds are cast.

This empty lot on Van Buren Street will be teeming with wildflowers this summer

Get Involved

1. Plant Seed this April. If you live in NYC and want to spend an afternoon scattering seed, email 21stcenturyplowshare-at-gmail-dot-com to get on the list of volunteers.

2. Donate! The total budget for this project is about $2000. Donate a few dollars by clicking this button:

Every donation over $10 gets you a gift: your own mini-meadow of the same seeds we are using, delivered right to your door.

3. Sponsor The Meadow. Your $100 sponsorship gets your business name mentioned on every single thing that's ever written about the Meadow, your name on all Meadow Schwag, effusive and prominently placed thanks on 21st Century Plowshare and good karma.

4. Buy Meadow Schwag. By the time spring turns to summer and results are visible, you'll be able to buy t-shirts and other Meadow Schwag. Schwag will serve three purposes. It will make up any budget deficit that I had to put on my own credit card, fund future projects, and most importantly, raise Meadow Consciousness.

5. Spread the Word. Even if it's the only thing you do, it's big help to tell people about this project and link to this page.

6. Do your own project. Bed Stuy is not the only neighborhood that needs a meadow or similar plant intervention. What should happen to your neighborhood? Email pictures and stories to 21stcenturyplowshare-at-gmail-dot-com.

Rules of Engagement

21st Century Plowshare does not endorse throwing seeds on other people's property, and that includes tree pits that are being tended. Tended tree pits have boxes, fences, signs about dog poop, and other visible signs that someone cares about them.

And 21st Century Plowshare will be providing seed that doesn't create any problems with invasive species. Please use the seed provided by 21st Century Plowshare.

Comments

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The Green Guerillas were tossing seed grenades in vacant lots in the neighborhood ( Bed Stuy )30 years ago and no one complained at the time. I would rather see a meadow of flowers then of trash.

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