Grow It Green Morristown Launches $200,000 Grow Early Capital Campaign With 10/16 PARK(ing) Day
- We invite the community to visit our PARK(ing) Space on October 16, 1:00PM - 9:00PM on South Street -
MORRISTOWN, N.J., Oct. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Grow It Green Morristown (GIGM) will be kicking off its community-wide Grow Early Capital Campaign for the re-build of the Early Street Community Garden (ESCG) with a PARK(ing) Day. We will be turning a Parking Spot into a PARK(ing) Space on October 16 from 1:00PM – 9:00PM on South Street at Dehart Street. We invite the community to gather to learn about our plans for ESCG.
GIGM has set a fundraising goal of $200,000 for the Grow Early Capital Campaign and anticipate breaking ground October of 2015. The capital raised will fund a complete rebuild of the ESCG with expanded garden plots, a demonstration rain garden, outdoor classroom and park space as well as provide an Endowment for ongoing improvements and multi-cultural community events.
Over the past year, our Garden Design Committee conducted public sessions with the community, ESCG gardeners, neighbors and supporters to help us create our long-term design goals for the garden. "Our vision is to create a true 'community' garden, not just a place where gardeners tend to plots but a place where everyone gathers," stated Carolle Huber, co-founder. "This will become a model for sustainability and will contribute to the neighborhood's health by reducing our carbon footprint, cleaning the air and water and offering a little piece of nature in downtown Morristown."
This expansive project supports best practices in environmental restoration, water purification processes, community revitalization, and place-making, and features: an apiary for safely viewing the activity of honeybee hives; an ADA compliant walking path; a native plant rain garden enabling visitors to learn about natural storm water filtration methods; a gathering pavilion and water collection station; public parklet; a composting center; a public bicycle repair station; 94 organized garden beds (including raised beds for those with limited mobility).
To see the complete plan for the Garden visit www.growitgreenmorristown.org.
Follow our progress by visiting the ESCG, on our website at growitgreenmorristown.org or via social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) with hashtag #growearly.
There are many ways to be part of this community effort at all levels of contribution; for corporations, families and individuals. Donations can be made online at www.growitgreenmorristown.org.
About the Early Street Community Garden (ESCG)
The site was slated for development of a high rise apartment building. In 2013, GIGM partnered with The Trust for Public Land and the Town of Morristown to save the space and secure much needed open space for the community with would be used as a community garden. With over $2 million of funding from Green Acres and the Morris County Open Space Trust Fund, the land was purchased and will be forever free from development.
Now in its 6th growing season, the ESCG is an educational resource for students of all abilities, from special needs to advance placement scholars. Our public events calendar is just as diverse, with original programing like family friendly movies in Spanish to winter solstice celebrations or pot-luck dinners made with gardener's produce.
About Parking Day
PARK(ing) Day is an annual, worldwide event where artists, activists, and citizens turn metered parking spots into "PARK(ing)" spaces: temporary public parks and other spaces for people to enjoy. PARK(ing) Day is a non-commercial project, intended to promote creativity, civic engagement, critical thinking, unscripted social interactions, generosity and play. For more information visit http://parkingday.org. Original PARK(ing) Day concept by Rebar. http://www.rebargroup.org.
While national PARK(ing) Day was on 9/19/14 (and every 3rd Friday in September), because of Morristown-area construction, we chose to celebrate the event on 10/16/14.
About Grow It Green Morristown
Grow it Green Morristown is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to build community through collaborative projects centered on food, education and shared outdoor spaces. For more information on the ESCG and The Urban Farm at Lafayette (NJ's Largest School Garden), and community events, please visit http://www.growitgreenmorristown.org.
SOURCE Grow It Green Morristown
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