06/26/2024
Elizabethstreetgarden.com
(Juat shared a reel in my stories too)
They have a link to a pre-written letter that you can easily sign and send.
And, for those of us who no longer live there, or maybe who never did, but care and see the connection that upstate has to the city, vice versa, or the planet at large, i'm sharing what i wrote as well. It's a rush job, TLDR for social media, i could have been more clear I'm sure, but it's honest. They've already shut down the 13th street theater (a garden in it's own artistic way), and I wish i fought harder for that. These little things are very big, and we truly need all the green we can get!!! (Without demolishing other collaborative ecosystems of blue, red, beige, gray, etc)🙏:
Dear Mayor Adams and Commissioner Carrion,
I am writing as a New York City native in strong support of saving Elizabeth Street Garden.
Though still deeply connected to the city, I no longer live there. That is due in part that it would have been unaffordable for me ( a self employed musician and educator) to raise a family there, but also because when I got pregnant, I was in desperate need of trees and lush outdoors.
Though we have wonderful parks in the city, a quiet, green place to find a tiny bit of private solace is actually few and far between. As a child growing up in the west village in the 80s and 90s, the most magically peaceful place my friends and I could sneak off to was the west side highway ( we called it the 'Magic City').
We didn't have a garden.
And thanks to that, we don't really know how to garden. As an adult, I am experimenting now, learning about what it is to observe and care for plants and an ecosystem. This is incredibly important to do, for my own growth, as well as for being a part of this planet ( my health and the planet's works together, after all).
It lifts my heart to see and hear about these community gardens, flourishing, providing nourishment of all kinds to the community -- and helping New York City truly become a green city!!
The rest of this letter is pre written by the Action Network, or the ESG. I agree with all of it, and it is eloquently written, no need for me to change a thing.
NYC has raised me with passion. I am grateful for my upbringing, for the values the city holds, for the love we provide for each other as New Yorkers. We don't let one another fall.
I absolutely love my hometown, and love the people that live there. I'm sure my kids will one day spend time living there too. I want this city to thrive, and every community garden matters so much to the experience of the people, and the stories of the city.
Thank you for reading, and thank for finding another option for the necessary affordable housing unit.
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And thank you for documenting the city as you do.
