Thursday, November 12, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Sunnyside Environmental School
Hayden began a new school this fall. It's called Sunnyside Environmental School in SE Portland, Oregon. For the first few weeks they had no homework in order for the students to adjust. Today was the first assignment. The homework goes home on Friday and is due the following Friday and should take about 20 mins per night Monday-Thursday. The directions on the homework specifically say, "They do not have to complete everything; homework should work within your family schedule and philosophy. Reading is the one thing that is NOT optional. Everyone needs to read, be read to, or read with help for twenty minutes daily."
Each grade grows a different theme garden. 
The chickens are constantly getting loose. They don't wander far. 
The bike signs are great! They tell which direction, how many miles, and minutes by bike to the next neighborhood. 
There is a cob bench out front of the school for parents to sit while waiting for their children. 
Hayden's previous school was PS132 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Every morning when we would ride our bikes to school I would see the caged in windows as I approached. I couldn't help but compare it to a prison. When I approach Sunnyside I feel calm and confident that Hayden is in a good place.
Many of the classes are held outdoors in different spaces around the school when the weather allows for it. 
A serene entrance to the playground. Friday, May 1, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Princess and the Pea
I planted my first pea in an old soup can with dirt and worm castings! Hayden and I are going to name it Princess. We are hoping that by naming this plant it will boost its yield potential, similar to how naming cows increases their milk production.
this is after 1 week.
Friday, March 27, 2009
After School Gardening Class Starting Next Friday!
The after school container gardening class will begin next Friday April 3rd.
Children will learn about soil, seeds, container gardening, and composting.
Parents are welcome to stay and assist their child or drop them and leave.
Cost: $35 for 6 or 7 weeks
Location:Rose Red and Lavender on Metropolitan Avenue near Leonard
Time:3:30PM 45-1hour
Supplies to bring:
A fine tip sharpie Marker
Scissors
Pencil
Any seeds that you may want to grow (the flower shop sells many heirloom seeds)
A small notebook for keeping records of plants
please email thelovelybrenda@gmail.com to reserve a seat for your child. if you have previously emailed me i have you already on a list. :)
Children will learn about soil, seeds, container gardening, and composting.
Parents are welcome to stay and assist their child or drop them and leave.
Cost: $35 for 6 or 7 weeks
Location:Rose Red and Lavender on Metropolitan Avenue near Leonard
Time:3:30PM 45-1hour
Supplies to bring:
A fine tip sharpie Marker
Scissors
Pencil
Any seeds that you may want to grow (the flower shop sells many heirloom seeds)
A small notebook for keeping records of plants
please email thelovelybrenda@gmail.com to reserve a seat for your child. if you have previously emailed me i have you already on a list. :)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Let Me Define Poison
Main Entry:
1poi·son
Pronunciation:
\ˈpȯi-zən\
Function:noun
Etymology:Middle English, from Anglo-French poisun drink, potion, poison, from Latin potion-, potio drink — more at potion
1 a: a substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism b (1): something destructive or harmful (2): an object of aversion or abhorrence2: a substance that inhibits the activity of another substance or the course of a reaction or process (a catalyst poison)
ARE THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES POISONING CHILDREN AND ADULTS? Do they inflict injury or impair an organism causing cancer, diabetes, obesity, ADD, or ADHD?
This is a photo shot in a local elementary school in Williamsburg. I find it totally inappropriate that schools would rather profit from poison than do whats best for a child's health. Can we please define "the best stuff on Earth"? Water, high fructose corn syrup, tea, natural flavors??? Diet Snapple contains Aspartame. Are brain tumors and brain lesions significant side effects or should they be overlooked?
"Food for the fun of it!?" In my opinion hospital visits, medication, obesity, heart disease, neurological damage is not fun!!?? Organic and local fruits and veggies are for the fun of it because many activities and adventures can be had when we are happy, healthy, energetic, and strong! :)
1poi·son
Pronunciation:
\ˈpȯi-zən\
Function:noun
Etymology:Middle English, from Anglo-French poisun drink, potion, poison, from Latin potion-, potio drink — more at potion
1 a: a substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism b (1): something destructive or harmful (2): an object of aversion or abhorrence2: a substance that inhibits the activity of another substance or the course of a reaction or process (a catalyst poison)
ARE THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES POISONING CHILDREN AND ADULTS? Do they inflict injury or impair an organism causing cancer, diabetes, obesity, ADD, or ADHD?
This is a photo shot in a local elementary school in Williamsburg. I find it totally inappropriate that schools would rather profit from poison than do whats best for a child's health. Can we please define "the best stuff on Earth"? Water, high fructose corn syrup, tea, natural flavors??? Diet Snapple contains Aspartame. Are brain tumors and brain lesions significant side effects or should they be overlooked?
"Food for the fun of it!?" In my opinion hospital visits, medication, obesity, heart disease, neurological damage is not fun!!?? Organic and local fruits and veggies are for the fun of it because many activities and adventures can be had when we are happy, healthy, energetic, and strong! :)
Monday, March 23, 2009
VERTICAL GARDENS Opening: Saturday, March 28, 6-8pm Exit Underground NYC
VERTICAL GARDENS
March 28 â€" May 23, 2009
Opening: Saturday, March 28, 6-8pm
Exit Underground
// EXHIBITION // PROJECTS // EVENTS // ABOUT CONCEPT PLUS //SUPPORT // INFORMATION //
A project of SEA (Social Environmental Aesthetics) , Vertical Gardens is an exhibition of architectural models, renderings, drawings, photographs and ephemera that depict or imagine a vertical farm, urban garden or green roof. It features over 20 projects, both imaginary and real, by artists and architects that envision solutions for building greener urban environments. The past decade has seen a greater emergence of green roofs and vertical gardens created by artists, designers, architects and urban gardeners to combat the lack of flora in the city. Buildings around the world â€" from the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, to the Queens Botanical Garden in New York â€" have embraced green walls or roofs for all their economical, environmental, and aesthetic values. Vertical farms and gardens are also being envisioned as new ways to feed local and organic foods to city dwellers. Largely based on the principles of hydroponics, vertical gardens would also be mostly self-sustaining because they would capture large amounts of natural sunlight and water, and could use wind as an energy source. In a country where cities are suffocated by high rises, cement and industrial materials, where can green space exist? As this exhibition demonstrates, one possible answer is “up.†These and other urban parks and gardens provide areas for socialization and recreation; a location for a city farm or community land-trust; an outlet through which hundreds of people can learn about farming and agriculture; and the addition of much needed plant and animal life to the otherwise concrete jungle.
FEATURING PROJECTS BY:
Abruzzo Bodziak Architects; ATOPIA; Bob Bingham and Claire Hoch; Patrick Blanc; Bohn & Viljoen Architects; Dickson Despommier; Evo Design with Mica Gross; Todd Haiman; Haus-Rucker-Inc.; Edmundo Ortega and Dianne Rohrer; Claude Boullevraye de Passillé; Oda Projesi; Rael San Fratello Architects (Virginia San Fratello and Ronald Rael); Naomi Reis; Roomservices (Evren Uzer and Otto Von Busch); SITE (Denise MC Lee, Sara Stracey and James Wines)
Also featuring photographic documentation of existing buildings containing vertical farms, gardens or green roofs, including those by Hundertwasser; Renzo Piano with Chong Partners and Stantec; Emilio Ambasz & Associates; Humpert Wolnitzek; Chad Oppenheim Architecture and Design; Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership, Downs/Archambault & Partners, LMN Architects; Scandinavian Green Roof Institute; Conservation Design Forum of Chicago and Atelier Dreieitl of Germany; Enrique Browne and Borja Huidobro with Ricardo Judson and Rodrigo Iturriaga; and others.
PUBLIC EVENTS
2day/earthday
A FREE two-day event celebrating Earth Day 2009.
TUESDAY, APRIL 21
5 â€" 6:30pm:
Dickson D. Despommier, Professor of Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences and Microbiology at Columbia University, will talk about his work as the Founder and Director of the Vertical Farm Project, looking at how agriculture can be adapted and integrated into city living.
7-9pm:
James Wines, Founder/President of SITE, Environmental Design, gives a talk on the “Economy of Means†, which looks at ways to meet the demands of economic crisis, energy efficiency and sustainable design, without a loss of aesthetic quality. It credits some of the most revolutionary triumphs of the 20th century â€" including Picasso’s collage, Duchamp’s conceptual art, Le Corbusier’s “machines for living in†and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonion houses â€" which confirm that big ideas can frequently be realized through a great economy of means. The information also covers a selection of materially and environmentally prudent contributions to the Radical Architecture movement of the 70s and 80s. The program concludes with a range of innovative proposals for the present era; including buildings and public spaces that use frugality itself as an inspirational raw material.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22
5-6:30pm:
The Lower East Side Ecology Center hosts a FREE indoor composting workshop. Learn how to set up and maintain a worm bin in your apartment. Full compost bin setups will be available at $55 each, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration recommended. To register, please call 212-477-3155 or email info@lesecologycenter.org.
7-9pm:
SEA Poetry Series, No. 1
Kicking off our SEA Poetry Series, poet Jonathan Skinner will read a selection of his poems and present a talk on “third landscapes,†entropoetics, and the coming planetary Pangea-garden on invasive futures. Q & A and reception to follow. Conceived and organized by E.J. McAdams, poet and Associate Director of Philanthropy at The Nature Conservancy, New York City. Free. Cash bar.
Jonathan Skinner’s poetry collections include With Naked Foot (Little Scratchpad, 2008) and Political Cactus Poems (Palm Press, 2005). Recent poetry has appeared in onedit #12. Skinner edits the journal ecopoetics (vols. 1-5, 2001-2005), which features creative-critical intersections between writing and ecology. He also writes ecocriticism on contemporary poetry and poetics. His essays on the poets Ronald Johnson and Lorine Niedecker appeared recently in volumes published by the National Poetry Foundation and by University of Iowa Press, respectively. His essay on “Boundary Work in Mei-mei Berssenbrugge's Pollen†can be read in the online journal How2 and his essay on Bernadette Mayer's Studying Hunger can be read on ThoughtMesh. The piece “Ethno Plunderphonics: On Some Mockingbird Transcriptions†was included in the journal Intervalles. Skinner's hybrid Poetry Animal is forthcoming in boundary 2 â€" a feature on 21st century poetics edited by Charles Bernstein. Skinner teaches in the Environmental Studies Program, at Bates College in Central Maine, where he makes his home.
UPCOMING
Wednesday, June 10, 7-9pm
Poet Marcella Durand reads her work. Concurrent with the second SEA exhibition of 2009, End of Oil.
CONCEPTPLUS
Exit Art currently works with a curatorial model called ConceptPlus, which begins with a theme or concept that is then publicized through a call for proposals. For each ConceptPlus idea, the curators first chose a group of artists that form the base of the exhibition. Then Exit Art issues an international call for artists to propose new or newly-contextualized work in response to a given theme or cultural condition. The exhibition is then curated by Exit Art’s curatorial staff, who view all the proposals for new work and work samples submitted by artists and select projects to be presented and/or commissioned for the exhibition. Every artist who submits a proposal has equal access to the curators, regardless of their previous experience, making ConceptPlus a highly democratic curatorial model. Recent ConceptPlus exhibitions at Exit Art have addressed ideas ranging from the reconstruction of global cities (Exit Biennial: Reconstruction, 2003) to the image of America's highest office (The Presidency, 2004), to contemporary Latino icons (L-Factor, 2005) to neuroscience innovations (BrainWave: Common Senses, 2008). A fundamental precept of the ConceptPlus model is to remove barriers to cultural participation by creating exhibition opportunities limited only by the artistic idea itself. As we have implemented this model over the past five years, Exit Art has seen a dramatic rise in both the number and geographic diversity of artists submitting proposals in response to our open calls. ConceptPlus also enables us to directly support the production of new work, as an increasing proportion of artists propose new projects that are commissioned exclusively for Exit Art exhibitions.
EXHIBITION SUPPORT
This exhibition is supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Bloomberg LP, Carnegie Corporation, Jerome Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, O'Grady Foundation, Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Public Funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, Starry Night Fund at The Tides Foundation, Exit Art’s Board of Directors and our members.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Exit Art is located at 475 Tenth Avenue, corner of 36th Street. Hours at Exit Art are Tuesday â€" Thursday, 10am â€" 6pm; Friday, 10am â€" 8pm; and Saturday, noon â€" 8pm. Closed Sunday and Monday. There is a suggested donation of $5.
For more information please call 212-966-7745
March 28 â€" May 23, 2009
Opening: Saturday, March 28, 6-8pm
Exit Underground
// EXHIBITION // PROJECTS // EVENTS // ABOUT CONCEPT PLUS //SUPPORT // INFORMATION //
A project of SEA (Social Environmental Aesthetics) , Vertical Gardens is an exhibition of architectural models, renderings, drawings, photographs and ephemera that depict or imagine a vertical farm, urban garden or green roof. It features over 20 projects, both imaginary and real, by artists and architects that envision solutions for building greener urban environments. The past decade has seen a greater emergence of green roofs and vertical gardens created by artists, designers, architects and urban gardeners to combat the lack of flora in the city. Buildings around the world â€" from the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, to the Queens Botanical Garden in New York â€" have embraced green walls or roofs for all their economical, environmental, and aesthetic values. Vertical farms and gardens are also being envisioned as new ways to feed local and organic foods to city dwellers. Largely based on the principles of hydroponics, vertical gardens would also be mostly self-sustaining because they would capture large amounts of natural sunlight and water, and could use wind as an energy source. In a country where cities are suffocated by high rises, cement and industrial materials, where can green space exist? As this exhibition demonstrates, one possible answer is “up.†These and other urban parks and gardens provide areas for socialization and recreation; a location for a city farm or community land-trust; an outlet through which hundreds of people can learn about farming and agriculture; and the addition of much needed plant and animal life to the otherwise concrete jungle.
FEATURING PROJECTS BY:
Abruzzo Bodziak Architects; ATOPIA; Bob Bingham and Claire Hoch; Patrick Blanc; Bohn & Viljoen Architects; Dickson Despommier; Evo Design with Mica Gross; Todd Haiman; Haus-Rucker-Inc.; Edmundo Ortega and Dianne Rohrer; Claude Boullevraye de Passillé; Oda Projesi; Rael San Fratello Architects (Virginia San Fratello and Ronald Rael); Naomi Reis; Roomservices (Evren Uzer and Otto Von Busch); SITE (Denise MC Lee, Sara Stracey and James Wines)
Also featuring photographic documentation of existing buildings containing vertical farms, gardens or green roofs, including those by Hundertwasser; Renzo Piano with Chong Partners and Stantec; Emilio Ambasz & Associates; Humpert Wolnitzek; Chad Oppenheim Architecture and Design; Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership, Downs/Archambault & Partners, LMN Architects; Scandinavian Green Roof Institute; Conservation Design Forum of Chicago and Atelier Dreieitl of Germany; Enrique Browne and Borja Huidobro with Ricardo Judson and Rodrigo Iturriaga; and others.
PUBLIC EVENTS
2day/earthday
A FREE two-day event celebrating Earth Day 2009.
TUESDAY, APRIL 21
5 â€" 6:30pm:
Dickson D. Despommier, Professor of Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences and Microbiology at Columbia University, will talk about his work as the Founder and Director of the Vertical Farm Project, looking at how agriculture can be adapted and integrated into city living.
7-9pm:
James Wines, Founder/President of SITE, Environmental Design, gives a talk on the “Economy of Means†, which looks at ways to meet the demands of economic crisis, energy efficiency and sustainable design, without a loss of aesthetic quality. It credits some of the most revolutionary triumphs of the 20th century â€" including Picasso’s collage, Duchamp’s conceptual art, Le Corbusier’s “machines for living in†and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonion houses â€" which confirm that big ideas can frequently be realized through a great economy of means. The information also covers a selection of materially and environmentally prudent contributions to the Radical Architecture movement of the 70s and 80s. The program concludes with a range of innovative proposals for the present era; including buildings and public spaces that use frugality itself as an inspirational raw material.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22
5-6:30pm:
The Lower East Side Ecology Center hosts a FREE indoor composting workshop. Learn how to set up and maintain a worm bin in your apartment. Full compost bin setups will be available at $55 each, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration recommended. To register, please call 212-477-3155 or email info@lesecologycenter.org.
7-9pm:
SEA Poetry Series, No. 1
Kicking off our SEA Poetry Series, poet Jonathan Skinner will read a selection of his poems and present a talk on “third landscapes,†entropoetics, and the coming planetary Pangea-garden on invasive futures. Q & A and reception to follow. Conceived and organized by E.J. McAdams, poet and Associate Director of Philanthropy at The Nature Conservancy, New York City. Free. Cash bar.
Jonathan Skinner’s poetry collections include With Naked Foot (Little Scratchpad, 2008) and Political Cactus Poems (Palm Press, 2005). Recent poetry has appeared in onedit #12. Skinner edits the journal ecopoetics (vols. 1-5, 2001-2005), which features creative-critical intersections between writing and ecology. He also writes ecocriticism on contemporary poetry and poetics. His essays on the poets Ronald Johnson and Lorine Niedecker appeared recently in volumes published by the National Poetry Foundation and by University of Iowa Press, respectively. His essay on “Boundary Work in Mei-mei Berssenbrugge's Pollen†can be read in the online journal How2 and his essay on Bernadette Mayer's Studying Hunger can be read on ThoughtMesh. The piece “Ethno Plunderphonics: On Some Mockingbird Transcriptions†was included in the journal Intervalles. Skinner's hybrid Poetry Animal is forthcoming in boundary 2 â€" a feature on 21st century poetics edited by Charles Bernstein. Skinner teaches in the Environmental Studies Program, at Bates College in Central Maine, where he makes his home.
UPCOMING
Wednesday, June 10, 7-9pm
Poet Marcella Durand reads her work. Concurrent with the second SEA exhibition of 2009, End of Oil.
CONCEPTPLUS
Exit Art currently works with a curatorial model called ConceptPlus, which begins with a theme or concept that is then publicized through a call for proposals. For each ConceptPlus idea, the curators first chose a group of artists that form the base of the exhibition. Then Exit Art issues an international call for artists to propose new or newly-contextualized work in response to a given theme or cultural condition. The exhibition is then curated by Exit Art’s curatorial staff, who view all the proposals for new work and work samples submitted by artists and select projects to be presented and/or commissioned for the exhibition. Every artist who submits a proposal has equal access to the curators, regardless of their previous experience, making ConceptPlus a highly democratic curatorial model. Recent ConceptPlus exhibitions at Exit Art have addressed ideas ranging from the reconstruction of global cities (Exit Biennial: Reconstruction, 2003) to the image of America's highest office (The Presidency, 2004), to contemporary Latino icons (L-Factor, 2005) to neuroscience innovations (BrainWave: Common Senses, 2008). A fundamental precept of the ConceptPlus model is to remove barriers to cultural participation by creating exhibition opportunities limited only by the artistic idea itself. As we have implemented this model over the past five years, Exit Art has seen a dramatic rise in both the number and geographic diversity of artists submitting proposals in response to our open calls. ConceptPlus also enables us to directly support the production of new work, as an increasing proportion of artists propose new projects that are commissioned exclusively for Exit Art exhibitions.
EXHIBITION SUPPORT
This exhibition is supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Bloomberg LP, Carnegie Corporation, Jerome Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, O'Grady Foundation, Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Public Funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, Starry Night Fund at The Tides Foundation, Exit Art’s Board of Directors and our members.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Exit Art is located at 475 Tenth Avenue, corner of 36th Street. Hours at Exit Art are Tuesday â€" Thursday, 10am â€" 6pm; Friday, 10am â€" 8pm; and Saturday, noon â€" 8pm. Closed Sunday and Monday. There is a suggested donation of $5.
For more information please call 212-966-7745
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Hauling Compost from Hollenback Garden in Clinton Hill to PS84 in Williamsburg
Hayden poking sticks into one of the compost fences.
Loading up the bean bags donated from Buffalo Cantina with compost.
This is 1 of hundreds of red wiggler composting worms I dug thru today. Sorry to all the little its who got chopped in half by my shovel.
Hayden found a centipede "100 foot". According to Wikipedia these little arthopod bites can be life threatening similar to a bee sting.
Hayden was a great help!
Next I need some top soil and sand to mix with this and it will be ready for gardening in front of PS84.Thanks to Cara and Mark for being so helpful and for sharing compost with the kids of 11211! :)
Cara Montague & Mark Trushkowsky
Co-Coordinators
Hollenback Community Garden
Brooklyn, NY
Hollenback.pbwiki.com
Today Hayden and I Got to Play With Animals at the 25th Annual Green Thumb Grow Together Event!
Hayden was afraid of all the creepy crawlers until I showed him that I could let them crawl on my face. This is me trying to get a madagascar hissing cockroach to crawl in my mouth.
Hayden made friends with a parrot.
If you grab a lizard by his tail it will fall off.
Millipede "1000 foot" are arthopods.
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