Rego Park Green Alliance Mural On Film

Thank you Josh Kesner for putting together this great clip documenting one of our mural projects at P.S. 139

Click Here

Rego Park Green Alliance Secures Disney Grant

Five months ago twelve year old Rebecca West, Director of Youth Development, wrote a grant to use education and creativity to reduce the amount of garbage in landfills. Her project includes creating 1 foot cubes with sustainability messages created by kids. The kids will also design the cubes with supplies kept out of landfills.

Rego Park Jazz with a Klezmer Twist

Rego Park Green Alliance & Our Saviour Presents
Real Good Jazz with a Klezmer Twist
Saturday, August 28th 7-8:30 p.m.
Oran Etkin Quartet
Our Saviour (63rd Drive & Wetherole) on the Green

Bring a picnic basket & enjoy the people and music
...

Sidewalk Astronomy in Rego Park

What a great event we had last night. We saw the moon and several stars. It was truly magical and we were honored to help host it.

The Rego Park Green Alliance

Sidewalk Star Viewing In Rego Park

On July 19th (Cloud date Wednesday July 21st) Kate, one of our volunteers, has helped secure a telescope viewing of the open sky at Our Lady Of Angelus Athletic Field ( 63rd Drive and 98th Street). The event will happen at 9:00. Stop by and see Saturn and whatever else is in the open sky. Thank you Kate, Amateur Astronomers Association, and our Lady of Angelus.

Rego Park Green Alliance Presents Salsa At Sunset Music Concert

What a fun concert we had. It was great to kick off my sneakers and learn how to dance to the salsa beat. Adam you are an amazing musician and organizer. What a fabulous dance instructor we had. The band was fantastic. The setup at Our Saviour was fabulous. Our Saviour, thank you for hosting the event. Mary, thank you for the wonderful landscaping of the church grounds. Peter, thank you for getting the permit. Elizabeth & David thank you for coordinating everything with the church. Sarah & others, thank you for hanging flyers in your buildings. Everyone else, thank you for showing up and having a wonderful time!

The Rego Park Green Alliance

Empowering communities through music, murals, garden installations, and education

Rego Park Green Alliance Youth Volunteer Selected As A Kohl's Kid Who Cares

Rebecca of the Rego Park Green Alliance was selected as a Kohl's Kid Who Cares. Rebecca has worked with the alliance for over two years. Her volunteer efforts have included illustrating a book about going green in schools, creating sustainable art and discussing it at local events, helping paint murals,getting the word out to other youth, installing urban gardens and green walls, and so much more. On behalf of the Rego Park Green Alliance, congratulations Rebecca for your years of service.

Yvonne Shortt
Co-Founder

Rego Park Green Alliance secures $5,000 for Mural, Garden, & Stenciling in Schoolyard

The art garden project is almost finished. We have completed installation of the vegetable garden & the mural. Now we will work on installing two stencills with the help of the school kids and alliance members.

Salsa At Sunset Concert On June 5th In Rego Park Presented By Rego Park Green Alliance

Salsa At Sunset Music Concert

Show starts at 7pm-8:30pm
On the lawn at Our Saviour Church (63rd Drive & Wetherole)
Free dance class at 6pm
Salsa and Latin Jazz performed by Axel Tosca and Unity
Rain or shine!
Note that we have an indoor location :)
Bring blankets!

Rego Park Green Alliance Hosts Green Wall At Hevesi Y

Dear Rego Park Green Alliance,

I just want to thank the Rego Park Green Alliance for being a part of a very successful Green for Queens Earth Day Fair! Despite the dismal, rainy weather, I think we had a great crowd and people were extremely enthusiastic. Your participation was key to making this a hit. Your table had very informative information about green walls and sustainable art. Many of our attendees mentioned it in their exit surveys.

It was a pleasure to work with you. Please do keep us in mind if you would like to come back out for a summer program for kids or an anytime program for adults!

Peggy Kurtz
Hevesi Jewish Heritage Library
Central Queens YM&YWHA
67-09 108th Street
Forest Hills, New York 11375
Phone: (718) 268-5011, ext. 151
Fax: (718) 793-0515
Pkurtz@cqyjcc.org

Pocket Garden installed by the Rego Park Green Alliance: Small hope for an area devoid of public green spaces

Six months ago the Rego Park Green Alliance saw a neglected space along the side entrance of a church. “It was overgrown with weeds and there was also a pile of bagels, they had been thrown into the area to feed the pigeons,” says Shortt, co-founder of the Rego Park Green Alliance. Shortt says after several conversations with Our Saviour on 63rd Street, they had a plan. During two phases they would cleanup the area and create a low maintenance garden designed for planting and reading.

The Pocket Garden was born in a 9X40 foot space with the help of Colta Ives from Colta Ives Landscape and Design and the committed volunteers of the Rego Park Green Alliance. There are two conversation areas in the center, a wood bench created for $15.00, and tree trunks with handles for the kids. “The tree trunks were taken from the trees that were knocked down during our last storm,” Says Shortt. There are also planting beds filled with tulips, hyacinth, and daffodils. Along the back wall are three large Cypresses and there are several vines along the side that will eventually hide a fence separating the church from the building next store.

The Pocket Garden is a proof of concept according to Shortt. “We would like to find other outward facing neglected spots and create more Pocket Garden oases,” she says. If you know of other spots in Rego Park that are neglected, outward facing, and would make the perfect candidate for a garden contact Mrs. Shortt at Yvonne@kidstechlabs.com.

Rego Park Vegetable Garden: P.S. 139 Kids Show Everything Is Possible

So much is possible with the help of a school and a community. This month P.S. 139 planted basil, lettuce, oregano, peas, beans, and so much more in front of their school. "We didn't have any shade so we couldn't plant the garden inside the gate, we had to plant the garden on the sidewalk and hope the community would love it." says Yvonne Shortt co-founder of the Rego Park Green Alliance. The Rego Park Green Alliance is a local community group that secured the grant and worked with parents and teachers to organize the planting.

The best part is the community has loved and help nurture the garden. "Sometimes parents walk by and rub the basil. Then they smell their hands and smile," says Shortt.

The Rego Park Green Alliance has also organized a mural behind the garden. Plants and butterflies can be seen behind the planters on a bright yellow wall. On most mornings kids and parents can be seen looking at the plants and measuring their progress. The science teachers have also been a great asset to the garden. Teachers took over 200 children out to help get the garden planted and they work with the children everyday to water the plants.

"If you have a committed community anything is possible," says Shortt. And you know what? I believe her.

Written By Richard West

Rego Park Green Alliance Music & Arts Festival

We have painted murals, held music concerts, installed gardens, and more. This year we will be trying our hand at a Music & Arts festival. For two weeks in either June or July we will have a series of events that promotes community spirit, music, art, and environmental sustainability in our community at venues in our community. Imagine learning salsa and having a salsa concert, cleaning up a mural & sharing pizza with friends, Classical Chinese music in an open space. This is our vision and we need help.

Here is what we have and what we need.

Music program manager: Adam
Fundraiser: Yvonne & position open
Marketing & Publicity: Position Open
Artwork: Richard & Open Position
Program Manager: Position Open
Permits Manager: Position Open
Music & Arts General Festival Manager: Yvonne & Open position

If you can help with any of the above please let us know.

Yvonne
917 597 3089

BambooMoves On The Green Wall Series

The Green Wall was beneficial to our community in many ways.The Green Wall acted as our "coffee table" for a conversation starter. When students come to the studio for the first time, they feel intimidated to meet or talk with others. However, through the green wall, I feel people felt more at ease because they would notice the wall and instantly chat about the beautiful design Suzuyo, the artist, created for the wall. Then they would talk about what was on the wall, creating a sense of family as one person would rub the leaves of the herb, smell their fingers, and without thinking have the stranger next to them smell their fingers to get a second opinion. Through this exchange, they would giggle and then and say together, OREGANO!

I watched this interaction take place many times while working at the front desk. This is also where the idea of a cook book came from. Many people who cut off the herbs, wanted to know how other people use the herbs. Or some of our students, do not cook because they do not know what to cook, but because the wall was there conversations would start between veteran chefs and the newbie, want-to-be chefs on how to make simple, fast, and healthy meals.

Thus, we are now collecting recipes from the students at Bamboomoves for a cookbook; vegan, vegetarian and some meat recipes. It will be a cookbook for all; for families with carnivores,  herbivores, or for people who are transitioning from eating meat to a vegetarian diet.

The Green Wall, also created the sense of how people can grow their own herbs in their apartments, through getting a Green Wall or by starting their own plants in their apartments. We have many students who belong to the CSA. The conversations, would start with the Green Wall but would grow into how the CSA operates and how to belong and how important it is to buy organic, local foods to help minimize our carbon food print as well as feeding the body with health foods.

Even at the end of our 3 months with the wall, it started to become more of a brown wall as our studio had dry heat but people would give ideas and suggestions to help it grow, still keeping it a way for the Bamboomoves Family to come together in conversation and sharing knowledge of sustainable development.  We will miss the wall and hope through the cookbook, we will keep that idea of sustainable, locally grown food going.

Thank you, Rego Park Alliance for such a wonderful opportunity. We wish you much luck with this endeavor as it benefits the community in so many ways.



In Peace,
Kaity, Kristen, and Suzanne & the Bamboomoves Team

We are on Facebook

To join our online community, post pictures of events you participated in like the mural painting or green wall series, and to learn more about upcoming events become a fan of ours on Facebook.

CLICK HERE TO BECOME A FAN OF OURS

TD Bank Recognizes Rego Park Green Alliance With Contribution

Thank You TD for contributing to our Alliance. We are a small community group that works with volunteers in our community. It is always great to be given additional funding for our community related activities. In the past we have worked with P.S. 139, P.S. 174, I.S. 190, Yale University, Columbia University, YMCA, and a variety of other schools, businesses, & non profits. We believe in working across groups to bring meaningful change to our community and we have a proven track record.

TD' s contribution will help fund our Rego Park Summer Festival and Our Green Wall initiative.

Rego Park Green Team

Rego Park Green Alliance Update

We have some great news. TD Bank will be presenting us with a small check to continue our great efforts in the community. TD Bank will also be hosting a grand opening event in our neighborhood Saturday, February 13. If you are available please stop by for their grand opening at 62nd and Queens Boulevard. There will be games, dance, & food.


Green Wall
We will be looking to start work on our second green wall in the community this month. We have also started building a relationship with the Shield Institute, a non profit that works with developmentally disabled youth/adults. It is our hope to add them to the list of groups that grows herbs/flowers for our wall. As many of you know for our first green wall launch we worked with P.S. 139, P.S. 174, and Yale University to grow edible herbs for the community. If you can help grow marigolds or other flowers please let us know. Remember, at the end of the day our project is judged as being a success not by how many flowers are standing but by how many people were involved in the effort.

P.S. 139 schoolyard design, garden, and mural
Our Co-Founder, Yvonne Shortt, secured a 5,000 grant to continue beautifying and energizing the schoolyard at P.S. 139. It is our hope that they will put a lovely mural and garden at the school entrance to make it look more warm and inviting when the students enter the school, It also out hope to see a lovel stenciled playground. Go P.S. 139!

Real Good Mural Cleanup
In April/May we are also hoping to cleanup the Real Good mural. Our cleanup will include cleaning under the overpass and touching up the mural as well as replanting in the containers.

Green For Queens Earth Day Fair (April 25th, 1-4)
In April we will also be involved with the Green For Queens Earth Day Fair. We will have a table illustrating Sustainable Art and Green Walls. If you would like to help at the event please email us. The event will take place at the Central Queens Y (67-09 108th Street).

Our Saviour Garden Project.
We will keep you updated on when Phase 2 will start.

Thank you all for your help making our organization a success. It is because of all of your volunteer efforts that we are making a difference in our community.


Thanks
Rego Park Green Alliance Team

Edible Queens Green Wall Update

The Rego Park Green Alliance will be picking up one of our green walls being hosted by BambooMoves. The green wall will be replenished with edible plants over the next three to four weeks and put back into circulation. We will let you know where it will be going in the next three weeks.

We are also happy to announce that we will be consulting with the Field Institute, a group that works with mentally disabled adults and children, on our next green wall installation.

We will also be working with Shana and Eve to put a creative design on our next green wall that we will be putting into circulation.

The Rego Park Green Alliance Team

Edible Queens Green Wall

With the help of a grant, the green wall pilot program is being extended. We will continue to work with schools, artists, universities, the community, and local businesses to create more green walls.

If you would like to help us continue this program by hosting a wall for a couple of months or making a donation please don't hesitate to contact Yvonne Shortt.

Thank You,
RPGA Team

Yvonne Shortt Discusses Edible Queens Green Walls & Community Involvement at Bamboomoves

RPGA Volunteers,

The Green Wall Pilot program was a great success. It demonstrated the power of sustainability, art, community involvement, and education. With the help of community volunteers, public and private schools, involved parents, and a community oriented yoga studio we created a wall that grows chives, oregano, and a variety of mint.

Bamboomoves, a local yoga studio hosting our first green wall, has invited me to speak at their celebration tonight Saturday, January 9th. If you are available please stop by. There will be a raffle, dancers, and a sword performance.

They are located in Forest Hills near the E/F train on Queens BLVD
107-40 Queens BLVD suite 206

For more information go here http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AUvGHFSugZY/Szp7IU2mPPI/AAAAAAAAARk/cqJS3h9-fA8/s1600-h/party.jpg

On another note, RPGA received a grant to extend our green wall project and helped secure a grant for P.S. 139 to continue the transformation of their schoolyard..


Schedule Tonight:
6:00 pm - 6:30 pm Camille and Jerry Devore
6:30 pm - 6:40 pm Kaity and Sue Introductions and 1st Raffle
(Kaity to Introduce Yvonne Shortt)
6:40 pm - 7:00 pm Yvonne Shortt- Rego Park Green Alliance
7:03 pm - 7:08 pm - Twilight Dancers
7:10 pm - 7:20 pm - Sherry Zhang - Sword Performance
7:22 pm - 7:32 pm - Francy
7:32 pm - 7:37 pm -Twilight Dancers
7:37 pm - 7:45 pm - Grand Prize Raffle, and final closing comments
7:45 pm - 9ish pm - Band, Camille & Jerry Devore

Thank You.
Yvonne Shortt
Rego Park Green Alliance Co-Founder

Queens Economic Development Leaderhip Council

The Rego Park Green Alliance is now on the Queens Economic Development Leadership Council. Our first meeting is January 14th

Donations

Donations:
Please make checks payable to Open Space Institute. In the memo section please put care of Rego Park Green Alliance. Checks may be mailed to:

Open Space Institute
c/o Rego Park Green Alliance
1350 Broadway • Room 201
New York, New York 10018

Rego Park Green Alliance is fiscally sponsored by the Open Space Institute, Inc., as part of their Citizen Action Program. OSI is a nonprofit public charity exempt from federal income tax under Sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions should be made payable to “Open Space Institute, Inc. / [Rego Pak Green Alliance]” and are tax deductable to the extent permitted by law.

Open Space Institute

RPGA has found a fiscal sponsor- Open Space Institute (Citizen Action Program) . A fiscal sponsor acts to provide oversight and the ability to act as a non profit or 501(c)3. They will accept all payments and donations and provide the necessary filing to outside organizations. This oversight will allow us to obtain more donations and grants. Thank you Open Space Institute and everyone who helped fill out the paperwork to make this happen. We look forward to continuing our beautification, edible lawn, green wall, and educational programs in 2010.

Happy New Year
Rego Park Green Alliance Team