Food Movements Unite! Book Panel Discussion

Come to the NYC launching of Food Movements Unite!, with remarks by the book’s editor Eric Holt Giménez of Food First and dynamic discussion and debate on how to grow and strengthen the food movement here in NYC. With long-time food justice activists Karen Washington, and Ray Figueroa of Friends of Brook Park, leaders of the Food Chain Workers Alliance, members of Occupy Wall Street, and others.

Come be part of the dialogue and help grow the movement!
This event is free and open to the public. Please come and bring others from your community. We hope to provide food and are seeking donations.

If you need child care or interpretation or have any questions/suggestions about this event, please contact India Rodgers at india@whyhunger.org; 212-629-8850 x33.

Co-sponsors: WhyHunger, Food First, Food Chain Workers Alliance, Occupy Wall St. Food Justice, Friends of Brook Park, Black Urban Growers, Bolivarian Circle Alberto Lovera NYC and more! (Email india@whyhunger.org if your org is interested in being a co-sponsor.)

About the book: Food Movements Unite! provides a sector by sector road map for bringing the tremendous transformative potential of the world’s food movements together into a powerful transnational force capable of ending the injustices that cause hunger. For more info, including excerpts and video clips,

See: http://www.foodmovementsunite. org/.

Bluestocking Books will sell copies of Food Movements Unite! Strategies to transform our food systems at the event.

To order the book on-line

http://www.foodfirst.org/en/ Food+Movements+Unite

Monday, April 23, 2012 6:30pm until 9:30pm

The Brecht Forum, 451 West Street, Manhattan near the 14th St A/C/E stop ( http://brechtforum.org/ directions)

South Bronx Hawk Cam


Live streaming by Ustream

Danny Chervoni with rescued hawk 2010 and Acait Ramirez, photo by Geoffrey Croft


Media Advisory, Wednesday April 18, 2012

South Bronx Hawk Cam Goes Live

Contacts:

BronxWorks: Carolyn McLaughlin, Executive Director Carolyn.mclaughlin@bronxworks.org 646-393-4018
Philip Schmidt, Communications Director, Congressman José E. Serrano (NY-16), (202) 225-4361
Friends of Brook Park Harry J. Bubbins, Director, 646-648-4362

Community organizations in the South Bronx announce the exciting live streaming of Red Tail Hawks Nesting

The South Bronx, N.Y. – A new nest camera in an undisclosed location in the South Bronx is streaming up-close, high-definition views of a Red-tailed Hawk nest  thanks to a partnership of local organizations.

The new video stream puts viewers seven stories off the ground and right beside the nest, where they can watch the hawks arrive, see them taking turns feeding the recent hatchlings the eggs, and compare notes on the birds.

The Female, who delivered three eggs has not been named yet. Visitors to the “BirdCam” site can vote on what to call all the hawks.

To watch, go to: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/southbronxhawks

BronxWorks Executive Director Carolyn Executive Director said, “BronxWorks is thrilled to host this nest of three wonderful red tailed hawk chicks. We salute the Bronx groups who have worked over the years to heighten the environmental awareness of the people of the Bronx and to make the Bronx more environmental friendly.”

“I was so pleased to hear that yet another family of wild creatures has taken up residence in the Bronx,” said Congressman José E. Serrano who represents the area and has been known as a vocal supporter of environmental initiatives, and even has a beaver in the Bronx River named after him to recognize his support for its revitalization. “It seems that all the new green spaces we’ve created over the years are attractive to humans and wildlife. I look forward to checking in on the nest on the HawkCam, and watching them grow and thrive.”

It is believed that these are the same two parents that have nested young here for at least the past three years.

On the weekend of the 14th of April the first eggs hatched. The last of the three hatched this morning it is believed. (The typical clutch size for Red-tailed hawks is two to three eggs.) It has been about four weeks since the eggs were laid.

The nest should be active for at least the next two months.

To make sure no one misses a moment of the early stages of this Red-tailed Hawk story, BronxWorks and Friends of Brook Park created a temporary BirdCam website for the world to watch these magnificent birds.

Friends of Brook Park are no strangers to the local raptors. Their team was credited with rescuing a Red Tail Hawk in 2010 that was later released in Central Park.
See here for that story: http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/X246/dailyplant/22274

Daniel Chervoni, Head Gardener with Friends of Brook Park and avid Bird Watcher often walking around the neighborhood with his binoculars and camera said, “We are always trying to help restore Nature around here. This shows you why we need to preserve all the community gardens we have now, and create more open space, especially on our waterfront.”

Candido Nieves, a local resident and volunteer with Friends of Brook Park who also helped rescue the hawk in 2010 said,”I am so happy to see our hawks coming back again. I hope some of the local schools will use this as a resource in their classroom to inspire the next generation to protect the environment.”

More on BronxWorks here:
BronxWorks helps individuals and families improve their economic and social well-being. From toddlers to seniors, we feed, shelter, teach, and support our neighbors to build a stronger community.
http://www.bronxworks.org/

More on Friends of Brook Park here:
Friends of Brook Park is a leading environmental organization in the South Bronx, working to cultivate community gardens and food justice, and for the revitalization of our waterfront with green jobs and public access.
https://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/

Congress Member Serrano of the 16th District:
http://serrano.house.gov/

FoBP Receives Environmental Justice Award

On the sunny Saturday of March 24, PSCers and a Board of Director member gathered at Brook Park in the South Bronx to give out the second annual Environmental Justice Award. This year’s winner is Harry Bubbins, Director of Friends of Brook Park (https://www.friendsofbrookpark.org/). Bubbins and the crew of neighbors and friends have made a garden haven in ‘asthma alley’.

PSCers with Haryy Bubbins and FoBP Board Member Mukaro Borrero also of the United Confederation of Taino People

March 24 was a work day for friends and neighbors to plant trees and prepare their vegetable plots. The group also does outreach programs with youth taking them kayaking in the Bronx Kill and actively learning about and cleaning up the waters in the South Bronx. Bubbins helps coordinate the Fresh Direct campaign. The campaign’s goal is to stop Fresh Direct from having their truck loading station in the area.

The PSC Environmental Health and Safety Watchdogs are committed to expanding environmental justice projects around CUNY. If you are interested in working with us please contact us at: hswatchdogs@pscmail.org

Rally: No Incinerators in NYC

What: Rally to oppose the Bloomberg Administration’s plan for Incinerators in NYC

When: Monday, April 9th, 10 am

Where: NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
110 William Street (between Fulton and John Streets)

Why: The Bloomberg Administration will meet with companies seeking contracts to build “thermal waste-to-energy” facilities at 10 am Monday. Thermal “waste-to-energy” (WTE) facilities rely on incineration-based technologies, are regulated as incinerators by the U.S.E.P.A. and are likely to be sited in environmentally overburdened low income and communities of color or historically overburdened communities like Staten Island’s Fresh Kills.

“Many dedicated community leaders fought to shut down a waste incinerator in the South Bronx years ago. We have waterfront aspirations that include economic generating activity, green open space and on water programming. We are not the dumping ground for the City anymore. We do not want the pollution from 2,000 trucks as the Mayor has proposed with relocating Fresh Direct here, and we certainly will not host this spurious experimental incineration technology that has no large scale commercial facilities operating anywhere in the country.” said Harry Bubbins, Director for Friends of Brook Park, a South Bronx environmental organization.

For more information on this issue see:

Sign on letter of dozens of organizations, including Friends of Brook Park

Article with more background.

WTE RFP flyer 4.6.12[2]

Chicken caretakers visit.

Just Food‘s Farm School’s animal husbandry class was held at Brook
Park on Monday, April 2 where students learned from Craig Haney, a
farm manager at Stone Barns. Craig went over the basics of layer
chicken rearing and coop design and basic chicken care. Students were
encouraged to go inside the run and coop and handle the chickens!