Tree and Garden Care Are Focus of Newkirk Green Initiative

How do we take care of the trees in front of our houses after Sandy? Lots of neighbors are wondering. And how do we care for the green and gardens throughout the area?

Under the guidance of five members of a Brooklyn Urban Gardener team assembled through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Greenbridge program, the Newkirk Green Initiative is reaching out the neighbors who want to create a strong environment around Newkirk Plaza.

NGI “is available upon request, free of charge to meet with individuals or groups,” says member Jane Fields, “to do workshops, plant care, tree care” and more.

You can contact Jane at PUPPYJR@aol.com with you specific interests, role (resident or business owner) and preferred contact information. You can also contact Jane to sign up for the group’s newsletter which began circulation last month.

The group works “two block north and south of Newkirk as a prototype for what we’d like to carry out on a much larger scale,” says Jane.

“We could provide the workshop indefinitely,” she continues, describing a self-perpetuating educational system in which students of her workshops could go on to teach other residents the skills they’ve learned.

“The goal is to publicize what we’re doing,” says Jane,” to engage shopkeepers who would profit the most and residents with gardens and trees near their homes. We need to help start this and make sure it’s sustainable. The are so few people putting in the necessary energy that it’s overwhelming. We need to engage the community.”