Meet the Instructor: Leslie Radcliffe!

NHS of New Haven is proud to announce our Inaugural Environmental Leadership Series! 

Learn about the environment and your neighborhood, connect with useful resources and people, and aspire to create your own environmental projects.

This year's workshops are as follows:

June 13, 2017: Climate, Health, and Neighborhoods
June 20, 2017: Home Energy-Efficiency, Going Solar, and Other Renewable Solutions
July 11, 2017: Planning a Project
July 18, 2017: Water in Your Home and Neighborhood
August 1, 2017: Talking Trash, Managing Waste, and Greening Neighborhood Spaces
August 8, 2017: Transportation Matters and Project Showcase

Leslie Radcliffe will be facilitating our third workshop on Planning Your Project!

Leslie Radcliffe is a life-long resident of New Haven. Her association with NHS began almost two decades ago when she began her journey to become a homeowner. In addition to attending financial literacy workshops, first-time homebuyer seminars, landlord classes, and resident leadership programs at NHS, Leslie has attended two Community Leadership Institute national programs, completed the New Haven Citizens Academy, graduated from the New Haven Democracy School, and is certified member of the Community Emergency Response Team. Active in service to her community, she worked with other residents, Urban Resources Initiative and New Haven Land Trust to establish the Truman Street Community Garden and Greenspace; is a Board member of the City of New Haven City Plan Commission; holds a seat on the New Haven Farms Community Advisory Board; serves as Secretary on the NHS Executive Board; reactivated the Truman Street Block Watch; participates in her District Management Team; holds office and serves faithfully in her church; and is a devoted mom and grandmother. She advocates for her community by working with residents, municipal and non-profit agencies, and other stakeholders for the betterment of her neighborhood and community. Her outlook on neighborhood improvement is ‘we may not be able to change the world but we can start right where we are ... yard by yard, block by block, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood …’.   

His previous work included community organizing, human rights, youth leadership development, public health, and homeless support.

APPLY TODAY!!

Participants must attend at least five of the workshops listed above. 

Sessions will be held from 6pm-8pm at NHS of New Haven. Dinner will be provided. 

Visit our website to apply today! 

The application, as well as $20 registration fee, is due by June 6, 2017!

Meet the Instructor -- Chris Schweitzer!

NHS of New Haven is proud to announce our Inaugural Environmental Leadership Series! 

Learn about the environment and your neighborhood, connect with useful resources and people, and aspire to create your own environmental projects.

This year's workshops are as follows:

June 13, 2017: Climate, Health, and Neighborhoods
June 20, 2017: Home Energy-Efficiency, Going Solar, and Other Renewable Solutions
July 11, 2017: Planning a Project
July 18, 2017: Water in Your Home and Neighborhood
August 1, 2017: Talking Trash, Managing Waste, and Greening Neighborhood Spaces
August 8, 2017: Transportation Matters and Project Showcase

Chris Schweitzer will be facilitating our first Climate, Health, and Neighborhoods!

 

Chris is the Director of New Haven Leon Sister City Project, an organization that promotes education and sustainable development in Nicaragua and New Haven.  

His previous work included community organizing, human rights, youth leadership development, public health, and homeless support.

APPLY TODAY!!

Participants must attend at least five of the workshops listed above. 

Sessions will be held from 6pm-8pm at NHS of New Haven. Dinner will be provided. 

Visit our website to apply today! 

The application, as well as $20 registration fee, is due by June 6, 2017!

Looking for That Perfect Last Minute Gift?

Check Everyone Off Your List This 

Holiday Season! 

Our Winter Garden Workshops* are the perfect gift for the gardener (or wannabe gardener) in your life! 

Advanced Master Gardener, Rachel Ziesk, will teach classes that will help attendees prepare their garden for the upcoming spring season.

Each individual workshop costs just $20. OR pick up the entire series for $100! 

Soil & Season Extenders -- Saturday, January 28^th, 2017

The most important component for a successful garden is soil health. Learn how to make and keep your soil healthy, as well as how to use row covers and other techniques to extend your growing season.

Cool Weather Crops -- Saturday, February 11^th, 2017

Learn about starting your garden as soon as the snow is gone! Cool weather crops don’t mind the cold and give you a head start on the season. This class covers how to plant cold weather crops and manage the pests and diseases that plague them.

Warm Weather Crops -- Saturday, February 25^th, 2017

Everything you need to know about warm weather crops! Learn about how to make the best out of your growing season including which crops are best started indoors, what can be directly seeded into the ground and what conditions each crop prefers. This class also covers which fertilizers are best as well as common pests and diseases affecting warm weather crops.

Seed Starting & Garden Planning -- Saturday, March 4^th, 2017

Start your own seedlings! This class explores how and when to start planting indoors. Learn about using lights, watering and identifying common problems with seed starting. The class also covers planning your garden so you get the most out of your gardening space. Everyone attending will get to plant a six pack of seedlings to take home with them.

Essential Flowers & Herbs for Vegetable Gardening -- Saturday, March 11^th, 2017

Flowers and Herbs attract pollinators and beneficial insects to help keep your garden productive and healthy. Learn about the best flowers and herbs for your garden. This class will also identify some edible weeds and tell you what you need to know in order to protect your garden from invasive ones.

Preserving your Garden Harvest -- Saturday, March 25^th, 2017

Learn how you can eat from your garden all winter long. Simple methods can save your harvest for winter use. The class will cover techniques that you’ll need to know for freezing, canning, dehydrating, pickling and more.

 

For more information on each class, or to register for the series, visit: www.nhswintergarden2017.eventbrite.com

 

*This Program is a cooperative effort of NHS of New Haven, Common Ground, UConn Extension, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, and the Risk Management Agency/USDA. These institutions are equal opportunity employers and providers.

Cleaning up Beaver Ponds Park with Local College Students

Update (3/23/16):
We received this great note this morning:

"Thank you, UNH students, and Neighborhood Housing Services, for your heroic work cleaning up the badly neglected Sherman Avenue side of Beaver Ponds Parks. We, as Friends of Beaver Ponds Park, thank you for your arduous work clearing old bottles and even the kitchen sink out of the park.

Nan Bartow 

Bill Bidwell

Friends of Beaver Ponds Park"

-----

All this week (March 14-18), University of New Haven students have been working with NHS to clean up Beaver Ponds Park, along Sherman Parkway. They were joined on Friday, March 18 with a few more students from Yale, and together they picked up trash and debris from the site.

Stephen Cremin-Endes (NHS) addressing the group

Beaver Ponds Park is owned by the City of New Haven and is an approximately 107-acre park that includes athletic fields (including Bowen Field) and an approximately 86-acre wetland and pond system. Friends of Beaver Ponds Park is a community group active in preserving and enhancing the pond areas for recreational uses.

Trash funneling into the pond.

A trash study was conducted in 2009. The study found that residential waste including plastic bags, bottles, cigarette butts, food wrappers, etc. from the areas surrounding Beaver Pond Park are improperly discarded and are transported by the stormwater system into the pond. Click here to learn more about this issue.

5 trash bags collected in just one morning!

UNH Student, Brianna

University of New Haven student, Brianna, says, 
"I haven't done a ton of community service and wanted some new experiences. We're always learning about other students going to exotic places for spring break to clean up, but sometimes where you really need the help is locally."

LtR: UNH Students Jen & Sarah

Sarah, a sophomore at UNH says, "I chose to volunteer as part of an Alternative Spring Break. I wanted to get more involved. When I first got here, [the Pond] was disgusting. There were bottles everywhere, from one end to the other."

Jen says "I’ve never really done anything like this. So I thought why not? And you have an entire week to do it. I actually enjoy it. It’s nice to feel like you’re making a difference." 

Cleaning up everything -- including the kitchen sink!

Thank you to all our volunteers! 

For more information about this activity, or any of our other volunteer opportunities, feel free to reach out to Stephen Cremin-Endes, Director of Community Building & Organizing at NHS: scremin-endes@nhsofnewhaven.org.

Common Ground High Schoolers get an Early Spring Start in the Ivy Street Garden

On Wednesday, March 2nd, first-year students from the Common Ground School joined NHS at the Ivy Street Garden in New Haven to help rake leaves, plant bulbs, and bring some life back to the garden!

We thank the students for all their help. View more photos of their hard work on our facebook page.

Upcoming Garden Workshop! Soil & Garden Planning!

Last Minute Holiday Shopping? We Have Your Perfect Answer!

Struggling to find that perfect gift? 

Want to give something unique, that will leave a lasting impression? 

Look no further! 

NHS of New Haven, in partnership with Common Ground, is now taking registrations for their Winter Garden series. A perfect gift for anyone in your life who loves to garden, or is thinking about starting a garden in the spring.

Individual classes are just $20 or $100 for the entire 6-session series.

Don't hesitate! Space is limited! Visit: NHSWinterGarden.EventBrite.com

Classes (10am-12pm): 

Soil & Garden Planning -- Saturday, January 23, 2016
The most important component for a successful garden is soil health. Learn how to make and keep your soil healthy, as well as how to plan your garden for the most productive season.

Cool Weather Crops -- Saturday, January 30, 2016
Learn about starting your garden as soon as the snow is gone! Cool weather crops don't mind the cold and give you a head start on the season. Most can be planted directly in the ground saving any space you use for seedlings for other crops.

Warm Weather Crops -- Saturday, February 13, 2016
Everything you'll need to know about warm weather crops; which ones are best started indoors, or direct seeded into the ground. What fertilizers to use, what conditions each crop prefers, all the information for a productive growing season.

Container Gardening and Seed -- Saturday, February 27, 2016
Some people have no access to garden space; that doesn't mean you can't grow your own vegetables. Container gardening can be rewarding and supply you with more food than you thought! Learn the in's and out's of using containers for your growing needs. The class will also go through everything you need to know to start your own seedlings. Everyone attending will get to plant a six pack of seedlings to take home with them.

Edible Landscaping & Edible/Invasive Weeds -- Saturday, March 12, 2016
Attractive plants or food? Why not have both! Lots of edible plants are beautiful additions to even an ornamental garden. Learn which plants will perform well in either a vegetable or ornamental garden, which ones not only produce food but create attractive areas in your garden. Also learn about weeds that are edible and nutritious, and invasive plants and how to get rid of them.

Pests, Disease & Organic Controls -- Saturday, March 26, 2016
There are lots of pests and diseases that can affect your garden. Learn about the prevalent ones and what organic controls you can use to combat them for a healthy, productive garden. 

NHSWinterGarden.EventBrite.com

Thank You, Common Ground Volunteers!

This morning, Wednesday, November 25, volunteers from Common Ground braved the cold weather to help NHS with various tasks at our Ivy Street Community Garden (raking leaves as well as planting Crocuses, Irises, and Tulips).

A huge thank you to the Common Ground students!

A Great Gift for the Gardener in Your Life!

Struggling to find that perfect gift? 

Want to give something unique, that will leave a lasting impression? 

Look no further! 

NHS of New Haven, in partnership with Common Ground, is now taking registrations for their Winter Garden series. A perfect gift for anyone in your life who loves to garden, or is thinking about starting a garden in the spring.

Individual classes are just $20 or $100 for the entire 6-session series.

Don't hesitate! Space is limited! Visit: NHSWinterGarden.EventBrite.com

Classes (10am-12pm at 333 Sherman Avenue, New Haven): 
Soil & Garden Planning -- Saturday, January 23, 2016
Cool Weather Crops -- Saturday, January 30, 2016
Warm Weather Crops -- Saturday, February 13, 2016
Container Gardening and Seed -- Saturday, February 27, 2016
Edible Landscaping & Edible/Invasive Weeds -- Saturday, March 12, 2016
Pests, Disease & Organic Controls -- Saturday, March 26, 2016

NHSWinterGarden.EventBrite.com

Solar Youth at The Ivy Street Garden

The Ivy Street Garden Welcomes Solar Youth

Connecting community groups is one of the Community Building & Organizing team’s favorite ways of contributing to New Haven’s neighborhoods. In Newhallville, we were able to introduce program coordinators and participants of Solar Youth, Inc. to the resident gardeners of the Ivy Street Community Garden. This introduction proved to be rewarding in many ways for everyone involved. The friendship provided welcome help and energy to the gardeners as they began to prepare the garden for new plantings, and gave the young Solar Youthers a space and opportunity to get their hands (and clothing) a little bit dirty. 

Throughout April and May, this particular Solar Youth crew, whose home base is located at King-Robinson Magnet School, walked over to the Ivy Street Community Garden to spend an hour and a half facilitating the garden’s upkeep. Along the way, students had a chance to learn about composting and healthy soil, planting seeds and seedlings, the purpose of a greenhouse, the nurturing process and working together to complete tasks. One occasion even allowed students an opportunity to work alongside two of Newhallville's beat cops. Time was also spent having engaging and fun conversations with the students. We learned that a great way to keep attention was to pass around a daisy as a pretend microphone to allow one speaker at a time. So clever! We’re so appreciative of the great work that Solar Youth does, all around New Haven. We look forward to continuing this collaboration!