New Ground

New Ground is City Green’s neighborhood community garden program. This program is designed to facilitate the creation of community gardens in urban neighborhoods on vacant lots, church grounds, and/or at other community establishments.

  

New Ground addresses many of the needs of urban neighborhoods and communities by helping residents create a green space in walking distance of their homes, providing an opportunity to revitalize blighted neighborhoods, creating access to fresh organic produce and beautifying the surroundings.

  

Garden workshops are held throughout the season, educating participants in sustainable practices, and environmental issues are addressed. Extra produce is generously given to neighbors or local food banks.

Current New Ground Projects:

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2. Straight and Narrow: Vegetable and flower gardening with adult women; Beautification project with adult men. Extra produce goes to residents of Straight and Narrow’s low-income housing for persons with HIV/AIDS
   

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4. The Paterson Public Library: Vegetable gardening with families, garden education
   

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6. Grand Street Garden: New project underway
   

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8. The Women of Faith Community Garden: City Green’s first community garden project with the Women of Faith bible study group, currently looking for a new space to garden
   

City Sprouts

City Sprouts is our youth gardening program, taking place at community gardens, schools, after school facilities and churches. City Sprouts works to teach city children the importance and wonder of nature, how food grows, the joy of cultivating plants, lessons about preserving the natural environment, as well as leadership, collaboration and communication skills.

  

This program aims to offer city youth structure and support, while connecting them to each other, the earth, healthy organic food, and compassionate adults. City Sprouts nurtures productive individuals who act as articulate advocates for their community and environment while enhancing community livability.

  

The Youth involved are expected to participate in all aspects of the project from research, design, mapping and construction to maintenance and harvest. They do this with wonderful energy and enthusiasm!

  

Current City Sprouts Projects:

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2. YWCA: Vegetable and flower garden with children of the after school and summer camp programs, annual “Theater in the Garden” production, “Nutrition in the Garden” program, “Junior Master Gardener” program in conjunction with Passaic County 4-H
   

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4. School 7:  Wildlife Habitat Garden with 5th through 8th grade students, “Junior Wildlife Gardener” program, “Environmental Justice” program, “Literature in the Garden” program
   

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6. Eastside High School: Vegetable gardening through the “Growing Connections” program, Beautification project
   

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8. Paterson Public Library: Vegetable gardening, Plans are currently underway for a new “Storytime Garden”
   

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10. Straight and Narrow: Vegetable gardening with adolescent clients;  Garden Mural Project
    

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12. Northside Community Christian Reform Church: Vegetable and flower gardening
    

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14. Youth Advocate Program: Vegetable and flower gardening
    

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