Green Space

1. Where can I find out if my city is spraying pesticides in parks?
Beyond Pesticides provides links to agencies in all fifty states with updates on pesticide bans, policies, government contacts and local pesticide news.
2. How can I start a community garden?
“Community gardening can range from creating a small school garden to adopting an abandoned plot of land and turning it into something useful and beautiful,” according to Green Thumb NYC, the largest urban gardening program in the U.S. Any piece of land that is gardened by people is how the American Community Gardening Association defines community gardens, whether they be small plots in dense city centers or larger spaces in the suburbs or in more rural settings. Whatever the scale or location of the community garden you might have in mind, there are several things to take into consideration if you want to start one up.

The best place to get started is the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) website, where you can find a fact sheet, tools, training opportunities, and resources to get your project underway. ACGA provides several guidelines to take into consideration, such as forming a planning committee, choosing a site, finding garden sponsors, and organizing and maintaining the garden. ACGA Links also provides references to books and other resources in its Community Garden Startup resources section. Interested in urban gardening but don’t necessarily wish to start one yourself? Several cities with active urban gardeners have websites with information on joining a garden near you. Here are just a few: New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Portland, Oregon.

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