Green Gardening and Pest Management Tips Available on EPA's Green Scene

EPA's latest Green Scene video podcast features "Green Gardening andPest Management." The video highlights ways consumers can control pestsin their lawns and gardens using Integrated Pest Management (IPM), aneffective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management thatrelies on a combination of common-sense practices. The video interviewwith the Biopesticides & Pollution Prevention Division of the Office ofPesticide Programs is also available in Spanish, and provides tips onhow to select a pest management company for the home and garden and howto use pesticides safely.
To view the video, visit www.epa.gov.

(Go to the "Multimedia" section onthe bottom right corner of the page and click on the "play" arrow underthe picture).

50 Cent's Community Garden

Click here to see the opening ceremony:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfKeLDlEP5g

Here is an interview/explanation from Mtv.com:
http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/314707/its-the-right-thing-to-do.jhtml#id=1598507

Here is the article from Mtv.com:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1598481/20081103/50_cent.jhtml

50 Cent -- And Bette Midler! -- Dedicate Community Garden In MC's Home Neighborhood

By Shaheem Reid

QUEENS, New York — The gangsta gave a garden.

50 Cent gave a little more to his community on Monday morning (November 3): He and actress/singer Bette Midler were in the New York City borough of Queens for the grand opening of the Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson Community Garden on Foch Boulevard.

"I love 50!" exclaimed Midler, whose New York Restoration Project got 50's G-Unity Foundation involved in the project.

Midler, who described Curtis Jackson as a "giant" in entertainment, explained how she came to collaborate with 50. "We own 60 of these community gardens," she said. "We took ownership of this one. This one was a very successful one, but they wanted little renovations here and there. We looked all over town for a group that was interested in these sort of things. We found G-Unity, which is Curtis' foundation. They were interested. This garden is mainly for kids, and they do a lot of things with kids."

"It's exciting ... and it was an opportunity for me to do something for the actual kids in the community," 50 said. Fif reportedly ponied up more than $200,000.

The garden features plenty of flowers, a vegetable garden, a community area where people can have barbecues and movies will be shown — and also a rainwater-collection system. Instead of paying for water to be shipped in, the garden collects water and sends it into a tank underground, from which it can then be pumped. Fittingly, the garden was designed by a man named Professor Walter Hood, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of California at Berkeley.

For Fif, it was a chance to give back to the neighborhood he grew up in and to help his youngest fans. A couple dozen 3- and 4-year-old kids from local schools were present Monday morning not only to say thank you to the G-Unit general, but to sing a song ... about plants and vegetables. Hey, maybe Fif will start a G-Unit Jr. division one day.

"We're so glad that you're here with us/ How do you do?" the kids sang. "I'm a string bean/ Long and green/ Hanging from the vine ..."

50 addressed the locals who came out for the event from a podium.

"This a helluva opportunity, for me to collaborate with Bette," he said, after shouting to some friends from the neighborhood he hadn't seen in a while. "I didn't even know Lefty was out of jail," he said, looking into the crowd. "What's up, baby?"

On a more serious note, Fif also said that he expects children to utilize the garden more than adults, and that it was "exciting" to "directly affect their experience."

The MC-turned-philanthropist promised more events like this in the future, such as "50's First Annual 40 Day," geared toward the people who live in and around the borough's South Jamaica Houses (a.k.a. "40 Projects"). Also in the planning stages is "Baisley Day" for the neighborhood's Baisley Park, in which 50's community garden is located.

"We're gonna make it happen the way we been making it happen, right here," he told the crowd.

Harvesting Our Rows for the Hungry

Animal's Garden, in the University Area, brought a bounty of fresh food to Clintonville Resource Center this past week. (Note: the above picture is of people harvesting in the Weinland Park Community Garden, not Animal's Garden.)

Here's the report from our Community Plot, Laura Anglim:

"I was able to harvest a really nice donation this morning which was gratefully accepted at the Clintonville Community Resource Center! I brought in radishes, lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, and turnip greens.

Trish was awesome to remind me that the food in the community plots is also meant to help feed us the gardeners so please don't be shy and when you stop by harvest a helping for yourself, family & friends."

I hope many of you are also having success in feeding yourselves and others as the harvesting season is unfolding ;)

Peace,
Lauren

Did you hear our Open Line PowerHour?

I just listened to the Open Line about "community gardening in Central Ohio…and access to locally grown food, with Franklin Park Conservatory “Growing to Green” Coordinator Bill Dawson, Local Matters Senior Manager Trisha Dehnbostel, and New Harvest Café owner Kwodo Ababio."

Did you want to hear it to?
Check it out. http://www.wosu.org/radio/radio-local-programs/radio-open-line/

Another opportunity for help in your garden!

My name is Khadijah Qadeer, and I work with The Ohio State University Upward Bound Program. We assist in preparing high school students from Briggs, East, South, and Walnut Ridge for post-secondary education. It is our goal to get students involved in community service activities. This summer we will have a green theme. Previously, when working with Directions for Youth and Families Ohio Avenue Center, I had the privilege of taking students to work at several community gardens in the Near East and Near South side of Columbus. I would like to bring approximately 15 to 20 students to work at one of the gardens on both July 10th and July 17th from 2:30pm to 4:30pm. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be reached on my direct line at 614-292-3724.

Kind Regards,

Khadijah Qadeer



Who: The Ohio State University Upward Bound Program (15 to 20 high school students)
What: Work at a community garden
Where: Near East/Near South side Community Garden
Why: Community Service
When: July 10th and July 17th from 2:30pm to 4:30pm

Thank you,

Khadijah Qadeer

Khadijah A. Qadeer
Academic Counselor
Office of Minority Affairs
The Ohio State University Upward Bound Program
025 Mount Hall
1050 Carmack Road
Columbus, Ohio 43210
614-292-2344 (office)
614-292-4603 (fax)

Trish is Cool!

ANNOUNCEMENT:
TUNE IN FOR OUR INTERVIEW TOMORROW AND CALL IN WITH QUESTIONS THAT YOU THINK ARE RELEVANT.
TRISH

Dear Trish,
This is our usual reminder of your interview tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2, 10AM-11AM EDT, with host Charlene Brown on Open Line. The topic to be discussed: Community gardening in Central Ohio…and access to locally grown food, with Franklin Park Conservatory “Growing to Green” Coordinator Bill Dawson, Local Matters Senior Manager Trisha Dehnbostel, and New Harvest Café owner Kwodo Ababio. Open Line is a live, public affairs talk show, with listener phone calls, on WOSU public radio. Open Line is streamed live, podcast and archived at www.wosu.org/radio/radio-open-line.The format of Open Line is a conversation between Charlene and her guests for the first 20 minutes to lay groundwork for the discussion. Then Charlene opens the lines to callers.