Click here to check out this video of a guerrilla gardener who is transforming open space in Los Angeles. It’s inspiring. As the gardener notes in the film, the “common space” belongs to the people, and if the government can’t take care of it, we should. Amazing.
-AZ
This just in! A great opportunity for Kingston’s Youth.
– RM
Experience the Power of Wind!
Coinciding with the Junior Naturalist Program at Forsyth Nature Center is this weeklong series for 6th and 7th graders.
By Rebecca Martin
On the outskirts of the city of Kingston, NY. there is a bike shop that is wonderfully old school.
Last fall, Larry and I went looking for our sons very first bike. Lucky for me, I came across the “Famous Bike Brothers” out on Boices Lane. In business since 1974, their small shop was filled with a great selection of bikes, helmets and gloves. The service was outstanding, too.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone could think drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation in NY State for a natural gas source is a good idea. Knowing the real environmental dangers and hazard to our surface water in the Southern Tier and Catskills regions is enough to call the whole thing off.
By Rebecca Martin
Last year, I received a phone call from a fairly new resident to Kingston named Sean Griffin who wished to discuss a great idea. He called it the “Hudson Valley Currency” back then – a local currency he and his group hoped to design to work in the area.
How would a local currency be implemented into our current system you ask? KingstonCitizens.org was able to get the lowdown from David McCarthy, one of the three partners (the others are Sean and Chris Fenichel-Hewitt who we hope to catch up with at a later date) to explain.
By Rebecca Martin
Leave it to Ev Mann (Executive Director of the Center for Creative Education) to bring someone as special as Eda Zavala Lopez to Midtown Kingston. The two met when she was in NY in April working on a project for indigenous rights at the UN. A noted healer from the Peruvian Amazon, Eda is descended from a long line of healers in the tradition of the Wari people.In July, Hudson Valley residents will have two unique opportunities to see her.
The Kingston Farmers’ Market is looking for volunteers this weekend to count visitors to the market. They need one person from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and four people from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Interested volunteers should call Donna Brooks, Hudson Coffee Traders, at 338-1300.
This weekend, the focus of the Healthy Eating series is on blueberries. There’ll be chef demonstrations showing how to prepare this local fruit. Additionally, County Executive Mike Hein is scheduled to be on hand. Hein will be helping out with a corn roast from noon until 1 p.m.
By Arthur Zaczkiewicz
As we continue to slog through this recession (we’re in a double-dip one, according to some experts), there are a lot of actions citizens like you and me can do to help weather this downturn. As consumers (two thirds of our GDP is driven by consumer spending), we have a lot of power to change the economy – especially on a local level.
By Arthur Zaczkiewicz
Mayor James Sottile said — according to the Daily Freeman in this article — that he was working with a private firm to test a new curbside recycling operation. Sounds great, but it would be best if the mayor had informed other lawmakers of his decision.
By Arthur Zaczkiewicz
As you may have read, a recent study revealed that open space in the nearby Shawangunks — Minnewaska, Sam’s Point and Mohonk preserves — feeds over $12 million to the local economy each year. The money comes from the 392,000 or so annual visitors to these areas. This spotlights an important trend: open space has value.
At the half year point of 2010, KingstonCitizens.org would like to get feedback on what grass root effort this year has inspired you the most.
It has been an especially productive year amidst the hardships. We at KingstonCitizens.org are particularly fond of The Hodge Food For Thought Program, Queens Galley’s Hudson Valley Hunger Banquet, Kingston, NY’s Neighborhood Watch, The Citywide Clean-up and Lawn Sale effort and KURA to name a few.
Help us to shine the light and share with us the many others, seen or unseen.
By Arthur Zaczkiewicz
The convergence of activists working for human rights, health care reform, climate change, and social justice, among others is happening right now in Detroit, Mich. Over 20,000 people have flocked to the Motor City this week for the US Social Forum to exchange ideas, participate in people’s movement assemblies (PMAs) and attend (and present) 1,000s of workshops with topics ranging from grassroots networking to change immigration law to learning how to mobilize citizens for better access to public funds.
The folks at Kingston Digital Corridor have scheduled their montly mixer on Wednesday, June 30th at Keegan Ales in Kingston. Join them from 6:00pm – 7:30pm. It sounds like fun!
“Calling all independents, creatives, and digerati! Get out of your pyjamas and bring your non-digital selves over to Keegan Ales!
Out of focus? We are, too! Let’s come together and inspire some collaborative thought!
Our goal in hosting the ‘KDC Happier Hour!’ every last Wednesday of the month is to get all of you talented local yokels together so you can meet others of your species, talk shop (or not), share resources, and by all means, have some fun!
Congrats to Kingston residents Valeria Gheorghiu and Arthur Zaczkiewicz who were selected to present Kingston’s recent ‘Civic Involvement’ at the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit, Michigan on Friday, June 25th. A great accomplishment for Kingston!
Read on…
– Rebecca Martin
By Arthur Zaczkiewicz
The spat between the mayor and lawmakers over spending money on a gazebo at T.R. Gallo Park in the Rondout, as reported by the Daily Freeman today, can be easily resolved.
According to the Freeman, Mayor James Sottile is miffed over a decision by the Finance/Economic Development Committee to table — for a second time — his $4,000 request for installing the gazebo.