FHGT 2021 Year in Review
January 2021
We started the year with an extensive endorsement process to decide which candidate we would endorse for our Council seat in the June primary. Using Ranked Choice Voting, we decided to endorse Aleda Gagarin as our first choice; Lynn Schulman as our second choice and Evan Boccardi as our third choice.
February 2021/March 2021/ April 2021
We begin the process of developing our successful Compost Site in MacDonald Park, partnering with Queens Botanical Gardens; Friends of MacDonald Park and Aleda Gagarin’s campaign. We did this to fill in the gap created when GrowNYC closed down their compost site at the Farmer’s Market.
May 2021
- We held an event celebrating the opening of our Compost Site in MacDonald Park, which was covered by the local press. We bought a tent for the site using funds we received from Ridgewood Bank.
- We canvassed for Aleda’s campaign in support of our endorsement.
June 2021
We did the first of a number of activities at our Yellowstone Boulevard site. Members of the team continued to check in on the site to make sure it was being maintained.
July 2021
Our food scrap drop off site was so successful in attracting users that the two large containers we were being supplied with by the Queens Botanical Gardens filled up early each week. QBG transitioned our site to partner with the Big Reuse, who were able to provide us with 4 containers. Since we had more visibility in the community, we purchased Forest Hills Green Team shirts.
August 2021
- We were asked to table at the FH Night Out Against Crime.
- We met with Costa Constantinides to review his suggestions for advocacy in the future.
- We organized a series of events, using funding from the Citizens Committee of New York. We learned how to care for street trees with a representative of the Parks Department; we attended the Progressive Potluck Picnic with Aleda Gagarin and Felicia Singh; we planted donated bushes and flowers we picked up from Stuyvesant Cove Park in our Yellowstone Garden; we encouraged people to register to vote in partnership with DemocracyNYC.
September 2021
We continued working on our Yellowstone Garden and our weekly composting. We were filling all four of our containers; averaging 250 people dropping off their food scraps and collecting names of people interested in learning more about our activities; encouraging people to request their brown bins and offering people to register to vote.
October 2021
- We met with Lynn Schulman who we had endorsed after Aleda Gagarin to support her election.
- The team organized a Volunteer Recognition Event, where Lynn and Assemblymember Hevesi presented a certificate and a Forest Hills Green Team hat to 24 volunteers who all supported the work of our team. The video of this event is on our Facebook page. In partnership with Queens Botanical Gardens, we distributed 250 bags of compost to be used by members of the community.
- We supported the Yes on 1,3,4 campaign, encouraging community members to support these three propositions. Mark Laster spoke at two rallies representing the team.
November 2021
- We wrapped up the planting season at the Yellowstone Garden by planting free daffodils we received.
- We canvassed in support of Lynn Schulman and Felicia Singh.
- We explored starting an Urban Farm, meeting with Gil Lopez of Smiling Hogshead Farm and going for a tour of this site.
- Mark Laster testified at the Independent Redistricting Commission’s Queens hearing.
December 2021
- After numerous meetings and discussions with both Queens Botanical Gardens and GrowNYC, we were informed they will be restarting their compost site. The team decided to encourage people to go to this site and will be working with QBG to identify potential future sites in the community.
- We joined the Climate Can’t Wait 2022 coalition supporting 12 bills being considered in Albany to combat climate change.
- We did a presentation to the fourth-grade class of PS 196, in partnership with a representative of Kids Fight Climate Change with the support of Felicia Singh.