A Gallery of Earth Day in the Catchment
By Caitlin Hawke
It seems like one day is not enough for the annual tradition of "Earth Day." I mean if "Dental Awareness" and "Confederate History" get a whole month each, shouldn't the 4.543 billion-year-old third rock from the sun -- at a minimum -- get 31 or even 365 days of our attention? Just sayin'.
No matter how much time we are allotted in the great calendar of commemorations, it's really about the time we make to show our reverence. Virtually without interuption since its inception in 1971, the Block Association has been thinking globally, acting locally, and revering. Thanks to Ginger Lief, I can prove it since she squirreled away a non-digitized back catalogue of the Block Association newletter archives and preserved these documents at the Bloomingdale branch of the library. There and utterly incredulous, I found Volume 1, Issue 1, which I'll post on May 20th in its entirety. But as a preview, check this excerpt out...the roots of "Planting Day" from that inaugural issue!
It seems like one day is not enough for the annual tradition of "Earth Day." I mean if "Dental Awareness" and "Confederate History" get a whole month each, shouldn't the 4.543 billion-year-old third rock from the sun -- at a minimum -- get 31 or even 365 days of our attention? Just sayin'.
No matter how much time we are allotted in the great calendar of commemorations, it's really about the time we make to show our reverence. Virtually without interuption since its inception in 1971, the Block Association has been thinking globally, acting locally, and revering. Thanks to Ginger Lief, I can prove it since she squirreled away a non-digitized back catalogue of the Block Association newletter archives and preserved these documents at the Bloomingdale branch of the library. There and utterly incredulous, I found Volume 1, Issue 1, which I'll post on May 20th in its entirety. But as a preview, check this excerpt out...the roots of "Planting Day" from that inaugural issue!
New York is a different animal today so recalling back 46 years to the concrete jungle when tree beds didn't exist is harder for newer New Yorkers. Make no mistake! This BA and these neighbors have been at it, out there, mucking about in the soil, doting on trees and their beds, nigh on a half century.
As you'll see when I post that inaugural issue, there are a lot of current BA traditions that were laid down right then and there in 1971. And while faces have literally changed, the spirit is, more or less, the same. Plus the stooping, crouching, kneeling and schlepping remain a time-honored right of passage into Spring.
All this to say: Thank you, neighbors -- new, old, big, small -- for your efforts right here in the catchment on Earth Day 2017. And thanks to Mark Schneiderman for coordinating it all. You volunteers are all now a part the collective memory that some blogger will be writing about in 2063.
For all other neighbors, how can you help? In the short term, water the beds! In the longer term, plan on coming out for the Fall Clean Up Day. To recycle words above from 1971: "try and come…(we're friendly) and help make this a more beautiful area." Details will be on our homepage in September.
Without further ado, here now is the garden of delights. If you have other pictures, send them to me and I'll add them: blog@w102-103blockassn.org.
As you'll see when I post that inaugural issue, there are a lot of current BA traditions that were laid down right then and there in 1971. And while faces have literally changed, the spirit is, more or less, the same. Plus the stooping, crouching, kneeling and schlepping remain a time-honored right of passage into Spring.
All this to say: Thank you, neighbors -- new, old, big, small -- for your efforts right here in the catchment on Earth Day 2017. And thanks to Mark Schneiderman for coordinating it all. You volunteers are all now a part the collective memory that some blogger will be writing about in 2063.
For all other neighbors, how can you help? In the short term, water the beds! In the longer term, plan on coming out for the Fall Clean Up Day. To recycle words above from 1971: "try and come…(we're friendly) and help make this a more beautiful area." Details will be on our homepage in September.
Without further ado, here now is the garden of delights. If you have other pictures, send them to me and I'll add them: blog@w102-103blockassn.org.
Planting Day photo credit: Celia Knight
Spring Planting Day 2017!
Bettina's blooms
And below are the blooms from hundreds of bulbs that neighbor Ira planted in Riverside Park.
Daffodil photo credit: Ira Gershenhorn
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