04/22/2018
🌱 End of an Era, Dawn of a New (Earth) Day 🌿
Dear Friends and Followers of EcoStation:
Started in 2008 in a community garden by a small band of local residents, EcoStation:NY grew to become a catalyst for major positive social change in Brooklyn and beyond, opening several Bushwick Farmers' Market locations, launching innovative sustainable urban agriculture projects including the Secret Garden farm and nature preserve, Farm-in-the-Sky, Grove Street Farm, and Bushwick Campus Farm & Greenhouse; and celebrating community, food, and culture with colorful events including the Raise the Roof! event series, Winter Solstice Feast, Earth Day celebrations, and CalabazaFest.
Eventually, however, the harsh economic realities of operating and equitably staffing a year-round operation set in. To keep the spirit and programs of EcoStation alive, we reached out to Brigette Blood at RBSCC (now RiseBoro Community Partnership).
RBSCC has served the community for more than 40 years with a multitude of support services. Now as RiseBoro Community Partnership, and under the direction of newly-appointed CEO Scott Short, the organization has taken bold steps towards adapting an holistic approach to community wellness, which we applaud. Last year, RiseBoro initiated the process of acquiring EcoStation.
We were honored to stand on the front lines of the fight for food and social justice alongside inspirational organizations like Just Food, East New York Farms!, Make the Road New York, and Green Guerillas. We are also very grateful to our many supporters and partners over the years, including Brooklyn District Public Health Office, Stellar Farmers’ Markets, Farmers Market Federation of New York, Citizens Committee for New York City, Brooklyn Community Foundation, Earth Matter NY, El Puente, Academy of Urban Planning, Academy for Environmental Leadership, Bushwick School for Social Justice, Bushwick Food Coop, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Brooklyn Borough Vice President Diana Reyna, and Council Member Antonio Reynoso; Alvaro Paulino Jr, Mazarte Dance Company, and Arts in Bushwick; and local family farms, La Baraja Farm and Pavia Family Farm.
We are beyond proud of EcoStation’s bright students, talented and dedicated staff, stalwart volunteers, and amazing apprentices, who always surpassed expectation. Their optimism and shared vision of a better world give reason to hope for humanity.
In 2017, RiseBoro’s Bushwick Cooks! team took the reins of the farmers markets - and the wheel of the Green Machine - and are doing a marvelous job growing the markets and expanding its reach and impact. To the delight of many, it was also announced that the beloved ¡CalabazaFest! will continue on.
Today, April 22 - Earth Day 2018 - the circle is complete: just as the farm and surrounds at Bushwick Campus are being razed to accommodate a major construction project, a promising new sustainable urban agriculture project is born, just a few short blocks away.
Join with us in celebrating the arrival of RiseBoro’s Bushwick Grows! Community Farm – and the continuation of EcoStation’s legacy.
Yours in community always,
EcoStation:NY Board of Directors
