About Us
Founded in 1994, 6/15 Green is an incorporated 501c3 organization with over 100 members!
During the late 80's and early 90's we waged a war against illegal dumping and deteriorating conditions. Construction refuse, kitchen waste, furniture, automotive oil and an abandoned car were dumped at the site. Sidewalks were cracked and dangerous. Holes in the existing fence allowed vagrants to wander inside.
Concerned citizens began a cleanup campaign on an abandoned lot that had become a serious health hazard. An abandoned trailer on the lot had become a haven for drug use. By dragging the trailer into the streets, we gained the attention of the Sanitation Department who eventually removed the source of the drug problem.
Thanks to the efforts of neighbors, local politicians, and the Sanitation Department, bulldozers and dump trucks were brought in to remove the waste and add clean top soil.
Today that abandoned lot has been transformed from an eyesore and public nuisance to an urban oasis and source of local civic pride. From five pioneering gardeners, (Simon Brooking, Sylvia Gonzalez, Anna Lopez, Sheila McDevitt, and Lana Ranger) the 6th Avenue & 15th Street Community Garden was created in 1994.
Renamed 6/15 Green in 2001, the garden has grown to become an incorporated organization with over a hundred members, composters and supporters with programs that reflect the diversity of our members as well as the needs of the community.
6/15 Green was crucial in the creation of the Brooklyn Alliance of Neighborhood Gardens Land Trust (BANG), a land trust established to preserve green space in our area.
The other gardens that comprise BANG are:
-
Greenspace@President Street
-
Pacific Street Brooklyn Bear’s
-
Prospect Heights Community Farm
-
Warren St. Marks Community Garden
Visit their websites above, or, better yet, visit in person.
Sometimes we organize bike tours of all five gardens in the Spring. Stay tuned!
Grants & Awards
Our efforts have not gone unnoticed; grants and rewards include:
-
BROOKLYN ARTS COUNCIL—Grant for the Open Space Gallery
-
BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT—Beautify Brooklyn Campaign Award
-
BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN—Greenest Block in Brooklyn/Recognition Award and Harvest Fair Award
-
CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR NEW YORK CITY—Mollie Parnis/Dress Up Your Neighborhood Award (multiple years) and multiple grants to support garden maintenance, improvement and construction
-
CON EDISON—Grant towards building battery/converter shed for solar power program
-
GREENTHUMB—Multiple grants for our Children’s Workshops as well as grants for Composting and Solar Energy Workshops, and for the Artists in the Garden Project (now called the Open Space Gallery)
-
INFORM, Inc.—Contract for Waste Free NYC program as sponsored by the New York City Council and the Department of Sanitation of New York City: education on composting, compost memberships for community gardens, and “stuff exchange” education at the Block Association level
-
IOBY—Grant for purchase of new solar panels
-
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBER STEVEN LEVIN—Discretionary funds for the creation of BANG Land Trust
-
NOSM—Children’s Workshops and Compost Workshops Grants
-
PARK SLOPE CIVIC COUNCIL—Multiple grants for Alternative/Solar Energy site, Children’s Workshops and creation of BANG Land Trust
-
ROSAS—Recognition for Excellence in the South Slope Award and Children’s Workshops Grants
-
THE GAP—Children’s Workshop Donation
Birth of the Garden
